Growth in energy markets slowed in 2019 in line with weaker economic growth and a partial unwinding of some of the one-off factors that boosted energy demand in 2018.This slowdown was particularly evident in the US, Russia and India, each of which exhibited unusually strong growth in 2018. China was the exception, with its energy consumption accelerating in 2019. As a result, China dominated the expansion in global energy markets – contributing the largest increment to demand for each individual source of energy other than natural gas, where it was only narrowly surpassed by the US. Despite the support from China, all fuels (other than nuclear) grew at a slower rate than their 10-year averages, with coal consumption declining for the fourth time in six years. Nevertheless, renewables still grew by a record increment and provided the largest contribution (41%) to growth in primary energy, with the level of renewable power generation exceeding nuclear power for the first time.

[2]