Global Scans · Energy · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: By 2025 solar energy will be the cheapest energy option globally. In 2040, oil and natural gas are expected to make up nearly 60 percent of global supplies, while nuclear and renewables will be approaching 25 percent. Improvements in energy efficiency in lighting and home appliances are expected to continue to push residential electricity use lower. The burning of coal will fall out of favor. Transportation energy consumption will be rising in correlation to growth in automated vehicles in the coming years.

• [New] Although critical minerals are relied on for renewables, battery storage and turbine production globally, a change in the wind for renewable energy policy in the US means the increased domestic critical mineral yield will not be majorly funneled into the energy transition. Passle
• [New] Nuclear development in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa's planned 10 GW expansion further diversifies the energy opportunity set, though it carries execution and regulatory risks. Passle
• [New] The defining trend for 2026 will be the accelerating investment in energy and digital infrastructure, driven by industrialization, digitalization, and the adoption of electric vehicles. Passle
• [New] A new regulation coming into effect in the spring of 2026 will allow renewable energy sources like solar and wind to participate in voltage control services, which were previously limited to conventional power plants. Passle
• [New] The digital sector and adjacent infrastructure (such as energy generation, networks and network interconnectors to support the capacity demands of data centers in particular) will remain attractive for UK investors in 2026. Passle
• [New] Scotland for Nuclear Energy, launched by campaign groups Nuclear for Scotland and Britain Remade, said Scotland could miss out on jobs and economic growth as other countries invest in new nuclear technology. Electricity Info
• [New] As Africa continues on its path of rapid development, the demand for energy will only grow. PVKnowhow
• [New] If previous years were labeled as years of energy transition, 2026 will be the year that energy affordability dominates politics and policy, with the electricity system as the central focus. Mondaq
• [New] The US Energy Information Administration has emphasized how temperature assumptions can materially alter near term pricing expectations, including downward revisions to Henry Hub forecasts when winter demand is expected to underperform seasonal norms. FXStreet
• [New] For the fifth year in a row, the International Atomic Energy Agency has revised expectations for growth, projecting capacity will more than double by 2050. AOL
• [New] Advanced nuclear technology could revolutionise how we power industry and propel the AI data center boom - delivering more clean energy and jobs. New Civil Engineer
• [New] Data centers and AI infrastructure will need an energy source that can only be met by LNG. Euronews
• [New] In 2026, EDF will prioritize financing energy and manufacturing projects that meaningfully contribute to U.S. energy security, grid reliability, and lowering costs for all Americans. Energy.gov
• [New] Siemens Energy says it will invest roughly $1 billion to expand U.S. manufacturing of grid equipment and gas-turbine components, pointing directly to surging electricity demand from data centers supporting AI workloads. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• [New] U.S. energy demand will grow again in 2026 and the need for 24/7 power is becoming increasingly acute for users such as data center operators. POWER Magazine
• [New] Kuwait has updated its Renewable Energy Strategy, setting a target for renewables to account for 30% of electricity generation by 2030 and 50% by 2050. Enerdata
• [New] Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi on Monday warned that rising power demand from artificial intelligence could wipe out the global LNG surplus and push markets into deficit by around 2030, despite more than 100 million tonnes per year of new LNG capacity scheduled to come online this decade. EconCurrent's Substack
• [New] Scotland produces far more electricity than we can hope to use and our future is in renewables, closer ties with Europe and harnessing the existing offshore industry to deliver energy security - it certainly is not in over budget, wasteful English nuclear energy projects. Electricity Info
• [New] India has set an ambitious target of installing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, and meeting 50% of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2030. Mint

Last updated: 06 February 2026