IRENA Council convenes in Abu Dhabi

The 29th meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Council will convene on 11 September in Abu Dhabi, bringing together more than 400 government officials from 169 countries and the European Union.

Over two days, delegates will provide strategic guidance on IRENA’s work programme while tackling critical issues driving the global energy transition.

A central focus will be energy security, with discussions on diversifying supply chains, advancing next-generation technologies, and boosting regional manufacturing capabilities.

IRENA will share its latest analysis on the shifting geopolitical and economic dynamics of renewable energy supply chains, with particular attention to the solar PV sector.

The agenda also includes accelerating investment in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which IRENA highlights as essential to decarbonising long-haul aviation.

The Agency will present new initiatives to support SAF projects and channel financing through its platforms, enabling developers and governments to progress projects from early-stage concepts to bankable ventures.

The meeting will conclude with Members outlining future priorities for IRENA, addressing institutional matters, and preparing for the upcoming 30th session.

“Diverse, resilient and transparent supply chains are essential to achieve the tripling renewable power capacity target by 2030,” said IRENA director-general Francesco La Camera. “While the shift toward renewables is a key enabler for energy security and independence, global supply chains remain concentrated in a few nations. Efforts to diversify them, however, must contend with complex economic realities, making the 29th IRENA Council an important opportunity to advance this discussion collectively.” 

In his capacity as 29th IRENA Council Chair, H.E. Mr Francisco Chacón Hernández Ambassador of Costa Rica to the UAE, KSA and Jordan said, "IRENA has been and is a successful, inclusive vehicle of a universe of countries in their quest to find solutions towards a sustainable energy of the future. A future, envisioned to fulfill, in time, human aspirations for shared prosperity to all, the younger generations in particular. As a Costa Rican chair of the 29th Council, topics as energy transition, decarbonisation and renewable energies will be on the forefront of our aims and thoughts. True to our Costa Rican idiosyncrasy, we will never impose. We will seek to listen with respect to all, and team up together to get going, always in good faith."