Few propositions gain unanimity as readily as the case for rapidly developing sub-Saharan Africa’s energy infrastructure; while few issues are so controversial between nations as the place nuclear power should take in future global energy supply.

The global energy system is in danger of falling short of the hopes and expectations placed upon it. Turmoil in parts of the Middle East – which remains the only large source of low-cost oil – has rarely been greater since the oil shocks in the 1970s. Conflict between Russia and Ukraine has reignited concerns about gas security. Nuclear power, which for some countries plays a strategic role in energy security (and which is examined in depth in this edition of the World Energy Outlook [WEO-2014]), faces an uncertain future. Electricity remains inaccessible to many people, including two out of every three people in sub- Saharan Africa (the regional focus in WEO-2014). The point of departure for the climate negotiations, due to reach a climax in 2015, is not encouraging: a continued rise in global greenhouse-gas emissions and stifling air pollution in many of the world’s fast-growing cities.