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The Canadian Climate Institute evaluates the federal government's new climate competitiveness strategy, highlighting the strengthening of industrial carbon pricing and methane regulations as promising steps. While the strategy includes investments in the electrical grid and critical minerals, the Institute notes a lack of detail on electric vehicle standards and a significant omission regarding climate adaptation infrastructure.

The We Mean Business Coalition supports the development of a fossil-fuel roadmap for COP30, arguing that such a framework can provide the clarity on targets and timelines necessary for long-term corporate investment. The Coalition emphasizes that for the roadmap to be effective, it must prioritize clean electrification, grid modernization, the removal of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, and a co-developed process that addresses the differing needs of the Global North and South to ensure a just transition.

While global renewable energy additions continue to break records, primarily driven by solar and China, current forecasts suggest a tripling by 2030 is not guaranteed without increased government ambition and implementation. The document highlights a misalignment between rapid deployment and national targets, which risks underinvestment in critical enabling systems such as grids, storage, and flexibility. It specifically emphasizes the need to scale up wind energy through supply chain unlocking and stable policy mechanisms, while urging parallel investment in infrastructure to prevent solar curtailment and bottlenecks.

Global renewable capacity additions are forecast to reach a record 793 GW in 2025, driven largely by solar and China's deployment. While the actual annual growth rate of additions from 2023 to 2025 (29%) has exceeded the 21% required to triple capacity by 2030, IEA forecasts suggest a potential 15% shortfall in capacity and a 28% shortfall in generation by 2030, primarily due to lags in wind and hydro. National targets remain insufficient, aiming for just over a doubling of capacity (7,793 GW) rather than a tripling, with solar targets particularly lagging behind actual deployment trends.

The document examines the critical infrastructure gaps in West Africa, highlighting how deficiencies in energy, transport, digital connectivity, and water management hinder economic growth and the goals of ECOWAS's Vision 2050. It details specific initiatives like the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway and the West African Power Pool (WAPP), while identifying barriers such as corruption, regulatory fragmentation, and a regional infrastructure funding gap estimated between USD 20 billion and USD 36 billion per year. The paper advocates for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), innovative financing like green bonds, and the inclusion of youth and SMEs to drive sustainable development.

The Canadian Climate Institute proposes six policy priorities for Canada's upcoming climate competitiveness strategy: modernizing industrial carbon pricing, expanding clean electricity grids, finalizing methane emission rules for oil and gas, maintaining the electric vehicle mandate, establishing a national climate investment taxonomy, and implementing the National Adaptation Strategy.

The report identifies a conservative USD 4.4 trillion pipeline of creditworthy sustainable bonds from 12 climate-leader countries through 2035. It argues that global megatrends—such as electrification, urbanisation, and the rise of AI—will further accelerate this pipeline beyond current projections. The document also outlines policy levers, including taxonomies and monetary policy, that governments can use to channel capital into mitigation and resilience projects.

The document argues that Europe's electricity grid is struggling to keep pace with the energy transition due to institutional bottlenecks, fragmented planning, and slow permitting. It recommends coordinating national and EU planning cycles on a two-year basis, extending planning horizons from 10 to 20 years, and establishing national 'one-stop shops' for permitting. Additionally, it advocates for the adoption of grid-enhancing technologies to increase network capacity by 20-40% and the creation of a centralized EU energy data platform to harmonize system planning.

The author contends that decarbonization is becoming the primary driver of global economic progress, citing the rapid adoption of renewables and electric vehicles in the EU, UK, and China. To remain competitive and diversify trade away from the US, Canada is urged to strengthen industrial carbon pricing, expand clean electricity grids, reduce oil and gas methane emissions, and maintain electric vehicle availability standards.

Türkiye aims for 120 GW of wind and solar capacity by 2035, but grid capacity limits and bureaucratic hurdles pose significant obstacles. The report suggests redirecting the $8.7 billion allocated for domestic coal subsidies toward grid modernisation and storage-integrated projects. Key strategies for increasing capacity include deploying rooftop solar (with a 120 GW potential), floating and hybrid solar at dammed hydroelectric plants, and utilizing a 33.1 GW stock of storage-integrated projects to maintain grid balance.

