April 10, 2002—Worldwide energy consumption will grow by 60 percent over the next two decades, according to a reference case projection released by the US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its annual forecast of international energy demand.
The International Energy Outlook 2002 expects much of the growth to occur in the developing world, with the regions of developing Asia (including China, India, and South Korea) and Central and South America leading the way as their consuming patterns increasingly resemble those of the industrialized world.
Other report highlights include:
- World oil prices are expected to moderate in 2002 as demand for oil increases.
- Natural gas remains the fastest-growing component of primary world energy consumption, with the natural gas share of total energy consumption projected to increase from 23 percent in 1999 to 28 percent in 2020.
- The amount of carbon dioxide emitted per dollar of gross domestic product is projected to improve throughout the world over the next two decades, although total carbon dioxide emissions are projected to increase by 62 percent between 1999 and 2020.
- The greatest expansion in new nuclear energy capacity is expected to occur among the developing nations, particularly in developing Asia where nuclear capacity more than doubles over the projection period, from 22 gigawatts in 1999 to 54 gigawatts in 2020.
The report is available on EIA’s Web Site. Printed copies are available from the US Government Printing Office or through EIA’s National Energy Information Center, Room 1E-238, Forrestal Building, Washington, DC 20585, 202/586-8800.
