International Energy Agency (IEA) News

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen announced that they will co-host the IEA’s 10th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Brussels, Belgium, on 12-13 June 2025. The Annual Global Conference brings together ministers, business pioneers, and industry representatives to drive stronger action on energy efficiency. A key focus of the conference will be the global agreement to double energy efficiency progress this...

New patents to integrate artificial intelligence into power grids have grown sixfold in recent years, with the United States and China leading the way in AI for smart grid development, according to a new study by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). The report, Patents for Enhanced Electricity Grids, shows how patents for electricity grid technologies have surged over the past two decades as advances in digital integration and the...

Sweden’s advanced electricity system, natural resources and geology mean the country is well placed to accelerate electrification and transform energy-intensive industries by drawing heavily on low-emissions electricity, according to the IEA’s new Sweden 2024: Energy Policy Review. However, advancing electrification will come with a sizeable increase in new electricity demand that the current system will need to accommodate. New clean electricity generation Uncertainties acro...

The IEA regularly conducts reviews of the energy and climate-related policies of its member countries and provides recommendations – a process that supports energy policy development and encourages the exchange of international best practices and experiences. The latest review of the Slovak Republic took place in October 2023. The review finds that the Slovak Republic has made significant progress in reaching its climate and energy goals owing to its low-emissions electricity system, with...

IEA member governments have updated the set of principles – known as the IEA Shared Goals – that highlight the priority areas for simultaneously ensuring energy security and advancing clean energy transitions. IEA members first agreed on a set of Shared Goals in 1993. Now, over three decades later, during the Agency’s 50th anniversary year, the new set of goals builds on the 1993 version while also drawing inspiration from the joint communiques from the 2022 and 2024 IEA Minis...

The IEA and the Government of India’s Ministry of Mines have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which lays out a co-operation framework on critical minerals, the essential materials that go into clean energy technologies. Practices for modeling and analysis The MoU, which defines areas of co-operation ranging from critical minerals data and statistics to the sharing of best practices for modeling and analysis, was exchanged in the presence of India’s Minist...

Ukraine officially joined the International Energy Agency as an Association country today, with the signing of a joint declaration by Ukraine’s Minister of Energy German Galushchenko and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. The signing of the Joint Association Declaration at a ceremony in Warsaw, Poland, opens a new chapter in the long-standing partnership between the IEA and Ukraine to deepen and expand their work on the country’s energy security, clean energy transition and reconst...

With businesses around the world facing unprecedented pressure from the cost of energy and the urgency of climate change, a new report from the Energy Efficiency Movement shows that improving industrial energy efficiency is the fastest and most effective way for a business to cut energy costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Energy Efficiency Movement is a global forum of around 200 organizations sharing ideas, best practices and commitments to create a more energy-efficient world. &lsq...

Siemens agreed to supply Electromin, the e-Mobility unit of Saudi Arabia’s lubricants and automotive services company Petromin, with electric vehicle (EV) chargers for its planned development of a Kingdom- and region-wide charging network. The agreement will ensure supplies of Siemens’ most advanced EV infrastructure technology for Electromin’s network, including the ultra-fast Sicharge D chargers that use direct current and the smart VersiCharge AC wall or pole-mounted units...

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol has welcomed the new Just Energy Transition Partnership that Indonesia and a group of foremost economies launched at the G20 Leaders Summit in Bali as an important step forward for international cooperation on financing clean energy transitions in emerging economies. The development of the landmark Just Energy Transition Partnership with Indonesia – which targets an ambitious and equitable power sector transition in Indonesia – was underpinned by I...

The world must move quickly to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal significantly in order to avoid severe impacts from climate change, a new IEA report says, calling for immediate policy action to rapidly mobilize massive financing for clean energy alternatives to coal and to ensure secure, affordable and fair transitions, especially in emerging and developing economies. The new IEA special report – Coal in Net Zero Transitions: Strategies for Rapid, Secure, and People-Centered Chan...

The first truly global energy crisis has many people asking questions about energy savings and affordability. In the United Kingdom, a year ago just one in ten searches on the topic of energy prices was a ‘why’, ‘how’, or ‘when’ question - now it’s one in four, according to Google. In Germany, search interest has been trending for queries like ‘how to save natural gas’, ‘heating cost’, and 'how to save energy' - while in Belgium,...

Europe could face a gap of as much as 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas during the key summer period for refilling its gas storage sites in 2023, the IEA said in new analysis published, highlighting the need for urgent action by governments to reduce gas consumption amid the global energy crisis. The new report – Never too early to prepare for next winter: Europe’s gas balance for 2023-2024 – shows that gas storage sites in the European Union are now 95% full &ndash...

The global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing profound and long-lasting changes that have the potential to hasten the transition to a more sustainable and secure energy system, according to the latest edition of the IEA’s World Energy Outlook. Today’s energy crisis is delivering a shock of unprecedented breadth and complexity. The biggest tremors have been felt in the markets for natural gas, coal, and electricity – with significant turmoi...

Small and medium-sized businesses are highly exposed to high energy prices, and the International Energy Agency and the European Commission held a high-level event to raise awareness of what governments, businesses, and related stakeholders can do to empower and protect these backbones of the European economy. At the online event, which was led by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, the Commission presented support measures that are already avai...

