The world gets heavier

High prices and growing demand put global focus on unconventional oil plays

The world is hungry for oil.

In 2007 it consumed around 87 million barrels per day, despite prices averaging a little over $75 per barrel for the year.


By 2015 supplies are expected to increase to 110 million barrels per day, according to global energy consultants Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA). By 2025 that number is predicted to climb to around 120 million barrels per day. And much of the new supply will come from unconventional sources.

CERA expects unconventional supplies