World Energy Outlook: The IEA’s winners and losers
The US will overtake leading producers within the next five years, says WEO
The US will by 2017 overtake Saudi Arabia as the world’s biggest oil producer and, even sooner, surpass Russia in natural gas output. That was the headline-grabber today as the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its World Energy Outlook 2012, a dossier of energy trends for the next 23 years. As befits a 668-page dossier, though, there are devils aplenty in the details. Global energy trade patterns are undergoing a major shift – and not everyone will benefit from them. Taking the IEA’s forecasts at face value, here is Petroleum Economist’s breakdown of who wins and who loses if the world’s energy evolves as the agency expects. Winners Market principles Countries can find their own ene
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy






