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Commentary
22 Mar 2026
Wired for water: How electrification is transforming desalination
Wired for water: how electrification is transforming desalination The water-energy nexus Pressure on water resources is increasing worldwide and can be very acute at the local level. Rising consumption across sectors combined with population growth in already water-stressed regions is intensifying water scarcity. Desalination has long been developed to supply fresh water in the most affected areas, with significant implications for the energy system: energy use ranges from under 0.1% to as much as 15% of total final consumption, depending on national reliance. However, a shift is underway from thermal desalination technologies to electricity-driven systems as…
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Report
Feb 2026
Household Energy Affordability
Energy is one of the top expenses for millions of households, making energy affordability an important policy concern for governments. The impacts of the global energy crisis on consumer prices have been significantly felt in household budgets. Despite coming down from their peak in 2022, prices remain elevated compared to pre-crisis levels and households continue to grapple with higher living costs.This report sets out to identify key trends that are shaping the state of energy affordability around the world today. It explores how system drivers and household energy consumption influence the makeup of energy bills and opens a…
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Energy system
Wind
Wind has significant potential to boost growth in global renewable capacity
Electricity generation from renewables is expected to increase by 60% through 2030 – rising from 9 900 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024 to 16 200 TWh by the end of the decade. Wind accounts for almost a third of growth, second only to solar PV, which accounts for 60%.
Although wind power continues to face supply chain issues, rising costs and permitting delays today, global capacity is still expected to nearly double to over 2 000 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 as both advanced and developing economies tackle these barriers.
Around…
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Flagship report
Jul 2025
Universal Access to Clean Cooking in Africa
…and where urgent action is still needed. This includes tracking the implementation of the USD 2.2 billion in public and private commitments made at the 2024 Summit on Clean Cooking for Africa, which the IEA co-hosted with the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, the Prime Minister of Norway, and the President of the African Development Bank Group.The report introduces a new scenario – the Accelerating Clean Cooking and Electricity Services Scenario (ACCESS) – which charts a pathway for all African countries to accelerate efforts by replicating the best historic rates of progress seen in other leading countries…
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Report
Oct 2025
Stepping Up the Value Chain in Africa
Minerals, materials and manufacturing This report explores key opportunities for African countries to step up the value chain in the growing global market for energy technologies, identifying opportunities beyond a role centred around extraction and mining to one more focused on mineral beneficiation, material production and technology manufacturing. These opportunities would enable Africa to retain a greater share of the economic value generated across energy technology supply chains, and would simultaneously contribute to global efforts to enhance supply chain diversification and resilience.The economic benefits of the new energy economy are currently distributed very unevenly. Emerging markets and developing economies…
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Country
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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+ 5 pages
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Fuel report
Apr 2026
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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Fuel report
Dec 2025
Coal 2025
Analysis and forecast to 2030 Coal is a cornerstone of electricity generation in many countries as well as the single largest source of carbon dioxide emissions globally, placing it at the centre of international dialogues on energy. At a time of uncertainty and change for energy systems around the world, a range of different trends could shape coal markets in the years ahead.On the one hand, recent policy changes supporting coal could drive consumption higher, as could surging electricity demand in economies across the world, since two-thirds of global coal use today is for power generation. On the…
- Executive summary
- Demand
- Supply
- Trade
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+ 2 pages
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Technology report
May 2025
Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025
Critical minerals, which are essential for a range of energy technologies and for the broader economy, have become a major focus in global policy and trade discussions. Price volatility, supply chain bottlenecks and geopolitical concerns make the regular monitoring of their supply and demand extremely vital.The Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 includes a detailed assessment of the latest market and investment trends, along with their implications for critical minerals security. As in last year’s Outlook, it provides a snapshot of recent industry developments from 2024 and early 2025 and offers medium- and long-term projections for the supply and demand of key…
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Statistics report
Jun 2025
Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report, 2025
…energy efficiency, and international cooperation to advance SDG 7. It presents updated statistics for each of the indicators and provides policy insights on priority areas and actions needed to spur further progress on SDG 7.The report is produced annually by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO)—the five custodian agencies responsible for tracking progress toward SDG 7. Figure ES.1 offers a snapshot of the primary indicators for 2025.Progress toward 2030 targets remains off track, particularly in Sub…