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Ireland
Ireland put in place an ambitious and comprehensive set of policies and targets to reach net zero by 2050 and 80% of renewable electricity generation by 2030, but now their implementation needs to accelerate. Natural gas will remain an important part of the energy mix at least until the mid-2030s, especially to meet peak electricity demand, but offshore renewable energy will become the cornerstone of Ireland’s energy transition beyond 2030. Given Ireland’s current exclusive reliance on energy imports from the United Kingdom, energy security is a major concern to the government while transitioning to a (variable) renewables…
- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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+ 5 pages
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South Africa
Coal is the mainstay of the South African energy system, meeting around 70% of installed power generation capacity. The 2019 Integrated Resource Plan however sets out a long-term diversification of the power mix by 2030 and moves towards lightening the carbon footprint of the energy sector while meeting growing energy demand and ensuring a socio-economically just transition. While the options to diversify the country's electricity mix appear diverse, the affordability of electricity supply looms as a key concern and a potential constraint on diversification. The structure of consumption and of spending on electricity is skewed towards higher…
- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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+ 5 pages
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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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Global Hydrogen Review 2026 Key questions about hydrogen
How has the conflict in the Middle East affected supplies of fertilisers and chemicals made from hydrogen? The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted not only oil and gas flows, but also global supply chains for hydrogen‑based products, particularly fertilisers and chemicals such as ammonia, urea and methanol. These products account for a large share of hydrogen demand, with ammonia and methanol alone representing roughly half of global consumption.The Middle East plays a critical role in global markets for hydrogen-based products, and a large share of its production is dedicated to exports, making the region a major…
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Coal
Global coal demand to remain on a plateau in 2025 and 2026
Despite unusual trends across several major markets in the first half of 2025, global coal demand is likely to remain broadly unchanged to 2027 as underlying structural drivers of the world’s coal use remain stable.
Global coal demand increased to a new all-time high in 2024 of around 8.8 billion tonnes, up 1.5% from 2023, as rising consumption in China, India, Indonesia and other emerging economies more than offset declines in advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. However, several of those…
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Sheltering From Oil Shocks Air transport fuels
Jet fuel demand accounts for around 7% of global oil demand. Jet fuel markets look to be particularly vulnerable to an extended loss of Middle East production and exports, given limited flexibility elsewhere to increase output. 8. Avoid air travel where alternative options exist Description: Travel for work accounts for a large share (between 20% and 40%) of aviation activity. In many cases, travel for work can be temporarily substituted by virtual meetings. A reduction of around 40% of flights taken for work purposes is feasible in the short term, while maintaining productivity.Impact: Very high voluntary participation to work…
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Delivering on the EU’s electrification ambitions
…rate in industry rise from 32% today to around 40% by 2030. Half of the electricity demand growth could be achieved by electrifying heat in non-energy-intensive industries, the paper industry and the chemicals industry. Taken together, this would displace more than 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas and 90,000 barrels per day of oil. To accelerate this process, the European Commission has proposed establishing an Industrial Development Bank to mobilise EUR 100 billion, of which a first EUR 1 billion auction has started. As low- and medium-temperature heat accounts for only around one-third…
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Sheltering From Oil Shocks Cooking fuels
LPG demand accounts for around 10% of global oil demand and is used by many households for cooking. The conflict has caused major disruptions to LPG supply chains. With natural gas processing operations halted in parts of the region and flows through the Strait of Hormuz having come to a standstill, LPG supplies for cooking use have been severely curtailed, both locally and at export destinations. Next to measures to free up LPG capacity from other uses, such as in transport or industry, to prioritise domestic use, there are also actions to directly reduce cooking fuel demand. 9. Where possible…
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Household Energy Affordability Executive summary
…various additional levies, taxes and subsidies. For gasoline, taxes can account for as much as 70% of the final price charged to consumers, as is the case in some countries in Europe. It can also be subsidised and delivered at prices below market value, as in many parts of the Middle East. Electricity is generally subject to less tax compared to oil, but the range is equally wide, with different types of taxes, fees, levies and surcharges amounting to as much as 50% of electricity bills in some countries, or as low as zero in others. On average, the electricity…
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State of Energy Policy 2026
…with a special focus on government spending, energy efficiency regulations, and the contribution of the energy sector to nationally determined contributions and long-term net zero pledges.This year’s report brings an extensive examination of energy security policies to the period 1973-2025, from oil and natural gas to clean energy technology supply chains and critical minerals. It also spotlights the policy momentum around energy access, most particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, taking stock of the policy progress since the IEA Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa in 2024.The State of Energy Policy series draw on the Global…
