Forecast: Asia To Drive 54% Surge In Energy Demand

By Agence France-Presse Growth in demand from countries such as China and India will boost global energy consumption by 54% by 2025, the United States forecast. Total energy use is projected to grow to 623 quadrillion British thermal units in 2025 from 404 quadrillion in 2001, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. "The fastest growth is projected for the nations of developing Asia, where robust economic growth accompanies the increase in energy consumption over the forecast period," the agency said in a statement. By 2025, world oil prices would likely moderate to $27 a barrel measured in 2002 dollars, and $51 a barrel in actual dollars, the EIA said. Oil would remain the primary source of world energy through 2025, with demand projected to grow to 121 million barrels a day in 2025 from 77 million barrels a day in 2001. Most of that demand growth was expected to come from the United States and developing Asia. "The projected increment . . . would require an increment to world productive capacity of more than 44 million barrels per day over current levels," the EIA said. Natural gas is expected to be the fastest growing primary energy source over the forecast period, the EIA said. From 2001 to 2025, natural gas consumption was expected to grow 67%, reaching 151 trillion cubic feet in 2025. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2004