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Southeast Asia Energy Outlook 2026 Executive summary
Southeast Asia is a very dynamic region that is set to be a major driver of global energy demand growth, but the Middle East conflict has provided a stark wake-up call for the region’s energy system. Southeast Asia accounts for 9% of the world’s population and 4% of its GDP, but nearly 20% of global energy demand growth to 2035 under today’s policy settings. The disruption in global fuel markets has exposed deep structural vulnerabilities linked to import dependence, limited diversification and concentrated supply routes. Before the crisis, around 60% of Southeast Asia’s imports of…
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Electricity Market Design Executive summary
Electricity systems are changing fast, and market design must evolve with them Electricity systems are undergoing rapid structural change, increasing the need for market frameworks that keep pace with evolving operational and investment requirements and possibilities. Electricity is central to modern economies, and its role is expanding as consumption patterns shift, digitalisation accelerates, energy systems decentralise, and variable resources grow. Across major regions, these trends are increasing the complexity of real-time operations and reshaping investment dynamics. Short-term and seasonal flexibility needs are projected to grow faster than demand over the next decade, while electrification in many sectors is…
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Global Energy and Climate Model Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS)
The Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS) has a long pedigree in the International Energy Agency (IEA) family of scenarios. It was introduced in 2019 with this name, but it has much in common with the previous New Policies Scenario that dates back to the 2010 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO). The intention of this scenario is to reflect the prevailing direction of travel for the energy system based on a detailed reading of the latest policy settings in countries around the world. It takes into account specific energy, climate and related industrial policies that have been adopted or put…
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Rare Earth Elements Executive summary
Rare earth elements have rapidly moved to the forefront of the energy and economic policy agenda Rare earth elements play a crucial role in a wide range of strategic applications, from energy, transport and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to aerospace, medical and defence systems. The wide range of applications, combined with highly concentrated supply chains, has elevated their importance in both energy and broader economic security discussions. Though relatively plentiful in the Earth’s crust, this set of 17 elements have garnered the label “rare” because economically viable concentrations are uncommon and they are seldom found in pure form. Their chemical…
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Sheltering From Oil Shocks Introduction and context
The conflict in the Middle East has created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. The volume of fuel supply offline now is higher than the supply loss during the oil shock of 1973 that led to the IEA’s creation and any disruption since then. Beyond the direct damage to energy infrastructure in the region, the crisis has led to a near halt in tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz. Crude and oil product flows through the Strait have fallen from around 20 million barrels per day (mb/d) before the conflict to…
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Energy Efficiency Policy Toolkit The Energy Efficiency Policy Package
The Energy Efficiency Policy Package
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Sheltering From Oil Shocks Summary
The conflict in the Middle East has created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, due to the near halt in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Some 15 million barrels of crude oil and 5 million barrels of oil products typically traversed the Strait each day, equivalent to around 20% of global oil consumption. These flows have slowed to a trickle. The loss of supply is having significant impacts in global markets, pushing up prices for crude oil above $100/barrel, and leading to much higher prices for some refined products – notably diesel…
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Electricity 2026 Grids
Grids are emerging as a bottleneck for connecting supply, demand and storage A lack of grid capacity is emerging as a critical bottleneck in many regions, driving higher levels of congestion and slowing the deployment of new electricity generation, storage and demand. Grid connection queues have reached record levels worldwide. In response, this year’s report examines the range of measures that regulators and system operators are adopting to “move fast and connect things”: enabling more capacity to be integrated more quickly through regulatory reforms and deployment of technologies that can deliver rapid grid upgrades. Greater demand-side participation and…
- Executive summary
- Demand
- Supply
- Grids
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+ 4 pages
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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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Prospects for Natural Gas Certification Executive summary
Governments and industry are working to improve resource efficiency and reduce emissions from natural gas supply – from both domestic production and imports – to help deliver on their climate goals, while also looking to improve energy security. One emerging approach is natural gas certification, which can help buyers make more informed decisions by providing independently verified greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity data at select stages of the supply chain, from production and processing to storage and transport, but excluding final consumption. This can support the implementation of best practices throughout the entire supply chain, and help importing countries and regions better understand…
