Belém, Brazil
As the COP30 Climate Summit opens in Belém under Brazil’s presidency, the International Energy Agency is taking center stage in advancing global clean energy initiatives, with a particular emphasis on mobilizing transition finance and addressing Africa’s pressing energy challenges.
Running from November 10-21, 2025, this year’s conference focuses on implementation, translating climate ambitions into concrete action on energy and sustainability goals established during the first Global Stocktake.
Unlocking Hundreds of Billions in Transition Finance
One of the IEA’s flagship contributions to COP30 discussions is the newly released Scaling Up Transition Finance report, which addresses a critical gap in climate funding. While green finance has gained significant traction, many emissions-intensive sectors and regions struggle to attract adequate investment for their decarbonization journeys.
Transition finance offers a solution by supporting high-emission activities as they shift toward sustainable practices aligned with long-term climate goals. Though current flows remain modest, the IEA estimates that $400-500 billion per year could be mobilized over the next decade to complement existing green finance mechanisms.
The report identifies three sectors with particularly strong potential for transition finance applications. In cement and steel, interim measures such as energy efficiency improvements and waste heat recovery could bridge the gap before crucial reinvestment decisions arrive by 2035. For critical minerals, transition finance could unlock projects that expand clean energy supply chains while addressing environmental concerns. In natural gas, the focus is on reducing methane emissions and lowering the carbon footprint of liquefaction under transparent, time-bound decarbonization plans.
“Interest in transition finance has grown due to mounting concerns about energy security and emissions reductions,” the report notes, emphasizing that expanded financial flows from advanced to emerging economies are essential to prevent “financial carbon leakage.”
Mozambique: A Case Study in Energy Potential and Challenge
The IEA’s work extends beyond global frameworks to country-specific solutions. In Mozambique, the agency has released its first Energy Policy Review alongside a National Climate Resilience Assessment, highlighting both the opportunities and obstacles facing the East African nation.
Despite nearly doubling grid connections between 2017 and 2022, more than half of Mozambique’s population still lacks electricity access. Clean cooking solutions reach just 7% of residents. Yet the country possesses significant untapped resources including hydropower, solar energy, and natural gas that could transform it into a regional energy hub while spurring industrial development.
The IEA recommends that Mozambique undertake a blended finance needs assessment and review fiscal incentives to accelerate access projects. The country’s extensive mineral deposits, including graphite and bauxite, present additional opportunities for economic growth as outlined in Mozambique’s 2023 Energy Transition Strategy.
Building Africa’s Energy Data Infrastructure
Recognizing that effective policy requires robust information systems, the IEA partnered with the African Energy Commission to host a webinar on strengthening energy security data systems across the continent. With around 120 participants from energy ministries, regulators, and academia, the session addressed how African countries can develop short-term energy security indicators tailored to regional contexts.
The agency also co-hosted the Africa Energy Efficiency Policy Training Week in Accra, Ghana, bringing together policymakers from nearly 20 African countries. Energy efficiency is positioned as the fastest and most cost-effective pathway to expand electricity access while supporting sustainable economic growth across the continent.
Innovation as the Catalyst for Clean Energy Transitions
At the second IEA Energy Innovation Forum in Toronto, held in support of Canada’s G7 Presidency, over 200 experts from corporate research, finance, startups, and government convened to accelerate clean energy technology deployment. The forum highlighted successful innovation stories, from Ukraine’s largest battery energy storage system to microgrids powering Southeast Asian islands.
“Innovation is fundamental to recovery and development strategies,” emphasized Ukraine’s Minister of Energy Svitlana Grynchuk in a video intervention, underscoring how technology breakthroughs can serve both climate and development goals simultaneously.
The IEA’s Breakthrough Agenda 2025 report, produced with Climate Champions, emphasizes that global supply chains represent opportunities for emerging markets when supported by strong international collaboration. Technology and skills transfers, coupled with partnerships between advanced and developing economies, can accelerate clean technology manufacturing while diversifying supply chains.
From Ambition to Action
As COP30 progresses, the IEA serves as Secretariat for implementing conference objectives on renewables, energy efficiency, and energy access. The agency has worked closely with Brazil’s presidency through High-Level Energy Transition Dialogues in Brussels, Addis Ababa, and New York, providing analysis on sustainable fuels, tripling renewables, doubling energy efficiency by 2030, and scaling up investment in emerging economies.
With global electricity consumption projected to rise 60% by 2030, driven partly by growing household appliance use, the stakes for effective implementation have never been higher. The IEA’s multi-faceted approach—combining transition finance frameworks, country-specific policy support, capacity building, and innovation acceleration—aims to translate the ambitious goals set at previous climate conferences into measurable progress on the ground.
The question now is whether the international community can mobilize the financial resources, political will, and technological innovation necessary to meet the moment.
