The year energy changed gear: defining what comes next
The global energy industry entered a new phase in 2025 - one defined not by transition, but by energy addition and capability building. In the latest issue of the Energy Connects Quarterly Review, we revisit the milestones, breakthrough technologies and landmark projects that reshaped the narrative, while looking ahead to the consequences that will unfold in 2026. With exclusive perspectives from industry CEOs and expert contributors, this edition explores how the convergence of molecules, electrons and AI is setting the course for the decade ahead.
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The Year in Energy: Key Insights
Why SAF forces us to rethink scale, feedstocks, and flexibility
SAF in 2026 is a focal point for climate ambition, energy security and industrial strategy, revealing both the scale of the challenge ahead and the breadth of solutions now taking shape. As we look towards 2026, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) sits at the intersection of climate ambition, energy security, and industrial strategy. Aviation has no near-term substitute for liquid fuels, which makes SAF not simply a decarbonisation lever, but a test of how quickly and intelligently the energy system can evolve.
A recalibration of the energy transition, not a U-turn
The global energy landscape is undergoing a shift, but not the kind of reversal that some commentators have described. Rather than abandoning the transition to cleaner energy, governments and companies are recalibrating it, adjusting pace, priorities, and investment flows in response to economic pressures, geopolitical realities, and the stubborn rise in global energy demand.
2026 outlook: how reliability and renewables can co-exist in the new energy map
There can be no energy security without climate security. Wild weather will hit offshore oil platforms and wind turbines, electricity cables and hydroelectric dams. Rising seas will flood petroleum refineries and nuclear power plants. Merciless heat waves will bring blackouts. But those who acknowledge the severity of the climate crisis still have genuine, well-founded concerns over the costs and risks of a very rapid shift to a low-carbon energy system, writes Robin M. Mills in his latest monthly column.
Oil markets into early 2026: geopolitics back in the driving seat
The first three weeks of 2026 have delivered a sharp reminder that geopolitics, not balances alone, will set the tone for oil markets this year. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump’s explicit threat of military action against Iran, and Washington’s revived push to acquire Greenland - now spilling into trade tensions with Europe - have together reinforced a core reality for traders and policymakers alike: supply uncertainty is back front-and-centre, even as prices appear deceptively calm.
2026: from ambition to execution in the green molecule transition
It is no longer enough to simply decarbonise electricity networks, but rather we now need to tackle the harder to abate sectors. 2025 was an important moment of clarification for the global energy and industrial sector when it comes to developing a nascent green molecule sector. Expectations became more grounded, timelines more realistic, and the sector moved beyond the early hype that inevitably accompanies major innovation. That is not a sign of slowing momentum. It is a sign of progress and maturity.
Global energy leaders join Energy Connects Advisory Board to drive the next phase of dynamic growth
Energy Connects, a global energy media platform by dmg events, has appointed a Global Advisory Board to strengthen its vision as the world’s leading source of thought leadership, analysis and intelligence in the energy sector.
