ACTIONS FOR POLICYMAKERS © IRENA 2026 Unless otherwise stated, material in this publication may be freely used, shared, copied, reproduced, printed and/orstored, provided that appropriate acknowledgement is given of IRENA as the source and copyright holder. Materialin this publication that is attributed to third parties may be subject to separate terms of use and restrictions, andappropriate permissions from these third parties may need to be secured before any use of such material. ISBN:978-92-9260-726-5 Citation:IRENA (2026),From energy crisis to energy security: Actions for policy makers,IRENA policyadvisory, No. 4/26/1, International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. About IRENA The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation that supportscountries in their transition to a sustainable energy future and serves as the principal platform forinternational co-operation, a centre of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource andfinancial knowledge on renewable energy. IRENA promotes the widespread adoption and sustainable use ofall forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy,in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growthand prosperity.www.irena.org Acknowledgements This IRENA policy advisory was co-ordinated by Ute Collier, Mike Enskat, Norela Constantinescu and FrancisField. The text was authored by James Walker, Simon Benmarazze, Deborah Ayres, Jarred McCarthy, JinleiFeng, Francisco Gafaro and Larissa Nogueira. Additional inputs were provided by Arian Gonzalez, Caroline Ochieng, Thierry Odou, Anke Schoenlau andDiala Hawila. Disclaimer This publication and the material herein are provided “as is”. All reasonable precautions have been taken by IRENA to verifythe reliability of the material in this publication. However, neither IRENA nor any of its officials, agents, data or other third-party content providers provides a warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, and they accept no responsibility orliability for any consequence of use of the publication or material herein. The information contained herein does not necessarily represent the views of all Members of IRENA. The mention of specificcompanies or certain projects or products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by IRENA in preference toothers of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The designations employed and the presentation of material herein do notimply the expression of any opinion on the part of IRENA concerning the legal status of any region, country, territory, city orarea or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries. Contents Actions for policy makers .............................................................................. 4 Short-term actions(0–6 months) ...................................................................................4Medium-term actions(6-12 months) .............................................................................4Longer-term actions(1-3 years) .....................................................................................5 Renewable energy:A strategic necessity for energy securityand national resilience................................................................................... 6 References .................................................................................................... 8 Actions for policy makers The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has severely disrupted global oil and gas supplies. The selectiveclosure of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as sustained attacks on infrastructure across the region, havefundamentally affected key international energy flows, leading to rapid, erratic increases in oil and gas prices. The effects of these events will be felt across whole economies, extending beyond energy markets into foodsystems, transportation and wider supply chains, influencing inflation and economic activity simultaneously.Unfortunately, these effects will likely be more pronounced for the most vulnerable communities aroundthe world. There are a variety of actions available to policy makers in their response to the most pressing energychallenges posed by the current conflict that can also ensure their resilience to future fossil fuel shocks: Short-term actions(0–6 months) »Deploy distributed renewable energy solutions to support public services and community responses(healthcare, agriculture, food production, sanitation and other critical infrastructure), leveraging cross-sector partnerships to mobilise rapid responses. Provide financial and logistical support as needed tofast-track deployment. »Accelerate deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) battery hybrid mini-grids in off-grid and weak-gridremote areas to reduce the immediate exposure of low-development communities to diesel price volatilityand supply disrupt