Summit to strengthen energy security in London amid global tensions

The IEA's goal at the summit is to examine factors that "influence energy security at the national and international levels," at a time when the world is rocked by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as Donald Trump's tariffs.

Doubts remain, however, about the place that will be reserved for the energy transition.

Many European energy ministers are expected to attend among the 120 senior government officials, business leaders and experts announced.

The United States will only be represented by acting assistant secretaries of state, while other giants such as China, Saudi Arabia and Russia are simply absent.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due to speak on Europe's efforts to promote reliable, affordable and sustainable energy.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) welcomed the summit on Wednesday, saying it was "positive to see the IEA refocus on energy security," its "fundamental objective."

The cartel, which had described the exit from fossil fuels as a "fantasy," accuses the IEA, founded in 1974 in response to the first oil crisis, of promoting "unrealistic" carbon neutrality scenarios, without taking into account energy security, affordability, or the feasibility of these objectives.

For OPEC, energy security must be achieved by adding, not substituting, renewable energy sources for fossil fuels.

European countries, on the other hand, believe that renewable and nuclear energy are the best way to avoid dependence on imported fossil fuels and the price volatility they have suffered since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On the American side, Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to lower energy prices by "drilling like crazy" in oil and gas fields, while limiting the development of wind power projects.

The IEA's purpose remains "to promote the energy transition as a tool for sovereignty," according to the French Ministry of Energy.

According to him, "there is no American agenda set for this meeting, and no European concern about a deviation from the agenda."

But for a major European energy company, which requested anonymity, the IEA and its boss, Fatih Birol, a champion of the energy transition, have moderated their stance in recent months.

The idea is to avoid "antagonizing the Trump administration and to calm things down a bit with OPEC," this source says. The IEA is thus "sparing everyone a bit so that it can continue to be a benchmark."