“Energy costs are increasingly shaped by logistics infrastructure and geopolitics, not just supply and demand” Dr Angela Wilkinson on Bloomberg

This interview originally aired on Bloomberg’s Horizons Middle East and Africa segment on 12 October 2026

The World Energy Council’s Secretary General and CEO Dr. Angela Wilkinson sat down with Bloomberg’s Abeer Abu Omar during Riyadh Energy Week and discussed the shocks to the global energy system in the wake of the Straits of Hormuz crisis, how countries are having to rebalance the World Energy Trilemma, and the increasing impetus to build energy systems that are resilient and adaptable enough to handle disruptions in an increasingly volatile world.

Watch the full interview here

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“The energy system is dynamic, and we need to look at rebalancing within the Trilemma”: Adnan Amin on CGTN

This interview originally aired on CGTN on 1 October 2026. Watch the full interview here.

The Chair of the Officer’s Council of the Board of the World Energy Council, Adnan Amin, was interviewed by CGTN’s Yu Bokun about global energy security concerns in the wake of the Straits of Hormuz crisis, China’s leading role in meeting global electrification demands, and the need for energy leaders to rebalance the World Energy Trilemma Framework in an ever-shifting world. 

Watch the full interview here.

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Burkhard von Kienitz Opening Sarajevo Energy And Climate Week 2026

As prepared for delivery at the Opening Address of the 2026 Sarajevo Energy & Climate Week

Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honor to open Sarajevo Energy & Climate Week here in this remarkable city.
On behalf of the World Energy Council, I would like to thank the organizers,
the Chamber of Economy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and everyone who has brought together such a impressive community of energy and climate leaders from across South-East Europe and beyond.

Our Chair, His Excellency Adnan Amin, and our Secretary General Dr Angela Wilkinson, send their warm greetings. They have asked me to represent the Council this week, which I am delighted to do in my role as Chair for Europe.

Let me start with a simple observation: Energy has never been only about energy.

1. It’s about security. It’s about dependency – or sovereignty.
2. It’s about jobs and competitiveness. – It’s about affordability, public confidence.
3. And increasingly, it’s about our ability to work together when the world becomes less predictable.

Sarajevo, your country, and your region is where cultures, peoples, and trade have converged for centuries.
You understand the value – but also the fragility – of connections and collaboration.
You know better than others what it means to stand courageously for values and principles.

Security of critical infrastructure, security of supply, access to investment, and affordability of energy cannot be achieved by a country acting alone. Challenges don’t stop at national borders – even less than they did in the past. Rather, cooperation between different systems, markets, and infrastructures is the key to a stronger energy system.

That is why your region is important not only for your countries, but for Europe as a whole

I myself worked for three years in northeastern Romania – right on the border with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova – where I had the opportunity to help shape the energy transition. I learned at least three things:

1. Every region and every period navigates its own energy transition, and political stability is crucial in this process.
2. Southeast Europe are situated at a key crossroad: Your power grids, gas pipelines, and digital systems are increasingly connecting the region both internally and to the broader European market.
3. And: Southeast Europe is incredibly beautiful, diverse, and uniquely hospitable!

The World Energy Council was founded more than a century ago, in the belief that engagement across borders and sectors is essential to building better energy systems – and societies. Today we are a global, independent and impartial community, present in more than 100 countries, with a network of over 3,000 organisations.

At the heart of the Council are our national Member Committees. They bring together governments, energy companies, universities, investors, industry, civil society and the next generation of energy leaders.

Each Member Committee reflects its country’s particular energy realities, institutions and priorities. The Council’s strength comes from connecting this diversity. I have had the privilege of personally visiting 19 Member Committees across four continents. What impressed me most is not that they have found the universal answer to energy transition.

They have not! What they have developed is something more valuable: the ability to learn from different answers. In the Council, we do not declare one technology, one national model or one transition pathway to be universally right.

• We begin by asking what works, under which conditions, for whom, at what cost

This is also the purpose of our World Energy Trilemma. Energy is complex – it needs a balance of 3 angles: energy security, energy equity, environmental sustainability

• A successful transition cannot permanently sacrifice one of these dimensions at the expense of the others.

