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Agadir – Morocco is participating in the 2026 Ministerial Meeting of the International Energy Agency (IEA), held on 18 and 19 February 18-19 at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
Morocco is represented by Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, who is leading a delegation that includes senior officials from her department.
The meeting offers a platform to review the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) accomplishments and examine major global energy challenges and opportunities.
Morocco, which became an associate member of the IEA in 2016, the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to join, continues to affirm its commitment to sustainable energy development and strengthened international cooperation in the sector.
Besides energy ministers from IEA member and associate countries, the event integrated CEOs from the energy sector and other strategic industries, heads of international organizations, and civil society.
All gathered to focus on developments in energy markets and policies and their implications for energy security, affordability, and sustainability.
A major focus of the meeting is energy innovation, recognized as a critical driver of secure, sustainable, and affordable energy systems, as well as industrial competitiveness and economic growth.
The Ministerial coincides with the 3rd annual IEA Energy Innovation Forum, which kicked off today.
The event gathers high-level government representatives, executives from corporates and start-ups, and members of the investment and research community to review recent advances in energy innovation and participate in detailed exchanges on policies and the development of innovation ecosystems.
The Ministerial meeting included a high-level dialogue on energy security in the electricity age, plenary sessions on investing in safe, affordable, and sustainable energy systems, and discussions on global cooperation to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the energy sector.
Critical timing
The timing of global energy policy and innovation discussions is particularly significant as electricity demand is entering a phase of sustained acceleration worldwide.
According to recent analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA), global electricity demand is expected to grow by roughly 3.5% to 3.6% annually through the second half of this decade, far higher than overall energy demand growth.
This surge is being driven by expanding electrification across industries, transport systems, cooling needs, and rapidly growing digital infrastructure, including data centers and artificial intelligence technologies.
The IEA describes this shift as the “Age of Electricity,” where power consumption is projected to rise at least 2.5 times faster than total energy demand through 2030.
By 2030, renewables and nuclear energy combined are expected to supply around 50% of global electricity generation, up from about 42% today. This requires a 50% increase in annual grid investment to meet the future electricity needs.
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