Everything Energy

Four-day workweeks. Designated driving days. Fewer business trips. Across Southeast Asia, governments have been moving quickly to adopt measures that conserve fuel – highlighting the region’s exposure to the energy crisis caused by the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In this episode, Sue-Ern Tan, Head of the IEA’s Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore, explains why countries in Southeast Asia are among the hardest hit by current energy supply disruptions. She discusses how rising prices and fuel shortages are already affecting daily life – and the steps governments are taking to help shield consumers from the worst impacts.

Oil prices have surged amid the war in the Middle East, putting pressures on consumers around the world. To help address the supply disruptions, the IEA is coordinating the largest ever release of oil from countries’ emergency reserves. But actions on the demand side can also play a key role. In this episode, Stéphanie Bouckaert, Head of the IEA’s Demand Sectors Unit, and Lucas Boehlé, an analyst specialising in energy efficiency, explain 10 practical options for governments, businesses and households that could help shelter consumers from oil price pressures during this unfolding crisis.

The global oil market is facing the most severe disruption in its history, with the war in the Middle East largely halting energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade chokepoint. In response to this disruption, IEA Member countries agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency stocks – the largest collective action since the Agency’s founding more than 50 years ago. In this special episode, IEA Director of Energy Markets and Security Keisuke Sadamori puts the stock release in context and answers key questions about the decision and its implementation.

As risks multiply around the world, energy security has rapidly climbed to the top of the political agenda – leaving policymakers to navigate an increasingly complex mix of traditional threats and emerging vulnerabilities. This episode features conversations with Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and Minister-in-Charge of Energy, Science and Technology, and Leila Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development. Speaking on the sidelines of the IEA’s 2026 Ministerial Meeting, they discuss the fast-evolving energy security challenges facing their countries and the measures they are taking to tackle them. IEA Chief Energy Economist Tim Gould also joins the episode to highlight key findings from the recent World Energy Outlook 2025 report, which explores the potential implications of a shifting and multifaceted energy security context for decision-makers worldwide.

The global energy sector is adding jobs twice as fast as the overall economy. But where is this growth coming from? And with skills shortages increasing, can it keep up the momentum? In this episode, IEA analysts Elspeth Hathaway and Rebecca Ruff – two authors of the World Energy Employment report – dive into the latest data. They talk about who works in the energy sector, what’s been driving the strong rise in energy jobs globally, and how to tackle growing skills gaps, which could otherwise complicate efforts by countries to meet rising energy demand securely and affordably.

Enthusiasm for hydrogen has surged in recent years. The most abundant element in the universe, it offers a wide range of potential energy applications, and many governments now see it as an important part of the solution to their energy challenges.Much of the focus has been on low‑emissions hydrogen. But building markets around a still‑emerging technology is far from straightforward. In this episode, IEA Energy Technology Analyst José Bermudez explores the obstacles that have slowed progress – and discusses why production could still grow strongly between now and 2030.

The car industry is a key part of many economies – and with passenger cars representing the single largest source of global oil demand today, changes in the worldwide auto sector have important implications for the energy sector. The global car industry is undergoing significant shifts, as the geography of car production evolves, new regions drive sales growth, and electric cars expand consumer choices. In this episode, IEA Energy Technology Analysts Elizabeth Connelly and Leonardo Paoli – the lead authors of a recent report on the car industry – unpack the structural trends. They examine the underlying drivers, assess the potential implications for the energy sector and beyond, and discuss how competitiveness can be sustained in this market context.