Countries start with different resources, levels of development, industrial structures, geographies and social priorities. What is effective in one context may not be effective in another. Progress comes not from replicating models, but from learning, adapting and applying insights in ways that fit local realities.

This is also what the World Energy Trilemma helps make visible. It challenges leaders to look simultaneously at energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability because conditions change.

• The belief that exploiting the environment will bring competitive advantages may help in upcoming elections, but it will backfire much sooner than anyone imagines – but:
• An energy transition that expands Renewables but is unaffordable for households is not sustainable and undermines the democratic foundation
• Nor is one that protects today’s jobs but ignores tomorrow’s competitiveness.

For South East Europe, this balance is demanding, and especially important.

The region carries a significant coal and lignite legacy, which still underpins electricity supply and thousands of livelihoods. It also holds real strengths: substantial hydropower, growing solar and wind potential, strategic interconnection routes, and a deep engineering tradition.

And it faces pressure: affordability, energy poverty, and the arrival of new external rules such as the CBAM – Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

This week’s program reflects that agenda well: sustainable transition, markets, financing, digitalization, hydrogen, energy justice, security of supply, and investment.

The region already has significant assets and projects in each area. But as deployment advances, the next challenge is integration: enabling these assets to work together across infrastructure, markets and national borders as part of a connected energy system.

Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor helps resilience when planned along national needs.
Coupling the region’s electricity markets with the European market unlocks investment when it is approached together, rather than country by country.
And critical infrastructure becomes more secure when information, standards, responsibilities and responses are coordinated.
Those, whose living standards depend on coal need pathways to new industries and jobs. And a region negotiating its integration into the European market needs opportunities and optimism.

The countries of South East Europe do not need identical energy systems or transition pathways to build solutions together. They need their different systems, markets and infrastructure to work together. Doing so can deliver reliable and affordable energy, competitive industries, secure livelihoods and greater confidence in the future.

In short, individual projects create capacity, but cooperation creates systemic value.

This week, you are also honoring energy security in the name of Emerik Blum: an engineer, builder, and a leader who understood that infrastructure is ultimately an act of trust in the future. Energoinvest, the company he founded, carried Sarajevo’s engineering out into the world. That spirit is exactly what we need today: security that is not based on isolation, but on reliable interconnection, diversified supply and trusted cooperation among neighbors.

So, what can the World Energy Council contribute?

We bring impartial, globally informed tools: our World Energy Trilemma; our annual World Energy Issues Monitor, which tracks what keeps energy leaders awake at night; and our World Energy Scenarios, which explore plausible energy futures. We stand ready to contribute these perspectives, to help connect diverse perspectives, and share experience and invite you to actively participate in our network.

I especially invite you all to take these conversations further at the 27th World Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh April 2027 under the theme “Inspiring Transformations, Delivering Transitions.” The plurals mean: there is no single transformation or transition, and South East Europe’s experiences belong firmly in that global conversation.

This brings me back to Sarajevo: The city has always been a meeting point, shaped by connections across cultures and ideas. If this week helps enabling different systems, markets and communities to work together where it creates greater value than acting alone, and builds lasting relationships, it will have achieved a lot for Europe.

I congratulate the organisers, I wish you an open, ambitious and action-oriented week, and I look forward to what we can build together.

Thank you.

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World energy being rebalanced in real time as demand, disruption and system constraints converge, 2026 World Energy Trilemma Report Finds

New York, United States – 21 September 2026: Surging electricity demand from AI, data centres and industrial electrification is colliding with geopolitical instability, mounting infrastructure constraints and persistent energy and development gaps, exposing new pressures across the global energy system, according to the World Energy Council’s 2026 World Energy Trilemma report.

Launched today to coincide with Climate Week NYC, the report “Rebalancing World Energy: Trade-Offs and Transformations” finds that recent disruption to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, alongside rapidly growing demand from digital infrastructure, is accelerating a wider rebalancing of world energy. The challenge is shifting from deployment alone to integration and interoperability – while simultaneously navigating energy security, affordability, decarbonisation, industrial competitiveness and the unfinished agenda of energy access and human development.

