2020 is a year that most people would likely soon forget, both in terms of personal impacts and the overall economic downturn caused by the pandemic. While it hopefully will prove to be an anomaly, economic and energy usage data and statistics from 2020 still provide some useful insights and glimpses of future issues. BP recently released its annual Statistical Review of World Energy, covering through the end of 2020.

Although declines in use were noted for coal and natural gas, oil had the sharpest decline in global consumption: 9.1 million barrels per day, or 9.3 per cent. The decline is the largest ever seen and accounts for about three-quarters of the total decline in energy consumption. Oil demand fell the most in the US (2.3 million barrels per day), followed by the decline in the European Union of 1.5 million barrels per day. China saw an increase in oil consumption of 220,000 barrels per day.

Continue reading “Energy Consumption Data During the Pandemic Year Reveals China’s Growth” →