We cannot imagine today’s world without the presence of electricity. Nothing without it is possible to exist from the things we need – lifestyle, work, even the Internet cannot function without electricity. However, we cannot ignore the other side of the coin – environmental impact. Proclamations for a greener lifestyle also promote less electricity use, whenever possible. But can the largest electricity consumers be limited? Hardly, given the large production volumes they produce.
So, which countries are the largest consumers of electricity in the world? We at the Dope Lists are ready to look at this.
China
No one is surprised by this first place in the rating: it is the largest population in the world, a vast territory, non-stop growth of any production, and enviable exports – this is China. The total output of all electricity generation facilities is 5.564 billion kWh. That’s about 106% of the country’s own consumption.
Like many other countries that actively produce in large quantities, China is not indifferent to the environment and has set goals and objectives for introducing renewable energy. The country’s goal is to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in total electricity production, with one-fifth of China’s electricity consumption planned not to come from fossil fuel sources by 2030.
USA
Logically – the larger the country is, the more consumption there is, most of the electricity. If the power goes out even for a day in the United States, it causes total confusion, and everything stops. Electricity is so important there! Although not as much as China, they are not very far from the leader with their 3.902 billion kWh consumption which is still significantly high.
Most electricity in the United States is generated from natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy. Electricity there is also produced from renewable sources, given the concern for the environment. Electricity from hydropower, solar energy, biomass, even wind and geothermal energy is used.
India
In this country, which is enormous in size and population, electricity is at its maximum, despite extreme poverty where entire households live like their ancestors. According to the latest data, India holds its honorable third place in this ranking of the largest electricity consumers with 1.137 billion kWh consumption.
Coal is mainly used as the largest source of electricity. In India, coal-fired power plants generate 72% of the country’s electricity. Given the growth of the coal-consuming industrial sectors, this solid fuel source remains an integral part of the Indian economy.
Japan
This Asian island nation is a symbol of the production of the most advanced technology, which is why it is a solid consumer of electricity in the world with 943.7 billion kWh consumption. Being unique minimalists and environmentally conscious people, the Japanese use natural gas as a source of electricity in the first place, followed by coal, nuclear and hydro.
Recently, the Japanese have relied on nuclear energy to mitigate global warming. Japanese energy giants are seeking to use nuclear energy as the key to combining environmental protection with economic growth and better energy security.
Russia
In Russia, electricity consumption is not far from the Japanese one – 909.6 billion kWh. Natural gas is mainly used in this vast country, so its production is of crucial importance. The share of natural gas as the primary energy source is relatively high compared to the rest of the world. Russia also remains a major exporter of gas, and the main export markets are the European Union and the CIS.
Russia is also a significant player in the global energy sector and uses oil as a weapon to achieve its foreign policy goals. This state is achieved through energy pipelines.
Germany
Electricity in Germany is mainly generated from fossil fuels, but this European country also uses wind, nuclear energy, solar energy, and biomass. According to the latest data, consumption there is really high compared to its other Western European neighbors – it is 536.5 billion kWh. Germany is committed to nature protection programs, including environmental protection through the use of renewable sources. Some conservationists see the programs as successful, while others call them a failure. The truth is that in 2019, almost two decades after the start of the program, the share of environmentally friendly sources reached 41.1%, compared to only 6.6% in 2000.
Canada
Although it shares a continent with the United States, Canada ranks only 7th in terms of electricity consumption of 522.2 billion kWh. In Canada, natural gas is widely used to extract and refine oil from Alberta’s oil sands and convert it into electricity. We should emphasize that Canada is the third-largest consumer of oil per capita among the most economically advanced countries globally, mainly due to the transport sector, which accounts for 60% of Canada’s oil demand. But also, Canada’s oil is one of the dirtiest in the world.
Brazil
The South American country with the largest population uses a lot of electricity: 509.1 billion kWh. It is typical for this country to rely on hydropower as the primary source of electricity – about 70% of the electricity consumed in Brazil comes from hydroelectric power plants. However, Brazil consumes only 25% of its hydropower capacity and uses the rest for exports.
In terms of environmentally friendly sources, Brazil uses sugarcane biomass. It is profitable due to its industrial surplus there and is most important due to its strategic proximity to the sugar and ethanol production units.
South Korea
In South Korea, the share of steel and petrochemical production is significant, which drives the country’s electricity consumption. The country stands in this ranking for electricity consumption of 507.6 billion kWh. South Korea also uses nuclear energy, as up to August 2020, the government operates a fleet of 24 nuclear reactor units. They represent 23.2 GW capacity in a total of four nuclear power complexes.
South Korea is also one of the most technologically advanced and digitally connected countries in the world. It is the third-largest broadband Internet user in the OECD and is a world leader in electronics, digital displays, semiconductors, and mobile phones. All this implies intensive use of electricity to put the country in the current ranking.
France
France gets about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy because of the long-standing policy based on energy security. According to the government policy of this Western European country, they should reduce the level to 50% by 2035. France is the largest net exporter of electricity due to its meager production costs but remains in the ranking of an enormous electricity consumer with 450.8 billion kWh.
The French company Orano, which provides fuel and manages waste from nuclear power plants, aims to recycle spent fuel to optimize the energy production of nuclear fuel. Moreover, such measures are needed following a nuclear incident in which one person was killed, and four were injured in an explosion at the Markul nuclear site.
It seems as if the biggest consumers of electricity are the same. However, it is hoped that more and more environmentally friendly methods will be applied, whether from the largest countries in terms of area and population or from all the others that make up the overall picture of electricity use in the world.
