27.07.2010

Data from the IEA shows that the growth in energy demand is expected to remain strong due to its low per-capita energy consumption.

According to preliminary figures from the International Energy Agency, China has now surpassed the United States to become the largest energy consumer. The rise comes before than it was expected given that China was much less affected by the financial crisis than the United States.

The agency claims that since 2000 China’s energy demand has doubled, although its consumption per person is still only one-third of the OECD average. But, the extraordinary growth in energy demand that has taken place in China over the last decade is expected to continue and remain incredibly strong. This is due to the country’s low per-capita energy consumption level and the fact that China is the most populous nation on the planet, with more than 1.3 billion people.

China’s energy demand today would be even higher still if the government had not made the progress of reducing the energy intensity - the energy input per dollar of output - of its economy. What is more, China has also very quickly become one of the world’s leaders in renewable energy, particularly wind power and solar energy, and covered the way for a big expansion of nuclear power.

The Chinese government disputed the findings, saying the IEA’s figures were “unreliable”. The World Energy Outlook 2010 will serve to assess the implications of these new trends, to be released on 9 November 2010.

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