RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORLD ELECTRICITY SITUATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500350132-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 6, 2000
• Sequence Number: 132
• Publication Date: January 4, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500350132-4
...,. 51-40
DEC 1951
U.S. Officials Only
S ECP. Ell
COUNTRY Intcrnrtioral
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT 25X1 A
Devetc~:?n.cntr, n tiie ::o1ld Electricity E;'tuation
SUBJECT Recent i
PLACE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
25X1A
DATE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE (OF INFO.) 30 =ji,. 5
t??or].d produc:t:.on o:i' electric power reached a new peak in 1952, at 1,139 billloa
kllc.:att ::o:.rs 4'lGur. a was &,5 inure than estimated output in 1951, ti:e
previous record, -an- more 1:'c~an 2:~ times tue volume produced in 1937.
2. In 3urope at:u A:;ia iiylro and thermal production grew at an equal rate, ou'; -_:i
North America, th,rr_nal output i:aG increased far mare rapicll_y than i yd::?:,
1937. Becau %; c,_ (::c rulative ~1C meet of i'Iort:l iLmcricals output in
total, hydro 1 t' i silty, which accounted for 41" of world electricity
is 1937, ac~aur:t,r! iur only 35`y:, in 1952. In the UE;S:H, despite intencivQ
to increase i'iyd.zc c._.t:lucit;;, it now provides only 11+;0 of electrical enemy
requirements.
Ir_ 1952, thermal rower plants eonsuir.ed the. equivalent of some 400
cornncr.:,. "~
tons of coal, roagr ily one-sixth of the world's entire production of
fuels. In 1951, tiie latest year for which detailed calculations have been made,
the equivalent of 385 million* tons of coal were consumed by thermal powcr
as follows: coal C72.7;5), lignite (7.3;5), oil natural gas (7.> ,), _?..il r
as (3.1;x), other 'ucls, chiefly wood and peat (1.9`;'0).
4. T.e period 1937-1952 ,'itnesced a sizable increase in the utilization of
generating ''acid itics . In t:ie world as a wl.o].c, output per 1:. of ins': _
rose by nearly t.,irci, fnom 3,200 X \L in 1937 to 4,200 t;i;1 in 1952. Ii
however, output per lid of installed capacity declined sli~;litly. It i.. .. :ib:._'.
this change reflect an improvement in the demand-supply rc1ation:,1:i:.., %ni'
easing of the shcr. C .Lr.c that prevailed throughout the earlier post-?~ :: ? yc . . .
* These f. igure .. do nv c include the cqu:.valent of 27 million ton:: U ' ?_ a ~.:'. tc
generate current in industrial establisiunent.; in certain countrir_..^,
no det ilcd bree.kdovni by type of fuel is available.
U.S. Officials.On?ly
SECR{zT"-
D157RIC?UTION STATE ? ARMY NAVY ( AIR Ffll~--_
This repAO/>p~T~$> ge~d8~1~60$50132-4
nnnnninq i lcnted rJove. It is not to be transmitted overseas without the concurrence of the
25X1X
 Approved For Release 2000/09/14: ICIA-RDP80-00809A000500350132-4
- 2 -
SECRET
US OFFICIALS ONLY
iWM
5. The t*or3.d' mini ~ic.- and manufacturing industries (outside of the USSR, China and
7.
North Ko_es.) ::ons- .ed an estimated 516 billion KWH in 1951, nearly half the total
s,..pply of electricity in that year. Of this, 52% was used in the mines and
factories of North America, and 39;o in those of Europe. The remainder was
divided abni,,t equally between Japan and the rest of the wo:^ld. This distribution
of industrial energy was in marked contrast with that of 1937, when consumption
in industry totalled only ? 246 billion KWH. In ?thiat year, North r~i:~ ricar industry
absorbed 42b of the total compared with Europe's 440.
Per capita sae ofd electric power by industry increased almost universally between
1937 and 1951 to reach an average, in the!, latter year, of about 280 KWTH. Consumption
rates in excess of 1,1,000 KWH per capite were reached in only five countries:
Canada, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. In Canada and Norway,
it exceede3 21500 KWH per capita. By contrast, fewer than 50 KWH per capita were
-zsed in most ci' th countries of Africa, Latin America and Asia.
World consurnptica 6f electricity in various forms of transport is estimated at
?7 billion KWH --r-'1951, 50 more than was''zsed for this purpose in 1937, but
=till less 30 of the world supply. More than half of the increase took place
,r E--rope, as a result of the trend toirard electrification of railways.
Similar treads were noted in Asia and Oceania, but on a lesser scale. In North
America, on Lhe other hard, the use of electricity in transport rose between 1937
and 3.345 b?-,t thereafter declined, probably as a result of the Substitution of oil-
driven basses fore trains.
the world. as a whole are estimated to have. used, 300 billion KMi in 1951, 34 times
the anwunt used .'1.:1937. North America and Europe were responsible for the bulk of
this increase. I=~i the former, domestic consumption rose from 45 billion KW'H in
1337 to 171 billion in 1951. European consumption during the same period rose from
25 to 76 billiox. KWH.,
World per capita u.se of electricity for domestic purposes Averaged about 150 KWH in
1%51, exceedi:.r; 5100, I!Wlf in only Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and
the United States'.