The report describes this as “rebalancing”: the leadership discipline of continually reassessing energy security, equity and environmental sustainability as circumstances change. In practical terms, this means adding new generation and connecting it with grids, storage, flexible demand, markets and institutions—while enabling different technologies and national pathways to work together. Integration makes the parts of an energy system work as a whole; interoperability enables different systems and pathways to work together.

Drawing on dialogue with more than 275 senior energy leaders from 65 countries, the report finds that the trade-offs at the heart of energy transitions have not disappeared but are moving into new parts of the system. Across regions, leaders identified grids, storage and system integration as the most common constraints on progress.

Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General & CEO of the World Energy Council, said: “World energy is being rebalanced in real time. Our World Energy Trilemma report shows how the electrification surge, geopolitical disruption and persistent development gaps are creating harder choices across grids, storage, markets and institutions. Integration and interoperability are now critical: connecting the parts of each system and enabling different systems and pathways to work together. Leadership means continuously rebalancing security, affordability and sustainability while keeping sight of what energy is ultimately for—better lives and stronger economies.”

The report identifies five recurring tensions: investing for tomorrow while managing today’s costs; redesigning markets while operating within current realities; strengthening national competitiveness while preserving cross-border interdependence; maintaining speed of transitions while earning social legitimacy; and matching institutional ambition to the capacity available.  

Regional examples show how these pressures are taking different forms:

• In Africa, around 600 million people remain without access to electricity, demonstrating that expanding generation is only part of the challenge. Progress also depends on transmission, finance and effective delivery systems.
• In Saudi Arabia, ambitions to achieve a 50% renewable power mix by 2030 are increasing the focus on how renewables, storage and flexible gas generation can work together, illustrating how successful transitions increasingly depend on combining technologies within a flexible, integrated energy system.
• In China, nearly 50 ultra-high-voltage transmission projects delivering over 420 GW of cross-regional capacity demonstrate the scale of infrastructure required to show how system integration has become essential to connecting renewable resources with industrial and population centres.
• In Brazil, a power system that is around 90% renewable is facing rising curtailment, illustrating how the next phase of the transition depends on integration across generation, storage, markets and demand-side flexibility.

The report and its findings are available for download here: worldenergy.org/Trilemma26

-ENDS-

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 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 more than a century, and today has over 3,000 member organisations and a presence in more than 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 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 X.

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Adnan Amin Opening Keynote 2026 New Power System Development Chongli Forum

As prepared for delivery at the Opening Address of the 2026 “New Power System Development Forum” in Chongli, China.

Excellencies, Distinguished Leaders, Colleagues and Friends,

Good morning. It is a great pleasure to join you here in Chongli.

My sincere thanks to Dr. Yang Kun and the China Electricity Council for the invitation, and to the Organizing Committee for bringing together such a distinguished community of leaders from China and around the world.

I have had the opportunity to work with many of you over the years. But this is my first major visit to China as Chair of the World Energy Council, and I am glad it begins here.

Chongli is a fitting place for this conversation. Four years ago, the Beijing Winter Olympics became the first Games with every venue powered by clean electricity, much of it generated here in Zhangjiakou and carried to Beijing on a flexible DC grid.

The lesson from Chongli is clear: clean power becomes reliable power when generation, grids and demand are planned together.

And that lesson is now at the center of the global energy agenda. Ladies and gentlemen,

We are entering the age of electricity. Since 2007, electricity has been the world’s largest source of useful energy, ahead of oil, and it now supplies around a third of the total.

Last year, clean power met all growth in global electricity demand for the first time. Since 2010, the cost of solar power has fallen by close to 90% and the cost of batteries by more than 90%. Three in four people on Earth can now get round-the-clock power, mostly from solar and batteries, for under USD 100 a megawatt-hour.

These are remarkable achievements. But the context has changed.

Energy security is again at the top of the policy agenda. The continuing disruption of energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz has reminded every importing economy how quickly shocks travel through supply chains and prices. Affordability has become a defining social and political concern. Industrial competitiveness is a strategic priority.

At the same time, demand for electricity is rising faster than anyone expected. Data centers, AI, electric vehicles, heat pumps and advanced manufacturing are all drawing on the same grids.

APEC energy ministers, meeting in Beijing earlier this month, captured this shift well. Energy security has not disappeared; its architecture has expanded. And digital infrastructure and energy infrastructure can no longer be planned separately.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Nowhere is this new electricity era more visible than in China.

