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The Value of Demand Flexibility Executive summary
…the 3DEN Initiative, presents a concise framework for understanding demand flexibility and its value across the energy system, highlighting that it can:Enhance power system efficiency. Flexibility and efficiency reinforce each other, as flexibility enables more efficient grid operation, while efficient buildings and smart equipment expand the scope for cost-effective demand shifting. By improving the use of existing generation and network assets, demand flexibility can raise system efficiency by up to 30% and deliver greater value.Strengthen energy security. Demand flexibility reinforces electricity security and system resilience by reducing peak demand and lowering reliance on fuel imports. Recent events…
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Gas Market Report, Q2-2026 Executive summary
…imports rose to an all-time high over the 2025/26 winter, solidifying LNG’s position as a structural source of baseload supply in the region amid lower piped gas imports and declining domestic output. The 2025/26 heating season witnessed several cold spells, which resulted in near-record-breaking demand spikes across key markets in the northern hemisphere. This includes Winter Storm Fern in the United States, Storm Goretti in Europe and the East Asia cold wave in China. These events highlight the critical importance of gas supply flexibility for energy security, including in markets that are increasingly re...
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World Energy Investment 2025 Southeast Asia
…energy investment reached USD 47 billion, up from 30 billion in 2015. Given the challenges of accessing international capital markets, Southeast Asia’s capital markets have relied on domestic commercial lending. Commercial finance in clean energy sits above 75%, reaching over 85% in clean power, clean fuels and battery storage. Meanwhile, grid storage and transmission and distribution depends heavily on public finance, which contributes around 40% of funding. Despite wide disparities in economic development, resource endowments and market maturity, energy security is a common priority for the region. Concurrently, coal-fired power has remained a significant component of Southeast Asia’s energy…
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Ramping up Heat Pumps in Moldova: A Roadmap Status and key indicators
…Moldova’s energy sector is governed by several key institutions that collaborate to manage energy resources, production and consumption. The Ministry of Energy is the primary policymaking body, tasked with developing strategic energy policies to ensure energy security and sectoral development. Its National Centre for Sustainable Energy (NCSE) works to ensure the implementation of these policies, notably in the fields of renewables and energy efficiency. The NCSE also identifies and manages funds for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, provides direct or co-financing for initiatives, and develops financing programs that combine external funds, state budgets and energy efficiency obligations…
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Coal Mid-Year Update 2025 Supply
Regardless of mixed regional trends in 2024, coal supply reached an unprecedented level Global coal production reached a record 9.15 Bt in 2024, driven primarily by strong output in China, India and Indonesia. Domestic coal is the largest source of energy supply in both China and India making coal production central to their energy security strategies. After shortages in 2021, both countries boosted production, a push that lasted a few years to reach an all-time high in 2024. China remained the largest producer, maintaining output at 4 666 Mt. Although Shanxi, traditionally the largest coal producing province, reduced production by…
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Coal Mid-Year Update 2025 Prices
…coal producers. International thermal coal prices fall amid reduced demand from China After the historic price spikes and extreme volatility of 2022, global thermal coal markets entered a phase of significant correction in 2023. This shift was driven by a combination of expanding supply, softening natural gas prices, reduced concerns over energy security, and the realignment of trade flows in response to sanctions on Russian coal exports. The ARA and Newcastle FOB price benchmarks began to decline from late 2022, reflecting a broader rebalancing of market fundamentals.In 2023 and 2024, thermal coal prices peaked at European ports, reaching approximately…
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Gas Market Lessons from the 2022-2023 Energy Crisis Anatomy of a natural gas crisis
…dependency on gas imports across the European Union. The Russian share of the European Union’s gas supply grew from close to 30% in 2010 to over 45% by 2019 – a significant concentration in gas supply for the bloc.This increased supply concentration and reliance on Russian gas occurred against a particular geopolitical backdrop: Previous breaches in energy security, including the temporary interruptions of Russian pipeline gas supply to Ukraine in both 2006 and 2009, had downstream implications for EU energy security, prompting EU legislation on supply security and gas market liberalisation. The unravelling of this dominant Russian supply position…
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Financing the ASEAN Power Grid Executive summary
…generation can also prevent deepened dependencies on fossil fuel imports that are prone to supply shocks, as witnessed during the 2022-2023 global energy crisis which caused regional subsidies for fossil fuel consumption to soar. Optimising both variable renewable and flexible resources across countries requires a strong degree of trust, regulatory and technical co-ordination, robust business models, harmonised arrangements for cross-border trade, and substantial investment; but if achieved, it could benefit consumers through lower electricity costs and governments through enhanced energy security. Regional power trade is nascent today despite the first projects dating back over five decades Since…
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Global Methane Tracker 2026 Addressing methane in the marketplace
…regardless of the destination, global methane emissions would fall by 17 Mt.A coordinated emissions import standard can strengthen energy security for importing countries. If countries that currently export fuel to the European Union, Japan, Korea or the United Kingdom were to cut flaring and methane emissions across all their exports, this could make more than 25 billion cubic metres (bcm) of additional gas available to importers. Reducing methane emissions and flaring can thus deliver a double dividend: improved energy security alongside progress toward climate goals. Designing import standards to maximise emissions reductions Regulators considering methane-related import standards can pursue…
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World Energy Investment 2025 China
…clean energy investment was more than USD 625 billion, almost doubling since 2015. China also achieved its 2030 wind and solar capacity target in 2024, six years ahead of schedule. While renewable installations are set to continue, investment growth is expected to slow in 2025 and, in the case of solar PV, even to fall back slightly.China’s evolving macroeconomic priorities have long shaped its approach to energy investment. While China met its 5% GDP growth target in 2024, the economy faced mounting pressures from weak domestic consumption, deflationary risks and a deepening real estate crisis. Against this backdrop, energy security…