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Nigeria holds 33 percent of Africa's gas reserves and is implementing the 'Decade of Gas' (2021-2030) to transition toward a gas-powered economy. While the country is a top global LNG exporter, it faces significant internal challenges, including high gas flaring (188 Bcf in 2022), inadequate pipeline infrastructure, and poor payment discipline in the power sector. The document argues that natural gas can serve as a bridge fuel toward Nigeria's net-zero 2060 goal and a catalyst for African industrialization in sectors like fertilizers and petrochemicals. However, the global energy transition is leading International Oil Companies (IOCs) to divest from onshore assets, and geopolitical instability—specifically Niger's 2023 coup—threatens major cross-border projects like the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline.

The briefing argues that for a transition away from fossil fuels to be equitable, advanced economies must lead with more aggressive emission reductions. Using the IEA's Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario, it highlights that advanced economies need to reduce oil emissions by 40% and gas emissions by 33% by 2030, compared to significantly lower targets for emerging and developing economies. The document warns that recent failures to reduce emissions have led to a decline in the ambition of these targets in updated IEA models.

The report analyzes disinformation surrounding the Saguaro Project, finding that a significant portion of content on Facebook (43%) and YouTube (39%) used misleading narratives to frame the fossil gas project as a climate solution and driver of economic growth. Government accounts and media outlets were primary sources of this content, often employing 'transition fuel' rhetoric to legitimize the project despite its environmental impacts and legal challenges.

In 2025 Q3, US utility resource plans showed increasing projected electricity demand and emissions, with many utilities delaying fossil plant retirements to ensure resource adequacy. Load growth is primarily driven by large loads like data centers, while the phase-out of federal renewable tax credits and MISO regulatory changes have led to reduced wind and solar plans and increased reliance on gas capacity. Current IRP projections indicate a significant gap between planned emissions reductions and the net-zero targets required by 2035 for climate alignment.

The briefing criticizes multilateral development banks (MDBs) for continuing to fund large-scale, centralized energy projects that the authors categorize as 'false solutions,' such as nuclear, carbon capture, and fossil gas. It argues these investments undermine equity and delay the transition to sustainable energy. Using case studies from Africa and Asia, the document recommends that MDBs prioritize decentralized renewable energy, reform climate finance frameworks, and ensure the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of Indigenous peoples.

In the first half of 2025, global solar and wind generation grew sufficiently to meet and exceed total electricity demand growth, leading to renewables overtaking coal in the global electricity mix for the first time. Solar generation saw record absolute growth, while total fossil fuel generation declined slightly. Consequently, global CO2 emissions from the power sector fell marginally by 0.2%, although results varied by region, with emissions decreasing in China and India but increasing in the US and EU.

In the first half of 2025, global solar and wind generation grew sufficiently to exceed total electricity demand growth, leading to renewables overtaking coal's share of the global electricity mix for the first time on record. While China and India saw declines in fossil fuel generation and emissions, the US and EU experienced increases due to demand growth outpacing clean energy in the US and unfavorable weather affecting wind and hydro in the EU.

A coalition of NGOs, including Reclaim Finance and Friends of the Earth France, is urging banks to withdraw support for gas projects in Mozambique, specifically citing the 'fortress strategy' of TotalEnergies and the ongoing instability in Cabo Delgado.

A coalition of civil society organisations, including Reclaim Finance and Justiça Ambiental!, condemns the push by companies like TotalEnergies, ENI, and ExxonMobil to advance gas projects in Mozambique. They argue that restarting these projects, specifically the Mozambique LNG project, ignores unresolved community grievances and escalates security risks in Cabo Delgado. The organisations call on over 30 financial institutions, including Crédit Agricole and Standard Chartered, to withdraw support to avoid complicity in human rights abuses and environmental destruction.

Spain has significantly lowered its wholesale electricity prices by decoupling them from volatile fossil fuel costs through the expansion of wind and solar capacity. In the first half of 2025, Spain's wholesale prices were 32% lower than the EU average, with the share of hours where prices were tied to gas costs dropping from 75% in 2019 to 19% in 2025. However, a blackout on April 28, 2025, led to a 'reinforced mode' of grid operation that increased reliance on gas for stability services. This resulted in the cost of grid balancing doubling in May 2025 and renewable curtailment tripling from 1.8% to 7.2% between May and July 2025. The report highlights a lag in investment in battery storage and grid-enhancing technologies, noting that Spain's 120 MW battery fleet is only the 13th largest in Europe despite being the 4th largest power market. To address this, Spain is implementing reforms, including adding eight synchronous compensators to the mainland grid and expanding its battery storage pipeline.

