The roster of CEOs listed as speakers at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) this month sheds some light on the level of their respective companies’ interest in the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) concession, now in the final leg after bids closed on 22 October. Eight of the 11 prequalified companies will be represented by their chief executives at ADIPEC while three will not. With all parties maintaining virtual silence on the issue, the absence of the heads of ExxonMobil, Eni and Occidental (Oxy) from the executive panel may offer clues.
Total, Shell and BP, the so-called legacy partners in the ADCO concession, will be represented by their chief executives at a CEO panel scheduled on day 1 of the exhibition and conference, the biggest event of its kind in the Middle East and an opportunity to rub shoulders with national oil company (NOC) executives and, more importantly, Abu Dhabi royalty, on whose shoulders rests the ultimate fate of the prized concession. (CONTINUED - 800 WORDS)
