Latest news with #Haitham Al Ghais
Khaleej Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Opec trims oil demand for next four years, says no peak in sight
OPEC cut its global oil demand forecasts for the next four years on Thursday as Chinese growth slows, even as it lifted its longer-term view, based on rising consumption in the developing world, and said there was no sign oil use had reached its peak. The OPEC+ producer group, comprising the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus allies including Russia, is pumping more barrels to regain market share after years of cuts to support the market. Lower medium-term demand could make it harder for the group to unwind its other cuts, which remain in place until the end of 2026. World demand will average 105 million barrels per day this year, OPEC said in its 2025 World Oil Outlook published on Thursday. It expects demand to grow to average 106.3 million bpd in 2026 and then climb to 111.6 million bpd in 2029. The forecasts for demand in 2026 through 2029 are all lower than last year. Demand will average 106.3 million bpd in 2026, OPEC said, down from 108 million bpd seen last year. The 2029 forecast is down 700,000 bpd from last year's figure. Compared with other forecasters, OPEC expects demand to grow for a longer period. BP and the International Energy Agency expect oil use to peak this decade. "Oil underpins the global economy and is central to our daily lives," said OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais in the foreword to the report. "There is no peak oil demand on the horizon." OPEC is launching the report at a biennial OPEC seminar in Vienna, which brings together oil ministers and executives. OPEC has withheld access to the seminar to reporters from Reuters and several other news organisations. OPEC declined to comment on why it was doing this. In the report, OPEC said demand had completed its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a more predictable outlook. Growth is also slowing in China, OPEC said, the country that has driven oil use higher for the last few decades. "This comes on the back of slower economic growth, the faster penetration of EVs and related charging infrastructure and continued oil substitution in several sectors," OPEC said with reference to China. OPEC+ began to unwind output cuts of 2.17 million bpd in April with a production boost of 138,000 bpd. Hikes of 411,000 bpd followed each month in May, June, July and now August. The group still has separate cuts of 3.65 million bpd in place until end-2026. Two OPEC+ delegates said on Thursday there has been no discussion yet on releasing that extra oil. Gap with IEA and BP OPEC kept its forecast that demand in 2030 will average 113.3 million bpd unchanged from last year. By contrast, the International Energy Agency expects global demand to peak at 105.6 million bpd by 2029 and then fall slightly in 2030, the adviser to industrialised countries said last month. For the longer term, OPEC expects India, the Middle East and Africa to drive growth. Developments such as the U.S. exit from the United Nations climate pact and a slower EV penetration rate in Europe is likely to influence behaviour and lead to a slower energy transition in developing countries with high energy needs, OPEC said. OPEC expects world oil demand to reach 122.9 million barrels per day by 2050, up from 120.1 million bpd expected in last year's report. That's far above other 2050 forecasts from the industry such as that of BP. OPEC has been calling for more oil industry investment and said the sector needs $18.2 trillion to be spent to 2050, compared with $17.4 trillion needed as estimated last year.
The National
6 days ago
- Business
- The National
Opec raises 2050 energy demand outlook amid expansion of global economies
Opec has raised its forecast for world energy demand for the medium and long term as global economies expand and population growth boosts requirements for oil. Overall energy demand in the long term is expected to increase by 23 per cent to reach 378 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2050, the supergroup of oil producers said on Thursday in its World Oil Outlook 2050 report. In the medium term, global oil demand is projected to increase by 9 per cent to reach 113.3 million barrels per day by 2030, from 103.7 million bpd in 2024, while in the long term, it is forecast to surge by 18.5 per cent to reach 123 million bpd by 2050, Opec said. This will be driven by 'expanding economic growth, rising populations, increasing urbanisation, new energy-intensive industries like artificial intelligence, and the need to bring energy to the billions without it', Haitham Al Ghais, secretary general of Opec, said. The global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, from 8.2 billion in 2024, with the working age population set to increase by 800 million over the same period to reach about 6.1 billion. The global urbanisation rate is also expected to rise to 68 per cent from 58 per cent during the period, resulting in about 1.9 billion people moving to cities by 2050, Opec said. The world economy, meanwhile, is set to more than double in size to $358 trillion in 2050, with global average income expected to rise during the period, according to Opec. India, Africa and Middle East to lead demand growth Countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including India, Africa and Middle East states, are projected to lead the oil demand growth for both medium and long-term forecast periods. The non-OECD oil demand during the long term is projected to increase by almost 28 million bpd, while OECD oil demand is set to witness a decline of 8.5 million bpd. Combined demand in India, rest of Asia, the Middle East and Africa is set to increase by 22.4 million bpd between 2024 and 2050, with India alone adding 8.2 million bpd, the report said. China's oil demand is projected to increase by less than 2 million bpd over the same period. Road transport and petrochemicals to play key role Road transport, petrochemicals and aviation are expected to play a key role in boosting demand for oil. The transportation sector accounted for more than 57 per cent of global oil demand in 2024 and is projected to retain this share over the entire forecast period. A significant demand increase of 4.7 million bpd is also projected in the petrochemicals sector. 'Oil underpins the global economy and is central to our daily lives,' Mr Al Ghais said. 'There is no peak oil demand on the horizon.' Opec+ countries have been boosting production since April in anticipation of higher demand after curtaining production for several years. The group will boost production by 548,000 bpd for August, it said last week, after increasing output by 411,000 bpd for each of May, June and July. The group also approved an increase of 138,000 bpd in April. "You can see that even with the increases for several months, we haven't seen a major build-up in inventories, which means the market needed those barrels," Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said in Vienna on Wednesday. "What we want is stability and you cannot be short-sighted just by looking at the price. We need the price to be right for investments to happen," he said, adding that countries with big oil reserves were still not investing enough. Boosting investments in oil sector Mr Al Ghais also underscored the importance of boosting investments in the oil sector, with investment requirements of 18.2 trillion till 2050. 'It is vital that these investments are made for consumers and producers everywhere, as well as for the effective functioning of the global economy at large,' Mr Al Ghais said. Oil markets remained volatile this year amid US President Donald Trump's tariff plans and the Israel-Iran conflict. Crude prices started the year strongly. The closing price of Brent, the benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, peaked at more than $82 a barrel on January 15, while West Texas Intermediate, the gauge that tracks US crude, hit almost $79 per barrel on that day. However, demand concerns, a slowing global economy and less-than-stellar growth in China, the world's biggest crude importer, have weighed on crude prices this year. Mr Trump's push to impose hefty tariffs on trade partners has been the biggest driver of declining oil prices.
