This 23rd edition of the Survey of Energy Resources published by World Energy Council covers all fossil resources (coal, oil, both conventional and unconventional and gas, both conventional and unconventional), and the main renewable and transitional resources: peat, nuclear and uranium, hydro power, biofuels and waste, wind, solar, geothermal and marine energies.

As energy is the main ‘fuel’ for social and economic development, and since energy-related activities have significant environmental impacts, it is important for decision-makers to have access to reliable and accurate data in an user-friendly format. WEC has for decades been a pioneer in the field of energy resources and every three years publishes its flagship report Survey of Energy Resources (SER) which is released during the World Energy Congress. World Energy Resources (WER) 2013 is the new title of this publication and in fact is the 23rd edition for the Survey of Energy Resources. The survey is recognised worldwide as the premier source of information on global energy resources. Its reputation and value since the first edition in 1933 rest on two main factors: the study presents unbiased data and facts from an independent and impartial organisation, and the second factor is the sheer amount of resource and other key energy data together with analysis of technological, economic and environmental aspects assessed on global, regional and country levels.