Global electricity demand is entering a decisive growth phase. IEA’s 2026 electricity report forecasts that over the next five years, power consumption is set to rise faster than at any time in recent decades, marking a structural shift in how the world uses energy. This trend reflects the rapid electrification of industries, transport, buildings, and digital infrastructure, alongside climate-driven demand for cooling and heating.

Unlike previous cycles, electricity demand is no longer simply following economic growth. Instead, power consumption is becoming a leading driver of economic activity. This shift signals the arrival of what analysts increasingly call the “Age of Electricity,” where power is the backbone of modern economies and decarbonization strategies.

Let’s deep dive into IEA’s report here to understand the present and the future of electricity demand.

Electricity Demand Breaks Away from Economic Growth

Global electricity demand is projected to grow at an average annual rate of around 3.6% between 2026 and 2030, significantly faster than the growth seen over the past decade. In contrast, total energy demand will rise much more slowly, meaning electricity will expand at least 2.5 times faster than overall energy consumption.

This divergence marks a fundamental change. Historically, electricity consumption closely tracked GDP growth. That relationship is now reversing. In 2024, electricity demand outpaced economic growth globally for the first time in three decades outside of crisis periods, and this trend is expected to continue.

Several structural drivers are accelerating this shift:

• Electrification of transport, especially electric vehicles
• Expansion of data centres and artificial intelligence workloads
• Rising demand for air conditioning due to climate change
• Industrial electrification and reshoring
• Growth in heat pumps and electric heating

Together, these trends are pushing electricity to become the dominant form of final energy consumption.

Emerging economies will remain the main engine of demand growth, accounting for roughly 80% of new electricity consumption through 2030. However, advanced economies are also seeing a resurgence after more than a decade of stagnation, driven by digitalization and electrification.

Global Power Mix: Renewables and Nuclear Take Half the Market

Globally, renewables and nuclear are on track to supply around 50% of electricity generation by 2030. Solar is the fastest-growing source, contributing more than half of annual generation additions.

Renewable generation is expected to grow by about 1,000 TWh per year through 2030, with solar alone adding more than 600 TWh annually. Nuclear power is also gaining momentum, supported by reactor restarts, lifetime extensions, and new builds in emerging economies.

However, coal will likely remain the single largest source of electricity in 2030, even as its share declines. Natural gas generation is also expected to rise, driven by US demand and fuel switching in the Middle East.

Overall, renewables, nuclear, and gas are projected to meet all net new electricity demand globally, displacing coal in aggregate but not eliminating it.

Advanced Economies Re-Enter the Demand Growth Cycle

Electricity demand in advanced economies is rising again after a prolonged period of stagnation. In the United States, demand is projected to grow by around 2% annually through 2030, with data centres accounting for roughly half of the increase.

In the European Union, electricity demand is expected to grow at around 2% per year, though consumption may not return to pre-2021 levels until the late 2020s. Other advanced economies, including Japan, Canada, Korea, and Australia, are also seeing accelerating growth.

This resurgence reflects:

• AI and cloud computing expansion
• Electrification of heating and transport
• Industrial reshoring and new manufacturing facilities
• Climate-driven cooling demand

Electricity is becoming a core input for economic competitiveness in digital and industrial sectors.

Power Sector Emissions: Plateau but Not Yet Declining Fast Enough

Electricity generation remains the largest source of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, producing roughly 13.9 billion tonnes of CO₂ per year. After rising between 2022 and 2024, power sector emissions stabilised in 2025.

Looking ahead, emissions are expected to plateau through 2030, rather than decline sharply. This reflects the rapid growth in electricity demand, offsetting gains from clean power deployment.

The carbon intensity of electricity has already fallen by around 14% over the past decade, and it is expected to decline faster as low-emission generation expands. This decline is mainly due to more renewable energy and strong nuclear power output.

• The trend is expected to accelerate. CO₂ intensity is forecast to fall by around 3.7% per year, dropping from 435 g CO₂ per kWh in 2025 to about 360 g CO₂ per kWh by 2030.

However, absolute emissions reductions will be harder to achieve due to rising demand. China’s trajectory is particularly critical. As the world’s largest power market and emitter,  its pace of renewable deployment, coal retirement, and grid reform will heavily influence global climate outcomes.

China: The Single Largest Driver of Global Electricity Growth

China will remain the central force shaping global electricity demand over the next decade. Despite slower economic growth and structural shifts toward services, China’s sheer scale means it will contribute close to half of global electricity demand growth through 2030.

