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UN Secretary-General António Guterres has named grids and storage as one of three priorities for the clean energy transition. Speaking at the COP31 high-level dialogue on clean energy transition and electrification in Antalya on 11 November 2026, he said that around 3,000 gigawatts (GW) of well-advanced renewable and storage projects worldwide are waiting to be connected to the grid, according to the remarks published by UNFCCC.
A connection queue that grew 60 per cent in a year
According to Guterres, the backlog is four times the wind and solar capacity the world connected to grids last year, and the queue expanded by 60 per cent in a single year.
His response was a call to modernise grids, build storage, speed up connections and link power systems across borders. Governments, he said, should prioritise these projects and financing partners should back them. He also pointed to the Global Grids Accelerator, launched at the UN Climate Summit in September, which is starting its work in Africa and Southeast Asia.
Electrification and energy security
The first of the three priorities set out by the Secretary-General was to accelerate electrification and the transition away from fossil fuels. Welcoming the ambition of the 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge, he called for wider use of electric buses, cars and trucks, more efficient electric heating and cooling, and more industry running on clean power. He also referred to the global goals of tripling renewable capacity and doubling energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
Noting that three out of four people live in countries that are net importers of fossil fuels, Guterres said: “Real energy security means breaking this dependence.” He warned that new oil and gas projects and import terminals risk high costs and stranded assets for decades.
Finance for affordable clean power
The third priority was making clean electricity affordable and accessible. Guterres said emerging and developing economies outside China receive only around one dollar in every five invested in clean energy, while many face borrowing costs two to three times those of advanced economies. He urged shareholders of multilateral development banks to give the banks more resources and room to take risk, and called for expanded guarantees and concessional finance.
Sources
- UNFCCC, “Powering the future: UN Secretary-General remarks to the high-level dialogue on clean energy transition and electrification”, 11 November 2026: unfccc.int
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