Everything Energy

Since the start of the Iran war in February, energy exports from Middle East countries through the Strait of Hormuz and via other routes have become the focus of intense global attention, with significant implications for the world economy and especially for Middle East countries themselves. 

In this episode, IEA Senior Oil Analyst Rebecca Schulz discusses how escalating attacks on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and on energy infrastructure across the Middle East threaten to derail the recent recovery in the region’s oil exports. And Middle East and North Africa Programme Manager Nadim Abil...

Since the mid-20th century, scientists and engineers around the world have been working to harness the potential of fusion energy. Driven by the knowledge that success could revolutionise the energy system, they have pursued fusion’s tantalising potential to provide abundant around-the-clock electricity with minimal fuel inputs, no direct emissions and very little radioactive waste.

Recently, momentum behind the sector has been building. Government-led research programmes have achieved a series of technological milestones, and investment from the private sector has surged. Together, these developments have supported growing interest in the sector – although significant challenges still...

Around the world, the price of diesel is at or near all-time highs, with major implications for shipping, agriculture and the broader economy.

In this episode, we speak with IEA experts David Martin and Talya Vatman who explain why diesel prices have risen more sharply than those of gasoline and crude oil – taking stock of the impacts from the war in the Middle East, Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, and limited capacity across the refining sector globally. They also discuss how the situation could evolve in the coming months.

Invented at the turn of the 20th century to control humidity at a New York printing plant, the air conditioner has reshaped the economies and societies that have had access to it. Today, more than 1.5 billion AC units are in use around the world – and as incomes and temperatures rise, demand continues to grow rapidly.

But there are challenges associated with this air conditioning boom. If a city’s residents all turn on their ACs at the same time, the resulting surge in electricity consumption can strain power grids. Growing electricity demand from air conditioning also...

Technological advances in drilling have had a profound impact on our economies and societies, delivering access to vast energy resources underground.  The first commercial oil well in 1859 paved the way for the modern oil industry, and more recent breakthroughs have repeatedly reshaped global energy dynamics. 

Innovation in drilling technologies continues today. Some of these technologies have helped lay the basis for next-generation geothermal energy projects, which could unlock heat as a reliable and low-emissions energy resource in many parts of the world.

This episode is the second in a three-part miniseries on e...

Today, solar PV is the fastest-growing energy source in the world. Yet that would not have been possible without a history of innovation spanning decades. From the breakthrough discovery of a practical silicon solar cell at a US phone company in the 1950s to the rapid scaling up of solar panel manufacturing in China in the 2000s, these advances – along with supportive policies – have made solar energy cost competitive globally. And innovation could now reshape the sector once again, helping address emerging challenges such as grid integration and supply chain concentration.

This episode is the first in a th...

Amid the disruptions resulting from the conflict in the Middle East, energy systems have come under significant pressure – compounded, in some parts of the world, by record-breaking heatwaves. But one of the most effective tools for easing these strains – and energy costs – remains underutilised.

In this episode, we speak with Brian Motherway, who leads the IEA’s work on energy efficiency and affordability. He explains why we often fail to make use of the world’s “first fuel” – energy efficiency – and discusses practical steps governments can take to help consumers save energy and money, without compromising econom...

What did the global energy landscape look like just before the outbreak of the war in the Middle East sent shockwaves through energy markets in March? What were the major trends – and what might they tell us about what comes next?

In this episode, IEA energy analyst Alex Martinos discusses the findings from the Global Energy Review 2026, which provides a comprehensive assessment of global energy trends in 2025. He highlights important developments across fuels, technologies, the electricity sector and emissions, along with the potential implications for the current energy context.

Around the world, billions of people use liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, to cook their meals. Today, many of them are under substantial pressure, with global LPG supplies severely disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East. In 2025, 30% of all LPG exported by sea transited through the Strait of Hormuz – a route that’s seen shipping slow dramatically since the end of February.

In this episode, IEA energy analysts Marina Petrelli and Arthur Rogé discuss the latest developments in LPG markets – and what price increases and supply shortages have meant for some of the world’s most vul...

As the energy crisis caused by disruptions to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz continues to unfold, how is it shifting energy investment priorities around the world?

In this episode, two IEA experts – Energy Investment Unit head Cecilia Tam and energy investment analyst Kirsten Smith – dig into this question based on new insights from the World Energy Investment 2026 report. With energy security concerns front and centre – and with many countries increasingly looking to meet demand with domestic energy sources – they discuss the implications across different sectors, including oil, gas, coal, nuclear, renewables and elect...

