“Humanity has opened the gates of hell”, said the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the Climate Ambition Summit, in New York, in September 2023, three months before COP 28. The sense of urgency that he conveyed seems shared across the international community.

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
...Research Fellow, Center for Energy & Climate
...Associate 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
...The deployment at scale of electric mobility in France and in Europe withholds significant industrial, societal, geopolitical, and financial challenges, against the backdrop of strategic dependencies along the value chain of the electric vehicle (EV).
North-South tensions are exacerbated at a time of unprecedented turmoil for both Europeans and Africans. European polycrises (geopolitical, energy-related and economic) echo the systematic vulnerability of Africans, which is reinforced by external shocks.
Finance is arguably the most sensitive climate negotiation topic. Different studies have shown that rich countries emit the majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while the climate footprint of the poorest countries is much more limited.
Although late in adopting clean hydrogen (H2) and defining a national strategy–a draft was presented by the Department of Energy (DOE) in September 2022–, the United States (US) has strongly reinforced its support to clean hydrogen with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in...
Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the brutal decoupling from Russian fossil fuels, is a game changer for the Central and Eastern Europe region which was still heavily dependent on Russia for its energy supply.
India is at the helm of the G20 presidency since the 1st of December 2022 for the duration of a year, with energy transition and climate finance being key topics on its agenda. In this context, the Gateway House put in place a G20 Energy Task Force to which Ifri’s Research...
“Deutschland – Einstieg in die Deindustrialisierung?” – “Germany, the beginning of deindustrialisation?” asked the German economic newspaper Handelsblatt in the context of the spike in energy prices that has put at risk thousands of companies across Germany in 2022. Whereas...
Strengthening the Dynamics of Renewable Electricity in Europe Briefings de l'Ifri, November 22, 2022
We have made considerable progress in twelve years and the new European Union targets change the scale of renewables, facilitating the electrification of uses. Renewable energies must be pushed to the maximum regardless the future of nuclear power generation.
The European Green Deal (EGD) is the single most defining policy initiative of the von der Leyen Commission. Since its publication in December 2019, it has become the European Union’s (EU) new raison d’être: protecting the planet and Europeans from environmental...
The future of EU industrial policy: will it be “Made in Europe”? Webinaire
The United States of America has deployed the powerful tool of the Inflation Reduction Act to stimulate decarbonization investments, support all low carbon technologies and prioritize homemade technological leadership.
Post crises hydrogen plans in EU Member States and building blocks for a Portugal-Spain-France-Germany H2 corridor Conférence
Germany’s transition to climate neutrality will require large volumes of low carbon hydrogen and byproducts (H2). A large part will have to be imported, and German companies plan to play a key role across significant portions of the value chains with the backing of the government.
The EU’s Power System by 2030: Navigating the Crisis and Keeping the Decarbonization Cap Ifri Seminars
The combination of the climate crisis and Russia’s war in Ukraine makes the case for a much faster transition to a fully decarbonized power system.
Europe’s energy system facing multiple shocks: market adjustments and policy responses Ifri Green Deal Virtual Lunch Series
Russia’s war with Ukraine has multiple spillover effects on Europe’s energy systems which face multiple threats adding up to systemic weaknesses and challenges.
The European Union-African Union Summit: A new impetus for sustainable development Ifri Webinar
With the European Union (EU) - African Union (AU) summit due to take place on February 17-18, 2022, sub-Saharan Africa's sustainable development challenge has never been so pressing. Despite past progress in electrification, the number of people without access to electricity rose again in 2020...
Electricity Decarbonization, Diversification and Security of Supply: How to Meet the 2030 Challenge in North-West Continental Europe? Ifri Green Deal Virtual Lunch Series
Electricity systems of the North-West area of continental Europe will go through fundamental changes in the coming years. Decarbonization and diversification strategies adopted in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands will lead to a swift phase out of large amounts of dispatchable coal...
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.
Argument that reactors are expensive "does not hold any more", conference hears. Nuclear plants will be needed for the future stability of Europe’s grid, Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega said.
The recent energy crisis has highlighted our economies' dependence on energy resources. With fossil fuels becoming less available, and a necessary transition to more decarbonised alternatives, could tomorrow's energy not become more expensive and less certain in...
The European Green Deal (EGD) is the single most defining policy initiative of the Von der Leyen Commission. Since its publication in December 2019, it has become the European Union’s (EU) new raison d’être.
Replay from Ifri's conference at the European Parliament in Brussels (October 11, 2022). The combination of the climate crisis and Russia’s war in Ukraine makes the case for a much faster transition to a fully decarbonized power system.
French supplier of nuclear energy is struggling with plant shutdowns, build problems and skills shortages.
The case for the renewable energy source is becoming clearer on the ‘sun continent’
Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), makes 5 key recommendations for the future of French energy & climate policies to foster energy security and achieve climate objectives:
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.