Opec on Monday cut its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2024 and also lowered its projection for next year, marking the producer group’s third consecutive downward revision.

The weaker outlook highlights the dilemma faced by Opec+, which comprises the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia, which is planning to start raising output in December after earlier delaying the hike against a backdrop of falling prices.

On Monday, Opec in a monthly report said world oil demand will rise by 1.93 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, down from growth of 2.03 million bpd it expected last month. Until August, Opec had kept the forecast unchanged since it was first made in July 2023.

China accounted for the bulk of the 2024 downgrade. Opec trimmed its Chinese growth forecast to 580,000 bpd from 650,000 bpd. While government stimulus measures will support fourth-quarter demand, oil use is facing headwinds from economic challenges and moves towards cleaner fuels, Opec said.

“Diesel consumption continued to be subdued by slowing economic activity, mostly a slowdown in building and housing construction, and the substitution of liquefied natural gas for petroleum diesel fuel in heavy-duty trucks,” Opec said in reference to August.

Oil held an earlier decline of about 2 per cent after the report was issued, with Brent crude trading below $78 a barrel.

There is a wide split between forecasters on the strength of demand growth in 2024, partly due to differences over China and over the pace of the world’s switch to cleaner fuels. Opec said this year’s demand growth was still above the historical average of 1.4 million bpd seen prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a plunge in oil use.

Reuters