IEA
About IEA
The International Energy Agency (IEA) provides comprehensive electricity emission factors, which are essential for understanding the carbon footprint of electricity generation across different regions and energy sources. These factors assist governments, businesses, and researchers in measuring the environmental impact of electricity consumption and in developing strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector.
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IEA Emissions Factors 2025
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | The International Energy Agency (IEA) provides comprehensive electricity emission factors, which are essential for understanding the carbon footprint of electricity generation across different regions and energy sources. These factors assist governments, businesses, and researchers in measuring the environmental impact of electricity consumption and in developing strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector. |
| Source type | Intergovernmental |
| Original dataset URL | URL |
| Year released | 2025 |
| Geography | Multiple regions |
| Sector | |
| Type of data | Activity-based |
| Emission results | CO2 - CH4 - N2O |
| Data Transformation | The source reports emissions in gCO2/kWh, which have been converted to kgCO2/kWh to ensure consistency. |
License
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type of license | Commercial license (purchased) |
| License URL | URL |
Data quality
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Data quality assurance | Vetted by Climatiq. For further information on data quality assurance, see: https://www.climatiq.io/methodology#Data-Quality |
| Quality flag(s) | Partial factor The source reports emission factors for 2024 in CO2 only and does not include the impact of other GHGs. For a few countries, the same applies to other years as well (only a CO2 value is provided). In addition, transmission and distribution losses are also reported in CO2 only. |
Methodology
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IPCC AR method |
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| LCA boundary |
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| Scope applicability |
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| Emissions breakdown |
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| Methodology description | This dataset published by the International Energy Agency provides electricity emission factors for multiple countries worldwide based on the IEA Emission Factors 2025 dataset, including both historical updates and recent data. The emission factors are derived from electricity-only generation (including CHP electricity) and are based on national energy balances and fuel-specific emission factors, consistent with internationally recognized greenhouse gas accounting methodologies, including those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. CO2 emission factors are calculated using fuel combustion data and energy statistics, while CH4 and N2O emission factors are based on default IPCC emission factors applied to electricity generation by fuel type. Emission factors are reported separately for CO2, CH4, and N2O. CO2 values are provided directly in g/kWh, while CH4 and N2O are reported in CO2-equivalent terms and converted to mass-based values using global warming potentials consistent with AR6 (CH4 = 27, N2O = 273). All values are converted to kg/kWh for consistency. The dataset distinguishes between production mix emission factors (generation mix) and supplier mix emission factors, where applicable. Production-based emission factors reflect domestic electricity generation, while supplier-based emission factors incorporate adjustments for cross-border electricity trade. Trade adjustment data are available for some countries (primarily OECD countries) but not for all. Where available, trade-adjusted emission factors are calculated by adding the trade adjustment value to the CO2 emission factor to account for emissions associated with imported and exported electricity, following established greenhouse gas accounting practices for electricity consumption reporting. For years and countries where trade adjustment data are not available, only production-based emission factors are used. Transmission and distribution (T&D) losses are provided as separate adjustment factors representing emissions associated with electricity losses in the grid. These are derived from national electricity system data and applied independently of generation emission factors. The emission factors reflect national average electricity system characteristics, ensuring consistency and comparability across countries in line with international greenhouse gas accounting frameworks. |
| Limitation / key issues to note | Trade adjustment data are not available for all countries or years, meaning that supplier mix emission factors cannot be consistently derived globally and, in many cases, only production-based emission factors are used. Transmission and distribution (T&D) losses are provided, but only CO2 emission factors are reported. In addition, T&D loss data are not available for all countries, and missing values are excluded, which may result in incomplete results for some countries. |
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