Launch event for World Energy Investment 2021

The Clean Energy Ministerial Investment and Finance initiative (CEM-IF) is hosting a launch event for the IEA’s World Energy Investment 2021 report and a discussion on financing clean energy transitions.

There is an urgent need to unleash major new clean energy investments to put the world on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and eventually achieve net-zero emissions. In order to avoid higher emissions from rising energy demand across the globe, this new investment will be required at scale in both advanced and emerging economies. Public sector support in fostering clean energy is critical to lead market dynamics, provide clear policy signals and play a catalysing role for private sector investment.

This year’s edition of the World Energy Investment report presents the latest data and analysis of how energy investment flows are recovering from the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic, including full-year estimates of the outlook for 2021. It examines how investors are assessing risks and opportunities across all areas of fuel and electricity supply, efficiency and research and development, against a backdrop of a recovery in global energy demand as well as strengthened pledges from governments and the private sector to address climate change.

The report focuses on two key questions:

• Whether the growing momentum among governments and investors to accelerate clean energy transitions is translating into an actual uptick in capital expenditures on clean energy projects.
• Whether the energy investment response to the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will be broad-based or if some sectors, geographies and vulnerable parts of the world’s population will be left behind.

Based on the findings from this new analysis, as well as from a joint report by the IEA and Imperial College Business School on Clean Energy Investment: a Global Comparison of Investment Returns (supported by the CEM-IF), this event will highlight the challenges and opportunities to finance clean energy transitions by mobilising institutional capital at scale, and will bring together experts from government and the financial community.

The work could not have been achieved without the support and funding of the European Commission and European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under grant agreement No 952363