Conference on Oil Company Transition Strategies

Participants joined this session to understand the structural and political barriers preventing major oil and gas players from transitioning to renewable energy. Academics and policy advisors attended to share and receive critiques on preliminary research regarding asset sales and the "carbon lock-in" effect of downstream petrochemical investments. Many participants were motivated by the need to quantify the financial risks facing state-owned enterprises, particularly in countries like India where millions of livelihoods depend on the coal sector. For researchers in Latin America, the session provided a venue to compare the "opportunistic" versus "corporate discipline" approaches to diversification across different political cycles. Industry consultants joined the discussion to challenge the efficacy of divestment, questioning whether telling companies to stop production entirely would be a more direct solution. The session also served as a networking hub for those interested in the intersection of national security, energy sovereignty, and global climate mandates. Ultimately, attendees sought to uncover why fossil fuel production often persists even after the original owners have officially "divested" from the assets.

- IOC Divestment Fallacy

- Mexico's Pemex Strategy

- India’s Coal Transition

- Latin American NOC Approaches

- Petrochemical Blind Spot

- Just Transition Challenges

- High Prices vs. Diversification