IEF Comparative Analysis

OPEC sees global oil demand growth of 1.3 mb/d in 2025, with OECD demand rising by 0.1 mb/d and non-OECD demand by 1.2 mb/d. In 2026, demand increases by 1.4 mb/d, split between 0.2 mb/d in the OECD and 1.2 mb/d in the non-OECD. Growth in the OECD is concentrated in the Americas, while Other Asia, China, and India drive the non-OECD expansion.

EIA projects global liquid fuels consumption to rise by 0.9 mb/d in 2025 and 1.3 mb/d in 2026, driven primarily by non-OECD countries. Non-OECD demand rises by 1.0 mb/d in 2025 and 1.1 mb/d in 2026, while …

The NEA Small Modular Reactor Dashboard

All low-carbon solutions will be required to achieve the world’s net zero targets. Nuclear energy has a role to play in meeting this need. A wave of innovation in small modular reactors (SMRs) is advancing quickly with the potential to help decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors. Progress is real and is positioned to accelerate pathways to net zero. SMRs could replace coal on-grid, fossil fuel cogeneration of heat and power for heavy industry, diesel at off-grid mines, as well as producing hydrogen and synthetic fuels.

Looking beyond technical feasibility, The NEA SMR Dashboard defines criteria for assessing real progress in six dimensions …

2025 Transportation Electrification in the Southeast Report

This year’s report provides a snapshot of the electric vehicle (EV) market at a particularly pivotal political inflection point. Produced by Atlas Public Policy in partnership with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), the report examines data from July 2024 through June 2025 for six states across the Southeast — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee — across six market indicators: manufacturing investments; anticipated jobs; EV sales; charging infrastructure deployment; utility investments; and public funding.…

Interregional Transfer Capability Study (ITCS)

The North American grid is a complex machine that has evolved over many decades and integrates a network of generation, transmission, and distribution systems across vast geographic areas. 5 As a result of the changing resource mix6 and extreme weather, interregional energy transfers play an increasingly pivotal role. More than ever, a strong, flexible, and resilient transmission system is essential for grid reliability. NERC, as the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), remains focused on assuring reliability throughout this energy transformation. As evidenced during recent operational events, more needs to be done to support energy adequacy8 to be able to continuously meet …

National Nuclear Security Administration: Additional Steps Needed to Improve Cost Estimates for Fixed Price Subcontracts

NNSA spends millions of dollars on hundreds of construction projects each year to maintain and modernize the research and production infrastructure at its eight nuclear security enterprise sites. NNSA relies on M&O contractors at its sites to manage the day-to-day activities associated with these construction projects. For less costly projects, M&O contractors may use fixed-price subcontracts to procure the services of subcontractors.

The report accompanying the Senate bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2024 includes a provision for GAO to review NNSA’s use of fixed-price construction subcontracts. This report examines (1) the extent to which M&O contractor …

How Qatar’s LNG Decisions Will Impact an Oversupplied Global Market

Qatar is entering the world’s next LNG expansion phase with a large share of uncontracted supply, and how it will navigate this phase is the central uncertainty in the LNG market. To date, Qatar has stuck to a rigid stance of favoring long-term contracts with destination clauses. Going forward, Qatar could expand supply aggressively and thereby depress prices or manage volumes to sustain higher prices. Either approach would significantly influence long-term demand trajectories and competitors’ expansion plans.…

Nickel and Cobalt from U.S. Mines and Refineries: Assessment of Five Dimensions of Mineral Availability

Federal policies in the United States (U.S.) are aimed at increasing domestic mining and refining of critical minerals such as nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co). These two metals are key components in lithium-ion NMC batteries common in electric vehicles. This paper examines active and proposed Ni and Co mining and refining projects in the U.S. to evaluate five dimensions of mineral availability: 1) Geological, 2) Technical, 3) Economic, 4) Political, and 5) Social and Environmental. Only very small amounts of Ni and Co have been mined in the U.S. in recent decades. Despite significant geological resources of Ni and Co …

National Transmission Planning Study

Improving and expanding electric transmission infrastructure in the U.S. is critical to ensuring consumers across the country have access to reliable, affordable power when and where they need it and to enable us to integrate new, clean sources of energy generation into the grid. To understand the transformation needed to ensure the U.S. electric transmission system continues to reliably serve the nation’s electricity customers as the power sector evolves and transitions to cleaner resources, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office led the multiyear National Transmission Planning Study (NTP Study) in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) …

Regionalizing Transition Intelligence

Financial institutions face a critical challenge in assessing corporate transition planning: the absence of regional context. Although climate targets and decarbonization strategies are increasingly common in corporate disclosures, they often overlook the local economic, policy, and infrastructure conditions that shape the pace and feasibility of transition. This disconnect limits the usefulness of assessments, hindering the ability of financial institutions to effectively manage climate-related risks and opportunities.…

Recalibrating the Role of Banks in the Energy Transition

We are at an important inflection point in climate finance. Net-zero aligned targets set with good intentions are now met with challenges from all sides — technical, economic, legal, and reputational. While some fear a retreat in ambition, we see this as an opportunity to check our assumptions, ask better questions, and ultimately chart a new path forward. We need a recalibration — one that will ensure that the role of banks in the energy transition is rightsized to focus on deals, not just disclosure.

In the last decade, banks have overhauled governance, launched net-zero strategies, and built internal capability …