Fatih Birol
ON THE RECORD · 9 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“Life will not be easy for Europe this year and also next year.”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol said Europe will face difficulties this year and next due to the increasingly political nature of energy.
“I am really disappointed that governments didn’t take the necessary measures. Now, everybody is in a hurry, taking measures; the Middle East countries are building new pipelines, expanding the new pipelines that are bypassing the Strait of Hormuz … but in my view, these efforts should have been done much earlier.”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol said he was disappointed governments did not take preventive measures earlier, as Middle East countries now rush to build pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
“The best day for a ceasefire would have been yesterday,”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol said a ceasefire in the Gulf conflict should have come sooner, as Europe faces energy disruptions from the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think if we have a harsh winter, we may see higher prices of natural gas in Europe,”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol warned that a harsh winter could drive natural gas prices higher in Europe.
“World leaders, how do they think?”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol expressed frustration at world leaders' inaction amid the energy crisis caused by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I really hope that both of the straits will be unconditionally opened sometime soon; otherwise, in the energy world, we don’t have much more buffer zones to still keep the prices at a certain level (as) we have today,”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol concluded by urging that both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb strait be unconditionally opened, warning that energy buffer zones are nearly exhausted.
“The world has gone through so many difficult periods, but this is the worst in terms of the geopolitics dominating the energy game. Energy is not currently considered a business but a political leverage. As an energy man, this worries me.”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol said the current period is the worst he has seen in terms of geopolitics dominating the energy game, expressing concern as an energy expert.
“Normally before the winter, European countries have a lot of gas stocks, but the gas stocks we have while we are entering this winter are much lower than historical averages,”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol said Europe's gas storage entering winter is well below historical averages as it competes with Asian countries for LNG.
“I have never ever seen the dark and long shadow of geopolitics so dominant in the energy sector,”
Fatih Birol · said 2026-10-21 · reported 2026-10-23
Birol said geopolitical tensions have never been so dominant in the energy sector, with energy increasingly used as political leverage.