Turkey aims for 120 GW of wind and solar capacity by 2035, but grid capacity limits and bureaucratic hurdles pose significant risks. The report highlights that the $8.7 billion earmarked for domestic coal support through 2030 exceeds the 362 billion TL (approx. $5.7 billion) needed for a five-year grid renewal plan by 53%. To meet the 76.9 GW solar target, Turkey must install an average of 5.3 GW annually over the next decade, utilizing floating solar on dams, hybrid systems, storage, and rooftop solar to reduce grid pressure and ensure system stability.

The author contends that Canada needs a strong climate competitiveness strategy to diversify trade beyond the United States and remain competitive in markets like the EU, UK, and China. The text highlights the rapid global decline in costs for solar, wind, and batteries, and suggests specific policy actions for the Canadian government, including strengthening industrial carbon pricing, expanding electricity grids, reducing methane emissions, and maintaining the federal electric vehicle mandate.

The EU remains highly vulnerable to energy price shocks and supply disruptions due to a 58% reliance on imported fossil fuels for primary energy. While the power sector has largely transitioned to homegrown sources, sectors like transport (88% reliant on imports) and buildings remain exposed. The report argues that electrification can reduce fossil import dependency to 30% by 2040, noting that 67% of EU energy demand can already be electrified with mature technologies. Current frontrunners, such as Denmark with electric vehicles and the Netherlands with heat pumps, demonstrate significant displacement of oil and gas imports.

The document asserts that blackouts are predominantly caused by infrastructure failure, human error, and extreme weather, rather than the deployment of variable renewables. It highlights a significant investment gap in electricity grids, noting that while renewable energy investment has more than doubled since 2015, grid investment has only grown by 24%. The briefing argues that modernising grids with storage, interconnections, and decentralised generation can enhance adequacy, operational security, and resilience, including 'black start' capabilities. However, the IEA warns that grids risk becoming the "weak link" in the energy transition due to underinvestment in ageing assets and the inability to keep pace with rising global electricity demand.

China is transitioning from a focus on adding renewable capacity to building a "new electricity system" that integrates high levels of variable energy. In 2024, China invested $625 billion USD in clean energy, significantly outpacing other major regions. This shift, combined with expanding electrification in industry, transport, and buildings, is contributing to a structural decline in fossil fuel generation. By the first half of 2025, combined wind and solar generation surpassed the combined output of hydro, nuclear, and bioenergy, and total installed capacity for these sources exceeded that of coal for the first time.

The report finds that while CETP signatories have significantly reduced international public finance for fossil fuels, this has not been matched by a corresponding increase in clean energy support. It highlights ongoing policy violations by several high-income countries and the risk of backsliding due to political shifts, particularly the United States' exit from the partnership in February 2025. The authors recommend a joint quantitative target of at least USD 42 billion per year for clean energy in emerging markets and developing economies by 2026.

The document asserts that global trends in China, the EU, and India demonstrate that decarbonization is now aligned with basic economics. It argues that Canada must overcome its fragmented energy grid to leverage its 'dispatchable clean power' and attract investments in industry, buildings, transportation, and AI, warning that failing to modernize its electricity system will result in a loss of competitive advantage.

Ember proposes a comprehensive overhaul of European grid policy, arguing that electricity grids should be treated as strategic infrastructure for economic growth. Key recommendations include establishing a 'one-stop-shop' for financing, mandating independent and integrated infrastructure planning across energy carriers, and extending national planning horizons to 20 years. The briefing also advocates for a shift toward TOTEX-based regulatory approaches to incentivise flexibility and grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), alongside the standardisation of data sharing between transmission and distribution system operators to improve visibility of distributed assets and grid capacity.

The document outlines a new energy security framework for Central and Eastern Europe, emphasizing the transition to clean energy to reduce vulnerabilities associated with fossil fuel imports and geopolitical instability. It advocates for the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, the establishment of a grid security framework to counter hybrid warfare, and the expansion of the EU single energy market through harmonized permitting and increased interconnectivity. Additionally, it calls for the EU to adopt an incentive-based investment approach, similar to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, to maintain global competitiveness and avoid reliance on non-EU financing.

The report examines how smarter grid strategies can unlock digital infrastructure investments, particularly for AI and data centres. It highlights that long grid connection queues in Europe are deterring developers, but suggests that phased connections, non-firm (flexible) agreements, and strategic siting in priority zones can significantly reduce wait times and infrastructure costs. The document emphasizes that data centres often underutilize their contracted capacity and can offer flexibility to the grid, which could potentially double available capacity if implemented.