World Energy Council | Türkiye

“Successful transitions do not discard the strengths of the past; they leverage them to build the future” – FOREN 2026 Opening Address by Adnan Amin

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:44:02 +0000

FOREN 2026: Adnan Amin’s Opening Address

As prepared for delivery at the Opening Address of FOREN 2026.

Excellencies, Distinguished Ministers, Industry Leaders, Colleagues and Friends,Good morning. It’s a pleasure to join you at FOREN 2026.

My sincere thanks to the Romanian National Committee of the World Energy Council, the conference organizers, and all who worked to convene this distinguished gathering of energy leaders from Romania, Central and Eastern Europe, and beyond.

It is fitting that we meet in Romania. This country holds a unique place in Europe’s energy story, from some of the earliest commercial oil production to longstanding leadership in hydropower, nuclear energy, and regional cooperation.

The lesson from Romania is clear: successful transitions do not discard the strengths of the past; they leverage them to build the future.

Romania understands this well, and as Europe and the world navigate one of the most consequential periods in energy history, that experience is invaluable.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We meet at a defining moment. The energy transition is no longer a distant dream. In 2025, we reached a historic milestone – clean power met all growth in global electricity demand for the first time.

Renewables supplied almost 34% of global electricity. Global investment in the transition reached about USD 2.3 trillion, roughly double fossil investments.

The world added nearly 700 GW of renewable capacity in a single year – an electricity system larger than many major economies.

These achievements show rapid technology progress, falling costs, and deployment at unprecedented scale.

But the context has changed. Decarbonization is no longer the main driver. Energy security is again at the center of policy. Affordability has become a defining social and political concern. Industrial competitiveness is a strategic priority. Resilience in the face of recent energy shocks now matches efficiency.

Recent events underscore this. The disruption of energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, normally carrying around one-fifth of global oil consumption and a significant share of LNG, has reminded us that energy security remains fundamental.

More than one billion barrels of supply have already been lost, rising by nearly 100 million barrels each week. Such shocks ripple across supply chains, manufacturing, inflation, investment, and growth, and for Europe in particular.

Security today isn’t only access to fuels; it is resilient infrastructure, diversified supply, flexible power systems, and the ability to absorb external shocks. The transition and security are now one conversation.

At the same time, electricity demand is rising far faster than anticipated. AI, data centers, advanced manufacturing, electrified transport, and digital infrastructure are reshaping consumption.

Many countries now ask not only if they have enough energy, but whether they have sufficient power infrastructure, transmission capacity, flexibility, and resilience to meet accelerating demand.

The question, therefore, is not only how to accelerate the transition, but how to deliver systems that are secure, affordable, sustainable, resilient, and pro-growth. That is harder, and more realistic, because transitions unfold within economic, social, and geopolitical realities.

Nowhere is this complexity more visible than in Europe.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Central and Eastern Europe sit at the intersection of multiple, interconnected transitions: toward lower-carbon systems, greater energy independence and security, modernized infrastructure and regional integration, and stronger industrial competitiveness.

This region connects production and demand centers; links the Black Sea, the Balkans, Central Europe, and wider markets; and is pivotal to Europe’s goals of resilience, diversification, modernization, and competitiveness.

We see major investments in new nuclear generation and exploration of small modular reactors. Development of Black Sea gas resources. Renewables expanding at scale.

Strengthened interconnections and a growing role as a regional provider of security.
These developments matter for Romania, and for Europe. Europe’s future system will depend increasingly on deeper regional integration, modernized grids, and cross-border flexibility.

The World Energy Council’s latest World Energy Issues Monitor finds that power grids and grid expansion are now the top action priority worldwide. This is especially relevant for Central and Eastern Europe, where the next phase of the transition will depend as much on networks and connectivity as on new generation.

In many respects, Europe’s energy security will be determined not only by what countries produce, but by how effectively they connect. No country can build resilience or integrated systems alone.

The challenge is less about technology, and increasingly about managing trade-offs: affordability and sustainability; security and efficiency; speed and resilience; national priorities and international cooperation.

These are leadership questions. They require institutions that foster trust, dialogue, and collective intelligence.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The World Energy Council was founded more than a century ago in the aftermath of global disruption. Our founders understood that energy challenges are too important for division and isolation. They require cooperation and trusted platforms where diverse perspectives engage openly.

That principle is even more relevant today. We face increasing geopolitical fragmentation, more complex political relationships, intensifying economic competition, and diverging energy pathways. Yet the need for collaboration has never been greater.

In this environment, trusted, neutral institutions become strategic assets.
The World Energy Council provides something increasingly rare: a platform for governments, businesses, researchers, investors, innovators, and civil society to engage in open and fact-based dialogue across all energy sources and regions, focused on helping leaders navigate multiple pathways successfully.