10. Deta._ls of e L= tricity production by individual countries and major areas are shown
atx.lation-
WORLD ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCTION
1922 vs. 1951
Millions of KWH)
1952
% Increase 1222 va 1951
Total.
Hydro
Thermal
Total
ydxo
Thermal
Canada
68,406
63x,010
5.,396
.11-.4
11.2 .
13.3
b,ea 0
5,331.
2,567
2,770,
8.7
10.1
7?>
Argerzin_
4701
200
4,501
- 0.4
3, razi3.
9,000, .
8,000.
1,,Q00
2.8
3.1
Chile
3,744..?.
1,800..
1,,944
..11.4
16.1
7.3
Colombia
1,187
750
437
.12..9
7..1
Cuba
916
13
.903
9..6
9.7
Pt1-a
9 70
620,
350
.9.0
1Q.7.
6.1
Puerto 1tico
735
289.
446
11.4
18.4
7.2
Uruguay
698
580
118
9.1
7.1,,
18.0
* Excl:.d'r_~ Commun.is+, China and North Korea for which no data are available. The
abcv est _r1rt.c_ _re' based on U.N. and private sources.
SECRET
US OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500350132-4
 Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A00050
S MET,
E, M
US OFFICIALS ONLY
1,952
hydro. Thermal
Ver~z. ele. 722 350 372
Other F'ure i rgr W . iT,>Ti;
_1,805 1,o06 799
Increase 19521,va. ? 19'51
TC fit 1 '.dro Thermal
16..8. ..16.7
9-.3 1.5..
~ . W. i-ierris
Tas,7.1 I ,;_~
_
98,221
79,185
19,036
h,._xem too r
10, 303
77
10,:223
0.1
-
Derrnarle
2,'754
34
2,720
.8.2.
6.3
8.2
Frar:,-e
)+0,7-,k)
22,400.
18,350
13.1
.9.6
17.7
W.. Geri a.r_y
5',208.
9,945
46,263
9..4.
9.8
9.4
Italy
30,844
27,107
3,737
5.5
2.9
30.3
Wet'herla.nds .
8,! 98
-
8,498.
8.7
-
5.7
Norway
18,86E
18,726
.140
6.8 .
6.6.
42.9
Spat.
9.416
.7,796
1,620,
13.6
12.4
1g.6.
Sweden
23,693
19.614
.1,079
5.7
6;7
-.9.7
Sirit zer lard.
12,709
12
-$583
.126
3.8
3.2
125.0
United Kin3doln
63.,895. .
.
1,672
62,223
:3.8
.8..6 .
3.7
Other Free Europe
26,837
7,g04
18,933
7.8
1.2
10.9
Total Free Europe-299,01b
127,b24
1'(1,192
6.2
6.2
3
i!. 1C)r: of Sv.:.~,h
ALr?i.ca.
.1__:,53.3
Aas.;ralis
11,257
Zeala _d
U
((
I .dLi3. P;i.?. L..t.:.1. V.42 5 .?010 3,411
.7apa.r. 64-1 40, 327 11, 320
Other Free; E.
hemis., 9142+
]Iemi.._ .,
n ! )
1130,
. 7
~17,'i?7
259 EE` 52
109,708
23G, (7 '
353, 3!1
7 3
6.3
7."
4.8
SSF
11_` ,'-u~
J32
3,9560
1v,3~1U
9, 345
121
100,'!FJ:J
53,587
c,..
1;.0
10.6
11.
9.0
Area
179,332
25,35
153,987
12.1
12.3
394,905
744,138
7.6
7.1
4/735.9
N
4/735.9
3H
4/735.9.
33M
11/735.9
1
4/735.9
IJ
4/735-9.
31M
4/7359
g
4/735.9
7E
11/735.9
228M
735.933)
3
4/735.9
12E
4/735.9
4;M
735.933
M/D
4/735.9
33E
4/735.9
29M
5/735.9
4/735.9
3J
4/735.9
22M
5/735.9
A
4/735.9
6H
4/735.9
5Y
5/735.9
3 1
4/735.9
SE
11/735.9
1 R
5/735.9
41M
4/735.9
13M
4/735.9
EU
5/735.9
29M
4/735.9
1 iM
4/735.9
3L
4/735.9
69
4/735.9
2R
11/735.9
F
4/735.9
14M/D
4/735-9
NU
4/735.9
1M
4/735.9
19M
11/735.9
M/C
- 12,533
1,648 9.6119
3,1a-OG 204
7.5
-
(.l
7.6
6.5
7.7
IE.S
11...5
4.1
5.81
3.2
8.2
8.2
7.5
10.9
Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A00050'~0350132-4
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