Performing energy: the International Energy Agency and the conflicting imaginaries of capitalist energy transition

Abstract

Amidst conflict over the indecisive and unrealised energy transition, global energy projections have taken on newfound significance. Yet there remains limited scholarship assessing how these projections relate to the political economy of capitalist energy development. This paper argues that the International Energy Agency (IEA) performs the future of energy, both assessing and influencing energy markets. The IEA's dual role—as both a modeller and active shaper of future energy pathways—has led to significant disputes. This paper examines three periods of projective conflict involving the IEA. By reviewing these disputes, the paper highlights how struggles over the performance of energy reflect the competitive, uneven and unplanned character of capitalist energy transitions, particularly during periods of structural uncertainty.