Beazley’s latest Energy Transition Spotlight 2026 found that 73% of U.S. executives say economic uncertainty is hindering energy transition investments.
Escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have heightened energy security concerns, while the rapid growth of energy-intensive technologies highlights the urgent need for alternative energy solutions.
The report, which surveyed 3,500 business leaders globally, highlights a massive multi-trillion dollar transformational opportunity that is currently being hampered by a range of risks that are increasing barriers to capital deployment and delaying investment decisions, highlighting the need to shift risk to free up capital.
According to the report, while business opportunities continue to grow, progress is slowing due to several key execution challenges, including:
- Supply chain pressure, 36% of U.S. executives see delays due to transformation as a top three macro risk
- Infrastructure limitations as legacy systems struggle to adapt to clean distributed energy technologies
- Regulatory fragmentation and tariff pressure create policy uncertainty
- Limited access to capital as risk and uncertainty discourage investment
- Lack of historical performance data makes it difficult to price and transfer risks
To address these interconnected challenges, specialty insurance provides the assessment and pricing needed to manage risk, giving investors the confidence they need to fund and advance transformation projects.
Kelly Malynn, Head of Transformation and Emerging Risks at Beazley, commented:
“From a surge in energy demand driven by technology transition to the need to improve energy security and resilience, the energy transition is one of the biggest business opportunities of our time. But ambition outstrips preparation, and many businesses and infrastructure are struggling to push ahead.
“Specialty insurance has a key role to play. Our industry has been at the forefront of every major technological and energy shift, and now is the time for the sector to rise again. By adapting quickly, developing solutions and bringing together the industry’s cross-disciplinary expertise and risk data, we can support businesses moving forward at scale. It’s vital we act now because the energy transition will not wait.”
