Export controls are creating significant vulnerabilities in global supply chains by increasing the market concentration of essential materials, according to the authors of the newly released report. These trade restrictions, applied to over half of the sector’s most vital minerals in 2025, have driven up prices and forced governments to implement a wave of new policies to secure their own energy futures.
The report notes that “eleven of the 20 critical minerals essential to the energy sector were subject to export controls at some point in 2025,” and highlights that “these measures had immediate impacts: rare earth prices rose significantly, with European prices reaching as much as six times those in China in August 2025.”
In simpler terms, many countries that produce the raw materials needed for green technologies, like batteries and solar panels, are placing limits on how much they sell to the rest of the world. Because just a few countries control most of these minerals, even small restrictions can cause costs to skyrocket for everyone else. This has turned a technical mining issue into a major security problem, as nations scramble to find new ways to recycle minerals or build their own factories to avoid depending on unpredictable trade partners.
The report “State of Energy Policy 2026” was published by the International Energy Agency in France in April 2026. It was prepared by the World Energy Outlook team under the direction of Laura Cozzi, the IEA’s Chief Energy Modeller.
