Mitochondria, our cellular power stations have the unenviable task of producing most of our body’s transportable energy, ATP amongst other important tasks. Kidneys are fuel hungry organs second only to the heart in mitochondrial number and oxygen consumption. In diabetes, both delivery of fuels for ATP production and mitochondrial function are compromised and are postulated to contribute to the development and progression of diabetic kidney disease. Although early mitochondrial dysfunction appears early n diabetes it may be reversible. Indeed, this may be the factor that discerns those 1/3 of individuals with diabetes who ultimately go on to develop kidney and cardiovascular disease from those who don’t, which is an unsolved mystery in diabetes complications. This talk will highlight why mitochondria are key for kidney function and how this could be targeted to prevent the development of diabetic kidney and cardiovascular disease.