IEA Warns Of Emerging Energy Security Risks

2 May 2025 Issue: 68 / 18 By: Jamie Ingram

The concentration of critical minerals key to the energy transition is a major emerging energy security risk, warns the IEA’s Executive Director. European leaders hope to take back control of energy security through domestic clean-energy production, but it’s rarely so simple.

London played host to an array of energy sector heavyweights last week for the Summit on the Future of Energy Security, arranged by the UK Government and IEA. Featuring senior government officials from across the globe – although GCC officials were notable for their absence – the summit examined “the geopolitical, technological and economic factors affecting energy security at the national and international level.”

Energy security has risen back up the policy agenda in recent years, especially following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine which saw oil and gas prices spike, with Europe in particular seeking to end its reliance on Russian energy flows. The subsequent recalibration of trade flows injected additional friction into the system, although the impact on supply itself was limited, and this was then exacerbated by the effective closure of the Red Sea to most shipping since early-2024 due to Houthi attacks (MEES, 21 March). (CONTINUED - 706 WORDS)