In a fragmented world, the Council serves as an infrastructure of trust – independent, impartial, and committed to helping leaders navigate complexity together.

Our network spans more than 100 countries and includes seasoned leaders, institutions, and innovators. Our Member Committees, including highly active committees across Central and Eastern Europe, bridge local realities with global dialogue, grounding international conversations in practical experience and ensuring regional perspectives inform global decisions.

As the energy landscape evolves, so must we. That is why we have launched a Board-led strategic review of the World Energy Council to ensure we remain responsive, relevant, inclusive, and effective.

To strengthen our ability to support leaders navigating uncertainty; to deepen engagement with members and stakeholders; and to sustain the Council as trusted infrastructure for dialogue, collaboration, and collective intelligence for decades to come. The Board will seek strong engagement in this process from Member Committees – as the heart of the World Energy Council system – as we go forward.
Ultimately, our strength lies in people and the willingness to share experiences, challenge assumptions, and work collectively toward solutions. That spirit is alive at FOREN, in Romania, and across this region.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am optimistic, not because the challenges are small, but because our community repeatedly innovates, adapts, and collaborates in the face of profound change. The systems we build today will shape economic opportunity, social development, and environmental outcomes for generations.

Our responsibility is significant, and so is our opportunity: to build energy systems that are cleaner, more resilient, more secure, more affordable, and more inclusive; to strengthen cooperation at a time of fragmentation; and to ensure energy continues to support prosperity and human development for billions.

This journey continues next year at the 27th World Energy Congress in Riyadh, under the theme “Inspiring Transformations, Delivering Transitions.”

The Congress will bring together thousands of leaders from government, business, finance, technology, academia, and civil society to shape the future of energy – at a moment when the world needs practical solutions and cross-regional cooperation, and when leadership matters most.

I hope Romania and the wider Central and Eastern European energy community will play a strong, visible role. Your experiences, innovations, and leadership are essential to the next chapter of the global energy story.

Let me conclude with a simple thought.

Our task is not only to build tomorrow’s energy system. It is to maintain the security, affordability, and reliability of today’s system while building what comes next. That requires investment, innovation, and vision.

Above all, it requires cooperation. No nation, company, or institution can navigate this transformation alone.

By working together, sharing knowledge, and building trust across borders and differences, we can deliver a future of more and better energy for all.

I wish you a successful and productive FOREN 2026.

Thank you.

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Sarawak Energy: Advancing the Borneo Grid for a Sustainable ASEAN Energy Future Enabled by Hydropower

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 14:29:11 +0000

Sarawak Energy: Advancing the Borneo Grid for a Sustainable ASEAN Energy Future Enabled by Hydropower

The energy transition is more than infrastructure. It is about delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy that powers economies, strengthens power resilience and improves lives for generations to come.

As ASEAN accelerates its regional energy transition, our patron Sarawak Energy is supporting this journey through the development of the Borneo Grid — a key building block in supporting Malaysia’s aspiration to realise the ASEAN Power Grid. At the core of this ambition is hydropower, which serves as a reliable backbone for an interconnected Borneo and a more sustainable regional energy future.

Sarawak Energy is uniquely positioned to contribute through its renewable hydropower resources, complemented by continued investments in grid infrastructure, interoperability, and ESG-aligned development. Beyond supporting Sarawak’s growth, these efforts aim to deliver clean and reliable energy for future generations across the region.

Our patron’s regional energy integration journey began in 2016 with electricity exports to West Kalimantan. The interconnection has helped improve reliability across the region and reduce reliance on oil-based generation. Building on this, they achieved another milestone in December 2025 by synchronising their grid with the neighbouring state of Sabah, strengthening system resilience and energy security for both Sarawak and Sabah.

Sarawak Energy continues to explore opportunities to expand regional interconnections with Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, and Peninsular Malaysia.

Through an interconnected Borneo, Sarawak Energy will continue to support Malaysia’s journey towards a more flexible, resilient and low-carbon ASEAN power system by enabling clean energy flows, optimising shared resources, strengthening cross-border collaboration, and delivering lasting value for Sarawak and the wider region.

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“The world energy system is a living system of people, organisations, institutions and communities” – Dr Angela Wilkinson Opening Address SGCC Symposium on Power System Resilience

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:23:00 +0000

Dr Angela Wilkinson Opening Address SGCC Symposium on Power System Resilience

As prepared for delivery at the Opening Address of State Grid Corporation of China’s Symposium on Power System Resilience

Distinguished leaders and guests of the State Gride Corporation of China…Symposium on Power Grid Resilience.

A very warm greeting to you all here in Hangzhou.

Thank you to SGCC for its patronage and for bringing us together at a moment when the subject of grid resilience has never been more important.

As we meet today, another global energy crisis is unfolding.

