Energy Consumption Projections

Energy consumption is measured in “Quads” (Quadrillion Btus). One Quad equals the delivered energy of 40 1000-Megawatt power plants, i.e. 40 large nuclear power plants, or approximately 75 500-Megawatt conventional coal plants.

The US currently uses approximately 100 Quads of energy annually. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that over the next 25 years, US energy consumption will increase by 34 Quads, or 34% (Figure A).

The world, including the US, uses approximately 400 Quads of energy annually. EIA projects that over the next 25 years, world energy consumption will increase by 276 Quads, or 62% (Figure B).


Seventy percent of the remaining global oil and gas reserves are located in what is called the strategic ellipse - an area stretching from Saudi Arabia up through Russia (see Figure C). These reserves have now become a political as well as an economic commodity, making the availability of these reserves uncertain.


The US has large reserves of coal. The former Soviet Union & Russia have large reserves. Asia Pacific, China and Australia also have large reserves and are presently distributing their coal throughout Southeast Asia.

The environmental, safety, cost and security concerns associated with nuclear power plants, and the fact that conventional coal is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, precludes these two methods of energy production as viable solutions in the face of global warming.