Earlier this month, the National Energy Administration confirmed that China’s solar capacity – at 1,286 gigawatts – has overtaken coal to become the country’s largest source of power by installed capacity.

In the first half of this year, coal’s share of generation fell below half for the first time. So far this year, solar has supplied more than one in every eight units of electricity China consumes.

The scale is extraordinary. China produces a third of the world’s electricity and more than 40% of its wind and solar generation. It accounts for nearly half of installed grid batteries and more than 60% of global electric car sales. And since 2010, China has more than doubled its electricity supply.

Speed matters as much as scale. In China, an extra-high-voltage transmission line is typically delivered in two to three years. In many other major economies, it can take more than a decade.

What stands out most is the combination. China is one of very few countries electrifying and digitalizing its economy at the same time – in industry, in buildings and in mobility, with near-universal smart metering and the world’s second-largest fleet of AI data centers.

China is also clear about the work ahead. Since capacity is not the same as generation, the task now is to make solar increasingly dispatchable and predictable, and to turn unprecedented capacity into reliable, affordable and resilient system performance.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The challenge of the last decade was deployment. The challenge ahead is increasingly about integration.

Grids, generation, storage, flexibility, digital systems and increasingly active consumers must evolve together. Worldwide, close to 3,000 gigawatts of projects are waiting in grid connection queues.

The World Energy Council’s World Energy Issues Monitor from earlier this year found that power grids and grid expansion are now the top action priority for energy leaders worldwide.

And our new report, “Rebalancing World Energy: Trade-Offs and Transformations,” launching this week, shows why.

Recent disruptions to energy flows, alongside rapidly growing demand from digital infrastructure, are pushing leaders to continually reassess energy security, equity and environmental sustainability as circumstances evolve. We call this “rebalancing.”

At the same time, the energy equation is getting bigger. Leaders must now deliver security, affordability, sustainability, resilience, competitiveness and development in parallel.

This is an “and-and” agenda, and it requires energy systems designed to advance multiple objectives together.

This is where China’s experience matters globally. China is testing, at exceptional scale, what it takes to integrate renewables, run a digital grid, electrify transport and industry, and plan computing and power together.

That experience deserves to be shared widely. And the exchange should run both ways. Countries across Africa, the Americas, the Middle East, Europe and Asia are pursuing very different pathways under very different conditions. Each has lessons to offer.

Ladies and gentlemen,

That exchange is what the World Energy Council exists to enable.

The Council was founded in 1923, and China is recorded among its founding members. Ever since, we have provided a neutral platform where governments, businesses, researchers, investors and innovators can engage openly across all energy sources and regions.

In a fragmented world, that role becomes more valuable: an infrastructure of trust, independent and impartial.

Our partnership with China has grown significantly in recent years. The China Electricity Council has become one of the most active communities in our global network, recognized last year in Panama with our Building Active Communities Award. State Grid and China Southern Power Grid now bring their system expertise to the Council as Global Patrons.

We aim to build on that foundation, so that China contributes not only to our

activities, but increasingly to the Council’s thinking, insights and leadership.

Ladies and gentlemen,

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

The Congress will bring together thousands of leaders from government, business, finance, technology and academia around one practical question: what will it take to make the next energy system work?

China has a great deal to say on that question. At our last Congress in Rotterdam, China brought the largest national pavilion and a delegation of more than 200. I hope we can build further on that in Riyadh, and broaden it.

I invite China’s full energy ecosystem to join us: the power utilities and grid companies, and alongside them the leaders in renewables, storage, electric mobility, manufacturing, digital technology, AI and finance, as well as the young professionals who will run these systems in the decades ahead.

Let me conclude with a simple thought.

Electricity is becoming the backbone of how the world works and grows. Our task is to keep today’s systems secure, affordable and reliable while we build the systems that come next.

That requires investment, innovation and vision. Above all, it requires cooperation. No nation, company or institution can manage this transformation alone.

Working together, and building trust across borders and differences, we can deliver more and better energy for all.

I wish you a successful and productive Forum, and I look forward to welcoming you all to Riyadh next April.

Thank you.

