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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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Key Questions on Energy and AI Executive summary
…and jobs.In April 2025, the IEA published its landmark Energy and AI report, which provided first-of-its-kind global analysis on the links between AI and energy. Since then, the field has evolved rapidly: new questions have emerged and new data has come to light. This report builds on the foundation of previous work, providing fresh analysis on key issues. It covers the outlook for data centre electricity demand considering recent market developments; innovations in powering data centres; and the implications of these trends for energy security, affordability, competitiveness and overall energy demand. Energy consumption per AI query…
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Energy Technology Perspectives 2026 Executive summary
…STEPS, from around USD 215 billion in 2025 to about USD 390 billion in 2035, equivalent to about 20% of the combined market for diesel and gasoline used in transport. Around 60% of this growth comes from the expansion of relatively mature biofuels such as biomethane, bioethanol and biodiesel. Increased use of fuels that are more costly and still at low levels of market penetration, such as sustainable aviation fuels and other hydrogen-based fuels, would require stronger policy support.The market outlook for low- and near-zero emissions materials is very uncertain as production cost premiums remain high. Technologies…
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Hydrogen
…oil refining and industry, remained the biggest consumers.
The uptake of low-emissions hydrogen is not yet meeting the expectations set by industry and governments in recent years, especially in light of a recent wave of project delays and cancellations. However, low-emissions hydrogen production is still set to see robust growth to 2030, rising from less than 1% of the total today to around 4% by 2030. This is a significant progress for a nascent sector, and it would put low-emissions hydrogen growth on par with the fast expansions of other clean energy technologies seen in recent years.
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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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Nuclear Power
…the world has the potential to open a new era for nuclear energy.
Power generation from the global fleet of nearly 420 active nuclear reactors is set to reach a record high in 2025 as Japan restarts production, maintenance works are completed in France, and new reactors begin commercial operations in various markets, including China, Europe, India and Korea. Meanwhile, more than 60 nuclear reactors are currently under construction – representing over 70 gigawatts (GW) of capacity – and governments’ interest in nuclear power is at its highest level since the oil crisis in the 1970s, reflecting efforts to bolster energy security…
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Hydroelectricity
…energy today, but that could change soon
Hydro is currently the third largest source of power generation worldwide after coal and natural gas. In 2024, it generated around 4 500 terawatt-hours of electricity, or 14% of the global total.
More than 150 gigawatts (GW) of new hydro capacity is set to come online by the end of the decade, mostly in emerging and developing economies. As a result, electricity generation from hydropower is expected to increase by 7% between 2025 and 2030. However, its share in global electricity generation is poised to decrease slightly by 2030 as other energy…
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China
China’s growing energy needs are increasingly met by renewables, natural gas and electricity. The scale of China’s future electricity demand and the challenge of decarbonising the power supply help explain why global investment in electricity overtook that of oil and gas for the first time in 2016, and why electricity security is moving firmly up the policy agenda. That said, cost reductions for renewables are not sufficient on their own to secure efficient decarbonisation or reliable supply.
Between 2019 and 2024, China will account for 40% of global renewable capacity expansion, driven by improved system integration, lower curtailment…- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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Solar PV
…is added annually through the end of this decade. Even so, low costs, faster permitting and broad social acceptance are set to continue to drive the accelerating adoption of solar PV. As a result, capacity is set to more than double between 2025 and 2030 compared with the 2019 to 2024 period.
A growing share of variable renewable sources such as solar also comes with challenges. Curtailment levels and instances of negative electricity prices have been increasing in many markets. A rapid increase in power system flexibility and grid investment is necessary to integrate future growth securely and cost-effectively.
