IEA Responds to Disruption of Libyan Oil Supplies
According to International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka, the 28 IEA member countries have agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil in the coming month in response to the ongoing disruption of oil supplies from Libya. This supply disruption has been underway for some time and its effect has become more pronounced as it has continued. The normal seasonal increase in refiner demand expected for this summer will exacerbate the shortfall further. Greater tightness in the oil market threatens to undermine the fragile global economic recovery. In deciding to take this collective action, IEA member countries agreed to make 2 million barrels of oil per day available from their emergency stocks over an initial period of 30 days.
IEA Report: Natural Gas’ Potential “Golden Age”
As supply and demand factors increasingly point to a future in which natural gas plays a greater role in the global energy mix, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a special report exploring the potential for a “golden age” of gas. The new report, part of the World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2011 series, examines the key factors that could result in a more prominent role for natural gas in the global energy mix, and the implications for other fuels, energy security and climate change. The report, titled, “Are We Entering a Golden Age of Gas?” presents a scenario in which global use of gas rises by more than 50% from 2010 levels and accounts for more than a quarter of global energy demand by 2035.
New Report on Norwegian Energy Policy
Norway is pursuing ambitious, forward-thinking energy policies, but could go further in its efforts to become a low-carbon economy, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has concluded in a review published today. Energy Policies of IEA Countries - Norway 2011 Review says that it will be challenging for Norway to meet its 2020 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% compared with 1990 levels, because both the country’s electricity supply and its energy use in buildings are already essentially carbon-free due to hydropower use.
IEA Reacts to OPEC Decision
leave production levels unchanged. markets and stable competitive petroleum prices. in December”, Tanaka stressed. “Our concern is that there are uncertainties that surround the sustainability of some of that supply, and winter demand is as variable as the weather.
