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Coal Mid-Year Update 2025 Trade
Global coal trade reached an all-time high in 2024 Global coal trade reached a new all-time high in 2024, with total volumes estimated to be 1.55 Bt, surpassing the 1.5 Bt mark for the first time. Thermal coal trade rose by 28 Mt to reach 1 180 Mt. This growth was primarily driven by strong import demand in Asia, especially from China. The country experienced growth in imports, with coal imports reaching new highs. Imports increased by 14% up to 548 Mt, resulting in total annual imports surpassing 500 Mt for the first time. This volume is more than…
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Electric Vehicles
Global electric car sales continue to break records as affordability improves
Despite recent economic headwinds that have put pressure on the auto sector, global sales of electric cars have continued to break records as electric models become increasingly affordable. Electric car sales exceeded 17 million globally in 2024, reaching a sales share of more than 20%. Just the additional 3.5 million electric cars sold in 2024 compared with the previous year is more than the total number of electric cars sold worldwide in 2020.
In 2025, sales of electric cars are expected to surpass 20 million, accounting for over…
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Brazil 2025 Policy recommendations for Brazil
Energy and climate policy landscape 1. Ensure that PLANTE serves as a coherent, overarching plan for the national energy transition that achieves a sustainable and balanced economic and social transformation for Brazil.2. Review all government spending across energy sources to realign in support of PLANTE. People-centred clean energy transitions 3. Introduce an integrated people-centred framework for the energy transition.4. Implement whole-of-government energy transition workforce mapping and planning to ensure opportunities in local communities are optimised.15. Integrate electricity into the portfolio of options for clean cooking access for families. Investment and financing 6. Pursue…
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Demand and Supply Measures for the Steel and Cement Transition
The case for international co-ordination A massive scale-up of markets for transformative near-zero emissions steel and cement is needed to achieve internationally agreed net zero goals. Yet early movers on both the supply- and demand-side – that is, material producers and consumers – face substantial barriers related to high costs and risks, among other factors. This has led to relatively slow market growth for near-zero emissions materials, at a moment when reinvesting in long-lived high-emissions production could have repercussions for governments to achieve their stated climate goals. Policy makers have the opportunity to play a…
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China’s Official Energy Finance in Emerging and Developing Economies Case 6. CNOOC investment in Guyana: Whiptail Oil Field
Project overview and impact Guyana has become a dynamic upstream oil market, transforming from a non-producer to an emerging oil exporter within the decade. Since the first discovery of oil in the Stabroek Block in 2015, six large-scale developments have been approved, turning the area into a central pillar of the country’s economic strategy. Production is expected to exceed 1.3 million barrels per day by 2027, making Guyana one of the largest per-capita oil producers globally. The government’s production sharing contract allocates 14.5% of total crude output to the state, with the remainder…
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Gas Market Report, Q2-2026
This edition of the IEA's quarterly Gas Market Report provides a comprehensive review of developments during the 2025/26 heating season and a special spotlight on the effects of the war in the Middle East on international gas markets. Amid the major supply shock caused by the disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on regional energy infrastructure, it examines the conflict’s implications for gas supply and demand at both the regional and global levels. The report also analyses the consequences for storage, shipping and prices – providing critical insights on evolving market trends.The loss of nearly…
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Oil Market Report - April 2026
The April edition of the IEA’s Oil Market Report is exceptionally provided free of charge in an abridged format.For access to the full report, subscribers can visit their Products page.The IEA Oil Market Report (OMR) is one of the world's most authoritative and timely sources of data, forecasts and analysis on the global oil market – including detailed statistics and commentary on oil supply, demand, inventories, prices and refining activity, as well as oil trade for IEA and selected non-IEA countries. Listen to the most recent episode of the Everything Energy podcast with senior oil market analysts…
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Energy security
Multiple benefits of Energy Efficiency 2025 Energy efficiency provides multiple benefits. This page explores energy security. Why is energy efficiency important for energy security? Energy efficiency can help mitigate energy security risks by reducing the reliance on fossil fuel imports, improving grid reliability, and acting as a buffer to supply shocks. Key facts Efficiency gains from the last two decades avoided the need for 20% more fossil fuel imports in IEA countries. Energy efficiency and demand response can support grid reliability by reducing peak demand. For instance, more efficient air conditioners in India could lower the impact of heatwaves on…
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Copper prices have hit record highs, but smelters face mounting strategic pressures
copper Copper markets enter uncharted territory as structural and short-term pressures converge Copper prices have surged to record highs this year, briefly exceeding USD 14 500 per tonne (intraday) in January 2026, having only passed USD 12 000 per tonne for the first time in December 2025. The unprecedented price levels have been driven by some important short-term developments, including supply disruptions at several major mines and a build-up of US copper inventories due to tariff uncertainty. But they have also been underpinned by some underlying factors, such as challenges in developing new copper mines and the…
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Best Practices and Insights to Expand Clean Energy Access and Adoption
This report was commissioned by the European Commission to serve as a technical repository of analysis and evidence-based practices in support of the Campaign on Sustainable Lifestyles, Fairness and Access to Clean Energy Technologies. The analysis presented draws on discussions and research shared during the Widening Participation in Clean Energy workshop held in Brussels, contributions presented at the official all-member meetings of the Campaign on Sustainable Lifestyles, and the IEA’s analytical work in areas such as people-centred clean energy transitions, affordability, energy efficiency and clean energy access.This work is organised into three chapters, each corresponding…