Hydropower is the third largest source of power generation globally, producing roughly as much electricity as solar and wind combined. Yet despite its huge role in electricity systems around the world, it is often left out of conversations on energy. 

In this episode, IEA renewable energy analyst Yasmina Abdelilah explains how the role of hydropower in electricity systems has evolved in recent decades. With electricity demand surging around the world, she highlights the benefits hydropower could deliver across both advanced and emerging economies and discusses what is needed to overcome key barriers. 

A lot has happened since the IEA published its landmark report last year on what artificial intelligence could mean for global electricity demand and its potential to reshape how energy systems work. The tech sector has poured hundreds of billions of dollars of additional investment into AI, while the technology itself and the ways in which it’s used have continued to develop rapidly. At the same time, the deployment of AI is increasingly constrained by a range of physical bottlenecks, including for energy, raising questions about the rate at which it can expand in the near term.

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Critical minerals are essential for many of today’s energy technologies – and for the broader economy. Lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite, for example, are crucial to battery performance. Rare earth elements are indispensable for the permanent magnets in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors. And electricity networks need huge amounts of aluminium and copper. As demand for these materials rises rapidly, so does their strategic importance.

But in recent years, critical mineral supply chains have become more concentrated, not less – demanding greater attention from policymakers and industry. This episode features conversations with Benjamin Gallezot, the cri...

Amid the war in the Middle East, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints – has plunged, creating the largest disruption to oil supply in history. How is this shock rippling through oil markets? What are the real-world consequences for oil-consuming countries and industries? And how has it changed the IEA’s forecasts for supply and demand in the months ahead? 

In this episode, senior oil market analysts Rebecca Schulz and David Martin discuss these questions and more, drawing on fresh data and analysis from the IEA’s April Oil Ma...

Four-day workweeks. Designated driving days. Fewer business trips. Across Southeast Asia, governments have been moving quickly to adopt measures that conserve fuel – highlighting the region’s exposure to the energy crisis caused by the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In this episode, Sue-Ern Tan, Head of the IEA’s Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore, explains why countries in Southeast Asia are among the hardest hit by current energy supply disruptions. She discusses how rising prices and fuel shortages are already affecting daily life – and the steps governments are taking to help shield consumers from the...

Oil prices have surged amid the war in the Middle East, putting pressures on consumers around the world. To help address the supply disruptions, the IEA is coordinating the largest ever release of oil from countries’ emergency reserves. But actions on the demand side can also play a key role.

In this episode, Stéphanie Bouckaert, Head of the IEA’s Demand Sectors Unit, and Lucas Boehlé, an analyst specialising in energy efficiency, explain 10 practical options for governments, businesses and households that could help shelter consumers from oil price pressures during this unfolding crisis.

The global oil market is facing the most severe disruption in its history, with the war in the Middle East largely halting energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade chokepoint. In response to this disruption, IEA Member countries agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency stocks – the largest collective action since the Agency’s founding more than 50 years ago.

In this special episode, IEA Director of Energy Markets and Security Keisuke Sadamori puts the stock release in context and answers key questions about the decision and its implementation.

As risks multiply around the world, energy security has rapidly climbed to the top of the political agenda – leaving policymakers to navigate an increasingly complex mix of traditional threats and emerging vulnerabilities.

This episode features conversations with Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and Minister-in-Charge of Energy, Science and Technology, and Leila Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development. Speaking on the sidelines of the IEA’s 2026 Ministerial Meeting, they discuss the fast-evolving energy security challenges facing their countries and the measures they are taking to tackle them. IEA Chief Energy Ec...

The global energy sector is adding jobs twice as fast as the overall economy. But where is this growth coming from? And with skills shortages increasing, can it keep up the momentum?

In this episode, IEA analysts Elspeth Hathaway and Rebecca Ruff – two authors of the World Energy Employment report – dive into the latest data. They talk about who works in the energy sector, what’s been driving the strong rise in energy jobs globally, and how to tackle growing skills gaps, which could otherwise complicate efforts by countries to meet rising energy demand securely and aff...

Enthusiasm for hydrogen has surged in recent years. The most abundant element in the universe, it offers a wide range of potential energy applications, and many governments now see it as an important part of the solution to their energy challenges.

Much of the focus has been on low‑emissions hydrogen. But building markets around a still‑emerging technology is far from straightforward. In this episode, IEA Energy Technology Analyst José Bermudez explores the obstacles that have slowed progress – and discusses why production could still grow strongly between now and 2030.

