IEA Electricity Mid-Year Update 2026

The International Energy Agency (IEA) releases its Electricity Mid-Year Update 2026, projecting global electricity consumption to rise from 28,600 terawatt hours in 2025 to 30,700 terawatt hours by 2027. The update states renewable electricity generation is set to overtake coal globally in 2026, and provides forecasts on solar PV, wind, gas-fired generation, nuclear power, and India’s electricity demand trends.

IEA Electricity Mid-Year Update 2026: 

Dimension	Key Details
Report and projection	The IEA’s Electricity Mid-Year Update 2026 provides that global electricity consumption is projected to rise from 28,600 terawatt hours in 2025 to 30,700 terawatt hours by 2027.
Renewables versus coal	Renewable electricity generation is set to overtake coal globally in 2026, after reaching near parity in 2025.
Drivers of demand growth	Electricity consumption growth is driven by industry, electric vehicles, cooling, appliances, and data centres.
Largest contributor to supply growth	Solar photovoltaic power remains the largest contributor to global electricity supply growth.
Solar PV position among renewables	Solar PV is to surpass wind power and become the world’s second-largest renewable electricity source after hydropower.
Gas-fired generation outlook	Global gas-fired electricity generation is forecast to remain broadly unchanged in 2026, breaking the growth trend seen through much of the past decade.
Nuclear generation outlook	Nuclear power generation is expected to rise in 2026 and accelerate in 2027, supported by new reactors coming online in China and India, and strong output in the United States and France.
India electricity demand forecast	India’s electricity demand is forecast to rebound by 7% in 2026, supported by industrial activity, services growth, and heatwave-driven cooling demand.
India variable renewable milestone (July)	India has crossed 100 GW of variable renewable energy supply for the first time in July, even as rising evening peaks continue to strain the grid.
India evening peak implication	Rapidly rising evening peak demand requires coal and gas-fired plants to increase generation.
India solar PV and wind growth (H1 2026)	India’s combined solar PV and wind generation has risen by more than 25% during the first half of 2026.
India share in total power supply	India’s combined solar PV and wind share in total power supply reaches 42.79%, the highest recorded so far.
Instantaneous VRE generation	Instantaneous ground-mounted variable renewable energy generation touches an all-time high of 103 GW.
Renewables share range	Renewable energy’s share ranges between 35% and 42%.
Non-fossil share	When hydropower and nuclear power are included, non-fossil sources account for nearly half of total electricity supply.
IEA status and headquarters	The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization, established in 1974.
IEA core functions	The IEA provides policy recommendations, analysis, and data on the global energy sector.
IEA membership numbers and share	The 32 member countries and 13 association countries of the IEA represent 75% of global energy demand.
IEA institutional framework	The IEA is set up under the framework of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis.
IEA publications	IEA publications include the annual World Energy Outlook, and the Net Zero by 2050 report.
IEA members and Paris Agreement	All IEA member countries have signed the Paris Agreement which aims to limit warming to 1.5 °C, and two thirds of IEA member governments have made commitments to emission neutrality by 2050.
United States and withdrawal	The United States has withdrawn twice.
India IEA association status	India officially declares its “Association” status with the IEA on March 30, 2017.
Brazil membership process	In July 2025, Brazil starts the process to become a member country.
IEA programme and priority countries	Clean Energy Transitions Programme of IEA identifies Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Africa as priority countries.