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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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Joint Statement in Support of the IEA-Ukraine Collaboration Programme
…civilian and energy infrastructure across Ukraine is a direct result of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. The intensification of Russian attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine throughout 2025, in particular, has had severe consequences for the daily lives of the civilian population and these attacks have continued to rise in both scale and intensity this winter.The IEA-Ukraine Collaboration Programme – in parallel with other international donor efforts, including those coordinated through the G7+ Ukraine Energy Support Group – represents a key initiative through which the IEA is able to support Ukraine’s significant energy sector reconstruction…
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Global shocks have driven a surge in energy policy activity and government spending
…to the report. Even before the outbreak of the war in the Middle East this year and the major impacts on energy markets around the world, annual government spending on energy was projected to remain near 2025 levels through 2030. The bulk of public spending has been directed towards longer-term investments in energy infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, energy efficiency and incentives for fuel switching.The report notes that the 2022 energy crisis linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine offers important lessons for governments on short-term measures to shield consumers from the effect of crises. Of the…
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How global oil supplies have readjusted to help fill the huge gap left by the Strait of Hormuz shock
…March, April and May.Since the start of the war in the Middle East on 28 February, the huge drop in the number of tankers shipping oil and gas from Gulf producers through the Strait of Hormuz has severely dislocated oil market flows, not only for crude oil, but also for petrochemical feedstocks, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking, and middle distillates such as diesel and jet fuel. As the crisis intensified in early April, the North Sea Dated international crude oil benchmark reached an all-time high of $144 per barrel – more than double its pre-war levels, with…
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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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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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The energy crisis creates even stronger impetus for EU electrification
draft title Electrification is central to meeting the European Union’s goals on energy security, competitiveness, affordability, and emissions reductions. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted the risks of over-dependence on imported fuels and concentrated supply routes, making the case for electrification even stronger.In the EU, around 70% of electricity generation is already supplied from domestic, low-emissions sources. And yet end-users (industry, buildings and transport sectors), source less than one quarter of their energy consumption from electricity. Today, around two-thirds of end-use energy consumption relies on fossil fuels, of which the…
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Delivering on the EU’s electrification ambitions
EU paper The EU has ambitious goals for electrification Electrification is a key pillar of the EU’s energy security, industrial competitiveness, and climate strategy. Today, imported fuels account for around 60% of the EU’s total energy demand and cost the bloc EUR 380 billion in 2024. The risks associated with the EU’s reliance on fuel imports have been highlighted by recent market disruptions linked to the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in the Middle East, bringing renewed attention to the EU’s target of increasing electrification from 24% today to 32% of…
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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…
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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…