IEA’s ‘Electrification’ report: governments must back renewables, not nuclear and fossil fuels
22 September 2026
Climate Action Network International today warned that the COP31 “35-by-35” electrification target will fail to deliver climate progress unless it is powered by sustainable renewable energy – not nuclear power, oil, gas or coal – and implemented as a just, equitable and people-centred transition.
The warning follows the publication today of the International Energy Agency’s new special report, Electrification. Developed at the request of Türkiye and Australia through the strategic partnership between the COP31 Presidency and the agency, the report envisages a scenario in which nuclear power could make a “strong comeback” in its pathway aligned with net zero emissions by 2050. Under that pathway, annual nuclear capacity additions could rise from around 3 GW today to more than 40 GW by 2035.
35 by 35: What kind of power – and for whom?
During New York Climate Week, Türkiye launched the 35-by-35 pledge as part of the COP31 Action Agenda. CAN International said that reaching the numbers on paper would not constitute climate progress: governments have to consider how electricity is generated, what it is used for, who gains access to it, and who owns and controls the systems that deliver it.
The pledge says that the goal should be supported by “diverse and sustainable energy sources”, without defining those sources. The IEA’s High Electrification Scenario likewise does not determine how the additional electricity demand would be met but presents several scenarios.
Alongside the expansion of nuclear power envisaged in its net zero pathway, the report also presents a scenario where gas-fired generation could increase by around 2,000 TWh by 2035 under the supply mix based on stated policies.
Janet Milongo, Energy Transition Lead at CAN International, said: “The 35-by-35 target will only represent climate progress if it is powered by sustainable renewable energy – and that’s not nuclear or fossil fuels. Success cannot be measured simply by how much of the world’s final energy consumption becomes electric. We must ask what generates that electricity, who has access to it, who owns the infrastructure, and whether it is helping communities transition away from fossil fuels. Developing countries must have the resources and capacity to own, govern and shape their electricity systems in the public interest.”
The global electrification agenda must also strengthen energy sovereignty. International cooperation and investment should build domestic capabilities and resilient, public-interest energy systems – not create new dependencies in which grids, technologies and energy resources are controlled by foreign governments or multinational corporations.
The report acknowledges that electrification alone is not enough to meet climate goals and that how additional electricity demand is met has major implications for emissions. CAN International called for rising demand to be met through the rapid, just and equitable expansion of sustainable renewable energy, supported by energy efficiency and sufficiency, storage and fit-for-purpose grids. Public resources and political attention should be directed towards these rapidly deployable solutions, rather than costly, risky and slow-to-deploy nuclear projects or continued dependence on gas, oil and coal which run counter to climate science.
ENDS/
Additional civil society quotes:
Jacqueline Kimeu, Senior Climate Change and Energy Advisor, Christian Aid: “Investing scarce public resources in nuclear power is the wrong choice for a just energy transition, especially in developing countries, where electrification is not simply about replacing one technology with another. It means powering homes and hospitals, creating industries and jobs, and building resilient economies; needs that decentralised renewable energy can meet. Every dollar spent on nuclear power reduces investment in renewable solutions that can reach underserved communities quickly, create local jobs and provide clean energy without transferring hidden costs and risks to future generations. Achieving 35 by 35 therefore requires recognising countries’ different starting points and giving developing countries the finance, technology and policy space to shape their own renewable energy futures.”
Rajneesh Bhuee, Just Transition Co-lead, Recourse: “Electrification can be a powerful driver of the energy transition, but 35 by 35 only has climate credibility if it is powered by sustainable renewables. Paris alignment means avoiding new fossil fuel lock-in and directing public finance towards the grids, storage, efficiency and sustainable renewable energy systems needed to electrify at scale. Nuclear can not be treated as interchangeable with sustainable renewable solutions: doing so risks diverting scarce finance and attention from the rapid deployment of sustainable renewables. For the Global South, electrification must expand affordable, reliable access without creating new dependencies.”
Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager Climate Change and Green Economy, CSE India: “Electrification is a low-hanging fruit to support economy-wide decarbonisation as countries work towards achieving their climate goals. The effort must be to ensure that it is backed by grid-scale renewable energy coupled with storage, so that we achieve twin goals: electrifying infrastructure and drawing down fossil fuel use. For this to work, customized sectoral needs and gaps for developing countries must be identified, and developed countries must commit the corresponding financial and technological support for this global target to work.”
Stela Herschmann, Lead of International Policy, Observatório do Clima (Brasil): “Electrification is key to tackling the root cause of the climate and energy crisis – but only if those electrons come from renewables, not fossil fuels. It’s a means, not an end. Any target needs to be anchored in real guardrails: it must close the energy access gap, be backed by public finance, and respect community rights, not repeat the harms of extraction.”
Notes to Editors
- https://www.iea.org/reports/electrification
- https://cop31.tr/news-detail/cop31-35-by-35-global-electrification-pledge
- CAN International calls for:
- Industrialised countries to take the lead in electrifying and decarbonising their high-consumption economies.
- Developing countries to receive the finance, technology and policy space needed to expand reliable, affordable and sustainable renewable electricity.
- Electrification strategies in developing countries to expand energy access, power homes and public services, support sustainable industrialisation and job creation, and contribute to poverty reduction.
- Progress to be measured not by a global percentage alone, but by whether electrification reduces fossil-fuel dependence, delivers universal access to quality renewable energy, strengthens democratic control over energy systems and reduces inequalities within and between countries.
- Electrification and decarbonisation to advance together: the world cannot afford to electrify first and decarbonise later.
Contact:
media@climatenetwork.org