ClientEarth argues that the GBER lacks effective environmental safeguards and continues to permit harmful subsidies, particularly for fossil gas. The organisation proposes introducing horizontal conditionalities, such as the 'Do No Significant Harm' principle and the 'Energy Efficiency First' principle, and calls for the removal of block exemptions for fossil gas activities and tax reductions on fossil gas-fired electricity. Additionally, it suggests creating a tailored block exemption to support small-scale coastal fishing.

Thailand's draft revised power development plan (RPDP) targets a 51% renewable energy share by 2037, up from a previous target of 36%. Despite plans to phase out up to 8 GW of fossil fuel capacity by 2037, the RPDP still includes 6.3 GW of new gas capacity. The report warns that increasing reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG)—which is projected to reach 60% of the gas mix by 2035—exposes Thailand to price volatility and geopolitical risks, as evidenced by a 141% surge in the import bill between 2021 and 2022. The document suggests that Thailand could be more aggressive in transitioning away from fossils to avoid economic vulnerability and stranded assets.

The report proposes a cost-optimal energy pathway for Thailand that exceeds the Revised Power Development Plan (RPDP) targets by adding 32 GW of solar and 6 GW/15 GWh of battery storage by 2037. This shift would result in cumulative cost savings of $1.8 billion and avoid 147 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. The analysis suggests that Thailand can meet its demand without adding 2 GW of planned natural gas capacity, as solar and batteries can cover growth from data centres and EV charging. While wind power is deemed financially unviable unless capital expenditures drop by 10% annually, the report suggests importing hydropower from Lao PDR as a cost-effective alternative to wind, despite risks related to import dependency and climate-driven droughts.

The report proposes a cost-optimal energy pathway for Thailand through 2037, suggesting that increasing solar capacity by 89% and battery storage by 60% relative to the draft revised power development plan (RPDP) 2024 can save $1.8 billion in power generation costs. This pathway aims to meet rising electricity demand from data centres (projected 10 TWh increase) and electric vehicles (projected 3.3 GW peak load increase) while reducing natural gas imports by 1,815 billion cubic feet. The analysis finds that wind energy is not financially viable without a 10% annual CAPEX reduction, suggesting imported hydropower from Lao PDR as a more cost-effective alternative.

The report details how the Asian Development Bank, World Bank Group (IFC), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have provided direct and indirect financing for the Tangguh LNG project since 2005. It asserts that the project locks Indonesia into fossil gas dependence, causes environmental destruction, displaces Indigenous communities, and increases greenhouse gas emissions. The document concludes by urging MDBs to end all fossil fuel funding and reject the 'gas as a transition fuel' narrative, specifically opposing the proposed expansion into a fourth production facility and a carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) facility.

The report details how the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank Group's IFC, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have financed Tangguh LNG, Indonesia's largest gas extraction site. It argues that this support locks Indonesia into fossil gas dependence, harms Indigenous communities, and increases greenhouse gas emissions, while calling for MDBs to end all fossil fuel funding.

The document examines Nigeria's vulnerability to global energy transitions due to its heavy reliance on oil and gas exports, high production costs, and limited economic diversification. It highlights the risks of reduced government revenue and job losses while identifying opportunities in critical minerals, natural gas as a transition fuel, and non-oil sector growth.

The document examines the practice of gas line extension allowances, where the cost of connecting new buildings to the natural gas system is funded through the bills of existing customers. It argues that this model is failing as customers shift toward electric alternatives, creating a financial risk of stranded investments. Eight US states have already taken action to reduce or phase out these subsidies, which RMI estimates could save up to $750 million in annual utility costs across those states. Evidence from California and Colorado suggests that removing these subsidies encourages developers to choose all-electric options over gas.

China is advancing a 1.3 TW pipeline of utility-scale solar and wind projects, with operating capacity reaching 1.4 TW by 2025. The country has become a global leader in offshore wind, growing its capacity to 42.7 GW by March 2025. While offshore wind is being used to decarbonize coastal industries and produce green hydrogen, the sector faces challenges from the 2021 phaseout of national subsidies and competition from ongoing coal and gas developments. The report suggests adopting hybrid auction mechanisms and centralized marine spatial planning to ensure sustainable growth.

The 2025 Utility Roundtable highlighted the need for African power utilities to move beyond dependency on foreign aid by adopting new financing strategies, addressing structural inefficiencies like commercial losses, and strategically integrating renewable energy into fragile grids through regional collaboration and private sector engagement.