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Commentary
15 Jun 2026
From farms to fuel: Ukraine’s biomethane opportunity for energy security and European decarbonisation
Ukraine biomethane A strategic opportunity for biomethane in Ukraine In 2025, Ukraine exported biomethane to the European Union (EU) for the first time – a milestone that opens an opportunity to scale-up domestic low-emissions gas. Home to the largest agricultural land area in Europe, Ukraine has the resource potential to become one of the continent’s leading biomethane producers, supplying both its domestic market and the EU via an already existing pipeline infrastructure.The first exports of biomethane come at a critical moment. Repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have exposed the vulnerabilities of centralised energy supply. Although…
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Commentary
04 Feb 2026
Canada is set to play a leading role in supplying the world with responsibly produced critical minerals
Commentary Already a mining hub, Canada could play a big part in diversifying global mineral supply chains Since 2023, the IEA has been conducting Critical Mineral Reviews – in-depth country reviews of critical mineral policies and security that have served as part of the Agency’s pioneering work to ensure secure mineral supply chains. The latest Critical Minerals Review of Canada shows that at a time of increasing concentration risks, including from export controls by the dominant supplier, Canada has the potential to contribute to the development of secure, diversified and competitive global supply chains for critical minerals.Canada can…
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Commentary
13 May 2026
Energy crisis threatens world’s most vulnerable as cooking fuel shortages grow
The Energy Crisis hits the Homefront: A growing shortage of cooking fuels The Middle East crisis has highlighted the energy security risks for a fundamental need: the ability to cook a meal The conflict in the Middle East has triggered a global energy crisis of unprecedented magnitude. The daily volumes of oil lost to global markets in March 2026 surpassed the peak supply losses of the two major oil shocks of the 1970s combined.Previous energy crises affected economies and societies in profound ways, often forcing households to ration fuel for their cars and heating for their homes. The 2026…
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Commentary
23 Jun 2026
How accelerating electrification could strengthen energy security in Southeast Asia
Commentary Electrification is key to energy security and sustainability across Southeast Asia Energy demand is rising rapidly in Southeast Asia, driven by economic growth, industrialisation, urbanisation and rising incomes. Since 2015, energy demand has risen by around 40%, while electricity demand has grown even faster – twice as fast as overall energy use. Although renewables have increased significantly over the past decade, fossil fuels have continued to dominate, meeting over 70% of energy demand growth across this period, with oil accounting for nearly half of total energy consumption.Rapid energy demand growth and continued dependence on fossil fuels brings greater exposure…
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Commentary
02 Mar 2026
Copper prices have hit record highs, but smelters face mounting strategic pressures
copper Copper markets enter uncharted territory as structural and short-term pressures converge Copper prices have surged to record highs this year, briefly exceeding USD 14 500 per tonne (intraday) in January 2026, having only passed USD 12 000 per tonne for the first time in December 2025. The unprecedented price levels have been driven by some important short-term developments, including supply disruptions at several major mines and a build-up of US copper inventories due to tariff uncertainty. But they have also been underpinned by some underlying factors, such as challenges in developing new copper mines and the…
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Commentary
27 Jan 2026
Designing an effective strategic stockpiling system for critical minerals
critical minerals 2025 was the year when the risks of highly concentrated critical minerals supply chains materialised at scale The IEA has long warned of the potential security risks associated with the high concentration of critical mineral supply chains. In 2025, these risks became a reality, marking a major turning point for global economic security. The rare earths export controls announced by China in October 2025 posed major national and economic security risks across the world, with potentially severe impacts for a range of strategic sectors including energy, automotive, defence, aerospace, AI and semiconductors. Earlier export controls introduced in April…
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Commentary
19 Jan 2026
7 certainties about energy for this age of uncertainty
ED commentary The energy sector, like many others, is contending with a blizzard of uncertainties, complicating the work of policymakers, business leaders and investors.Geopolitical twists and turns are straining long-established relationships and upending deeply held assumptions. The World Uncertainty Index, devised by economists from the IMF and Stanford University, has hit unprecedented levels in recent months.But in this time of flux, there are still some important trends that we can identify with some confidence. Here are seven that can help us keep our bearings: The world has entered the age of electricity Oil and gas will still…
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Commentary
23 Jan 2026
Investment in next-generation geothermal is surging. Policies are key to further growth
Next-generation geothermal readies for take-off Next-generation geothermal is seeing a burst of financing, innovation and new supply agreements Geothermal energy harnesses naturally occurring heat found beneath the Earth’s surface to provide heating and cooling, electricity and energy storage. As global electricity demand rises and power systems place a growing premium on firm supply, geothermal energy’s ability to provide an around-the-clock, low-emissions source of power is attracting renewed attention. However, easy-to-access conventional geothermal resources are relatively rare and mostly confined to a small number of shallow geothermal hotspots globally, accounting for…
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Commentary
03 Jun 2026
India’s electricity demand grows at night: Managing rising cooling demand
India cooling commentary As India’s cooling demand surges alongside solar power capacity, ensuring sufficient nighttime power capacity is key Power consumption in India is on the rise amid economic and population growth, as well as the growing use of air conditioning as more households purchase units and temperatures increase. Since 2019, the country’s electricity demand has increased by 5% per year. While electricity supply has kept pace, solar PV has accounted for two-thirds of power capacity additions in India since 2019. Against this backdrop, ensuring adequate power generation capacity during periods of peak demand is emerging as…
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Commentary
22 Mar 2026
Wired for water: How electrification is transforming desalination
Wired for water: how electrification is transforming desalination The water-energy nexus Pressure on water resources is increasing worldwide and can be very acute at the local level. Rising consumption across sectors combined with population growth in already water-stressed regions is intensifying water scarcity. Desalination has long been developed to supply fresh water in the most affected areas, with significant implications for the energy system: energy use ranges from under 0.1% to as much as 15% of total final consumption, depending on national reliance. However, a shift is underway from thermal desalination technologies to electricity-driven systems as…