EMDE participation in global clean energy supply chains
2025
Context and Opportunity
The clean energy transition is at a critical juncture. Achieving global net-zero goals requires a major scale-up of clean energy technology production, yet progress is limited by concentrated and fragile supply chains facing geopolitical risks, input bottlenecks, and infrastructure gaps. Strengthened and diversified supply chains and expanded global participation will help stabilise the global market and accelerate the transition to clean energy.
Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs) have the resources, labour advantages, and growing demand to become significant players at the global stage. Greater EMDE participation would improve resilience and reduce transition costs, but financing gaps, infrastructure deficits, regulatory fragmentation, and capability constraints prevent them from progressing. Overcoming these challenges needs coordinated multilateral action. Under these circumstances, the British Prime Minister launched the UK-led Global Clean Power Alliance (GCPA) in November 2024 to unite partners to accelerate deployment of clean energy worldwide.
Multilateral Solutions
2
Designed to address barriers to EMDE investment opportunities
Value Creation
£12-25
Annual revenue by new EMDE opportunities by 2030
Job Creation
20,000
Potential new jobs created via proposed multilateral initiatives
As part of GCPA’s Supply Chain Mission, Growth Gateway set out to support the economic growth in EMDEs and strengthen global clean energy resilience by mobilizing multilateral initiatives, assessing supply chain opportunities & challenges, detailing country-level opportunities, and facilitating external engagement across industries and partner institutions.
Support Provided
Empowered GCPA to mobilise two multilateral initiatives
Designed two flagship initiatives to mitigate structural barriers to EMDE participation:
- Finance-offtake solutions: Shortlisted solutions (e.g., buyer clubs, demand guarantees), developed proof-of-concepts, tested with stakeholders to assess feasibility
- Intellectual property & skills partnership: Proposed clusters (e.g., tech transfer, training) and mapped existing programmes for expansion
Explored high potential opportunities in priority supply chains
Assessed opportunities to unlock barriers in two high priority supply chains:
- Electricity grids: Assessed key barriers (e.g., volatile demand, cost pressures); prioritised demand stabilisation as a critical enabler for manufacturing diversification
- EV batteries: Ran deep-dives in South Africa, Zambia, and the Philippines; identified commercial opportunities with investor interest; created a playbook for future GCPA deep-dives
Brought private-sector voices into the discussion on solutions design
Tested commercial viability of proposed finance-offtake solutions by assessing buyer demand commitment, government policy signals, and de-risking needs from funders to unlock EMDE investment opportunities:
- Business Roundtable: Convened private sector leaders at Singapore International Energy Week to refine solution design
- 1-1 engagements: Held discussions with buyers, investors, traders, etc. to test interest and participation conditions
- Joint country meeting: Enabled partner governments to align on priorities and validate opportunities
Impact Achieved
~20K Jobs
Expected to be created via two direct initiatives
40-75K Jobs
Anticipated in the grid supply chain
30+
stakeholders engaged
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