Economy Above-average growth in global energy demand
Air conditioning systems and other power guzzlers caused global energy demand to grow at an above-average rate last year. According to the International Energy Agency, energy demand rose primarily due to the demand for electricity.
24.03.2025, 06:19
SDA
The demand for electricity increased by 4.3 percent compared to the previous year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced in Paris on Monday. The increase is therefore almost twice as high as the average of the past ten years.
The experts cited the use of air conditioning systems as one of the main reasons for the 1100 terawatt hour increase in demand for electricity, primarily due to extreme heat in India and China. Emerging and developing countries accounted for more than four-fifths of the absolute increase in energy consumption.
The new demand was therefore primarily met by renewable energy sources and natural gas. Other fossil fuels such as coal and oil also increased, albeit at a slower rate than in previous years. Nuclear power is also experiencing something of a renaissance: six new nuclear power plants were completed, two in China alone. The newly installed capacity worldwide was therefore a third higher than in the previous year.
