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Commentary
13 May 2026
Energy crisis threatens world’s most vulnerable as cooking fuel shortages grow
…Previous energy crises affected economies and societies in profound ways, often forcing households to ration fuel for their cars and heating for their homes. The 2026 crisis is being felt across the globe – and households in emerging and developing economies are now facing a particularly severe challenge: whether there is enough fuel simply to cook a meal, and whether they can still afford it.At the centre of this sits liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the world's most widely used cooking fuel. Around 3.4 billion people across the developing world use LPG as their primary source of energy for…
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Commentary
10 Feb 2026
What it would take to unlock the next phase of hydrogen growth
…steel sector. Demand grew by almost 2% from 2023, in line with overall energy demand growth. This consumption was almost completely met with hydrogen produced from unabated fossil fuels, using 290 billion cubic metres of natural gas and 90 million tonnes of coal equivalent. However, alternative technologies that can produce low-emissions hydrogen have attracted a lot of interest from governments given their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy supply, particularly in countries that have a large dependence on fossil fuel imports.Low-emissions hydrogen production – or the production of hydrogen from low-emissions electricity via water electrolysis, from…
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Commentary
27 Mar 2026
Policy and financing momentum sustain CCUS progress despite setbacks
CCUS Projects Database 2026 commentary Efforts to expand carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) took some important steps forward in 2025. Despite delays and cancellations in some areas, projects reached notable milestones in key markets, while growing financing provided further momentum.CCUS deployment in Europe saw a step-change as the world’s first dedicated carbon dioxide CO2 storage hub began operating in Norway. Major projects were also commissioned in China and North America, and the construction of new facilities began in eight countries worldwide. The newest annual update to the IEA’s CCUS Project Database – which incorporates developments between…
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Commentary
22 Jun 2026
How global oil supplies have readjusted to help fill the huge gap left by the Strait of Hormuz shock
commentary Stock drawdowns, alternative routes and suppliers, and agile refiners have all contributed during the crisis, avoiding far more severe impacts on demand Global energy markets have been contending with their largest supply disruption in history resulting from the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for oil and gas shipments to reach global markets. The cumulative oil supply losses from producers in the Middle East now exceed 1.3 billion barrels, with flows through the Strait of Hormuz falling from around 20 million barrels per day prior to the conflict to an average of 2.7…
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Commentary
27 Jan 2026
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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Commentary
02 Mar 2026
Copper prices have hit record highs, but smelters face mounting strategic pressures
…copper market – strong structural demand growth and elevated prices – may be good news for producers. However, today’s situation is unusual in that the crucial midstream sector is showing increasing signs of stress, amid a surge in smelter capacity additions in China. Copper is set to face a major supply deficit of 30% by 2035 Copper – a highly conductive metal that is resistant to corrosion – is at the heart of a more electrified energy system. As the world enters an Age of Electricity, strong demand growth for copper is anticipated from a wide variety of sources, including grids, electric vehicles…
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Commentary
04 Feb 2026
Canada is set to play a leading role in supplying the world with responsibly produced critical minerals
…Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan account for about three-quarters of total exploration spending domestically and 85% of total capital expenditure. Large urban cities such as Toronto and Vancouver are also recognised as global hubs for mining and mineral exploration, financing and corporate services. The manufacturing of technologies that use critical minerals is gaining momentum, but challenges remain The IEA’s Review found that Canada also has the strong potential to grow its manufacturing base for renewable energy technologies, batteries and battery components, and other strategic applications, underpinned by its abundant low-emissions power and critical mineral resources. Since 2020, Canada…
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Country
Qatar
Qatar is a major producer and exporter of natural gas, oil and oil products. Its domestic oil and gas productions entirely cover the country’s energy needs.
- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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+ 5 pages
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Technology report
Feb 2026
The State of Energy Innovation 2026 Executive summary
…geothermal development – a long-term project with high risks that is now starting to translate into major investments – governments funded nearly all the initial work from the 1970s to the 2010s.Cost-benefit evaluations typically show that the economic benefits of public energy R&D are far greater – even a hundredfold larger – than their costs. The most complete retrospective evaluations of this kind followed several multi-decade US programmes up to 2015. These programmes generated benefits to the US economy at least three times greater than their costs, including fuel expenditure savings, lower prices for energy equipment and higher s...