The World Energy Cities Partnership (wecp.org) is a collaboration between energy cities around the world. The partnership is bound together by a cooperative agreement signed by the mayors of each city and is directed by an elected leadership and supported by a secretariat office, which is based in Houston, Texas. The Houston Secretariat, and WECP worldwide, are supported by the Institute for Energy, Law & Enterprise at the University of Houston’s Law Center.
According to the WECP website, “City membership in the WECP allows the exchange of petroleum industry knowledge and economic and infrastructure development strategies, which are important to help each city in their common task of supporting the local energy sector. In addition to city collaboration, the WECP provides a worldwide network of industry support services and resources, and facilitates trade missions for local businesses to travel to member cities and capitalize on business development opportunities.”
The Greater Dammam Municipality — which encompasses Dammam, Alkhobar and Dhahran — recently became a member of the WECP. Jamal N. Al-Mulhim, deputy mayor of Dammam and Alkhobar, signed the WECP accession papers on May 3 in Houston.
According to the Arabian Sun, Saudi Aramco’s weekly publication, at the WECP signing ceremony Al-Mulhim said although Dammam is one of the newest WECP members, “it is also one of the biggest,” referring to the Kingdom’s position in the forefront of the petroleum industry.