• Commentary

        • 13 May 2026

        Energy crisis threatens world’s most vulnerable as cooking fuel shortages grow

        …both countries are net importers of LPG, with Middle East producers supplying a significant share of their needs. In 2025, around two-thirds of the LPG consumed in India transited through the Strait of Hormuz. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused an unprecedented cooking fuel crisis, with severe supply disruptions in Asia In March 2026, as shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz plunged amid the Middle East conflict, the volumes of LPG exported through the strait fell by around 80%, dropping from 1.5 million barrels per day (mb/d) on average in 2025 to…

        • Commentary

        • 25 Mar 2026

        Businesses see competitive value of energy efficiency, but smaller firms struggle to access solutions

        CEOs value energy efficiency, but SMEs struggle to benefit Energy efficiency is a strategic asset for industrial competitiveness. For companies facing tight margins, volatile energy prices and intensifying global competition, reducing energy waste is not only a cost-saving measure, but also a way to protect productivity, manage risk and strengthen their position in global markets. Yet not all firms have the same capacity to quickly improve their energy efficiency.New analysis of the 2025 IEA Industrial Competitiveness Survey – which covered 1 000 companies across 14 countries – shows that business leaders view energy efficiency as closely linked to their competitive performance…

        • Commentary

        • 23 Jun 2026

        How accelerating electrification could strengthen energy security in Southeast Asia

        …services while consuming less energy than fossil fuel-based alternatives. Shifting final energy consumption towards electricity generated from domestic and low-emissions sources can also reduce dependence on imported fuels, strengthen system resilience and reduce emissions.Electrification is already shaping energy trends across Southeast Asia, with electricity accounting for 23% of final energy consumption today – higher than the global average. Some countries have even higher shares. For example, around 30% of energy consumed in Brunei Darussalam and Viet Nam is electricity, up from less than 20% in the mid-2000s. Some segments of the economy are also seeing rapid growth in…

        • Commentary

        • 09 Jun 2026

        The energy crisis creates even stronger impetus for EU electrification

        …a series examining the case for electrification in the EU, identifying cost competitiveness and areas where targeted policies could catalyse change. Fuel price ratios determine electrification competitiveness To make electrification cost-competitive, electricity prices need to fall below a threshold ratio relative to the price of fossil fuels. Because most electrification options are several times more efficient than conventional alternatives, they can be cheaper to operate than conventional fuel-based technologies even when electricity costs more per unit of energy than the fuel they replace – i.e. a ratio greater than one. EU countries today face very different price ratios…

        • Commentary

        • 21 Apr 2026

        How governments can best support consumers during this energy crisis

        …ways: through direct price relief, such as fuel price caps or tax cuts, and through demand-side measures aimed at reducing energy use. Designing these measures well is critical, and international experience offers useful lessons. While easy to deploy, untargeted energy bill support primarily benefits higher-income households and puts pressure on public finances When prices rise sharply, governments often first turn to broad-based price support measures that can provide immediate relief to consumers. This is already happening, with several countries in Asia and Europe temporarily capping fuel prices or reducing energy taxes.However, while untargeted support measures can…

        • Commentary

        • 13 Mar 2026

        Why the growth of energy service companies is uneven globally

        ESCO The global annual ESCO market growth rate has more than doubled over the past five years Energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective tools for enhancing energy security, reducing household energy bills and supporting countries’ efforts to reduce emissions. Energy service companies (ESCOs) – firms that develop and implement energy efficiency projects typically financed through verified energy savings – are playing a growing role in delivering energy efficiency improvements across buildings, industry and transport infrastructure worldwide. By integrating project development, financing and performance guarantees, ESCOs can offer a proven way to reduce upfront investment barriers and shift technical and…

        • Commentary

        • 19 Jun 2026

        Delivering on the EU’s electrification ambitions

        …to those of advanced economies that are also rich in fossil fuel resources, such as the United States and Australia. By contrast, comparable advanced economies with more limited domestic fossil fuel supplies – notably Japan and Korea – have reached electrification rates well above 30%. Electrification in every sector Achieving 32% electrification would increase EU electricity consumption by around 600 Terawatt-hours (TWh), roughly equivalent to the combined annual electricity consumption of France and Spain. This additional demand would be distributed roughly evenly across industry, buildings and transport. Meeting the 32% economy-wide target would see the electrification rate in industry rise…

        • Commentary

        • 15 Jun 2026

        From farms to fuel: Ukraine’s biomethane opportunity for energy security and European decarbonisation

        …waste. The IEA estimates Ukraine’s biogas and biomethane production potential, using only waste and residues, at roughly 11.6 billion cubic meters equivalent (bcme) per year, making it the European leader in terms of available feedstock.  Ukraine’s biomethane sector benefits from another advantage in addition to feedstock availability: well-developed domestic gas infrastructure. The country’s extensive gas network connects in the West and South to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania via Moldova, with a combined exit capacity of around 140 bcm of natural gas per year. Ukraine also hosts Europe’s largest underground gas storage facilities, with…

        • Commentary

        • 10 Feb 2026

        What it would take to unlock the next phase of hydrogen growth

        …gas and 90 million tonnes of coal equivalent. However, alternative technologies that can produce low-emissions hydrogen have attracted a lot of interest from governments given their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy supply, particularly in countries that have a large dependence on fossil fuel imports.Low-emissions hydrogen production – or the production of hydrogen from low-emissions electricity via water electrolysis, from bioenergy or from fossil fuels in combination with carbon capture and storage – is still at an early stage today. But it saw impressive momentum in the early 2020s, when a wave of ambitious government commitments…

        • Commentary

        • 13 Feb 2026

        Global battery markets are growing strongly – and so are the supply risks

        part 1- lithium-ion batteries Batteries’ importance is increasing across key sectors including autos, power, data centres and beyond The global lithium-ion battery market exceeded USD 150 billion in 2025, an increase of over 20% from 2024, but its economic and strategic significance extends far beyond market size. Batteries are becoming a cornerstone of the automotive sector, a critical source of flexibility for power systems, and an increasingly important source of back-up power for digital infrastructure, including data centres and artificial intelligence.Beyond energy, batteries remain indispensable for a wide range of industrial and strategic applications, from portable…

      Prev
      Next