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Financing Electricity Access in Africa Beyond new connections
…risks mean public and highly concessional capital will be necessary, particularly to pilot new financing models.Women play an integral role in electricity access since they are often managers of household energy, as well as consumers, including as entrepreneurs. They face severe barriers to accessing finance, with an estimated USD 42 billion financing gap for women-led businesses on the continent. Improving sex-disaggregated data is key to understanding both supply- and demand-side challenges, as well as introducing tailored financial products such as loans backed by cash flows or moveable collateral.The impact of concessional capital is maximised when directed to…
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Natural Gas
The coming LNG wave is set to profoundly transform the global gas market
Global gas markets, which have been tight and volatile for several years, are set to undergo major changes by the end of this decade. The unfolding coming wave of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production capacity is set to rebalance the global gas market, enhance energy supply security and improve the affordability of natural gas.
About 300 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year of LNG export capacity – a record – is set to be added by 2030, primarily supported by liquefaction capacity additions in the United States and Qatar…
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District Heating
Country and regional highlights
Momentum for change is growing within the district heating industry
CO2 emissions
Decarbonisation efforts have not yet been sufficient to curb associated emissions
Energy
Despite large potential for the integration of renewable sources and recycled heat, fossil fuels dominate district heat supplies globally
Deployment
The district heating industry is transitioning to lower-temperature networks and integrating renewable energy sources
Innovation
Policy
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Advancing Methane Emissions Reductions by National Oil Companies
…to improve their sustainability credentials, and to attract financing. Key opportunities to accelerate action include:Integrating methane management into operations. Dedicated resources and plans are key to support effective capital and operational spending on methane abatement. Half of the options to reduce emissions in the oil and gas industry could be deployed with positive rates of return, improving natural gas resource use and cash flows.Working with host governments and partner companies to unlock synergies and align goals. NOCs can play a major role in supporting policy objectives. In over 30 countries where NOCs are responsible for more than half…
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Oil Market Report - March 2026
…Russia following disruptions at the start of the year. While the extent of losses will depend on the duration of the conflict and disruptions to flows, we estimate global oil supply to rise by 1.1 mb/d in 2026 on average, with non-OPEC+ producers accounting for the entire increase.The conflict is also having a significant impact on global product markets, with export flows through the Strait at a near standstill. Gulf producers exported 3.3 mb/d of refined products and 1.5 mb/d of LPG in 2025. More than 3 mb/d of refining capacity…
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Carbon-Free Electricity in G20 Countries
Status and the way forward In 2024, the Republic of Korea proposed the Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) Initiative to promote the use of technology-neutral, carbon-free energy to decarbonise the energy sector.In line with this initiative, Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) commissioned this report to analyse the status and prospects of carbon-free energy in the electricity sector in G20 countries, and to provide policy recommendations to advance its progress.The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEi) jointly produced this report.
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Emission reductions
…to clean cooking, air pollution is linked to around 3.7 million premature deaths a year. Replacing open fires and inefficient stoves with cleaner, more modern stoves and fuels reduces household air pollution and improves efficiency. Indoor air pollution from liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cookstoves is only around 5% of pollution from traditional biomass, while being over three times more efficient. Switching from LPG to electric cooking would further reduce indoor air pollution by 25% and is over 1.5 times more efficient. Need more information? IEA (2024), Energy Efficiency 2024.IEA (2023), A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All.
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Prospects for Natural Gas Certification
…from North America. As certification continues to evolve, opportunities remain to improve consistency, transparency and coverage across the full supply chain. To support further progress, the report outlines potential policy actions for governments to consider –such as international collaboration on harmonisation, setting minimum standards for certification, and exploring ways in which certification could complement emerging regulatory and market frameworks.While not a standalone solution, certification can enhance transparency and performance on GHG emissions across natural gas supply chains. This can support broader efforts to reduce emissions and strengthen energy security by improving accountability and easing comparability across different supply chains.
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State of Energy Policy 2026 Executive summary
…energy has been elevated to a core issue of national and economic security. Global supply chain disruptions after the Covid‑19 pandemic, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, trade restrictions on key products including critical minerals, several years of extreme heat affecting energy systems and conflicts affecting major energy suppliers have unfolded in successive waves over the past five years. These events have brought long-standing energy security concerns back into sharp focus while exposing new vulnerabilities. They also highlight energy’s central role in geopolitics, with recent shocks driving an exceptionally active period of energy policy-making across both…
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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…