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Nigeria Joins World Energy Council As Newest Member Committee

05 August 2026: The World Energy Council proudly announces the addition of a new Nigerian Member Committee to its network, further strengthening the global energy community dedicated to progressing clean and inclusive energy transitions. The addition of Nigeria emphasises the country’s key role in advancing global energy-climate security across Africa.

The World Energy Council, the preeminent international organization promoting the sustainable supply and use of energy for the greatest benefit of all, is pleased to welcome a Nigerian energy leadership community back into its esteemed network, under a new stronger leadership and mandate.

As one of the most dynamic and diverse economies in Africa, Nigerian energy leaders bring key expertise and important perspectives to the World Energy Council’s humanising energy impact agenda. The country’s rich energy mix, coupled with its innovative policy, financing, and structural reforms aimed at delivering its energy transition plans, highlights how it is a leading player in shaping the future of global energy systems.

Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General and CEO of the World Energy Council, expressed enthusiasm about Nigeria’s community membership, saying:

“I’m delighted to welcome the new Nigerian Member Committee into the World Energy Council leadership community. Africa is writing its transformational energy future, connecting abundant resources, entrepreneurial talent and growing regional cooperation in new ways. Nigeria has a significant leadership role, and the Member Committee will help bring that expertise and voice onto the world stage at the Riyadh World Energy Congress in April 2027 and beyond.”

Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim, the World Energy Council’s Chair for Africa and former Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization, said:

“Africa’s energy transitions aren’t about catching up to external measures of progress, but instead about leading on developing the energy systems needed to power and support a dynamic continent. The addition of Nigeria to the World Energy Council network will bring the vibrant, innovative leadership of Africa’s biggest population to our global critical conversation”.

The newly established Member Committee is governed by a distinguished Board drawn from across the public and private sectors, academia and international energy institutions. The Board is chaired by Mr Abdulrazaq Isa, Co-founder and Chairman of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, while Mr Bala Wunti, former Chief Health, Safety, and Environment Officer of the NNPC Ltd serves as the Chief Executive Officer. 

The Board also includes other respected energy leaders such as; Dr. Ainojie ‘Alex’ Irune; Dr Mustapha Abdullahi; Dr Emmanuel Okon; Ms Aisha Farida Katagum; Prof. Wumi Iledare; Dr Victor Ekpenyong; Dr Imamuddeen Talba, among other distinguished leaders, reflecting the depth, diversity and expertise of Nigeria’s energy ecosystem.

Mr Abdulrazaq Isa, Chairman of the Board of World Energy Council Nigeria, shared his excitement at the milestone achievement, saying:

“I am honoured to serve as Chairman of the World Energy Council Nigeria. As we begin this new chapter, I look forward to working with the Board, Secretariat and our members to strengthen Nigeria’s contribution to the global energy dialogue and build a Member Committee that reflects the depth of expertise and leadership within our energy sector.”

Mr Bala Wunti, Chief Executive Officer of World Energy Council Nigeria, spoke about Nigeria’s energy leadership stepping up at a pivotal moment of world energy, saying:

“I am honoured to lead WEC Nigeria at a time of profound economic crosscurrents. We will navigate the energy trilemma with pragmatism, mobilising private capital to ensure Nigeria’s energy future is defined not by ideology, but by investability—delivering prosperity that is bankable, just and secure.”

For more information about the World Energy Council and its work, please visit www.worldenergy.org.

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 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, and today has over 3,000 member organisations and a presence in more than 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 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.

About World Energy Council Nigeria

The Nigerian National Committee of the World Energy Council is an independent, non-partisan platform that brings together leaders from government, industry, academia, development partners, finance institutions and civil society to strengthen Nigeria’s participation in global energy dialogue, promote evidence-based policy, foster strategic partnerships, and support sustainable energy development for national and regional prosperity. Further details at http://www.wecnigeria.org

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Powering Futures: Africa’s Invitation to World Energy Stewardship

As prepared for delivery at the Opening Address of the 2026 “Powering Futures” conference in Kenya.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Colleagues and Friends,

Thank you to our Kenya and South African Member Committees, – and to all the conference organisers, for inviting me to the Powering Futures Conference and for the opportunity to help set the scene for what I hope will be productive, inspiring and informed conversations about Africa’s energy futures.

