The Energy Demand Trend in Contemporary China: The Case of Petroleum and Coal

Abstract: This study examines China’s future energy trend by analyzing how the energy demand in China has changed and how it will change by looking at several domestic factors, such as structural and policy changes, as well as international factors that affect the country’s demand for energy. The sector-specific energy consumption trend in the near future is also discussed in order to show what the main driving forces are behind the increasing petroleum and coal demand at a sector level and to assess likely sectoral consumption changes in the near future. The data is collected from China Statistics Yearbook and this study draws on the existing literature which projects China’s future energy demand. However, due to a combination of the lack of data and measurement errors in the data that can be accessed, this study is focused on the energy demand trend and does not provide specific quantitative results. A main contribution of the study is that it covers more aspects likely to affect China’s energy demand compared to pervious studies and that it outlines the individual effects of each factor, providing a direct and simple examination of the aggregate future demand trend for petroleum and coal from a general perspective.