Energy and electricity policy, planning and regulation in South Africa has been slow and bureaucratic, lacking visionary leadership, and marred by uncertainty. Policy positions and actions taken have tended to be reactive, and driven more by crisis management than by forward-looking leadership...

Major stakes of the electricity sector

The Major stakes of the electricity sector research axis whithin Ifri's Center for Energy & Climate focuses on the economic and geopolitic transformation of the electricity sector, at French, European and global levels. A specific attention is devoted to the future of the nuclear industry and the strong development of renewable energy sources.
Director of Ifri’s Center for Energy & Climate
...Head of EU Policies, Center for Energy & Climate
...Research Fellow, Center for Energy & Climate
...Senior Advisor, Center for Energy & Climate
...Associate Research Fellow, Center for Energy & Climate
...Associate Research Fellow, Center for Energy & Climate
...Affordable and reliable electricity access is a prerequisite for the economic development of sub-Saharan Africa.
Japan has been steadfastly promoting the development of its hydrogen economy at all levels: political, diplomatic, economic and industrial. It is yet to be seen if this excitement can be turned into a credible, cost-effective and large scale deployment.
The European Union (EU) is committed to reach climate neutrality by 2050. Similarly, Norway aims to create a zero-emission society by that same year.
The electrification of sub-Saharan Africa is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. It is essential if we are to succeed in creating the 20 million jobs each year necessary to absorb the demographic growth of the region,[1] which is set...
Waste-to-energy plants appear as an effective means of dealing with two problems of electricity access and waste management at once.
South Korea is a hydrogen (H2) frontrunner. The world’s first commercial fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) was launched by the South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai (Tucson i×35) in 2013.
...Although it is still marginal, the market for electric vehicles (EVs) is growing. According to the French Institute of Petroleum and Renewable Energies (IFPEN, Institut Français du Pétrole et des Énergies Renouvelables), EVs accounted for a little more than 2% of the light vehicle market in...
French stakeholders in civilian nuclear energy are making a full diagnosis of the industry in order to cope with disappointments and lay down the conditions for relaunching programs for building reactors.
With the expansion of modern production and consumption patterns to large African cities, population growth and urbanization, production of municipal waste has risen sharply. Unregulated dumps are becoming numerous and have strong negative health effects by polluting the local environment....
LNG and Gas-to-Power in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges Ifri’s webinar series on Sub-Saharan power sectors
With the recent discoveries of large gas resources in Sub-Saharan Africa, cheap renewable energy sources, loose LNG markets with competitive prices, there is a unique momentum to accelerate the electrification of the continent with gas/LNG to power, solar and hydro as backbones.
The EU Strategy for Energy System Integration: what next? Ifri Green Deal Virtual Lunch Series
Faced with an unprecedented environmental, sanitary and economic crisis, the European Union is determined to turn the challenges into an opportunity: adopting the 750 billion EUR European recovery plan and making the Green Deal centre stage.
The digital transformation of sub-Saharan electricity networks: Smart Grids for sustainable cities Closed Seminar
Affordable and reliable electricity access is a prerequisite for the development of sustainable cities in sub-Saharan Africa. Improving the financial and operational viability of the region’s power sectors is a prerequisite for the multiplication of solar projects.
Investing in the development of solar energy in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve full potential Closed seminar
Scaling up reliable, low-carbon and affordable electricity is essential for the economic and social development of sub-Saharan Africa.
Presentation of the World Energy Outlook 2019
The annual World Energy Outlook is the International Energy Agency’s flagship publication, used as a reference by both governments and the energy industry. This year’s edition updates the outlooks for all fuels, technologies and regions, based on the latest market data, policy initiatives and...
Closures of Coal and Nuclear Capacities in North West Continental Europe: Maintaining generation adequacy after 2022 Ifri Energy Breakfast Roundtable
The electricity system in North-West continental Europe is highly-interconnected and political decisions to adjust the national generation mixes have direct implications on neighboring countries.
4x4 Directors Forum 2019 African-European Think Tank Dialogue
The 4x4 Directors Forum is an annual meeting gathering the directors of four European and four African Think Tanks to discuss current challenges that both continents are facing. The purpose is to identify common positions and asymmetries, and address possible areas of cooperation in order to...
Toward a Global Low Carbon Transition: What Sustainable Opportunities for Africa? Ifri-OCP Policy Center Roundtables
Despite its marginal contribution to the historical growth in greenhouse gas emissions, the African continent could be one of the most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change.
A New EU Framework for a Well-Functioning and Low-Carbon Electricity System Seminar
After years of debates around the structural failures of the EU electricity markets, time has come to agree on potential remedies. With the adoption of the Clean Energy Package, a new legislative framework will govern electricity exchanges for the next decade. In parallel, the EU is about to...
Energy trends in the Mediterranean region Seminars and Round-table Conferences
Mediterranean countries have to embrace the challenge of balancing the energy needs of their growing populations and economies, with energy security considerations and environmental sustainability commitments, in line with the recent Paris Agreement on climate.
Belgium is slowly phasing out its aging nuclear energy infrastructure. But looming winter weather, limited renewable options and a poorly connected electricity network have left the country at risk of blackouts.
Shared projects, shared tenders and joint R&D projects could see low-cost offshore windfarms and interconnectors criss-crossing the North Sea.
Vincent Thouvenin, Director for European Affairs of RTE, explains the role and challenges faced by transmission system operators in the energy transition at the 2030 horizon, and how the Clean Energy Package will accompany the transformation of our electricity systems.
Laurent Schmitt, Secretary General, ENTSO-E, explains how to improve cooperation between transmission system operators and strengthen security of electricity supply, and how the Clean Energy Package will enhance the design of electricity market as a continuation of the network codes.
Florian Ermacora, Head of the Internal Energy Market Unit in DG Energy, explains how the Clean Energy Package will improve the functioning of the internal electricity market, and how the new market design will help integrating larger shares of renewables.
Deputy Director, Ministère de la transition écologique et solidaire, describes the main challenges for the French energy system at the 2030 horizon and highlights the need to find the right balance between EU harmonization and national measures to achieve energy transition at the lowest cost.<...>