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Designing an effective strategic stockpiling system for critical minerals
…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 had already resulted in some automotive factories around the world being forced to cut utilisation rates or even temporarily shut down.Beyond rare earths, export controls have also been imposed on a range of strategic minerals including gallium, germanium, graphite and tungsten, which play a crucial role in strategic applications such as semiconductors, batteries, aerospace and defence. The Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 highlighted…
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Copper prices have hit record highs, but smelters face mounting strategic pressures
…sector is showing increasing signs of stress, amid a surge in smelter capacity additions in China. Copper is set to face a major supply deficit of 30% by 2035 Copper – a highly conductive metal that is resistant to corrosion – is at the heart of a more electrified energy system. As the world enters an Age of Electricity, strong demand growth for copper is anticipated from a wide variety of sources, including grids, electric vehicles, construction, industry and data centres. However, despite the robust demand growth outlook, there are major challenges in increasing copper supply. Based on the current project pipeline…
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What it would take to unlock the next phase of hydrogen growth
…still a nascent sector. When the IEA published its Global Hydrogen Review 2022, governments had adopted targets that cumulatively accounted for 190 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030 – even though less than 0.7 GW was operational at the end of 2022 and, according to the latest data available, global capacity was on track to barely surpass 4 GW in 2025.To be sure, setting ambitious goals has proved useful in attracting corporate activity. But there are barriers for new products entering the market, such as high costs for first movers and a lack of adequate regulation and infrastructure. The adoption of…
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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 future of energy security
…with Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and Minister-in-Charge of Energy, Science and Technology, and Leila Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development. Speaking on the sidelines of the IEA’s 2026 Ministerial Meeting, they discuss the fast-evolving energy security challenges facing their countries and the measures they are taking to tackle them. IEA Chief Energy Economist Tim Gould also joins the episode to highlight key findings from the recent World Energy Outlook 2025 report, which explores the potential implications of a shifting and multifaceted energy security context for decision-makers worldwide.
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New podcast episode explores future of energy security with Singapore and Morocco’s energy ministers
…Energy, Science and Technology, and Leila Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development. Speaking on the sidelines of the IEA’s 2026 Ministerial Meeting, they discuss the fast-evolving energy security challenges facing their countries and the measures they are taking to tackle them. IEA Chief Energy Economist Tim Gould also joins the episode to highlight key findings from the recent World Energy Outlook 2025, which explores the potential implications of a shifting and multifaceted energy security context for decision-makers worldwide.The Everything Energy podcast offers fresh perspectives on a wide range of leading global energy…
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IEA Ministerial hosts high-level dialogue to accelerate clean cooking and energy access
…on priority actions to accelerate deployment and mobilise additional capital.IEA analysis presented during the session shows that Africa could achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2040 by replicating policies that have delivered the fastest rates of progress globally. The World Energy Outlook 2025 introduced an Accelerating Clean Cooking and Electricity Scenario (ACCESS). In that scenario, LPG provides clean cooking access to over 60% of those currently lacking it, with electricity providing access to a further 17%, bioethanol and biogas to 11%, and advanced biomass cookstoves to the remainder. Achieving this pathway would require investment of around $2 bil...
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IEA Ministerial: In the Age of Electricity, energy security depends on resilience and cooperation
…Birol, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband, and Ambassador Stephen Jones of Australia.Participants emphasised that the Age of Electricity is now firmly underway. Rising power demand across sectors – driven by the electrification of transport, industry and buildings as well as growing needs from cooling, artificial intelligence and data centres – is reshaping the global energy landscape. As highlighted in the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2025, renewables are expanding rapidly and electricity systems are playing an increasingly central role in energy security strategies.While reaffirming that the core principles of energy security – diversification, predictable…
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Delivering on the EU’s electrification ambitions
…decade, electricity demand has grown almost twice as fast as energy demand globally, heralding the arrival of an Age of Electricity. However, the EU’s electrification rate over that period has remained relatively stagnant, and today remains broadly similar 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)…
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Why the growth of energy service companies is uneven globally
…more than 130 energy cooperatives adopted ESCO business models in 2025 – double the previous year. In Italy, where 900 companies are certified as ESCOs, average market revenues increased by over 78% in the past three years.Overall, ESCO markets scale up where policy frameworks are durable, procurement rules are aligned with performance contracting, and projects are implemented through standardised processes. In markets lacking these conditions, high transaction costs, contractual complexity and policy uncertainty continue to limit demand. These barriers are most visible in smaller scale and residential building projects, where ESCO models based on energy savings are harder to implement…