Electricity demand in China rose by just over 5% in 2025, down from roughly 7% in 2024. Looking ahead, demand is expected to grow at an average of around 4.9% annually between 2026 and 2030, slower than the past decade but still massive in absolute terms.

The drivers are multifaceted:

• Continued electrification across industry and households
• Expansion of manufacturing, including clean energy supply chains
• Growing services sector electricity use
• Rising cooling demand due to extreme heat events
• Digital infrastructure and smart technologies

China’s power demand growth over the next five years alone is expected to match the current total electricity consumption of the European Union. This highlights the scale of China’s influence on global power markets, fuel demand, and emissions trajectories.

At the same time, efficiency improvements are tempering demand growth. Government policies targeting lower energy intensity and more efficient appliances are helping reduce electricity use per unit of GDP. However, these gains are not enough to offset the scale of electrification and economic activity.

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Renewables Surge, But Grid Constraints Loom Large

China’s renewable energy buildout continues at an unprecedented pace. Solar generation jumped by more than 40% in 2025, while wind grew by double digits. The share of variable renewable energy (VRE) in China’s power mix reached around 22%, up sharply from the previous year.

Record capacity additions are transforming the power system. More than 300 GW of solar and over 100 GW of wind were added in a single year, driven partly by developers rushing to complete projects before the end of fixed-price tariffs.

However, this rapid expansion is creating new challenges. Curtailment rates for solar and wind increased, reflecting grid congestion and integration constraints. This highlights a global issue: generation is growing faster than grid infrastructure.

Coal’s Role Is Changing, Not Disappearing

Despite the renewable boom, coal remains a dominant force in China’s power sector. Coal-fired generation declined slightly in 2025, but coal still accounts for the largest share of electricity generation.

China’s coal share is expected to fall from around 55% in 2025 to about 43% by 2030, reflecting the rapid expansion of renewables and nuclear. However, coal capacity continues to grow, driven by projects approved during the 2022–2023 permitting boom.

Rather than serving as baseload power, coal plants are increasingly being used as flexibility and backup resources to support variable renewables. Capacity utilisation is expected to decline, even as installed capacity rises.

This shift illustrates a broader global trend: coal is becoming a reliability asset rather than a growth engine, but its persistence complicates decarbonization efforts.

Grids and Flexibility: The Hidden Bottleneck

The transition to an electricity-centric energy system depends on grid expansion and flexibility. Investment in grids currently lags far behind generation capacity additions. Worldwide, more than 2,500 GW of projects are stuck in grid connection queues, including renewables, storage, and large industrial loads such as data centres. Without faster grid expansion and smarter system management, power shortages and curtailment risks will rise.

Meeting projected demand will require around 50% higher annual grid investment by 2030, rising from roughly USD 400 billion today. Without this, congestion, curtailment, and reliability risks will increase.

Flexibility solutions are also scaling rapidly. Utility-scale battery deployment is accelerating, especially in regions with high solar and wind penetration. However, conventional power plants still provide most flexibility today.

Policy reforms, grid-enhancing technologies, and non-firm connection agreements could unlock 1,200–1,600 GW of stalled projects, significantly accelerating the transition.

The Global Outlook: A Power-Centric Energy System

The global energy system is undergoing a structural transformation. Electricity is becoming the dominant vector for economic growth, digitalization, and decarbonization. Demand growth is accelerating across emerging and advanced economies, with China playing the most decisive role.

Renewables and nuclear are rapidly expanding, but coal and gas will remain part of the mix for reliability. Emissions are stabilising but not falling fast enough to meet climate targets, highlighting the scale of the challenge ahead.

The next five years will be critical. Grid expansion, flexibility solutions, and policy reforms will determine whether the Age of Electricity delivers a clean, affordable, and resilient energy future—or locks in new infrastructure bottlenecks and emissions risks.

• ALSO READ: 2026: The Year Nuclear Power Reclaims Relevance With 15 Reactors, AI Demand, and China’s Expansion

The post How Power Demand, Emissions, and China Will Shape the Global Energy System to 2030 appeared first on Carbon Credits.

newcleo, a European nuclear technology company, announced that it has raised €75 million (about USD $88 million) in a new funding round. The cash will help the company build and develop advanced small nuclear reactors powered by recycled nuclear waste. The financing is a sign of growing investor interest in clean and low-carbon energy solutions.

Newcleo also said that it has now raised more than $124 million in total for 2025. The company was founded in September 2021 and is based in Paris, France. The nuclear energy developer also operates in Italy, the UK, Belgium, and Slovakia, with roughly 1,000 employees.

