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Financing Clean Energy in Africa Mobilising capital for a sustainable future
…of local industry, including in relation to off-grid electricity and clean cooking solutions.Although a small player now, over the long term domestic markets are fundamental to energy sector development. Under the SAS, finance originating from or disbursed through local channels increases nearly threefold by 2030. Developing green finance facilities provides a channel for finance while also supporting the creation of bankable projects and the development of capacity at other finance institutions. There are also innovative ways to tap into the growing domestic capital markets, particularly pension funds, such as local currency guarantees or securitisation of distributed energy assets.
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Paper
Country and regional highlights
There is growing ambition on electrifying heat in the European paper industry
CO2 emissions
Emissions intensity has seen a decade of reductions, but further effort is needed going forward
Energy
Further energy efficiency improvements and fuel switching are needed to get on track with the Net Zero Scenario
Activity
Technology deployment
The adoption of high-temperature heat pumps combined with an increased use of low-emission fuels can reduce emissions
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Gaining an Edge Policy implications
…for policy makers can be to assess and clearly communicate the value of energy efficiency policies. This is primarily due to the lack of robust practices for collecting data on results achieved, including the wider benefits beyond energy savings or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. An IEA survey of 1 000 industrial firms, conducted in 2025, indicates that more than half of the companies have experienced a broad range of benefits from energy efficiency and 88% can quantify or estimate the monetary value of these benefits. While energy efficiency policies and programmes targeting industry have been shown to be cost…
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Electricity Market Design
…variable generation, greater decentralisation and evolving patterns of electricity use, the ability of market designs to deliver secure and affordable electricity has never been more critical. If market arrangements do not keep pace with these developments, the functioning of electricity systems could become more uncertain and more costly.This report provides a cross-regional assessment of how wholesale electricity markets and their complementary policy mechanisms are performing today. We find that short-term markets have continued to operate reliably and efficiently, translating real-time conditions into meaningful price signals even as system complexity grows. Medium- and long-term markets, however…
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Renewable Energy Progress Tracker
Explore electricity, heat and renewable fuels data from Renewables 2025 and renewables ambitions by 2030
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The Role of Traceability in Critical Mineral Supply Chains
As global demand for critical minerals grows, it will be important to anticipate and address the potential harms the mining and metals sector can have on societies, communities and the environment. Overlooking these risks can ultimately disrupt supply for clean energy technologies. Traceability systems can, when used as part of a wider risk-based due diligence process, help meet emerging policy goals by providing ways to integrate data on origin, evolution, and ownership of minerals. Some traceability approaches can also provide a platform for embedding data on environmental, social and governance issues. To work effectively, however, traceability systems must be…
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The energy crisis creates even stronger impetus for EU electrification
…energy consumption relies on fossil fuels, of which the EU imports more than 80%.This commentary is the first in a series examining the case for electrification in the EU, identifying cost competitiveness and areas where targeted policies could catalyse change. Fuel price ratios determine electrification competitiveness To make electrification cost-competitive, electricity prices need to fall below a threshold ratio relative to the price of fossil fuels. Because most electrification options are several times more efficient than conventional alternatives, they can be cheaper to operate than conventional fuel-based technologies even when electricity costs more per unit of energy…
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Designing an effective strategic stockpiling system for critical minerals
…materialised at scale The IEA has long warned of the potential security risks associated with the high concentration of critical mineral supply chains. In 2025, these risks became a reality, marking a major turning point for global economic security. The rare earths export controls announced by China in October 2025 posed major national and economic security risks across the world, with potentially severe impacts for a range of strategic sectors including energy, automotive, defence, aerospace, AI and semiconductors. Earlier export controls introduced in April had already resulted in some automotive factories around the world being forced to cut utilisation rates…
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Financing Clean Energy in Africa Executive summary
…has declined and clean energy investment has remained flat. This report explores the continent’s investment needs under the Sustainable Africa Scenario (SAS) developed in the IEA’s Africa Energy Outlook 2022. The scenario considers the diverse needs of different African countries and sectors and lays out a pathway to achieve the energy-related Sustainable Development Goals, including universal access to modern energy by 2030, as well as fulfilling all announced climate pledges in full and on time. This requires a step change in investment, shifting away from fossil fuel projects designed to supply foreign countries towards clean energy projects…
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World Energy Employment 2024 Executive summary
Global energy employment outperformed broader labour market trends in 2023. The global energy sector added nearly 2.5 million jobs in 2023 on the back of rising investment, bringing total employment to over 67 million workers. Employment in energy – which in this report includes energy supply, the power sector, end-use efficiency and vehicle manufacturing – rose by 3.8%, outpacing the economy-wide average of 2.2%. Energy job growth was fuelled by record levels of investment across a wide range of energy sources in the wake of the global energy crisis. As a result, jobs grew rapidly in both…
