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Since the last review in 2016, Italy has raised its climate ambitions by aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, and the country is on track to reach its 2030 targets for emissions reductions and energy efficiency. The government has taken encouraging initial steps to overcome the long permitting procedures, administrative burdens and increasing local opposition that have delayed new renewable installations.

Italy in 2022 successfully reduced its reliance on Russian natural gas imports, by signing new contracts with alternative suppliers, making use of the pipeline and LNG infrastructure that it has built up over the last decade. Reducing overall demand for natural gas through an accelerated shift to alternative energy sources and a stronger focus on energy efficiency, especially in the building sector, will not only further strengthen energy security, but also help the country meet its climate targets.

In this report, the IEA provides energy policy recommendations to help Italy effectively transform its energy sector in line with its goals.

Steel is vital to modern economies and so over the coming decades global demand for steel is expected to grow to meet rising social and economic welfare needs. Meeting this demand presents challenges for the iron and steel sector as it seeks to plot a more sustainable pathway while remaining competitive. The sector is currently responsible for about 8% of global final energy demand and 7% of energy sector CO2 emissions (including process emissions). However, through innovation, low-carbon technology deployment and resource efficiency, iron and steel producers have a major opportunity to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, develop more sustainable products and enhance their competitiveness.

This report explores the technologies and strategies necessary for the iron and steel sector to pursue a pathway compatible with the IEA’s broader vision of a more sustainable energy sector. Considering both the challenges and the opportunities, it analyses the key technologies and processes that would enable substantial CO2 emission reductions in the sector. It also assesses the potential for resource efficiency, including increased reuse, recycling and demand reduction. Realising this more sustainable trajectory will require co-ordinated efforts from key stakeholders, including steel producers, governments, financial partners and the research community. As such, the publication concludes with an outline of priority actions, policies and milestones for these stakeholders to accelerate progress towards zero emissions from the iron and steel sector.

This Inventory is concerned with direct budgetary transfers and tax expenditures that relate to fossil fuels, regardless of their impact or of the purpose for which the measures were first put in place. It has been undertaken as an exercise in transparency, and to inform the international dialogue on fossil-fuel subsidy reform. For each of the 34 OECD countries covered, the Inventory provides a succinct summary of its energy economy, and of the budgetary and tax-related measures provided at the central-government level (and, in the case of federal countries, for selected sub-national units of government) relating to fossil-fuel production or consumption. The transfers associated with these measures are reported for recent years using the Producer Support Estimate (PSE) and Consumer Support Estimate (CSE) as organising frameworks. These frameworks have already been used extensively by the OECD, most notably in respect of agriculture. The Inventory covers a wide range of measures that provide a benefit or preference for a particular activity or a particular product, either in absolute terms or relative to other activities or products, against a specified baseline. Many measures listed in this inventory are relative preferences within a particular country’s tax system rather than absolute support that can be readily compared across countries, and for that reason no national totals are provided.

This publication provides preliminary, quantitative estimates of direct budgetary support and tax expenditures supporting the production or consumption of fossil fuels in selected OECD member countries. The information has been compiled as part of the OECD’s programme of work to develop a better understanding of environmentally harmful subsidies (EHS). It has been undertaken as an exercise in transparency, and to inform the international dialogue on fossil-fuel subsidy reform. It is also intended to inform the ongoing efforts of G20 nations to reform fossil-fuel subsidies.

For each of the 24 OECD countries covered, the Inventory provides a succinct summary of its energy economy, and of the budgetary and tax-related measures provided at the central-government level (and, in the case of federal countries, for selected sub-national units of government) relating to fossil-fuel production or consumption.

Many measures listed in this inventory are relative preferences within a particular country’s tax system rather than absolute support that can be readily compared across countries, and for that reason no national totals are provided.

This publication aims to provide the first comprehensive and consistent record of energy subsidies in the EaP region, with a view to improving transparency and establishing a solid analytical basis that can help build the case for further reforms in these countries (this study covers Armenia, Azerbaijan Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). Based on OECD standard methodology, the study provides quantitative estimates of government support provided to consumers and producers of coal, oil and related petroleum products, natural gas, and electricity and heat generated on the basis of these fossil fuels. This report also briefly looks at public support allocated to energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sources in the EaP countries, and discusses the taxation and energy pricing policies that underpin the analysis of energy subsidies.