What newcleo’s Technology Does: Turning Nuclear Waste into Usable Fuel

newcleo develops a type of advanced nuclear technology known as lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs). These reactors are a form of small modular reactor (SMR).

Unlike traditional nuclear reactors that use fresh uranium fuel, newcleo’s design aims to use reprocessed nuclear waste as fuel. This means existing waste from older reactors could become a power source.

Using nuclear waste as fuel is intended to have two benefits:

• It could reduce long-term waste storage needs.
• It may help lower the carbon footprint of nuclear power.

Lead-cooled fast reactors also use liquid lead to transfer heat out of the core. The liquid lead acts as a coolant and enables the reactor to operate at high temperatures without high pressure.

This reactor type is still under development and not yet in wide commercial operation. But companies like newcleo believe it could play a role in future clean energy systems.

Heavy Industry and Investors Double Down

The €75 million funding round brought in both new and existing investors. New industrial backers included heavy industry groups such as:

• Danieli & C, a steel mill manufacturer
• Cementir Holding, a cement and concrete producer
• Orion Valves, an industrial valve maker
• NextChem, an energy engineering firm

Existing financial backers also participated. These included Kairos, Indaco Ventures, Azimut Investments, the CERN pension fund, and Walter Tosto (industrial engineering).

The mix of industrial and financial investors shows that newcleo’s technology draws interest from companies looking for reliable, low-carbon power and firms focused on clean energy investments.

Scaling from Design to Deployment

newcleo said the fresh funding will support several key parts of its business. The company highlighted progress in:

• Licensing and regulatory approval processes
• Research and development (R&D) of reactors and fuel systems
• Vertical integration of technology and manufacturing
• Geographic expansion in key markets like Europe and the United States

This means newcleo is working not just on reactor design, but on building the skills and facilities needed to support production, testing, and commercial deployment. The company also has partnerships and projects in multiple countries, including France, Italy, Slovakia, and the U.S. These collaborations relate to licensing and siting work, research facilities, and future commercial reactor projects.

Closing the Nuclear Fuel Loop

Nuclear power is often seen as a low-carbon energy source because it produces virtually no direct CO₂ emissions during operation. However, it leaves behind radioactive waste that can remain hazardous for thousands of years.

Traditional reactors use uranium fuel once and store the resulting waste. newcleo’s approach aims to reuse existing waste as reactor fuel. This could potentially reduce the volume and hazard of waste that needs long-term storage.

Lead-cooled fast reactors are one class of Generation IV nuclear technology. These designs are intended to be safer and more efficient than older reactors. They can run on fuels that traditional reactors cannot and may help make nuclear energy more sustainable in the long term.

Using recycled radioactive fuel helps close the nuclear fuel cycle. This means sourcing more energy from mined uranium, which leaves less waste behind.

• MUST READ: France Eyes Bitcoin Mining Powered by Surplus Nuclear Energy

Building a Cross-Border Nuclear Footprint

newcleo has stated that it plans to roll out its technology in several countries with active regulatory frameworks for advanced nuclear projects. The company has started licensing and planning partnerships in Europe and the U.S. These moves aim to make it a major supplier of advanced nuclear power systems.

In France, newcleo is preparing regulatory filings for both fuel and reactor projects. In Italy, it is building R&D infrastructure and test systems, while in Slovakia, it has formed a joint venture to deploy multiple reactors at a nuclear site. And in the U.S., it is engaging in collaborations to build fuel manufacturing and fabrication capabilities.

The company’s CEO, Stefano Buono, said investors view newcleo’s progress in licensing, R&D, and global expansion as a key advantage. He further added,

“Our ability to deliver impactful low-carbon energy solutions for energy-intensive firms is proving an attractive investment rationale for both industrial and financial investors. Our tangible progress in licensing, R&D, vertical integration, and geographic expansion is seen by investors as a key differentiator in the race to deliver clean, safe, and affordable nuclear energy.”

Small Modular Reactors Gain Global Traction

Interest in small modular reactors is rising as countries look for reliable, low-carbon power. Governments and industry groups also track SMRs more closely than before.

One sign is the growing number of designs in development. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) reported that its latest SMR Dashboard found 98 SMR technologies globally. It detailed 56 of these SMRs in its dashboard set.

A separate NEA summary shows a larger count of designs tracked over editions. This highlights how quickly the pipeline is expanding.

• Forecasts also show wider deployment in the coming decades. The International Energy Agency (IEA) publishes scenario data on global SMR capacity from 2025 to 2050.