The de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted around one-third of global seaborne oil trade and one-fifth of global LNG trade. It is the largest disruption of energy flows in modern history.

While this is a global crisis, it is being felt most acutely in Asia. Many developing economies across wider Asia and Asia-Pacific have been severely impacted and remain the most exposed.

This is a reminder that energy security has not disappeared. It has changed.

At the same time, a new energy future is becoming clearer.

Electrification is accelerating.

Artificial intelligence is increasing demand for clean power.

Climate impacts are testing all parts of the world energy system in new ways.

And geopolitical fragmentation is creating new uncertainties.

In this world, grid resilience is no longer simply an engineering challenge.

It is the new backbone of modern energy civilisation.

The World Energy Council was founded 100 years ago during another period of international strain.

Our founders brought together former adversaries to advance a practical mission: improving the supply and use of energy for the benefit of humanity.

That mission remains as relevant today as it was then.

We are living through a pivotal moment in energy and civilisation. The challenge is not simply to build what comes next.

The challenge is to do so while keep the whole world energy system working and moving forward together.

Our most recent World Energy Issues Monitor highlights a simple reality.

Affordability has become the defining political and social concern in every region.

Energy security has returned to the centre of national decision-making.

And environmental sustainability remains essential for long-term prosperity and human flourishing.

The tensions and trade-offs between these priorities are becoming sharper, not easier.

This brings us to resilience.

The operational bottleneck in the global energy transition is no longer generation.

It is the network itself.

More than 80 million kilometres of transmission and distribution infrastructure must be built or modernised by 2040—equivalent to rebuilding the entire existing global grid.

This is one of the largest infrastructure challenges in human history.

Recent events show why this matters.

In April 2025, the Iberian Peninsula blackout affected millions across Spain and Portugal within hours, disrupting transport, communications, businesses and daily life.

Resilience is no longer a technical issue but a strategic imperative.

This is where China has become one of the world’s most important practical examples.

China installed more wind and solar capacity in 2024 than the rest of the world combined.

It operates more than 60,000 kilometres of ultra-high-voltage transmission infrastructure connecting cities, industries and communities across a continental-scale system serving 1.4 billion people.

China is not simply building infrastructure.

It is demonstrating what resilience at scale looks like.

SGCC deserves recognition not only as a technology leader.

It is arguably one of the largest practical coordinators of human and technical systems ever built.

Every day it keeps hundreds of millions of people connected through a system that depends not only on engineering excellence, but also trust, judgement, cooperation and resilience.

These human capabilities matter more than ever.

The world energy system is not a machine that can be engineered and left to run.

It is a living system of people, organisations, institutions and communities.

The most underestimated risks are not technology or finance.

They are trust, skills and institutional capacity.

These cannot be downloaded.

They must be cultivated.

This is why the World Energy Council continues to focus on a simple but demanding leadership task.

Learning how to see the whole system together.

Learning how to continuously rebalance competing priorities together. And learning how to navigate forward together.

For more than two decades, the World Energy Trilemma has helped make visible the tensions between security, affordability and sustainability.

Today we are evolving this work into a practical discipline of rebalancing.

Because tensions and trade-offs do not disappear.

They change.

And they require continuous attention.

The future, however, does not fit neatly within any triangle.

That is why the World Energy Council is exploring a broader framework for future-facing dialogue and intergenerational leadership.

We call this the World Energy Compass. Navigation requires new North Stars – resilience, zero waste and circularity.

As Deng Xiaoping famously observed, progress often involves “crossing the river by feeling the stones”.

Civilisation is now crossing a world energy river whose currents are becoming faster, deeper and less predictable.

The World Energy Trilemma helps us feel the stones.

The World Energy Compass guides us beyond the short term horizon towards new possibilities of abundant energy for human flourishing.

The defining leadership challenge of our time is to find ways to cross that river together.

If world energy fails, civilisation falters.

That is not fatalism; but realism.

And it is also a call to action.

I hope we can continue this conversation when the world energy community gathers in Riyadh for the World Energy Congress in April 2027.

Not simply as participants.

But as world energy leaders committed to strengthening resilience, rebalancing priorities and navigating towards abundant energy for human flourishing and planetary health.

Thank you.

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World Energy Council Announces 2026 Global Future Energy Leaders Cohort

Wed, 13 May 2026 13:08:57 +0000

World Energy Council Announces 2026 Global Future Energy Leaders Cohort

London, 20 April 2026 – The World Energy Council is pleased to announce the addition of 59 new members to its global Future Energy Leaders (FEL) programme. Designed to support and promote the energy leaders of tomorrow, the FEL Programme is comprised of exceptional young professionals from across the globe united by their commitment to shape a future of more and better energy for all.

Future Energy Leaders actively contribute to the Council’s wide-ranging activities, network amongst like-minded peers across the world’s energy sectors, and engage in national, regional, and global dialogues to fulfil our Humanising Energy vision.

