International. Energy demand worldwide grew by 2.3% last year, its fastest pace this decade, exceptional performance driven by a robust global economy and increased heating and cooling needs in some regions. Natural gas emerged as the fuel of choice, with the highest gains and accounting for 45% of the increase in energy consumption. Gas demand growth was especially strong in the United States and China.
Demand for all fuels increased, as fossil fuels reached nearly 70% of growth for the second year in a row. Solar and wind generation grew at a double-digit pace, with solar alone increasing by 31%. However, that wasn't fast enough to meet increased electricity demand around the world that also drove coal use.
As a result, global energy-related CO2 emissions increased by 1.7% to 33 Gigatons (Gt) in 2018. The use of coal in power generation alone exceeded 10 Gt, accounting for a third of total emissions. Most of that came from a young fleet of coal-fired power plants in developing Asia. Most of the coal generation capacity today is in Asia, with plants 12 years old on average, decades below the average lifespan of around 50 years.
These findings are part of the International Energy Agency's latest assessment of global energy consumption and energy-related CO2 emissions for 2018. The Global State of Energy and CO2 Report provides a high-level, up-to-date view of energy markets, including the latest information available. data on oil, natural gas, coal, wind, solar, nuclear power, electricity and energy efficiency.
Electricity continues to position itself as the "fuel" of the future, with global electricity demand increasing from 4% in 2018 to more than 23,000 TWh. This rapid growth is pushing electricity towards a 20% share of total final energy consumption. Increased power generation was responsible for half of the growth in primary energy demand.
Renewables contributed greatly to this expansion of power generation, accounting for almost half of the growth in electricity demand. China remains the leader in renewable energy, for both wind and solar power, followed by Europe and the United States.
Energy intensity improved by 1.3% last year, just half the rate for the 2014-2016 period. This third consecutive year of slowdown was the result of weaker implementation of energy efficiency policies and strong demand growth in economies with higher energy consumption.
"We have seen an extraordinary increase in global energy demand in 2018, growing at its fastest pace this decade," said Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA. "Last year can also be considered another golden year for gas, which accounted for almost half of the growth in global energy demand. But despite the huge growth of renewables, global emissions continue to rise, demonstrating once again that more urgent action is needed on all fronts: developing all clean energy solutions, reducing emissions, improving efficiency and boosting investments and innovation, including in carbon capture and utilization. and storage."
Nearly one-fifth of the increase in global energy demand came from increased demand for heating and cooling, as average winter and summer temperatures in some regions approached or exceeded historical records. The colds triggered the demand for heating and, more importantly, the warmer summer temperatures increased the demand for cooling.
Together, China, the United States and India accounted for nearly 70% of the increase in energy demand worldwide. The United States saw the largest increase in oil and gas demand worldwide. Its gas consumption increased by 10% over the previous year, the fastest increase since the start of IEA records in 1971. The annual increase in US demand last year was equivalent to the UK's current gas consumption.
Global gas demand expanded at its fastest pace since 2010, with year-on-year growth of 4.6%, the second consecutive year of strong growth, driven by higher demand and coal substitution. Demand growth was led by the United States. Gas demand in China increased by almost 18%.
Oil demand grew 1.3% worldwide, with the United States again leading the global increase for the first time in 20 years thanks to a strong expansion in petrochemicals, increased industrial production and truck services.
Global coal consumption increased 0.7%, with increases seen only in Asia, particularly in China, India and some countries in South and Southeast Asia.
Nuclear power also grew by 3.3% in 2018, with global generation reaching pre-Fukushima levels, mainly as a result of new additions in China and the restart of four reactors in Japan. Worldwide, nuclear power plants accounted for 9% of the increase in electricity demand.
Correction: The original published version of this press release indicated that coal accounted for one-third of the increase in CO2 emissions last year. This was corrected to clarify that coal accounted for a third of total CO2 emissions last year.
