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Renewables 2021 Biofuels
Forecast summary Global demand for biofuels is set to grow by 41 billion litres, or 28%, over 2021-2026 in the main case. The recovery to pre-Covid-19 demand levels accounts for one-fifth of this demand growth. Government policies are the principal driver of the remaining expansion, but other factors such as overall transport fuel demand, costs and specific policy design influence where growth occurs and which fuels grow quickest. The combination of these influences pushes Asian biofuel production past that of Europe during the forecast period. Policies in the United States and Europe help demand for renewable…
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Renewables 2025 Renewable heat
Heat accounted for almost half of total final energy consumption and 37% of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2024 Annual heat consumption expanded by 6% globally over 2018-2024. Renewable energy, excluding traditional uses of biomass, met only half of this increase, with its share in global heat consumption rising to 14% in 2024. Nearly 80% of global growth in renewable heat use was in the form of bioenergy (especially in industry) and renewable electricity (mainly in buildings).Industry sector renewable heat use grew the most in China over the last six years, driven by the expansion of industries such…
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Global Methane Tracker 2026 Addressing methane in the marketplace
Near-zero methane standards from key importers could cut upstream oil and gas emissions by 20% There is increasing interest in many countries in reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to their fossil fuel imports. For some of the largest oil and gas importers – the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea and China – such emissions (15 million tonnes in 2024) far exceed those from domestic oil and gas operations and infrastructure (5 million tonnes in 2024). Upstream methane emissions intensities associated with oil and gas imports differ across countries. According to International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, average intensities…
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The Future of Electricity in the Middle East and North Africa Executive summary
A cornerstone of global energy supply and, increasingly, demand The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is at a pivotal moment in its energy journey. The region has long been a cornerstone of the global energy system. In 2024, it supplied over 30% of the world’s oil and nearly 20% of its natural gas. At the same time, it is emerging as a major centre of electricity demand growth, driven by a rapidly expanding population, urbanisation, rising living standards, and accelerating climate pressures. Between 2000 and 2024, electricity demand tripled – increasing by more than 1 000 terawatt-hours (TWh…
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Key Questions on Energy and AI Executive summary
The AI and energy nexus continues to evolve rapidly The largest technology companies are contributing to a surge in data centre investment, as their capital expenditure exceeded USD 400 billion in 2025 – and is expected to jump by another 75% in 2026. Capital expenditure of just five technology companies is now larger than global investment in oil and natural gas production. Many jurisdictions are seeing project pipelines accelerate dramatically, although not all projects will come to fruition. Those that are moving forward are doing so at pace: the IEA’s unique satellite-based tracking shows that “artificial intelligence (AI) factories…
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COP28 Tripling Renewable Capacity Pledge 2025: Update Key Findings
New Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) show limited reflection of the pledge to triple global renewable capacity by 2030 agreed at COP28 Between COP28 and the end of COP30, only about two-thirds of NDCs have been updated (128) and fewer than half of these (53) explicitly reference the global tripling goal. Even fewer (32) contain quantifiable renewable capacity ambitions for 2030. NDCs continue to under-represent current government ambitions for installed renewable capacity by 2030 The NDC 3.0 round does not fully capture countries’ 2030 renewable capacity ambitions in all submitted NDCs. Including 2030 ambitions from previous NDC cycles, total…
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Coal Mid-Year Update 2025 Prices
…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 USD 152 per tonne. Australian ports followed with peak prices around USD 121 per…
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China’s Official Energy Finance in Emerging and Developing Economies Setting the scene
Regional imbalances in energy investment Global energy investment has steadily risen over the past decade and reached over USD 3.3 trillion for the first time in 2025. Clean energy investment trends are especially notable – with investments in a range of clean energy technologies and infrastructure, taken together, accounting for nearly two-thirds of global investments today. However, these headline numbers often mask a persistent trend: a gaping regional imbalance in global energy investment. After removing the share of investment going towards advanced economies and People’s Republic of China (hereafter, “China”), emerging market and developing economies (EMDE) other than…
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Global EV Outlook 2025 Outlook for electric mobility
Overview In this part of the report, we focus on the outlook for electric mobility in road transport over the period to 2030. A scenario-based approach is used to explore the prospects for electric mobility, based on recent market trends, policy drivers and technology developments. The purpose of scenario projections is to assess a plausible future for global electric vehicle (EV) markets and the potential implications. The scenario projections are not intended as predictions about the future. Rather, they aim to provide insights to inform decision-making by governments, companies and other stakeholders about the future of EVs. In…
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Electricity Mid-Year Update 2025 Demand: Global electricity use to grow strongly in 2025 and 2026
Global electricity demand is forecast to increase by an average annual 3.3% in 2025 and by 3.7% in 2026, a moderation from 4.4% in 2024 but still some of the highest growth rates observed over the last decade. This is a slight downward revision from our previous forecast in February 2025 of 4% growth for this year and 3.8% in 2026. The change is partly due to the IMF's downgrade of the global GDP growth outlook compared with its January 2025 update amid elevated uncertainty surrounding trade tariffs and economic prospects. Despite these downside risks…