Nominated by 18 of the Council’s Member Committees, the 2026 FELs Cohort was selected from more than 361 applications spanning 73 countries. More than half of those accepted are women, while participants represent a diverse range of professional backgrounds, including renewables, engineering, technology and innovation, oil and gas, government, non-governmental organisations, power, utilities, and finance.

The majority of the cohort are drawn from Europe, Africa, and Asia, with a significant representation from Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and the Middle East and Gulf States.

Thaddeus Anim-Somuah, Chair of the Future Energy Leaders’ Programme, World Energy Council, said: “The Future Energy Leaders programme is a unique platform that convenes exceptional emerging leaders from across the world. As energy increasingly shapes geopolitical and commercial decision-making, the need for the next generation of leaders has never been greater. The 2026 cohort will play a vital role in addressing the defining energy challenges of our time.

“I am delighted to welcome the new cohort to the programme and look forward to working with them as we challenge conventional thinking, collaborate on energy solutions, and develop the leaders of tomorrow. Together, we can help shape a future of more and better energy for everyone.”

The 59 new Future Energy Leaders in 2026 are:

UK & Europe

Raluca Andronoiu, Brand Media Strategist Corporate Communication & CSR, ENGIE Romania
Akylbek Bakytov, Young Professional in Energy Management, EU
Beāte Bruksle, Renewable energy project manager, AS Latvenergo
Colas Cabriel, Market Designer, RTE – Réseau de Transport d’Electricité
Guillermo Cavia Castro, Regulation & Markets Senior Specialist, EDP
Erkinai Derkenbaeva, Researcher / Project Coordinator, Wageningen University and Research
Rebeca Fayad, Director of Energy and Natural Resources, Frontier Technologies Laboratory
Begonia Gutiérrez Figueroa, Consultant for Global Partnerships, IRENA – International Renewable Energy Agency
Nikolaos Fostieris, Global Equity Strategist, UBS
Thaynara Furtado Constantinov Leal, Independent Consultant, IRENA
Inês Reis Gaspar, Research Lead, Aurora Energy Research
Gabriella Guinlle Ferreira de Oliveira Santos, Energy Markets & Policy Analyst, Erasmus Commodity & Trade Center
Inchan Hwang, Managing Partner, SCC Partners
Naim Kayabölen, CEO Office, Sabancı Holding
Joonas Laitila, Project Director, Gasgrid Vetyverkot Oy
Carlo Roberto Maria Mongini, Advocacy & Thought Leadership, A2A
Kosta Peev, Chief Technical Officer, Tiveria
José Manuel Pastor Prado, Senior Product Manager of AI for Sustainability, Siemens AG
Emile Trévalinet, Strategy & Investment Analyst, EDF
Ivo Walinga, China Programme Officer, International Energy Agency
James Woolner, Chief of Staff, 44.01
Okan Yildiz, Marketing and Sales Manager, ATA Energy Logistics

Africa

Mohamed Alhaj, Founder & Managing Director, Terra Energy Ltd.
Vanessa Chiponde, Legal Director, Globeleq Energia Mozambique
Kapungwe Chibamba, Senior Strategy Officer, Rural Electrification Authority (Zambia)
Yves Frederic Ndjoh, CEO & Founder, Kinetic Power Systems LTD
Aina Kauluma, Energy Transitions Research Fellow, Africa Institute of Environmental Law
Neerajha Krishna Kumar, Country Manager, Laterite
Maloum Divina Stella, Youth Task Force Member, UN Decade Ecosystem Restoration (FAO/UNEP)
Odellia Mangwengwende, Head of Development, African Transmission Corporation
Elizabeth Obode, Advisor, Fellow Mission 300, Ministry of Energy, Sierra Leone
Sylvia Okey-Ekebor, Investment Associate, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority
Thabiso Phosholi, Head: Investment and Infrastructure, Matjhabeng local Municipality
Cherop Soy, Program Officer, Enzi Ijayo Africa Initiative

Asia

Elia Nauroz Ali, Application Research Engineer, SB Digital Software
Oliver Hill, Program Leader, Electric Vehicles, The RACE for 2030 CRC
Yu Lin, Engineer, Sino-Portuguese Centre for New Energy Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Weiwei Liu, Technical Specialist, Project Development, China Southern Power Grid International Co., Ltd.
Ruth Marsh, Energy Analyst, New Zealand Steel
Priyanka Nandi, Chief Product Officer, Cassetex Limited
Sharmila Patel, Executive, NTPC Limited
David Plunkett, Senior Consultant, AFRY
Francis Sakato, Manager, Productivity, Independent Consumer and Competition Commission
Mami Watanabe, Corporate Account Manager, ACT Solutions Japan K.K.
Liu Yuhan, Senior Engineer – Division of Investment Promotion, Department of International Cooperation, China Electricity Council (CEC)
Diah Retno Yuniarni, Research Analyst, Pertamina Energy Institute

