29th IRENA Council to advance global dialogue on energy security, supply chains

Over the course of two days, more than 400 government officials from IRENA’s Members, comprising 169 countries and the European Union, will gather to provide strategic guidance on the Agency’s work programme and to address pressing issues shaping today’s global energy transition.

A key highlight for the 29th Council will be a programmatic discussion on energy security, exploring pathways to diversify supply chains, support next-generation technologies, and strengthen regional manufacturing capabilities.

The session will feature IRENA's latest analysis on the evolving geopolitical and economic landscape of renewable energy supply chains, with a specific focus on the solar PV sector.

Diverse, resilient and transparent supply chains are essential to achieve the tripling renewable power capacity target by 2030,” said IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera. “While the shift toward renewables is a key enabler for energy security and independence, global supply chains remain concentrated in a few nations. Efforts to diversify them, however, must contend with complex economic realities, making the 29th IRENA Council an important opportunity to advance this discussion collectively.”

In his capacity as 29th IRENA Council Chair, Francisco Chacón Hernández Ambassador of Costa Rica to the UAE, KSA and Jordan, said, “IRENA has been and is a successful, inclusive vehicle of a universe of countries in their quest to find solutions towards a sustainable energy of the future. A future, envisioned to fulfill, in time, human aspirations for shared prosperity to all, the younger generations in particular. As a Costa Rican chair of the 29th Council, topics as energy transition, decarbonization and renewable energies will be on the forefront of our aims and thoughts. True to our Costa Rican idiosyncrasy, we will never impose. We will seek to listen with respect to all, and team up together to get going, always in good faith.”

IRENA Members will also discuss advancing investments in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), recognised as central to decarbonising long-haul aviation by IRENA. The Agency will present its latest work on supporting SAF projects and mobilising investments through its financing platforms, helping countries and developers move projects from concept to bankable ventures.

The 29th Council will close by setting out priorities for IRENA’s future work, key institutional matters, and preparations for the 30th session.

As reported previously, the ADB and ACWA Power are to build Central Asia’s first wind power plant with battery energy storage.