Africa is writing its energy future.

Every new connection, every transmission line, every investment, every entrepreneur, every innovation is shrinking the distance between imagination and implementation. Every success is writing the next chapter in world energy.

And here in Kenya, you are showing the world that expanding energy access and advancing energy transitions can progress together.

For more than one hundred years, the World Energy Council has existed to develop energy for the benefit of people, societies and international cooperation.

During that century, the world energy system has grown to support longer lives, healthier communities, industrial development, modern healthcare, global connectivity and greater prosperity.

In many parts of the world, reliable energy has become invisible because it works.

Across Africa, energy is visible every day because it matters every day.

We also meet at another pivotal moment.

The world is entering a new era of energy leadership.

The decade of declarations is giving way to the harder work of delivering resilient, productive and affordable energy systems amid geopolitical uncertainty, extreme weather and accelerating demand.

The conflict in the Middle East reminds us how closely energy security, economic resilience and global stability are connected.

At the same time, demand for electricity is rising almost everywhere, driven by industrial development, urbanisation, mobility, digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

Growth has returned to the centre of energy policy.

And resilience has become a defining leadership challenge—at the level of assets, enterprises, communities and whole societies.

The World Energy Council started up at the end of empires to promote energy for peace.

Kenya and South Africa are among the most active membership hubs in our global community network, which now spans more than one hundred countries.

For much of the 20th century, world energy leadership was framed around three little words: scarcity, security and supply.

Those remain important.

The 21st century energy challenges require new words: resilience, abundance and flourishing.

The world is not simply replacing old for new technologies: it has to maintain the existing system whilst building the next one.

Africa has abundant resources including the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population.

As it charts its own pathways of progress, our community exists to help Africa share its leadership and learning with the rest of the world as stewards of the next century of energy.

World energy has never been a story of decarbonisation alone, nor simply the story of the energy industry.

It has become the operating system of modern civilisation.

It connects people and communities with infrastructure, technology, markets, institutions and investment.

Increasingly, it sits at the interface of digital innovation, industrial development and human progress.

Africa is already connecting these dots.

From Nigeria and Mozambique’s investments in gas-supported transition pathways, to South Africa’s combination of renewables, storage, grid expansion and financial system reform.

From Ethiopia’s investment in hydropower and regional electricity trade, to Egypt’s deployment of renewable energy supported by strategic grid investment.

Like you, we believe there is no one-size-fits-all global pathway. Different starting points create different opportunities. Different resources create different solutions. Different societies will move at different speeds.

World energy leadership is increasingly about interoperability – learning from regional diversity rather than imposing global uniformity.

Net zero remains an important milestone for many countries. And there are many pathways.

Our shared destination is broader: abundant energy that enables human flourishing on a healthy planet.

Kenya’s story demonstrates what a future of more and better energy can look like.

Its leadership in geothermal development, renewable electricity and system innovation has established one of Africa’s most advanced energy markets.

Building an even more flexible, integrated and resilient energy system will enable Kenya to advance societal development and clean energy ambitions together.

The lessons, expertise, ambition and leadership shared throughout this conference deserve to be heard across Africa and around the world.

At the World Energy Council, we believe effective stewardship requires three shared leadership capabilities.

The first is rebalancing energy – making better decisions to address trade-offs and synergies between energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability outcomes as an energy system grows and evolves.

The second is rehearsing resilience at the interface of digital-energy-community-industry ecosystems to prepare for disruption before it arrives.

The third is navigating transformational possibilities – but explore multiple pathways towards abundance, resilience and flourishing.

These are the capabilities we want to develop together – with your leadership, for your use and for the benefit of African societies.

A flexible and real time World Energy Trilemma.

Practical resilience partnerships.

A new World Energy Compass.

And more inclusive and intergenerational dialogue which opens space for diverse African voices to shape our future-facing world energy agenda.

I look forward to our conversation and to deeper collaboration as we move to the Riyadh World Energy Congress on 26 to 29 April 2027. Its will be the biggest and best yet, a bold start to our second century of convening.

I invite you all – as fellow stewards – of a new century of world energy development.

Together, we can lead and learn how to navigate towards abundant energy for human flourishing.

Thank you.

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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

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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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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