Americas

Axell Cooper Sutton Antonio, Head of Project Identification and Analysis, Secretariat of Economy and Labor of the State of Yucatán
Javier Contador Labbé, Electromobility Portfolio Coordinator, Agencia de Sostenibilidad Energética (AgenciaSE)
Nicolas Federico Goycoechea Freire, Assistant Professor & Energy Sustainability Consultant, Universidad de la Republica (UdelaR), Faculty of Engineering, Uruguay
Hamna Khan, Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Asian Affairs
Maria Paula Piedrahita Hoyos, Associate – Environmental & Energy Law, Posse Herrera Ruiz (Colombia)
Caio Rodrigues, Chief Financial Officer, Youth4Energy
Ezequiel Seillant, Business Development Associate, Pluspetrol

Middle East & Gulf States

Shamma Saqer Alabdulla, PV Engineer, Masdar
Hager Abunahwa, Green Hydrogen Project Engineer, Masdar
Rahaf Alhumaid, Senior International Cooperation Specialist, Ministry of Energy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Hadeel al Maghrabi, Senior Electrical Engineer, Ministry of Energy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Reem Maarouf, Drilling Engineer, ADNOC
Mohamad Saad, Energy Specialist, Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE)

The global Future Energy Leaders programme promotes energy leaders of the future, providing participants from over 63 countries with a platform to develop their experience, knowledge and skills as part of a global community. The 2026 cohort join a community of like-minded energy experts and enthusiasts who participate in national, regional and global conversations about the ever-changing energy sector. Learn more about the Future Energy Leaders programme here.

About the World Energy Council

The World Energy Council is the world’s oldest independent and impartial energy leadership community. Through our Humanising Energy vision, we involve more people and communities in accelerating clean and inclusive energy transitions in all world regions. Formed in 1923, the Council is a UN-accredited global energy body that has convened diverse interests from across the full energy ecosystem for a century. Today our global network has over 3,000 member organisations and a presence in more than 100 countries, drawn from governments, private and state corporations, academia and civil society, as well as current and future energy leaders. We collaborate on impact programmes and inform local, regional and global energy agendas in support of our enduring mission: to promote the sustainable use and supply of energy for the benefit of all people.

Find out more at www.worldenergy.org.

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“We have forgotten just how dependent we are on energy”: Dr Angela Wilkinson on CGTN

Fri, 01 May 2026 12:48:24 +0000

“We have forgotten just how dependent we are on energy”: Dr Angela Wilkinson on CGTN | World Energy Council

Home > News & Views > “We have forgotten just how dependent we are on energy”: Dr Angela Wilkinson on CGTN

“We have forgotten just how dependent we are on energy”: Dr Angela Wilkinson on CGTN

This interview was original aired on CGTN on 27 March 2026

Speaking to CHTN’s Yu Bokun, the World Energy Council’s Secretary General and CEO Dr Angela Wilkinson discussed the critical role of cooperation and dialogue amidst global energy volatility, and the fundamental dependence modern civilisation has on energy.

Watch the full interview here.

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PRESS RELEASE: 2026 World Issues Monitor: Geopolitics – not economics – the key driver of change in turbulent energy landscape

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:40:32 +0000

2026 World Issues Monitor: Geopolitics – not economics – the key driver of change in turbulent energy landscape

26 March 2026, BEIJING, CHINA: The World Energy Council has today published its annual World Energy Issues Monitor at the 14th China Clean Energy Expo. Titled, “Practicing the World Energy Trilemma: Energy Transitions in 2026,” shows that geopolitics and not economics is now seen as the primary driver of energy transition. It raises a central question for leaders: where is the world energy system heading—and will it hold together? As momentum meets constraint, the focus is shifting from speed to stability in a more fragmented world.

The survey is based on the perspectives of nearly 3,000 energy leaders from over 100 countries, sampled between 24 November 2025 and 12 January 2026. It shows that even before the outbreak of the conflict across the Middle East, the global energy community sees geopolitical threats and uncertainty as the defining feature shaping the energy landscape.

In this year’s survey, perceptions around peace and geopolitical risks, trade and supply chain security increased 7.6 percentage points to 62.5%, narrowly outpacing the 4.1-point rise in economic risk and uncertainty (60.7%).

The Issues Monitor also details sharp increases in uncertainty around Public Trust in Transitions and System Risk Preparedness (+11 and +10 percentage points from 2025 respectively). As a result, progress is now seen to depend less on new pledges or commitments by official entities and instead on how energy transitions can practically be delivered in an environment of reduced cooperation and significant constraints.

Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General & CEO of the World Energy Council, said: “Energy is the operating system of civilisation. This year’s World Energy Issues Monitor marks a turning point. Energy is under strain. The real question is no longer speed, but whether the system holds as trade-offs intensify. No country can steer this alone. We are shifting fragmentation into collective navigation.

As the world moves beyond adding supply to managing whole systems in real time — it exposes harder, shifting trade-offs between security, affordability and sustainability. And without a shared understanding of affordability, nothing will scale.

It’s time to rebalance dialogue and test whether we can manage and steer the world’s most critical system together.”

The World Energy Trilemma Framework matters more than ever as a leadership tool to manage the competing demands of security, sustainability and affordability. As geopolitical volatility reshapes transition pathways, countries are actively rebalancing their Trilemma priorities. Global peace and geopolitical risks are of greatest uncertainty across Europe, Asia and North America, while finance and investment risks are most critical across Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Read the full report: http://worldenergy.org/WEIM26

About the World Energy Issues Monitor

The World Energy Issues Monitor is a community-driven effort to refresh global common sense in energy. Each year it brings together the perspectives of energy leaders across regions, sectors, and generations to compare signals, surface blind spots, and guide more grounded action. In this 16th iteration, nearly 3000 energy leaders across over 110 countries assessed the impact and uncertainty of key transition issues shaping today’s operating environment. The Issues Monitor does not prescribe pathways. It sharpens judgement. By illuminating pressure points and emerging bright spots, it supports leaders in holding security, affordability, and sustainability together as energy systems expand and transform.

About the World Energy Council

Formed in 1923, the Council is a UN-accredited global energy body that has convened diverse interests from across the full energy ecosystem for a century. Today our global network has over 3,000 member organisations and a presence in more than 100 countries, drawn from governments, private and state corporations, academia and civil society, as well as current and future energy leaders. We collaborate on impact programmes and inform local, regional and global energy agendas in support of our enduring mission: to promote the sustainable use and supply of energy for the benefit of all people.

Find out more at www.worldenergy.org and on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.

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BLOG: Energy systems transitions just entered their hardest phase and leadership dialogue is struggling to keep up.

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:32:36 +0000

Energy systems transitions just entered their hardest phase — and leadership dialogue is struggling to keep up

This article was originally published by World Eneryg Council Secretary General and CEO Dr Angela Wilkinson on LinkedIn

This week I was in Aberdeen, Scotland to deliver the annual Prosper lecture in a city that has powered Europe for half a century.

Before the lecture I participated in a roundtable on the UK energy policy context. What struck me most was the distance from, and growing frustration with, the void in UK energy leadership dialogue.

World energy leadership has become harder as energy systems have grown bigger, more complex and more interconnected over the past century.

Those who know me well will also know my interest in collective leadership as a characteristic of systems health, rather than individual heroics.

Energy leadership dialogue is a process. At its best, it creates space for constructive disagreement, stress-testing choices and informing tough trade-offs through collective leadership learning.

And for century, the World Energy Council community has operated as the infrastructure of trust in convening diverse world energy leadership communities in a living dialogue supported through a connected series of global, regional and national events.

Yet what many around the table sensed was a lack of this dialogue process in the UK.

A void of inclusive, intergenerational leadership dialogue in the UK on how to navigate energy transitions in a fragmented, many-games world.

Everyone senses the shift. The global energy transition is moving from a phase of technology optimism to one of system management.

The easier choices on adding renewable supply have largely been taken.

What remains are harder decisions involving real trade-offs between energy security, affordability and environmental sustainability – what we call the World Energy Trilemma Framework. Investment in systems resilience is also critical.

In practice this means balancing:

investment in new infrastructure;
reliable energy supply;
affordable energy for households and industry;

All at the same time.

Trade-offs do not disappear as new clean power systems scale.

They evolve and are redistributed.

As the shift toward electrification accelerates across the world the need to regularly rebalance priorities and refresh trade-offs is the best way to avoid flip flopping between climate-first, security-first, equity-first politics.

In the UK discussion, five fault lines were surfaced; simplified binaries that risk obscuring the real whole energy systems transformation challenges.

1. Speed vs system coherence

The UK power system is entering a phase where grid capacity, not generation, is the bottleneck.

2. Market design vs state planning

Electricity grids, hydrogen networks and nuclear programmes require long-term coordination beyond markets alone.

3. Investment vs affordability

The UK now has some of the highest electricity prices in the developed world, shaping public tolerance for transition policies and impacting industry.

4. Centralisation vs decentralisation

Digitalisation enables local energy ecosystems — but national infrastructure still carries the system.

5. Climate leadership vs energy security

The US energy dominance strategy and Russia’s weaponisation of gas have pushed many countries toward security-first energy policy. UK energy policy maintains the Paris Agreement and European climate-first frame on energy but risks failing to connect with other regions.

