About WEC

WEC: The Triennial Congress

In 1978, a special WEC Conservation Commission published a seminal report, World Energy: Looking Ahead to 2020, which was a comprehensive examination of the global energy scene, bringing together market economy countries, centrally planned economies and developing countries. This report was widely read and formed a starting point for many of WEC's future reports, studies, and activities.

In 1981, the IEC agreed that the triennial Conference would henceforth be designated as the "Triennial Congress".

At the 1986 Congress, held in Cannes, France, a new feature, the Technical Exhibition, consisting mainly of energy supply equipment, was introduced. The Exhibition met with such a high degree of success that it became a regular part of following Congresses.

Also at the Cannes Congress, Eric Ruttley (left) resigned as Secretary General of WEC after steering the organisation through two decades of extraordinary changes. He was succeeded by Ian Lindsay, who came to WEC with over 30 years' experience in the oil industry. Over the next decade, Lindsay was to continue Ruttley's success in increasing WEC's membership, authority, and influence.

In 1989, WEC published another landmark report, Global Energy Perspectives 2000-2020. This report was an important consensus based on two global energy scenarios, one moderate and one more conservative. The report gained worldwide attention and was used by many policymakers and decision-makers as they considered the future.

At the 1989 Montreal Congress, based on the success of the Global Energy Perspectives report, WEC decided to undertake an ambitious new study, Energy for Tomorrow's World: Realities, Real Options, The Agenda for Achievement. The new study would serve as the main focus and underpinning for the 1992 Congress in Madrid. A special Commission Board convened a small team of high-level energy specialists lent by five Member Committees to draft the study report. After much effort, the report was finally published in 1993.