FROM RHETORIC TO REALITY: THE INSTITUTIONAL EVOLUTION OF BRICS ENERGY COOPERATION (2009–2025)

Abstract

Structural transformations in global energy markets are reshaping the energy cooperation and financing needs of emerging economies. In this context, the expanding BRICS group is becoming an increasingly effective actor in global energy governance. The literature generally views the group’s structure as a platform for dialogue limited to political declarations. However, this paper demonstrates that BRICS energy cooperation has gone beyond mere political rhetoric and has developed into an operational mechanism with technical tools and financial capacity. The paper analyses the group’s development from an institutional evolution perspective. This analysis focuses on the simultaneous deepening of political, technical, and financial dimensions. Using a qualitative research method, this paper examines Leaders’ declarations, Energy Ministers’ Meeting decisions, and data from the New Development Bank (NDB) and the BRICS Energy Research Cooperation Platform (ERCP) covering the period 2009-2025. The findings show that energy cooperation is built on three core pillars. First, institutional resilience that sustains the energy agenda despite political tensions. Second, technical capacity that produces original data and strategies through the ERCP. The third is the financial infrastructure that provides resources for national development priorities through the NDB. Consequently, the paper argues that, rather than aiming to dismantle the current energy order, BRICS has evolved into a pragmatic and functional governance model that addresses the infrastructure and technology needs of member states through the mechanisms it has established.