This publication was prepared within the framework of the “Greening Economies in the Eastern Neighbourhood” (EaP GREEN) Project, supported by the European Union and co-ordinated with governments of the EaP countries and UN partners: UNECE, UN Environment and UNIDO.

Since the earliest days of their development, power systems have run up against, and then across, jurisdictional boundaries. A primary driver of this expansion has been economics, in particular a desire to lower the overall investment and operating costs of the power systems in question. At the same time, cross-border power system integration can bring with it a number of security benefits. More recently, a third driver of cross-border system integration has become more relevant: the integration of increasing shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) sources.

The main question is not whether jurisdictions should integrate their power systems across borders, but how they should. This report looks at international experience with cross border integration. It identifies for policymakers the three critical areas of collaboration for effective integration: system operations, long-term planning and the role of regional institutions. The report discusses how it is possible to integrate power systems across borders without sacrificing local autonomy, and how a balance between regional and local priorities is necessary to realise its full benefits.

Establishing appropriate institutional architecture is important to integrate power systems across borders and facilitate electricity trading, as even if the necessary infrastructure is in place, it does not automatically follow that it is being used to exchange power effectively. The co-ordination of all stakeholders – governments, utilities1 and regulators – is required within jurisdictions, as is the creation of regional entities to support and oversee the integration process.

This report therefore examines stakeholder roles at different stages of crossborder integration to enable multilateral power trade. As energy regulators are our main audience, we focus on their roles and responsibilities after briefly addressing those of governments and utilities.

Infrastructure systems play a vital role in economic and social development. Demand for infrastructure is set to continue to expand significantly in the decades ahead, driven by major factors of change such as global economic growth, technological progress, climate change, urbanisation and growing congestion. However, challenges abound: many parts of infrastructure systems in OECD countries are ageing rapidly, public finances are becoming increasingly tight and infrastructure financing is becoming more complex. This book assesses the future viability of current "business models" in five infrastructure sectors: electricity, water, rail freight, urban mass transit and road transport. It proposes policy recommendations that aim to enhance capacity to meet future infrastructure needs, including measures that could be taken by governments both collectively and individually to create more favourable institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks.

 

The India Energy Outlook 2021 is a new special report from the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook series. The report explores the opportunities and challenges ahead for India as it seeks to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to a growing population. The report examines pathways out of the crisis that emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as longer-term trends, exploring how India’s energy sector might evolve to 2040 under a range of scenarios. The report is presented as a series of ‘deep dives’ exploring cross-cutting issues, including:

• The effects of economic growth, urbanisation and industrialisation on India’s fuel and sector-level demand trends.
• The evolution of mobility, including electrification, in the context of growing urbanisation.
• The prospects for expanding energy access, especially in rural areas.
• Flexibility requirements in the power sector under ambitious renewable capacity targets and a significant rise in electricity demand – especially from air conditioners.
• Challenges and opportunities for clean energy finance, including investments in solar energy and batteries
• The supply and infrastructure required for an expanded role for natural gas, along with a sector-level assessment of its potential.
• Impacts of India’s energy policy choices on energy access, air pollution and carbon emissions.
• India’s growing importance in global energy issues, and the implications of its development trajectory on international energy supply, trade and investment.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) regularly conducts in-depth peer reviews of the energy policies of its member and association countries. This process supports energy policy development and encourages the exchange of international best practices and experiences.

This first in-depth review of India’s energy policies examines the country’s achievements in developing its energy sector as well as the challenges it faces in ensuring a sustainable energy future. With an impressive track record of expanding access to electricity and clean cooking for its citizens and swiftly deploying renewable energy technologies, India offers an inspiring example for many countries around the world.

This report provides insights into the rise of India in global energy markets. It analyses the full breadth of the country’s energy sector and presents recommendations for strengthening energy policies in various areas. These include advancing energy market reforms, notably in power and gas markets; integrating higher shares of variable renewables; addressing air and water quality; and reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.