Advisory board gathers in Paris to discuss critical electricity security challenges

The Electricity Security Advisory Board (ESAB) held its sixth annual meeting at the IEA’s headquarters in Paris today, gathering stakeholders from across government, the private sector, regulators and academia to discuss urgent electricity security challenges and how they might be addressed.

High-level participants from around the world took part in the meeting, which was opened by IEA Director for Energy Markets and Security Keisuke Sadamori. It featured two roundtable discussions, during which participants emphasised that electricity security has emerged as a strategic challenge requiring international cooperation. They noted that modern electricity systems require coordination among a wide range of actors, and that greater efforts are needed to enhance system flexibility, develop updated market mechanisms and ensure diverse electricity supplies as power systems transform.

The IEA has long maintained a focus on electricity security across its work. It is a recurring area of analysis, from our flagship World Energy Outlook to our regular Electricity Report. Electricity security is also at the heart of several recent special reports, including on Integrating Solar and Wind and Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions. And the IEA has provided national assessments in partnership with governments.

The IEA's recently established an Electricity Security Task Force (ESTF) also held its third meeting today. This body convenes experts from IEA Member countries so they can exchange best practices on topics such as grid planning, market design and resilience – with the aim of developing practical tools and recommendations to support policy makers.