IEA Predicts Nuclear, Renewables to Provide Half of Electricity Needs by 2030

The International Energy Agency expects nuclear power and renewable energy to supply roughly half of global electricity demand by 2030, even as worldwide power consumption accelerates sharply. In its latest Electricity 2026 outlook, the agency points to rising industrial electrification, electric vehicle adoption, expanding data centers, and growing AI workloads as the primary drivers behind a surge in electricity use across advanced and emerging economies.

Global electricity demand is forecast to increase by an average of 3.6% annually through the end of the decade, significantly outpacing growth in overall energy demand. The report notes that electricity consumption is expanding more than twice as fast as total energy use as factories, transport systems, buildings, and digital infrastructure shift toward electrified systems.

Demand growth remains especially strong in heavy industry, cooling, and computing-intensive sectors.

Meeting this rising demand will depend not only on new generation capacity, but also on major investment in power networks. Keisuke Sadamori, the IEA’s director of energy markets and security, said annual spending on electricity grids needs to rise by around 50% by 2030 to keep pace. He added that flexibility, resilience, and security are becoming critical as power systems rely more heavily on weather-dependent generation.

Renewables are already transforming the global electricity mix, and the IEA estimates that renewable generation matched coal-fired output in 2025 and has begun to move ahead, supported by record solar deployment worldwide.

Looking ahead, renewables and nuclear energy together are projected to deliver about half of global electricity by 2030, up from just over 40% today. Solar power is expected to account for the largest share of new generation growth, contributing well over half of annual renewable additions.

Notably, renewables are increasingly replacing coal as the backbone of electricity supply in the European Union. The IEA projects that renewables will provide close to two-thirds of the bloc’s electricity by 2030, with wind and solar alone approaching half of total generation.

More than 400 gigawatts of new renewable capacity is expected to be added by the end of the decade, with solar making up the majority. Alongside renewables, nuclear power is regaining strategic importance across several energy markets.

Global nuclear generation reached a record level in 2025 and is expected to continue rising steadily, particularly in advanced economies seeking reliable, low-carbon power. Battery storage is also expanding rapidly in markets such as California, Germany, Texas, South Australia, and the United Kingdom, helping manage short-term fluctuations in supply and demand.

Despite this progress, grid congestion remains a growing bottleneck. Thousands of gigawatts of renewable and battery projects are waiting for grid connections, while curtailment is increasing in major markets including Germany and China.

Even so, with coal-fired generation expected to decline and gas growth remaining limited, the IEA anticipates that global power-sector carbon emissions will remain broadly flat through 2030, with reductions in China, the United States, and the European Union offsetting increases elsewhere.

For-profit entities like Turbo Energy S.A. (NASDAQ: TURB) are expected to play an increasing role in enabling the green energy transition in the markets where they have a presence.

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