A report released on February 6 by the International Energy Agency predicts that global electricity demand will grow at an average annual rate of over 3.5% from now until 2030. By that year, the combined share of renewable energy and nuclear power in the global electricity mix is projected to rise to 50%.

The annual report, titled "Electricity 2026," states that electricity demand growth is expected to be at least 2.5 times faster than overall energy demand growth through 2030. Key drivers include increased industrial electricity consumption, continued adoption of electric vehicles, rising demand for air conditioning, and growing electricity use by data centers and artificial intelligence technologies. Emerging and developing economies remain the primary engine for electricity demand growth, while consumption in advanced economies has also begun to increase after a 15-year period of stagnation.

Driven by record-level deployment of solar power facilities, global renewable energy generation is on track to surpass coal-fired power. The latest data indicates that the two sources reached near parity in 2025. Nuclear power generation is also hitting new records. It is projected that by 2030, renewable energy and nuclear power combined will supply 50% of the world's electricity, up from the current level of 42%.

With the expansion of renewables, the share of coal-fired power in the global electricity mix is expected to decline, falling back to 2021 levels by 2030. As a result, carbon emissions from the global power generation sector are forecast to remain broadly stable from now until 2030.

In a related press release, the IEA noted that current global electricity demand growth is significantly higher than the average rate seen over the past decade. The projected increase in global electricity consumption by 2030 is equivalent to adding more than twice the European Union's current electricity demand. To meet this rising demand, annual investment in power grids needs to increase by 50% by 2030, and greater emphasis must be placed on ensuring the security and resilience of grid systems.