Energy transitions leadership dialogues are not simply about adding new wind and solar power supplies.

They are political and societal choices about how to manage difficult trade-offs under tightening constraints.

And whilst physics still sets the rules of the physical energy flows, Mother Nature holds a set of planetary boundary cards and she doesn’t negotiate.

Which is precisely why the World Energy Trilemma framework remains such a powerful leadership lens.

Not as a static scorecard. But as a dialogue practice — helping leaders rebalance priorities and refresh system-level trade-offs. And creating a bounded space to identify blind-spots – modern energy access, new growth transformations – fiscal, digital, new materials, health, etc.

Next week we launch the World Energy Issues Monitor, an annual flagship survey of what keep energy leaders awake at night and busy during the day.

After months of dialogue across our amazing worldwide energy leadership communities, one clear message is has emerged:

Peace and security are in pole position as the defining uncertainty shaping energy leadership.

Countries everywhere repositioning in the World Energy Trilemma — in real time and under very different constraints.

The global and regional maps support dialogue on deeper insights – revealing both blind-spots and bright-spots about what is working across regions as energy systems transition and electrify.

From Aberdeen I head back to a rapidly electrifying China next week, where the drive to shape energy additions and transitions at home and across other regions continues to reshape the global energy system and leadership landscape.

There too I anticipate the same similar questions to emerge.

Not whether transitions will happen — but how energy systems are being redesigned to manage new trade-offs.

In a fragmented world of many energy games, rebuilding spaces for trusted leadership dialogue matters more than ever.

That is the work the World Energy Council. And I am truly grateful to our persistent, practical and realistically hopeful membership base – a truly inspirational globally inclusive and intergenerational leadership community.

So let me leave you with the question I ended the Prosper lecture with:

Where do you think the world energy system is heading next — and who is stepping up to rebalance priorities and refresh tough trade-offs?

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De-escalating energy conflict must now be the priority, followed swiftly by leadership dialogues focused on rebalancing world energy systems: Dr Angela Wilkinson on CNBC

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 11:24:38 +0000

De-escalating energy conflict must now be the priority: Dr Angela Wilkinson on CNBC | World Energy Council

Home > News & Views > De-escalating energy conflict must now be the priority, followed swiftly by leadership dialogues focused on rebalancing world energy systems: Dr Angela Wilkinson on CNBC

“De-escalating energy conflict must now be the priority, followed swiftly by leadership dialogues focused on rebalancing world energy systems”: Dr Angela Wilkinson on CNBC

This interview was originally aired on CNBC’s “Access Middle East” on 27 March 2026.

Our Secretary General and CEO Dr Angela Wilkinson joined CNBC’s Dan Murphy to discuss the energy systems impact of the conflict in the Middle East and how critical dialogues around rebalancing the World Energy Trilemma dimensions are essential after securing de-escalation.

Watch the full interview below:

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Press Release: World Energy Council welcomes the new Chair for the Future Energy Leaders Programme – Thaddeus Anim-Somuah

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 09:27:40 +0000

World Energy Council welcomes the new Chair for the Future Energy Leaders Programme – Thaddeus Anim-Somuah

04 February 2026, London: The World Energy Council is pleased to announce that Mr Thaddeus Anim-Somuah has been elected as Chair for the Future Energy Leaders Programme (FELS) of the World Energy Council. Mr. Anim-Somuah will immediately assume the role from Cristina Morales. Positioned at the intersection of business and impact and a long-serving member of the FELs, Mr. Anim-Somuah is well placed to lead the diverse World Energy Council’s Future Energy Leaders platform. The Future Energy Leaders are a global impact community of exceptional young professionals, working alongside industry experts to share insights and foster collaboration.

A well-respected business advisor and chartered chemical engineer, Mr. Anim-Somuah is a passionate global sustainability leader, named among the 2020 Forbes 30 under 30 Europe cohort and in 2023 as one of the 50 most promising talents (under 35) by the Dutch Financial Times.

Thaddeus Anim-Somuah, incoming Chair for the Future Energy Leaders Programme, World Energy Council, said:

“The Future Energy Leaders programme is a unique platform that brings together exceptional emerging leaders from across the world to tackle the defining energy challenges of our time. I am honoured to serve as Chair of the Future Energy Leaders Board and excited to work with this community to strengthen collaboration, challenge conventional thinking, and translate ambition into action. Together, we can help shape a future energy system that is more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable for all.”

Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General and CEO, World Energy Council, said:

“I am delighted to welcome Thaddeus (Teddy) Anim-Somuah as the new Chair of the World Energy Council’s Future Energy Leaders Programme. Teddy is a globally recognised catalyst for change, driving innovation at the intersection of energy, materials, finance and human behaviour. He will champion our pioneering community of global and national future energy leaders in delivering more and better energy futures for billions of lives and a healthy planet.”