In its analysis, SMR capacity rises from near-zero today to tens of gigawatts by 2050 in its main scenarios (39 GW), and it grows even higher in its “high SMR” case (190 GW). This suggests that SMRs could move from pilot projects to meaningful scale if costs fall and licensing speeds up.

International institutions also expect nuclear growth overall, with SMRs playing a bigger role. In September 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it raised its long-term nuclear outlook again.

In its best-case scenario, the IAEA predicts that global nuclear capacity could grow to 2.6 times the 2024 level by 2050. It also noted that SMRs will be key to this growth.

Policy signals further support this direction. The NEA reports that over 20 countries at COP28 pledged to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

These forecasts do not guarantee fast deployment. SMRs still face key hurdles such as licensing timelines, supply chains, fuel availability, and first-of-a-kind costs. 

SMRs are increasingly central to global nuclear talks. The NEA tracks more designs, and the IEA outlines new deployment pathways. And interest from investors and policymakers has grown as countries look for reliable low-carbon baseload power.

• SEE MORE: From Now to 2060: How Canada’s SMRs and Maritime Nuclear Power Will Drive a Net-Zero Future

The €75 million funding round adds to newcleo’s growing capital base. It boosts the company’s ability to advance its technology and work toward deployment. As of early 2026, newcleo has raised more than $124 million over the past year, with total funding since 2021 likely exceeding €645 million.

Private Capital Signals a Nuclear Comeback

The investment in newcleo highlights a broader trend: private capital is moving into advanced nuclear technologies.

Investors in heavy industry and finance are now seeing nuclear power as key to global decarbonization efforts. Some countries have recently updated their policies. This supports nuclear research and licensing. It shows a focus on energy security and climate goals.

Lead-cooled fast reactors and similar designs remain in early stages of testing and regulatory review. Newcleo and similar companies think their technologies can provide clean, reliable power. They also believe these systems create less waste over their life cycles compared to older reactors.

If successful, this approach could expand the role of nuclear power in the energy transition. But much work remains in testing, licensing, manufacturing, and cost reduction before commercial deployment at scale.

• READ MORE: Trump’s Davos Nuclear Endorsement Powers a Rally in Oklo, SMRs, and Atomic Stocks

The post Nuclear’s Next Chapter: newcleo Raises $88M to Scale SMR Powered by Nuclear Waste appeared first on Carbon Credits.

Nigeria is planning a large clean cooking program that aims to distribute 80 million efficient cookstoves to households. Project backers say the rollout could help reduce smoke from cooking, cut pressure on forests, and create a new stream of carbon credits.

Recent reporting in Nigeria says the project is also tied to a revenue target. A senior finance executive at project developer GreenPlinth Africa said the Federal Government could earn up to $5 billion each year from “verified carbon credit revenues” when the program reaches full scale.

Lagos State has also described itself as an early “anchor” for the program. Lagos State Government announced it will lead the way in providing 6 million free cookstoves. Distribution in the state has started in June 2025, beginning in Makoko.

Mr. Tunde Lemo, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, commented:

“This is not a pilot. It is not a promise. It is a nationally endorsed, structured, and scalable intervention…This is one of the most ambitious clean cooking and household energy transition programmes ever undertaken globally.”

An 80 Million Stove Rollout With National Ambitions

Lagos State’s climate office describes the initiative as a nationwide effort to deploy 80 million efficient cookstoves free of charge. It says the goal is to sharply reduce traditional firewood use for women and low-income households.

Large stove programs usually try to replace or improve traditional cooking methods that produce heavy smoke indoors. In many households, cooking uses wood, charcoal, or other solid fuels. These fuels can release fine particles and other pollutants, especially in kitchens with poor airflow.

The Clean Cooking Alliance’s Nigeria dashboard uses official sources like the World Bank. It estimates that over 167 million people, or 73.8%, in Nigeria did not have access to clean cooking in 2023.

That gap is wider outside cities. The same dashboard reports that 26.2% of Nigeria’s population had access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking in 2023. It also reports 48.7% access in urban areas versus 9.7% in rural areas in 2023.

Cooking Smoke as a Public Health Crisis

Global health agencies link household smoke from cooking to major health harms. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that household air pollution led to around 2.9 million deaths in 2021. This includes more than 309,000 children under age 5.

WHO also estimates that household air pollution caused about 95 million DALYs in 2021. This measure combines years lost to early death and disability. The organization notes that the health burden is tied to diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and lung disease.

