World Energy Investment 2016

In this inaugural annual report on energy investments around the world, the IEA looks at the lifeblood of the global energy system: investment. The ability to attract and direct capital flows is vital to transitioning to a low-carbon economy while also maintaining energy security and expanding energy access worldwide. The success or failure of energy policies can be measured by their ability to mobilise investments. This new report measures in a detailed manner the state of investment in the energy system across technologies, sectors and regions. The analysis takes a comprehensive look at the critical issues confronting investors, policy makers and consumers over the past year. World Energy Investment 2016 addresses key issues, including: the level of investment in the global energy system in 2015; which countries which attracted the most capital; which fuels and technologies received the most investment, and which saw the biggest changes; how the low fuel price environment is affecting spending in upstream oil and gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and what this means for energy security; whether current investment trends are consistent with the transition to a low-carbon energy system; and how technological progress, new business models and key policy drivers such as the Paris Climate Agreement are reshaping investment. As a unique benchmark of current investment trends, World Energy Investment 2016 serves as a complement to the forecasts and projections found in other IEA publications and provides a critical foundation for decision making by governments and industry.