The car industry is a key part of many economies – and with passenger cars representing the single largest source of global oil demand today, changes in the worldwide auto sector have important implications for the energy sector. The global car industry is undergoing significant shifts, as the geography of car production evolves, new regions drive sales growth, and electric cars expand consumer choices.

In this episode, IEA Energy Technology Analysts Elizabeth Connelly and Leonardo Paoli – the lead authors of a recent report on the car industry – unpack the structural trends. They examine the underlying drivers, assess...

For many decades, global energy demand was mainly concentrated in wealthy, industrialised economies such as the United States, Europe and Japan. That has changed in the 21st century as China’s rapid economic growth moved the centre of gravity eastward, with the country driving more than half of global oil and gas demand growth and 60% of electricity demand growth since 2010.

Now, the landscape is shifting again. Emerging economies – led by India and Southeast Asia, and joined by countries in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa – are poised to take the baton from China. This brings...

Today, nearly two out of every five people in Africa still live without access to electricity. That means no lighting at home or in schools, no power to grow businesses, and no reliable energy for healthcare or essential services.

New IEA analysis outlines a pathway to universal access to electricity by 2035. But what will it take to get there? In this episode, Emma Gordon and Adam Ward – energy investment analysts and lead authors of a recent IEA report on this topic – explain what is needed, including the financial tools that could unlock essential investment.

In every scenario in the IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook 2025, solar power is projected to grow rapidly in the coming decades. But what is driving this growth? And what could slow it down or speed it up?

In this episode, Brent Wanner, Head of the IEA’s Power Supply Unit, and Anthony Vautrin, an energy modeller, unpack the new report’s key findings on solar. They discuss the trends that have underpinned solar’s rapid ascent, its potential to meet rising electricity demand around the world, and some of the key factors that are likely to...

The World Energy Outlook 2025 – the latest edition of the IEA’s flagship annual report, which explores a range of possible energy futures and their implications for energy security, access and emissions – is out now.

This episode walks through the key findings of the report with its lead authors: IEA Director of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks Laura Cozzi and Chief Energy Economist Tim Gould. They discuss its biggest takeaways – including the growing energy security risks across an unprecedented range of fuels and technologies, how the energy mix could evolve in the coming decades, the arrival of the Age of Elect...

As Ukraine enters another winter at war, its energy security is once again in jeopardy. While Ukraine made strong strides in rebuilding and strengthening the resilience of its energy system this past spring and summer, the situation remains fragile. The risk of major disruptions to electricity and heating in the coming months remains – particularly as Russia expands the scope and sophistication of its attacks on energy infrastructure.

This episode draws on insights from the most recent IEA visit to Kyiv in October. Talya Vatman, the IEA’s Caspian and Black Sea Programme Manager, shares what she h...

Southeast Asia is a dynamic region that is increasingly shaping global energy trends. As populations and economies grow, its energy demand is set to soar in the coming years, accounting for a quarter of global growth over the next decade. It also plays a critical role in the supply chains for energy technologies.

In this episode, we’re joined by Sue-Ern Tan, Head of the IEA’s Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore. From the Agency’s first office outside its Paris headquarters, she unpacks these trends, examining the key opportunities and challenges ahead. She also outline...

Products made from petrochemicals are all around us – in our clothes, electronics, packaging, medical equipment, tires and so much more. But what are petrochemicals? And why are they so important for the future of global oil markets?

In this episode, we speak with IEA Oil Market Analysts David Martin and Ciarán Healy. They explain how petrochemicals are produced, why demand for them is rising quickly and what this could mean for the oil sector, from the impact on refineries to the potential implications for emissions.

When many people think about energy, electricity comes to mind. The bedrock of modern societies and economies, it powers everything from home appliances to factory machinery – keeping the lights on, trains running and much more – although a great deal more work is needed to ensure universal access to it worldwide.

Globally, electricity demand is rising quickly. So, in this episode, we speak with IEA Electricity Analyst Eren Çam. He explains which sources the world’s power comes from today and how that mix could evolve in the years ahead – as well as how countries can ramp up electrici...

Today, four in five families in African countries cook with fuels such as wood and charcoal over open fires or basic stoves. This leads to more than 800,000 premature deaths each year. But new IEA analysis shows that momentum is building to address this critical issue – opening a pathway to reach universal access to clean cooking in Africa by 2040.

