Kuwait City, November 10 (QNA) - The world will need substantially more electricity in the decades ahead, but it cannot afford to sideline other energy sources, OPEC Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais said Tuesday, arguing that the future belongs to all forms of energy, not just one.
Speaking to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) as the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) takes place, Al Ghais added that there is widespread talk of an "Age of Electricity", but that this vision is not yet fully realized. He argued that the future should instead usher in an "Age of all Energies", with a clear understanding of how each energy source contributes to the others.
Al Ghais outlined four blind spots in the debate over electrification. First, he said, the "electrification of everything" has a material reality: the so-called "Age of Electricity" requires hardware to be installed everywhere, filling homes, offices, cars and cities with an ever-growing array of equipment.
He clarified that producing and delivering this equipment relies on international supply chains, with materials making multiple journeys and often traversing the globe before reaching final assembly lines. These logistics, he noted, remain overwhelmingly dependent on petroleum-powered transportation.
Al Ghais also said wider electrification would usher in an "Age of More Cables and Chargers" and drive demand for more petroleum-derived products. The devices underpinning this transition, he noted, are highly dependent on plastic, pointing to the plastic insulation and jackets used in cables, chargers and power blocks, the plastic casings around transformers, and packaging that is often made from plastic.
The OPEC Chief further pointed to several challenges facing the expansion of electric vehicles, including the availability of critical minerals, public charging capacity, subsidies and market realities affecting both manufacturers and consumers. (QNA)