-
Electricity Mid-Year Update 2025
…economic growth prospects, the world’s electricity consumption increased strongly in the first half of 2025, driven by rising demand from industry, appliances, cooling, data centres and electrification. At the same time, electricity supply from renewables, natural gas and nuclear continues to grow, with all set to reach new milestones.This mid-year update follows the extensive Electricity 2025 report released in February, examining the latest trends and the outlook for the remainder of the year. It includes updated data for 2024 along with new forecasts for 2025 and 2026 covering areas such as global electricity demand, supply by fuel…
-
Coal Mid-Year Update 2025
…the world’s demand for coal has stayed relatively stable, apart from a temporary drop during the Covid-19 pandemic and the rapid rebound that followed. Today, global coal consumption, power generation, production and trade are all at record levels.In many countries, coal continues to be the leading source of electricity generation, helping to meet growing energy needs. These trends carry major implications for energy security, affordability and sustainability, especially as coal remains the single largest contributor to energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. While the large majority of the world’s coal use is concentrated in Asia, particularly China…
-
Electricity Market Design
…liquidity and accessibility, which can make it harder for participants to manage risk and invest with confidence. Complementary mechanisms have become structural features of many systems, helping to support resource adequacy and decarbonisation objectives, but their effectiveness and cost efficiency depends on designs that work in concert with market signals.The analysis highlights that coherent evolution across market layers and mechanisms is essential to maintain secure, affordable and sustainable electricity systems. The report concludes with insights to guide policy makers as they refine market arrangements and ensure that markets remain resilient, efficient and responsive as system needs continue to change.
-
Global Energy Review 2025
…natural gas, coal, renewables and nuclear power. This growth was led by the power sector, with demand for electricity rising almost twice as fast as wider energy demand due to higher demand for cooling, rising consumption by industry, the electrification of transport and the growth of data centres and artificial intelligence. Nearly all of the rise in electricity demand was met by low-emissions sources, led by the record-breaking expansion of solar PV capacity, with further growth in other renewables and nuclear power. Gas demand also picked up substantially, while oil and coal consumption increased more slowly than in…
- Key findings
- Global trends
- Oil
- Natural gas
-
+ 3 pages
-
Powering Ireland’s Energy Future
…while ensuring secure electricity supply to 2035.This report assesses the outlook for Ireland’s energy security to 2035, drawing on international experience and detailed power system modelling developed with EirGrid, Ireland’s transmission system operator. The Adapted Transition Pathway illustrates how climate, energy and socio-economic goals align around the electricity system, potentially doubling demand and requiring faster infrastructure delivery and deployment of renewables. We find that there is a clear need to establish a unified cross-sectoral energy strategy to set a vision that guides this transition, supported by a detailed security study on the electricity supply mix…
-
Energy security
…reducing peak electricity demand and preventing outages. Studies in the United Kingdom and the United States show that real-time feedback and pre-event communications lead to reductions in consumption and peak demand of about 3%.This is especially relevant in regions where grid reliability is a significant concern. For instance, in India, increased electrification, combined with a rapid adoption of appliances such as air conditioners, is putting additional strains on power grids and leading to new peak demand records and resiliency challenges. In 2019, 1°C in outdoor temperature increase was associated with a 5 GW increase in peak electricity demand…
-
The Future of Electricity in the Middle East and North Africa
…of the top contributors to global electricity demand growth. The region’s climate, characterised by extreme heat and water scarcity, implies that reliable and resilient electricity systems are integral to meeting soaring demand for cooling and water desalination. This outlook provides an unprecedented regional overview of demand patterns for cooling and water desalination including country-level data.How countries across the region meet this increased demand will have profound implications for the region’s economic future but also for global energy markets. This report also explores the challenges and opportunities to sustainably meet electricity demand growth by exploring the potential…
-
Grid investments
…years to build on average, depending on technology, or over a decade for nuclear. Key analysis IEA analysis of nine major regions shows that increasing electricity generation and grid capacity by one terawatt-hour (TWh), will require investments of USD 30 to 110 million in emerging economies and USD 75 to 150 million in advanced economies. In order to save the same amount of electricity, energy efficiency measures would cost only between USD 10 million and 50 million. A closer look at grid management The deployment of energy efficiency measures typically requires less time than the implementation of most new generation and grid infrastructure. On average…
-
Energy and AI
…energy – specifically electricity for data centres. At the same time, AI could transform how the energy industry operates if it is adopted at scale. However, until now, policy makers and other stakeholders have often lacked the tools to analyse both sides of this issue due to a lack of comprehensive data. This report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) aims to fill this gap based on new global and regional modelling and datasets, as well as extensive consultation with governments and regulators, the tech sector, the energy industry and international experts. It includes projections for how much electricity AI could…
-
The State of Energy Innovation 2025
A comprehensive assessment of recent progress and emerging challenges in energy technology innovation Global energy innovation is evolving rapidly, shaped by technological advances, increased public and private investment, and a shifting international landscape. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of recent progress and emerging challenges in energy technology innovation, drawing on over 150 innovation highlights and a survey of practitioners across 34 countries. It analyses trends in public and corporate R&D spending, venture capital flows, and technology demonstration efforts, highlighting an increasingly international landscape, with emerging economies making strides alongside traditional leaders. The report documents the increasing focus on…
