The world is hungry for energy and getting hungrier. The countries of the Middle East and North Africa have vast resources of oil and natural gas which could be developed to meet rising global demand as many supplies elsewhere begin to decline. But resources alone are not enough. Will investment match growth in demand? And will demand continue to surge or will it be curbed by new consumer country policies?

The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2005 answers these challenging questions. In addition to providing updated projections of world energy demand and supply to 2030, it analyses in detail prospects for:

• The Middle East and North Africa’s domestic demand for oil, gas and electricity, including for water desalination.

• The region’s oil and gas resources, plans and potential for production and how much investment will be required.

• Energy-sector developments in Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

• What would happen if upstream oil investment is delayed.

• What would happen if consuming countries, driven by security concerns, persistent high prices or environmental policies, act to curb demand and develop alternatives.

The producing countries in the Middle East and North Africa can count on growing demand for their oil and gas. Are energy importing countries’ expectations of them realistic?