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Electricity generation
The amount of electricity generated by a country and the breakdown of the production by fuel is a reflection of its natural resources, imported energy, national policies on security of energy supply, population, electrification rate and the development and growth of the economy in general.
Definition
The table refers to electricity generation from fossil fuels, nuclear, hydro (excluding pumped storage), geothermal, solar, biomass, etc. It includes electricity produced in electricity-only plants and in combined heat and power plants. Both main activity producer and autoproducer plants have been included, where data are available. Main activity producers generate electricity for sale to third parties as their primary activity. Autoproducer undertakings generate electricity wholly or partly for their own use as an activity which supports their primary activity. Both types of plants may be privately or publicly owned. The forecasts provided in the table refer to the Reference Scenario of the World Energy Outlook.
Comparability
Some countries, both OECD and non-OECD, have trouble reporting electricity generation from autoproducer plants. It is also difficult to obtain information on electricity generated by combustible renewables and waste in some non-OECD countries. For example, electricity generated from waste biomass in sugar refining remains largely unreported.
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World electricity generation by fuel As a percentage of world electricity generation
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Long-term trends World electricity generation rose at an average annual rate of 3.7% from 1971 to 2004, greater than the 2.1% growth in total primary energy supply. This increase was largely due to more electrical appliances, development of electrical heating in several developed countries and rural electrification programmes in developing countries. The share of electricity production from fossil fuels has gradually fallen, from just under 75% in 1971 to 66% in 2004. This decrease was due to a progressive move away from oil, which fell from 20.9% to 6.7%. Oil for power generation has been displaced in particular by dramatic growth in nuclear electricity generation, which rose from 2.1% in 1971 to 15.7% in 2004. The share of coal remained stable, at 40% while that of natural gas increased from 13.3% to 19.6%. The share of hydro-electricity decreased from 23.0% to 16.1%. Due to large programmes to develop wind and solar energy in several OECD countries, the share of new and renewable energies, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and waste increased. However, these energy forms remain limited: in 2004, they accounted for only 2.1% of total electricity production. |
Sources
- IEA (2006), Energy Balances of OECD Countries, IEA, Paris.
- IEA (2006), Energy Balances of Non-OECD Countries, IEA, Paris.
- IEA (2006), World Energy Outlook 2006, IEA, Paris.
Further information
Analytical publications
- IEA (2005), Projected Costs of Generating Electricity, IEA, Paris.
- IEA (2005), Russian Electricity Reform: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities, IEA, Paris.
- IEA (2005), Saving Electricity in a Hurry: Dealing with Temporary Shortfalls on Electricity Suppliers, IEA, Paris.
- IEA (2006), China’s Power Sector Reforms, IEA, Paris.
- IEA (2006), Energy Efficiency Policy Profiles Light’s labour’s lost: Policies for Energy-Efficient Lighting, IEA, Paris.
Statistical publications
- IEA (2006), Electricity Information: 2006 Edition, IEA, Paris.
Online databases
Websites
- International Energy Agency, www.iea.org.
| Texts | |
| • | Indicator web page |
| • | Indicator in PDF |
| Tables (xls) | |
| • | Electricity generation |
| Graphics | |
| • | World electricity generation by fuel |
World electricity generation by fuel
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