IEA cries wolf again
The agency may be overestimating demand and lowballing Opec supply to foresee a tighter market than will materialise
The IEA suggests in Oil 2021, its latest medium-term outlook, that there may be no return to normal for the world oil market in the post-Covid era. But it then appears to contradict its thesis in its own demand projections. Global oil demand is, admittedly, rebounding after an unprecedented collapse in 2020. But rapid changes in behaviour caused by the pandemic, including new working-from-home models and cuts to business and leisure travel—as well as accelerated commitments by governments towards decarbonising their economies—“have caused a dramatic downward shift in expectations for oil demand over the next six years”, while possibly pushing forward the timeline for peak oil demand. This,
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya






