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ANALYSIS & PROJECTIONS

Annual Energy Outlook 2022

Release Date: March 3, 2022 Next Release Date: March 16, 2023 AEO NarrativePDF
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What is the AEO2022 Reference case?

  • The AEO2022 Reference case represents our assessment of how U.S. and world energy markets would operate through 2050. Our key assumptions in the Reference case provides a baseline for exploring long-term trends, based on current laws and regulations as of November 2021. The current laws and regulations included in the AEO and a paper addressing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are available on the AEO website.
  • We based the economic and demographic trends reflected in the Reference case on the current views of leading economic forecasters and demographers. For example, the Reference case projection assumes improvement in known energy production, delivery, and consumption technologies.
  • The Reference case serves as the benchmark to compare with alternative policy-based cases, so in general, it assumes that current laws and regulations that affect the energy sector, including laws that have end dates, remain unchanged throughout the projection period.
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