IEA says emissions set to rise with global power demand

• 2 years ago (2022-01-17)
• David Flin

Asia 851 Coal 278 Emissions 60 Gas 373

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The International Energy Agency (IEA) said that it anticipates that the rise in global electricity demand will slow over the next few years after a record 2021, but will still result in higher carbon emissions without rapid gains in low-carbon supply and energy efficiency.

The IEA said that global electricity demand rose by 6 per cent or 1500 TWh in 2021, the largest percentage gain since the recovery from a global financial crisis in 2010 and the largest total rise on record. China accounted for about half of the increase in global electricity demand last year with a 10 per cent rise. However, global electricity demand is expected to slow over the next few years as energy efficiency measures take effect and economic recovery slows. The IEA report said that annual growth is expected to increase annually by 2.7 per cent to 2024, although the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and high energy prices are still uncertain.

David Jones, Global Lead for the independent climate think tank Ember, said: “Failure to build enough new clean electricity to keep up with demand will slow the phase-out of coal-fired and gas-fired electricity; a mistake we cannot make for the climate.”

Most of the electricity supply growth to 2024 is expected to come from China, accounting for around half of the net total increase, followed by India at 12 per cent, Europe at 7 per cent, and the USA at 4 per cent.