In this episode, we hear from Syrine El Abed, IEA Africa Programme Manager, and Dan Wetzel, Head of the IEA’s Tracking Sustainable Transitions Unit. They explain what the lack of clean cooking supplies means in practice, what...

As incomes and temperatures rise around the world, demand for cooling is soaring. And while expanding access to air conditioning stands to improve quality of life for millions of people, it is also putting new strain on electricity systems during hot periods.

In this episode, we hear from Brian Motherway, who leads the IEA’s work on energy efficiency. He walks through the latest global data on air conditioning demand, the consequences for energy affordability and reliability, and what governments can do to help.

When you think of batteries, you might picture charging a phone or laptop. But it’s the energy industry that has transformed the battery market over the past decade. Today, over 90% of battery demand comes from the energy sector, driven by record-breaking electric car sales and the rapid growth of battery storage to support power grids around the world.

In this episode, we hear from Teo Lombardo, an IEA analyst specialising in batteries, and Araceli Fernandez Pales, the head of the IEA’s Technology Innovation Unit. They explain how batteries work and their role in modern energy syst...

Oil markets have faced significant turbulence this year. Heightened geopolitical risks, trade tensions and policy shifts have all affected the outlook. At the same time, the major drivers of supply and demand over the past 15 years are losing momentum, signalling that a deeper transformation of markets is underway.

In this episode, Toril Bosoni, Head of the IEA’s Oil Industry and Markets Division, unpacks the latest developments, speaking about the forces shaping oil markets today, how resilient they could be to tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere, and what the oil market might look lik...

For the past 10 years, the IEA’s World Energy Investment report has been the definitive guide to where money is going in the global energy sector. It breaks down the latest data for all the key fuels, technologies and industries.

In a context of heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainty, global energy investment is set to reach a record $3.3 trillion in 2025. In this episode, we’re joined by Cecilia Tam, Head of the IEA’s Energy Investment Unit. She unpacks the report’s key themes – from how energy security concerns are driving investment decisions, to China’s position as...

The automotive industry has faced major challenges in recent years, from pandemic-driven supply chain shocks to inflation and geopolitical uncertainty. But amid the turmoil, global sales of electric vehicles have continued to break records. 

In 2024, more than one in five cars sold globally were electric, and this year it's expected to be one in four. In some parts of the world, EVs are now cheaper than conventional cars. But what's driving these trends? Who's making these cars? How are we charging them? And how is their uptake reshaping the world’s energy system? 

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While the history of artificial intelligence is long, ChatGPT’s public launch in late 2022 captured the world’s attention and pushed AI to the top of business and political agendas. Just a few years later, AI has evolved into an industry worth trillions of dollars that is already transforming how we live and work. Yet any conversation about the future of AI inevitably leads to the topic of energy.

In this episode, host Dan Hewitt speaks with Thomas Spencer and Siddharth Singh, lead authors of the IEA’s groundbreaking new report, Energy and AI. They unpack...

This year, electricity generated from nuclear power is set to reach a record high. Dozens of nuclear reactors are currently under construction, and government support for the sector is at its highest level since the oil crisis in the 1970s. These trends point to a major global comeback for nuclear energy after a prolonged period of stagnation.

In this episode, host Dan Hewitt is joined by Brent Wanner, the head of the IEA’s Power Sector Unit. Drawing on important findings from a recent IEA report, The Path to a New Era for Nuclear Energy, the...

It's abundant. It's clean. And it’s right beneath our feet. So why is geothermal energy often overlooked in the global energy conversation?

Despite its massive potential, geothermal only meets about 1% of global electricity demand today. So, what’s holding it back? And could new technologies transform the way we think about geothermal energy and who can access it?

Joining host Dan Hewitt to explore these questions are Heymi Bahar and Rebecca Schulz, senior analysts at the International Energy Agency and co-authors of the IEA’s latest report on the subject, The Futu...

What does the world of energy look like today? In this episode of the IEA’s Everything Energy podcast, which is back from an extended break, we delve into this topic, guided by a brand-new IEA report.

The Global Energy Review 2025 is the first assessment of 2024 trends across the energy sector based on the latest data. It shows that growth in energy demand surged in 2024 to almost twice its recent average as the consumption of electricity rose around the world. 

Why is this so significant? What fuels and technologies helped meet the i...

In this episode of the podcast - our first for 2021 - we welcome Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Director Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks and Lucila Arboleya, Energy Economics and Financial Analyst at the IEA, to discuss key challenges and opportunities facing gender diversity in the energy sector - widely regarded as one of the least gender diverse parts of the economy.