Saturday, March 14, 2026

IEA: There will probably be a “breathtaking” oil surplus by 2030

IEA: There will probably be a “breathtaking” oil surplus by 2030

Due to a worldwide pandemic, wars and other economic pressures, oil demand has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past five years.

This happened against the backdrop of US rearmament Slate productionCountries are tightly controlling how much oil is released, and the world is moving to alternative energy sources.

All of those aspects will result in a “staggering” oil surplus by 2030 that can far exceed demand, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) warned in a report. a report On Wednesday.

Oil demand will progressively decline, peaking in 2029 after which stagnating. The IEA expects oil supply to succeed in 114 million barrels per day by the top of the last decade – about 8 million barrels per day greater than demand.

“This would result in spare capacity never seen before except at the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020,” the IEA said.

“Such a massive buffer in oil production could lead to a lower oil price environment and pose major challenges for producers in the US shale oil sector and the OPEC+ bloc.”

The fight against electrification

Even though supply will exceed demand in the approaching years, oil demand in 2030 will still be barely higher than today on account of strong demand from Asian markets equivalent to India and China.

“In contrast, oil demand in developed countries is expected to continue its decades-long decline,” the report says. The only exception when demand was this low was 1991, when major events equivalent to the Gulf War and the collapse of the Soviet Union took place. In developed countries, oil demand will decline by 3 million barrels per day between now and 2030.

Even economies with comparatively high oil consumption will struggle with the increasing adoption of electrical vehicles and energy efficiency practices aimed toward reducing or offsetting carbon dioxide emissions.

The IEA predicted last 12 months that fossil fuels were “at the beginning of the end” as a metamorphosis within the energy industry was underway. The energy agency warned in its latest report that demand forecasts trusted economic volatility, changes within the pace of electrical vehicle adoption and more.

Oil prices are also fluctuating widely. Earlier this week, each oil indices, Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate, rose on reports that oil production would climb later this 12 months. Higher oil demand is predicted in the summertime, but uncertainties, equivalent to rates of interest, still play a task in determining the worth of the commodity.

Overall, nonetheless, future developments within the oil industry will probably be determined by a weakening of demand.

The gap between supply and demand will hit the stronghold of the OPEC+ alliance, which consists of the world’s largest oil producers and their allies. The group, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has been monitoring oil production for years to curb prices. Higher oil prices are more lucrative for economies like Russia that depend on oil exports to fill their coffers.

Falling demand will create a “massive buffer” and shake OPEC+’s future oil production strategy, the IEA said. It may even mean the group’s share of oil production will fall below 50% from this 12 months, paving the way in which for other non-OPEC+ members equivalent to Brazil and Norway.

The OPEC Secretary General isn’t so sure that things are declining. The IEA’s forecast is “dangerous,” Haitham Al Ghais told the Financial Times Wednesdayadding that the resulting “energy chaos” would “potentially reach unprecedented proportions” if investors stopped pumping money into the oil and gas industry.

Yet it looks just like the sun is indeed setting on fossil fuels – sooner slightly than later.

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