Global energy demand is forecast to rise 23% through 2045, Haitham Al Ghais, the secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said at a Nigerian oil and gas conference earlier this month.
Last week, Al Ghais said that four countries including Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Brunei and Mexico have been consulted so far to join the organization.
On the sidelines of the 8th OPEC International Seminar which kicked off in Vienna, the secretary general revealed the organization’s aspirations to increase the number of its member states
Al Ghais said that the consultations with new countries from outside the organization has been instrumental in strengthening the cohesion of OPEC. “The organization does not target joining of a certain number of countries, but targeting countries that have the same strategic objectives of preserving and stabilizing oil markets,” he said.
The OPEC chief noted that four countries that were consulted have been in solidarity with the organization since 2017. “They have gone through qualitative challenges during the collapse of the markets and the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Therefore, all of these countries have the common goal that is in the interest of stabilizing the oil markets,” he added.
