LITTLETON, Colorado: The latest edition of the Energy Institute’s 75th Statistical Review of World Energy paints a complex picture of the global energy landscape, highlighting rapid shifts in power generation, clean energy deployment, electricity demand, and carbon emissions. Rather than presenting a single global trend, the data underscores an energy system evolving at different speeds across regions and technologies.
China Strengthens Its Position as the Global Energy Powerhouse
The report shows that China has firmly established itself as the world’s dominant energy producer and consumer. Between 2010 and 2025, China’s total energy supply increased from around 100 exajoules to approximately 165 exajoules, while the United States remained relatively stable at just over 90 exajoules.
The gap is even more pronounced in electricity generation. China’s power output has exceeded 10,500 terawatt-hours (TWh)—more than double that of the United States, whose generation has risen modestly to around 4,800 TWh.
Key takeaway: The global center of gravity for energy production and electricity generation has decisively shifted toward China.
Data Centres Emerge as a Major Driver of Electricity Demand
The rapid expansion of digital infrastructure is creating a new source of electricity demand worldwide. North America remains the largest consumer of electricity for data centres, with demand increasing from around 185 TWh in 2020 to nearly 320 TWh by 2025.
Asia is experiencing similarly strong growth, with consumption approaching 270 TWh, while Europe’s demand is projected to reach approximately 145 TWh. North America alone is expected to add more than 60 TWh of new data centre electricity demand during 2025.
Key takeaway: In advanced economies, digital infrastructure has become one of the fastest-growing drivers of electricity consumption.
Asia Leads the Global Expansion of Battery Energy Storage
Battery energy storage has rapidly evolved into a critical component of modern electricity systems. Global installed battery storage capacity has climbed sharply since 2020, reaching around 300,000 megawatts (MW) by 2025.
Asia dominates this expansion, accounting for more battery installations than the rest of the world combined. Although North America and Europe continue to accelerate deployment, they remain well behind Asia in cumulative installed capacity.
Key takeaway: Energy storage is scaling rapidly worldwide, but deployment remains heavily concentrated in Asia.
Countries Continue to Follow Different Clean Energy Pathways
The report highlights significant disparities in electricity decarbonisation among countries. France leads with approximately 95% of its electricity generated from clean sources, largely due to its extensive nuclear power fleet. Brazil and Canada also rank among the world’s cleanest electricity systems, while many European countries generate between 50% and 80% of their electricity from low-carbon sources.
By contrast, several major economies—including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, South Africa, and Malaysia—continue to rely predominantly on fossil fuels for power generation.
Key takeaway: The global energy transition is unfolding at vastly different speeds, reflecting each country’s unique resource base, policies, and investment priorities.
Global Emissions Reflect a Growing Regional Divide
Energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions continue to reveal contrasting regional trends. Since 2010, the United States has achieved the largest cumulative reduction in energy-related emissions, supported by significant declines across Europe and Japan.
However, these reductions have been outweighed by rising emissions in developing economies. China accounts for the largest increase in global emissions during the period, with India also recording substantial growth alongside other emerging economies.
Key takeaway: While many developed economies are successfully reducing emissions, continued growth in developing countries means global emissions remain under pressure.
A Global Energy System in Transition
The latest Statistical Review demonstrates that the global energy transition is progressing through multiple, often contrasting pathways. China continues to dominate energy production and clean technology deployment, digital infrastructure is reshaping electricity demand, battery storage is expanding at unprecedented rates, and national decarbonisation efforts remain highly uneven.
Together, these trends illustrate an energy system undergoing profound transformation, with technology, investment, and regional policy choices increasingly determining the pace and direction of the global transition.
By Reuters
