BERLIN, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's achievements in clean energy technologies are impressive and have accelerated the global energy transition, Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told Xinhua in a recent interview.
The global energy crisis is reshaping energy markets, prompting the adoption of renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs) as countries seek to reduce their dependence on traditional energy sources, said Birol on the sidelines of the just-concluded Berlin Global Dialogue.
Birol highlighted China's important role in addressing current energy challenges and promoting international energy cooperation, recalling that at the 16th APEC Energy Ministers' Meeting, held in Beijing in September, representatives discussed the current energy crisis and ways for Asia-Pacific economies to work together to address it.
He said that since March this year, the world has faced an unprecedented energy security challenge following disruptions to the two major arteries that had long underpinned global energy flows: energy supplies from western Siberia, Russia, to Europe, and shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to Asia and beyond.
To mitigate disruptions in global oil markets, the IEA announced on March 11 that it would coordinate the release of 400 million barrels of oil reserves by its member countries. The move helped calm market concerns after oil prices initially surged, Birol said. However, he stressed that strategic stock releases could only cushion the impact of supply disruptions, rather than provide a lasting solution.
Beyond their impact on oil and gas prices, supply disruptions are also reshaping global energy trade relations, with some longstanding partnerships giving way to new ones, Birol observed.
He identified key trends emerging in the global energy sector since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East: rapid growth in renewable energy, rising EV sales, a modest increase in coal use, and renewed momentum behind nuclear power.
He said that solar power is the leading source of growth, followed by wind, and that biofuel use was also rising strongly, partly due to higher diesel and gasoline prices.
Birol pointed out that the rapid expansion of renewable energy was driven not only by climate and environmental concerns but also by energy security considerations and countries' efforts to increase domestic energy production.
Noting that EVs are growing rapidly in many markets around the world, Birol said reducing dependence on oil is an important factor driving this trend, which is evident not only in Europe but also in Brazil, Australia and Southeast Asia.
Highlighting China's role in the global energy transition, Birol said that China's electric vehicle market is developing rapidly, with EVs now accounting for about 60 percent of new car sales in the country.
The widespread adoption of EVs is not only fueling a transformation in the automotive industry but also changing the global energy consumption structure and will have a profound impact on the future energy market, he added.■
