Top oil executives dropped from Riyadh energy congress agenda after deadly attacks

The chief executives of ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron and BP were no longer listed on the agenda that organisers of the WPC Energy Congress released early Monday, despite having been expected at the Riyadh gathering, which opened on Sunday. Chief executives of major energy companies are normally a regular fixture at WPC Energy events and had been booked to speak this week on global oil and gas markets, energy security and the energy transition.

The congress is being held at a conference centre roughly 10 kilometres (6 miles) from Riyadh's international airport, which has been attacked four times in the past week. Saudi authorities said one person was killed and nearly a dozen injured in a fresh strike on the airport on Sunday evening, a day after an attack claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 — the deadliest assault on the kingdom in more than a decade.

Opening Monday's session, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman thanked delegates who had travelled to Riyadh and told them the country is safe and their protection is held at heart. He acknowledged, however, that their presence did not mean the risk had passed, describing recent weeks as serious and saying the kingdom's response must be equally serious.

A BP spokesperson said the company had made every effort to participate but was unable to attend in person because of travel disruption, adding that it values its long-standing partnerships across the region. Shell declined to comment, while TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil and Chevron did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters reported.

The absent executives represent a setback for Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's multi-billion-dollar programme to diversify away from oil, modernise society and build the kingdom into an investment and tourism hub, for which hosting international events is a priority. The programme was already facing delays and recalibrations, and Prince Abdulaziz said the kingdom must stay focused on the decades ahead and that Vision 2030 must continue.

The congress had originally been scheduled for April this year but was postponed after the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran began in late February. Saudi Arabia was named host in October 2022, marking the first time the event, first held in Britain in 1933, has taken place in the kingdom.