PRC Europe 2019 announces additional sessions

"Two months before the Congress, and the business program is almost full," says Regina Chislova, the project director. "Based on numerous requests from our clients, we have added sessions dedicated to catalysts and petrochemicals, which are deemed to represent the future of downstream."

According to the press release, delegates of previous congresses agree with this statement, also considering petrochemistry to be the future of downstream.

"I see downstream as a mature industry that has some major transformations ahead of it," says László Domonkos, business opportunity manager at Shell Global Solutions. "One of them is shifting from the current refinery-dominated position to a much more balanced [mix of] refining and petrochemicals. And the other part which will be another major transition is to decarbonize the industry to get to carbon-neutral or carbon-free feedstocks and carbon-neutral, carbon-free products."

"If you look at all the figures, you know everybody believes that the petrochemical industry will continue to grow," notes David Pullan, VP Group Downstream Technology & Development at MOL Group. "I think the only thing to be a little bit careful of, especially in Europe, is that recycling policy might impact that a little bit, and then maybe plastic will come in eventually. But for the foreseeable future, I think it’s a good business to be."

"Actually, analysts are saying that the refining industry is enjoying the Silver Age of refining and that is certainly true of the recent couple of years," says MiRO COE Ralf Schairer. "But looking ahead in the mid and long-term, policymakers, with the translation of climate protection and attempts to decarbonize the industry, are certainly going to put a challenge on our industry. I am convinced that we will continue to need liquid fuels just for the reason of higher energy density. Nevertheless, if that needs to be done on a CO2-neutral basis, this will require a very substantial amount of investment going into our business."

The organizers say that a wide range of topics will be covered at the Congress. On the first day, delegates will have the chance to attend sessions on digital transformation, refinery 4.0, operational excellence and asset optimization, and advanced technologies for residue processing.

On the second day, the discussed topics will involve matching IMO requirements, refinery maintenance and operational reliability, predictive tools, safety infrastructure and environmental impact of downstream processes, the flexible refinery as a refinery of the future, design technologies and challenges, and the profile of the downstream industry in a low-carbon future.

The Congress organizer, BGS Group, organizes a number of closed-door congresses in Europe, including the AUTOMA Congress, Midstream Oil and Gas Congress, Exploration and Production Offshore Congress Hub, and more. Additional information is available at this website.