EIA Says World Energy Use Projected to Grow Nearly 50 Percent
Jane Van Ryan
Posted June 2, 2010
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released the latest edition of the agency's long-term assessment of world energy markets--the International Energy Outlook 2010 (IEO2010).
Among the points stressed in the report are that world energy consumption is projected to grow nearly 50 percent between 2007 and 2035; and while growth of renewable energy sources is brisk, fossil fuels will meet nearly 80 percent of total energy needs in 2035.
Also, the report says that China and India are expected to more than double their combined energy use by 2035--accounting for roughly 30 percent of world energy use.
Other highlights include:
- World natural gas consumption will increase 1.3 percent per year, from 108 trillion cubic feet in 2007 to 156 trillion cubic feet in 2035. Tight gas, shale gas, and coalbed methane supplies will increase substantially in China, Canada and the United States.
- Canadian oil sands and biofuels will account for 70 percent of the growth in unconventional liquid fuels in 2035.
- Meeting the world's demand for liquid fuels, such as gasoline and diesel, will require a production increase of 25.8 billion barrels per day of conventional or unconventional fuels. Clearly this isn't the time to restrict oil production in the United States, whether onshore or offshore.
For more information, watch Howard Gruenspecht, EIA's Deputy Administrator, in the video below as he presents the IEO2010 briefing at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) here in Washington, D.C.
The video is lengthy, but take a look at a particularly interesting portion near the 9:25 minute-mark to hear Gruenspecht discuss the role of fossil fuels in meeting future demand for energy.
For more information, IEO2010 Highlights can be found on EIA's web site.