Poor access to funding and higher costs of capital in developing countries could almost double the prices of e-fuels they produce, compared to developed economies—even when renewable energy resources such as onshore wind and solar are superior, according to a new study.

Without targeted financial support mechanisms, future e-fuel production could concentrate in already-advantaged economies, and thus risk leaving developing nations behind , despite their favorable renewable resources, in clear contradiction to the “just and equitable transition” that the IMO committed to in its GHG strategy , the study released on March 20, 2025, by UMAS and UCL Energy Institute Shipping and Oceans Research Group, shows.