Moreover, a WHO technical page shows how household air pollution causes deaths. Here’s the breakdown:

• Ischaemic heart disease: 32%
• Stroke: 23%
• Lower respiratory infections: 21%
• COPD: 19%
• Lung cancer: 6%

Global energy data also shows the scale of the challenge. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates 2.3 billion people worldwide still cook using open fires or basic stoves that create harmful smoke.

In Nigeria, a large stove program could affect health most in communities that rely heavily on fuelwood or charcoal. It could also change how much time families spend collecting fuel. It could lower daily smoke exposure for cooks and nearby children when stoves are used correctly and consistently.

From Kitchen Emissions to Carbon Markets

The project narrative links emissions cuts from cleaner cooking to carbon markets. Carbon crediting usually relies on measuring and verifying how much a project cuts greenhouse gas emissions compared to a baseline.

• RELATED: Verra’s Cookstove Credits Get ICVCM Green Light – Boosting Carbon Market Trust

International rules also matter if the project aims to generate credits for compliance uses under the Paris Agreement. Under Article 6, countries can cooperate to meet climate targets, including through carbon credits created from verified emission reductions.

Within Article 6, the Article 6.4 mechanism (also called the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism) has a UN-backed governance structure. UNFCCC explains that an Article 6.4 Supervisory Body develops and supervises requirements to run the mechanism. This includes approving methodologies, registering activities, accrediting verification bodies, and managing a registry.

This matters because cookstove projects often face scrutiny over real-world use. Carbon credit quality can depend on factors like whether households actually use the new stove, how long they keep using it, and whether old stoves stay in use at the same time. Credible monitoring and verification are central to project integrity under any crediting pathway.

The IEA predicts that clean cooking access will hit around 85% by 2030. This means over 350 million people, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, will still lack safe cooking options. They will continue to rely on polluting open fires and basic stoves.

To achieve universal access by 2030, there’s a need to connect 160 million people each year. However, funding shortages and infrastructure issues make this unlikely. That requires about $2 billion a year just for Africa to make it happen.

The IEA believes full access by 2040 is more realistic. This will come from increased use of LPG, which will cover about 60% of new connections. It will also involve electric cooking, advanced biomass stoves, and various financing options such as carbon credits. And Nigeria is heading in that direction.

What a $5 Billion Carbon Claim Would Require

Nigeria already has experience with cookstove carbon projects on a smaller scale. The Clean Cooking Alliance’s Nigeria dashboard says the country has 18 registered cookstove projects that have generated 3.4 million carbon credits to date.

The credits from 9 developers are verified by Verra’s VCS and Gold Standard, as seen:

The proposed 80 million-stove rollout is far larger than typical programs. Supporters argue that scale could also mean large volumes of credited emission reductions, especially if adoption remains high over many years.

The $5 billion per year figure has drawn attention because it implies both a large credit volume and a strong credit price. The figure cited in Nigerian reporting was presented as a projection tied to “verified” carbon credit revenues once the project is fully deployed.

Still, projected revenue is not the same as guaranteed income. Real outcomes depend on several conditions, including:

• The number of stoves actually delivered and used,
• The verified emissions reductions per household,
• Approval under the chosen crediting pathway,
• Market demand, and
• The price and transaction costs for credits.

Lagos State’s official post highlights a key milestone: 6 million stoves in Lagos. However, it does not confirm future credit volumes or prices.

Delivery, Use, and Verification Will Decide the Outcome

Several signals will help observers judge the program’s progress and credibility.

First is delivery at scale. A plan for 80 million stoves requires large manufacturing or import capacity, distribution logistics, and after-sales support. Maintenance matters because stoves can fail or be abandoned if they do not meet cooking needs.

Second is sustained use. Clean cooking benefits and emissions cuts depend on households consistently using the new stove. Programs often track usage through surveys, sensors, or fuel consumption checks. Strong monitoring also supports more credible carbon claims.

Third is alignment with recognized rules. If the project aims to issue credits under Paris Agreement pathways, it must follow the requirements of Article 6.4 Supervisory Body. This includes using accepted methodologies and verification practices.

Finally, there is the public data baseline. Nigeria’s clean cooking access is still low overall. The Clean Cooking Alliance dashboard, using World Bank data, reported 26.2% access in 2023, with much lower access in rural areas. A well-run program could shift those numbers over time, but it will require steady funding and coordination across states.

For now, the story combines a large public health goal with a climate finance goal, and the scale is ambitious. The key question is whether implementation, monitoring, and market demand can match the size of the revenue promise.

• READ MORE: World Bank’s $200M Bond Links Carbon Credits and Clean Cookstoves in Ghana

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