API 2027 Winter Exploration and Production Standards Meeting

The Committee on Refinery Equipment is responsible for more than 220 standards that form the basis of the API Individual Certification and Process Safety Site Assessment programs. Technical subcommittees cover aboveground storage tanks; corrosion and materials; heat transfer equipment; inspection and mechanical integrity; piping and valves; pressure-relieving systems; refractory materials; electrical equipment; instruments and control systems; mechanical equipment; petroleum refining technical data; and API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Fitness-For-Service. The meeting addresses consensus-based standards and best practices for downstream operations, equipment, process safety, inspection, mechanical integrity, materials, corrosion, piping, valves, controls, and refinery engineering. Participation is open to parties with a direct and material interest in the subject of a standard.

The definitive annual gathering for aboveground storage tank professionals since 1995, organized by API, developer of tank standards API 650 and API 653. The conference covers evolving standards, emerging technologies, regulatory developments, inspection and maintenance strategies, and real-world case studies for engineers, operators, regulators, and asset integrity specialists.

The conference theme is “Pipeline to Possibilities: Securing Energy, Shaping Futures.” Stakeholder Engagement & Outreach covers community and public engagement, API Recommended Practices 1162 and 1185, environmental justice, Tribal and First Nation considerations, emergency responder education, and damage prevention. Pipeline Operational Excellence addresses safety performance, in-line inspection lessons, pipeline safety management systems, safety culture, management of change, asset remediation, and operational and enterprise risk management. Technology, AI & Innovation includes inspection tools, engineering practices, control room technologies, artificial intelligence, API RP 1165, and emerging fuels. Workforce Training & Development covers succession planning, knowledge transfer, recruitment and retention, multigenerational workforces, operator qualification, inspector certification, and competency-based learning. Sustainability & New Fuels addresses CO2, hydrogen and other low-carbon fuels; safety, integrity, leak detection, corrosion management, emergency preparedness, methane emissions, and environmental stewardship. Other tracks address pipeline construction, project management, commissioning, major maintenance, contract management and trenchless technologies; leak detection systems and predictive analytics; SCADA/OT modernization, industrial control system cybersecurity, threat response and regulatory compliance; and alarm and control room management, including fatigue mitigation, controller training, management of change, records, and regulatory interpretations.

URTeC and the Offshore Technology Conference will be co-located while retaining distinct technical focuses. URTeC centers on unconventional resource development, with shared industry priorities that include capital efficiency, digital transformation, emissions reduction, and operational performance. Technical themes include operator case studies integrating geology, geophysics, geomechanics, completions, and reservoir engineering across exploration, appraisal, pilot testing, and development; advanced formation evaluation using well logs, core and fluid characterization, digital rock technologies, and petrophysical interpretation; geological and geophysical methods for prospectivity, acreage assessment, seismic imaging, reservoir characterization, and produced-water management; and geomechanics in well design, hydraulic fracturing, production, and refracturing. Other themes address geochemistry and fluid-rock interactions, including applications to geothermal energy and critical minerals; AI and data science for subsurface characterization, reserves estimation, drilling, completions, and production forecasting; enhanced recovery and restimulation, including gas and CO₂ injection, chemical agents, simulation, and field surveillance; and reserves estimation and production forecasting. Clean-energy topics include methane monitoring and mitigation, electrification, flaring reduction, geothermal development, infrastructure repurposing, helium and hydrogen, critical-mineral extraction, and produced-water treatment, reuse, and mineral recovery. Well-level interventions include remediation, sidetracks, artificial lift, diagnostics, and intervention economics.

Jointly sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the symposium features technical presentations on lessons learned from facility incidents and near misses, and accident avoidance in refineries and petrochemical plants. It also provides a forum for exchanging information on safe operating practices and procedures and sharing best practices. Attendance is limited to refining and petrochemical operating companies.

The meeting brings together executives, decision-makers, and technical experts from refining businesses, technology providers, contracting and consulting firms, and equipment manufacturers. Sessions are designed to examine policies, regulations, geopolitics, and disruptions affecting the downstream sector.

The meeting brings together executives, decision-makers, and technical experts from refining businesses, technology providers, contracting and consulting firms, and equipment manufacturers. Sessions address policies, regulations, geopolitics, and disruptions affecting downstream businesses. The agenda includes general sessions, concurrent breakout sessions, and a Government Relations Breakfast.

The conference brings together operators of natural gas delivery systems and service and equipment providers. Technical sessions cover gas measurement, pipeline integrity, operations advocacy, workforce safety, environmental issues, storage, engineering, construction and maintenance, gas control, corrosion control, and damage prevention. The program supports technical knowledge-sharing and leadership strategies focused on safe, reliable natural gas delivery and workforce safety.

The biennial symposium focuses on proven and emerging technologies for oil and natural gas development and production. Technical papers address commercially viable solutions to drilling, completion, and production engineering challenges. The 2027 theme, “Fueling the Future,” examines the industry’s role in providing low-cost, reliable energy as energy sources diversify. The program also includes events supporting a lower-carbon future, with goals of improving well and program economics, extending commercial success, and addressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations.