A report released recently by the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that under current polices, primary world energy demand will grow 51% between 2009 and 2035, with global demand for coal increasing by as much as 65%. IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook 2011 predicts that coal will continue to be tapped to meet more than a third of the predicted increase in global energy demand. The report concludes that China and India will account for more than half of the projected increase in global energy use. IEA notes that China “consumes nearly 70% more energy than the U.S. by 2035, even though, by then, per capita demand in China is still less than half the level in the United States.”The energy ‘work horse’ for power generation continues to be coal, although renewable energy gains share in coming years, says the agency. Industrial coal demand, for such uses as blast furnace and coke facilities, are expected to nearly peak by 2020, as natural gas begins to displace coal.

The largest coal importing region is Europe, but Asia is expected to lead the world. By 2035, India becomes the lead importing country followed by Japan.

The IEA estimates that despite significant growth in electricity worldwide, 1.3 billion people, or about 20% of the population globally, do not have access to electric power. Another 2.7 billion people do not have adequate cooking facilities. The agency projects that number to double by 2035.