Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $60 per barrel (b) in October, down $3/b from September and down $21/b from October 2018. EIA forecasts Brent spot prices will average $60/b in 2020, down from a 2019 average of $64/b. EIA forecasts that West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices will average $5.50/b less than Brent prices in 2020. EIA expects crude oil prices will be lower on average in 2020 than in 2019 because of forecast rising global oil inventories, particularly in the first half of next year.

BP's Energy Outlook estimates coal's share of China's energy mix to fall to 35% in 2040 from 60% in 2017, but for the country to remain the world's largest consumer of coal and account for 39% of global coal demand in 2040.

Energy demand in Africa grows twice as fast as the global average, and Africa’s vast renewables resources and falling technology costs drive double-digit growth in deployment of utility-scale and distributed solar photovoltaics (PV), and other renewables, across the continent.

China, the world’s top oil importer, brought in 45.51 million tonnes of crude last month, equivalent to 10.72 million barrels per day (bpd), according to data released by the General Administration of Customs.

China imported 276.24 million mt of coal over January-October, up 9.6% year on year and closing in on its 2018 full year import volume of 281 million mt, preliminary General Administration of Customs data released Friday showed.

Global demand for energy is forecast to increase from nearly 286 million barrels of oil equivalent a day (mboe/d) in 2018 to more than 357 mboe/d in 2040, with average growth of about 1% p.a. In this period, energy demand in non-OECD countries is expected to increase by almost 75 mboe/d, while demand in the OECD is estimated to drop by around 3 mboe/d.

EIA forecasts Brent spot prices will average $59/b in the fourth quarter of 2019 and then fall to $57/b by the second quarter of 2020,

As much as $71 billion of Japanese coal assets could be at risk as the economic viability of plants is undermined by cheaper renewable energy, research by the University of Tokyo, Carbon Tracker and the Carbon Disclosure Project showed on Sunday.

U.S. coal production decreased 2.4% year over year to 756.2 million short tons (MMst). U.S. coal consumption decreased 4.0% from the 2017 level to 688.1 MMst. The electric power sector accounted for about 92.6% of the total U.S. coal consumed in 2018.

Indian power utilities imported 28.70 million mt of thermal coal over April-August, up 28% from the same period a year ago

the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that world energy consumption will grow by nearly 50% between 2018 and 2050. Most of this growth comes from countries that are not in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and this growth is focused in regions where strong economic growth is driving demand, particularly in Asia.

The share of U.S. total energy consumption that originated from fossil fuels has fallen from its peak of 94% in 1966 to 80% in 2018. The total amount of fossil fuels consumed in the United States has also fallen from its peak of 86 quads in 2007. Since then, coal consumption decreased by 10 quads and petroleum by 2 quads, more than offsetting a 7 quad increase in natural gas consumption.

India is projected to produce roughly 815 million mt in fiscal year 2019-2020, up from 730 million mt in FY 2018-2019,

Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $59 per barrel (b) in August, down $5/b from July and $13/b lower than the average from August of last year. EIA forecasts Brent spot prices will average $60/b in the fourth quarter of 2019 and $62/b in 2020. EIA forecasts that West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices will average $5.50/b less than Brent prices in 2020.

The share of nuclear power generation in China has picked up over the last three years, and nuclear power growth will displace thermal coal in China by 22 million mt in 2019, Citi analysts said in a note Thursday.