Energy security in the Mediterranean transition: electrification, critical raw materials and technologies

The cornerstone of the 2025 edition of the ENEMED report is the concept of represents security of energy supply applied to the Mediterranean Basin within the framework of the energy transition, which implies a systemic change, with fossil fuels reducing their relevance in place of renewable energy sources and electricity gaining an increasingly leading role in energy generation, transformation and consumption, accompanied and backed up by alternative energy commodities such as green hydrogen, biofuels and synthetic fuels. In order for such a change to take place, Mediterranean countries need to ensure a continuous and large enough supply of natural resources, both energy resources and non‑energy resources (i.e., all the raw materials required to manufacture the technological devices employed along commodity energy chains). Like fossil resources and mineral uranium, in fact, non-energy resources are generally geographically concentrated, and subject to high risk of supply disruptions (therefore they are also often addressed to as Critical Raw Materials - CRMs).

Given this context, the report analyses – by considering possible energy scenarios – the role of natural energy and non-energy resources in the evolving Mediterranean energy mix, with a focus on the technologies for the energy transition and the new security implications related to the need for CRMs. Moreover, several indicators are proposed and computed to provide a quantitative evaluation of the three attributes of the so-called Energy Trilemma (energy security, environmental sustainability, energy accessibility and affordability) and their interplay, and the main priorities for policies and strategies addressing energy security in the Mediterranean Basin are highlighted. Furthermore, an ad-hoc chapter aims at investigating the possible contribution that nuclear energy could provide to the future Mediterranean energy mix. Eventually, seaborne trade trends and strategic routes of the raw materials for the transition technologies are discussed.