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Electricity and heat sector emissions reach all-time high

Oil&Gas Materials 2 March 2023 23:00 (UTC +04:00)
Electricity and heat sector emissions reach all-time high
Laman Zeynalova
Laman Zeynalova
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2. The largest absolute sectoral increase in emissions in 2022 was from electricity and heat generation, Trend reports with reference to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

"Electricity and heat sector emissions increased by 1.8% (or 261 Mt), reaching an all-time high of 14.6 Gt. Gas-to-coal switching in many regions was the main driver of this growth: CO2 from coal-fired power generation grew by 2.1%, led by increases in Asian emerging market and developing economies. Natural gas emissions in the power sector remained close to 2021 levels, propped up most significantly by an increase in the United States. Global electricity demand increased by 2.7%, and overall carbon intensity of the electricity generation declined by 2.0%, resuming a nine-year trend that had been broken in 2021," reads the IEA report.

The report reveals that the resumed decline in carbon intensity resulted from the fast deployment of renewables across all regions, with renewables meeting 90% of global growth in electricity demand. Solar PV and wind generation each increased by around 275 TWh, helping to avoid around 465 Mt in power sector emissions. Although several countries registered severe droughts in 2022, global hydro generation grew by 52 TWh from 2021’s levels, which were low because of water shortages in many regions.

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