The Future Energy Leaders platform is an integral part of the World Energy Council community, which includes over 3,000 member organisations spanning more than 100 counties. Co-hosted by the World Energy Council and the Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia, the 27th edition of World Energy Congress, a flagship event convening global energy leaders to advance clean and inclusive energy transitions, will take place 26-29 October 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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About the World Energy Council

The World Energy Council is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners. Through our Humanising Energy vision, we involve more people and communities in accelerating clean and just energy transitions in all world regions. Formed in 1923, the Council has convened diverse interests from across the full energy ecosystem for a century, and today has over 3,000 member organisations and a presence in nearly 100 countries. Our global network draws from governments, private and state corporations, academia and civil society, as well as current and future energy leaders. We effectively collaborate on impact programmes and inform local, regional and global energy agendas in support of our enduring mission: to promote the sustainable use and supply of energy for the benefit of all people.

Further details at www.worldenergy.org and on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Blog: Making Energy with Love. Powering Lasting Peace.

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:23:58 +0000

Making Energy with Love. Powering Lasting Peace.

The 26th World Energy Congress, in Rotterdam, April, 2024

February 14 is Valentine’s Day in many parts of the world.

Energy has never been a romantic story. And yet it has become a story about balancing the love of power with the power of love.

Despite all the talk about energy security, new technologies and rising prices, energy is a purposeful, people-centric, adaptive system.

It is now a matter of WHEN – not IF – societies will be hit by new energy shocks – and shocks arising from instabilities within new power systems.

This year’s forthcoming World Energy Issues Monitor shows that peace and stability is the number one concern keeping energy leaders awake at night.

Top action priorities — strengthening grids, improving regional connectivity, and deploying flexible storage solutions — signal a shift in attention to the inherent instability and rising systems costs associated with scaling new power systems.

No amount of data, however, can speak for itself. Actionable insights emerge through the process of storytelling, conversation, and exchange of lived experiences. None of which can be digitalized or downloaded.

As the world energy systems leadership community, we can and do, make sense together – learning about what is happening in increasingly diverse regions about the pace, pathways and emerging possibilities of delivering more energy for billions of lives and a healthy planet.

Meeting the moment – a Dunlop moment

A century ago, Daniel Nicol Dunlop founded the World Energy Council with a vision of an associative and equitable world energy system and to secure energy for peace.

The question then: How can the world benefit from the electrification revolution without scarce energy resources becoming a driver of conflict?

By the 1990s, that vision had broadened into associative, equitable AND ecological energy systems, with the rise of global environmental consciousness and a new collaborative imperative of sustainable development.

Today, a global AI-electrification super cycle is underway.

Good progress in closing energy poverty gaps with basic access to electricity contrast with new concerns about underestimated and growing energy deficits in all regions.

Good news about the continued momentum in energy transitions contrasts with headlines about the failure to bend the global emissions curve. Climate change momentum implies overshoot of 1.5oC is inevitable – and hopefully temporary. Mother Nature doesn’t negotiate.

And a return of national energy security interests has triggered a global spiral of mistrust, misunderstanding and mutual hesitation.

Trilemma in Transitions

Energy systems trade-offs evolve, but do not disappear, throughout the processes of energy systems additions, transitions and transformations.

Managing the real and connected challenges of energy security, affordability, and sustainability is not easy, but failing to do so is a recipe for disaster.

Each dimension of the World Energy Trilemma framework is evolving:

Rethinking resilience – a shift from hardening assets to external events to the inherent instability within new power systems.
Recalibrating affordability – with attention to rising systems costs and the investment gap between energy supply/demand cost stack and energy payment stack.
Resetting the access baseline – not a single connection or lightbulb, enabling dignity and economic agency
Reimagining sustainable development – avoiding ecological crises with attention to waste, water and atmospheric carbon removals, and leveraging demand transformation as a lever for reconfiguring supply.

A World Energy Congress year – being and becoming the change we want to see

The Riyadh World Energy Congress, October 12-15th, is a pivotal moment to pull a new vision of associative equitable and ecological world energy systems leadership together under the theme: Inspiring Transformations, Delivering Transitions.

Imagine the moment

You are part of the world energy community, about to step onto a global stage. What’s the one message you want the world to hear? What’s the conversation you want to have? And who needs to be at the table to translate ambitious inspirations into meaningful actions?

Riyadh is where energy heritage and new horizons will combine with realistic hope to shape the future of energy together and for generations to come.

This is the moment – a Dunlop moment – to move the needle from dialogue to delivery, from hesitation into collaboration, from disaster to direction.

The world needs a new kind of global energy leadership.

Wired with love.

Powering lasting peace.

Securing reliable, affordable and productive energy access for billions of better lives and a healthy planet.

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