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A disorderly transition
Last year was one of records for renewables but also for oil, gas and coal, as the energy transition progresses in an increasingly uneven way, according to the Energy Institute’s latest annual report
Turkey aims to reduce dependence on energy imports
Country is boosting domestic energy production while targeting development of oil and gas reserves in Africa and Asia
Redraw the transportation roadmap now
A timebomb in copper mining should prompt policymakers to rethink road transport before battery-electric vehicles go down a dangerous dead end
India welcomes more US oil and gas
Refiners in India are expected to take greater volumes of US oil in the short term at the expense of Russia
Letter from India: Fast-tracking a global all-energy approach
The thrum of the government’s comprehensive energy internationalism could be seen in the flurry of deals and partnerships at India Energy Week amid a mission to meet the economy’s insatiable appetite
Outlook 2025: Why oil and gas must play a central role in the lower-carbon transition
The climate narrative has centred on phasing out fossil fuels in favour of renewables and novel solutions, but increasingly, policymakers are realising the importance of hydrocarbons as an enabler of the transition
Letter from Abu Dhabi: AI and the new energy guzzlers
The energy sector will need all viable technologies to meet surging demand as AI and datacentres drain power grids
Oil stocks have become truly strategic
Strategic stock releases designed to alleviate price shocks emanating from disruptions came into their own after the Russia crisis
Chinese oil demand growth poised to slow
Demand prospects are limited by decelerating economic expansion following the post-pandemic rebound
China’s accelerating transition to curtail oil and gas demand
Rapid electrification and the adoption of renewables may allow China to trim its dependence on fossil fuels and reach net zero sooner than previously expected
Copper ore
Supply and demand
Paul Hickin,
Editor-in-chief
6 March 2025
Follow @PetroleumEcon
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Redraw the transportation roadmap now

A timebomb in copper mining should prompt policymakers to rethink road transport before battery-electric vehicles go down a dangerous dead end

Climate policies assume the copper required to transition to zero carbon emissions is plentiful. That may be so, but the problem is it cannot be mined fast enough to electrify in a meaningful way. Hybrids, not full battery-electric vehicles, are the answer. A report by the International Energy Forum (IEF), an institution that brings together producers and consumers, has highlighted the risks of pursuing a full electric vehicle (EV) rollout by Western countries in the next ten years. EVs require 60kg of copper compared with an internal combustion engine automobile, which needs 24kg copper, and hybrids, which need 29kg. While the copper resources are available, 100% manufacture of EVs by 2035

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Latest EU sanctions largely toothless
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Without US backing, the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia—though not painless—is unlikely to have a significant impact on the country’s oil and gas revenues or its broader economy

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