COP31 sets 35% electricity target for 2035
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Fanamc
A group of countries approved, at the COP31 leaders’ summit in Antalya, Türkiye, a pledge by the Turkish presidency to raise electricity’s share of global final energy consumption from around 23% to 35% by 2035. According to the World Resources Institute cited by Fanamc, this will require expanding clean generation, modernising grids and financing national roadmaps.
A group of countries approved on Wednesday 11 November, at the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya, Türkiye, a pledge by the conference presidency to raise electricity’s share of global final energy consumption from around 23% today to 35% in 2035, Ethiopian media outlet Fanamc reports. The target aims to strengthen energy security, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy systems.
Nick Wayth, global director of the Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition at the World Resources Institute, said the pledge shows that electricity will play a central role in future energy security, particularly in the face of energy price shocks and geopolitical instability. He believes countries must now translate their pledges into credible national electrification and clean-energy roadmaps, backed by investment, effective policies and regulatory reforms.
Reaching 35% will require expanding clean electricity generation, modernising grids, investing in energy storage and improving system flexibility to absorb growing demand. On the consumption side, the transition involves the deployment of electric vehicles and buses, heat pumps, electrical appliances and industrial technologies. Nick Wayth finally stresses that electrification must be accompanied by a fair and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels, with each country following a pathway suited to its circumstances.