Despite concerns about the effects of the current energy crisis, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion are expected to grow by just under 1% this year, only a small fraction of their increase last year, as a strong expansion of renewables and electric vehicles prevents a much sharper rise. New IEA analysis of the latest data from around the world shows that these CO2 emissions are on course to increase by close to 300 million tonnes in 2022 to 33.8 billion tonnes &nd...

Energy infrastructure in the greater Horn of Africa has struggled to keep pace with a fast-growing population, creating a formidable hurdle for the region’s buoyant economies that can best be overcome through stronger deployment of energy efficiency and renewable technologies, according to a new IEA report. Countries in the region have already demonstrated they can find innovative solutions to extend electricity access to underserved populations and have huge underexploited potential for...

IEA Executive Director - Fatih Birol received the prestigious GLOBSEC European Award for his and the Agency’s work to support Europe this year during the global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The European Award is presented each year by GLOBSEC, a global think-tank based in Bratislava, the Slovak capital, to honor unwavering dedication to strengthening Europe and promoting growth and progress. GLOBSEC said Dr. Birol had been chosen this year because fr...

Russia’s continued curtailment of natural gas flows to Europe has pushed international prices to painful new highs, disrupted trade flows, and led to acute fuel shortages in some emerging and developing economies, with the market tightness expected to continue well into 2023, according to the IEA’s quarterly Gas Market Report. Natural gas markets worldwide have been tightening since 2021, and global gas consumption is expected to decline by 0.8% in 2022 as result of a record 10% con...

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and several partners have launched a new tool to track financing costs for energy projects around the world, with the aim of identifying and addressing risks that have impeded vital investment flows to emerging and developing economies. Cost of Capital Observatory The Cost of Capital Observatory was developed by the IEA, together with the World Economic Forum, ETH Zurich and Imperial College London. It will be hosted on the IEA’s website and regularl...

Despite encouraging signs of progress across a number of sectors, stronger efforts are needed to bring the world on track to reach net zero emissions by mid-century, according to the IEA’s latest appraisal of global progress on clean energy technologies. The annual Tracking Clean Energy Progress (TCEP) update assesses 55 components of the energy system – sectors, technologies, infrastructures and cross-cutting CO2 mitigation strategies – and evaluates their progress in 2021 to...

The first annual Breakthrough Agenda Report, requested by 45 world leaders, delivers a progress report on the actions needed to deliver on the historic clean technology commitment by governments representing two-thirds of the global economy. The Breakthrough Agenda, as the commitment is known, aims to align countries’ actions and coordinate investment to scale up deployment and drive down costs across five key sectors including – power, road transport, steel, hydrogen and agricultur...

Momentum continues to build behind low-emissions hydrogen amid the global energy crisis, with electrolyzer manufacturing expected to grow strongly and pilot projects proliferating in new applications such as steel and transport, a new IEA report says. But these areas remain a small part of the overall hydrogen landscape, highlighting the need for greater policy support. carbon capture and storage The encouraging developments in hydrogen technologies that can support the clean energy transitio...

The accelerated rollout of clean energy technologies needed to reach climate goals depends on building up a skilled workforce and studying different labor training programs around the world can provide valuable insights for countries and communities undertaking their clean energy transitions, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. The report is being launched at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum (GCEAF) in Pittsburgh, USA to inform discussions and advance the work of t...

Prioritizing energy efficiency and renewables while reducing fossil fuel use and diversifying supplies can address major energy security challenges, as per the new International Energy Agency (IEA) policy review. Hungary’s transition to clean energy can enable it to achieve greater energy security and independence as it navigates the supply challenges that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created for countries across Europe, according to a new in-depth policy review by the Internati...

IEA provides first ever assessment of energy jobs worldwide by region and technology, offering vital analysis in the context of the global energy crisis and clean energy transitions. Global employment in the energy sector has risen above its pre-pandemic levels, led by increased hiring in clean energy, according to a new IEA report that offers the first worldwide benchmark for employment across energy industries. Clean energy transitions The inaugural edition of the World Energy Employment Re...

In an opinion article published by the Financial Times this week, IEA Executive Editor - Fatih Birol rebuts three myths that are circulating about the current global energy crisis, stressing the importance of separating fact from fiction at this perilous time. first fallacy The first fallacy he addresses in the opinion article, which is also available to read in full on LinkedIn, is that Russia is winning the energy battle. Russia may have benefitted from spikes in oil and gas prices tri...

International Energy Agency’s (IEA) contributions to Indonesia’s G20 Presidency include Net Zero Roadmap for Indonesia and new report on Security of Clean Energy Transitions. IEA Executive Director - Fatih Birol addressed energy ministers from the world’s biggest economies at the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, where he urged them to prioritize actions to ensure secure, affordable and sustainable energy, in response to the crisis the world curren...

Indonesia has a viable path to reaching its target of net zero emissions by 2060, bringing major benefits to its citizens in the process such as more secure and affordable energy supplies, according to a new IEA report. But key policy reforms and international support will be crucial to the success of the clean energy transition in the world’s fourth most populous country as it enters a new phase of its economic development. IEA’s Energy Sector Roadmap The IEA’s Energy Secto...

Major economies sharply increased support for the production and consumption of coal, oil and natural gas, with many countries struggling to balance longstanding pledges to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies with efforts to protect households from surging energy prices, according to analysis released today by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Energy Agency. New OECD and IEA data show that overall government support for fossil fuels in 51 c...