From August 2025 through July 2026, more than half of Argentina’s electricity consumption came from fossil fuels, at about 55%, while low-carbon sources supplied about 45%. Gas dominated the mix at nearly 52%, with oil and coal contributing roughly 2% and 1%, respectively. Hydropower was the largest clean electricity source at about 19%, followed by wind at 13%, nuclear at 7%, solar at 4%, and biofuels at nearly 2%. Argentina therefore has a substantial low-carbon electricity base, but fossil fuels still supply the majority, contributing to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Argentina?

The latest figures do not show Argentina reaching new heights in electricity consumption or low-carbon generation per person. In 2026, electricity consumption stood at about 3,200 kWh per person, roughly 380 kWh, or 11%, below the record of 3,570 kWh set in 2016. Low-carbon electricity generation was about 1,425 kWh per person, around 100 kWh, or 6%, below its 2024 record. These comparisons do not establish whether the latest year grew relative to the immediately preceding year, but they show a concerning shortfall from earlier peaks. Restoring growth in clean electricity would help Argentina meet future demand from electrification and expanding digital infrastructure.

Suggestions

Argentina can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding its already substantial wind sector while accelerating solar and nuclear development. Nearby Uruguay, where wind supplies about a third of electricity, offers a particularly relevant example; the US state of Iowa demonstrates an even larger wind contribution, at about 57%. For solar, neighboring Chile generates almost a quarter of its electricity from sunlight, while the US state of California reaches about 31%. Argentina can learn from their deployment experience and supporting grid investment. Building on its existing nuclear expertise would also strengthen clean electricity supply: France generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, while the US state of Illinois gets almost half. A coordinated expansion of wind, solar, nuclear, and electricity networks would help Argentina grow its clean electricity supply and reduce fossil-fuel dependence.

History

Argentina’s low-carbon electricity history has been shaped largely by substantial year-to-year changes in hydropower. In the 1980s and 1990s, hydro gains of roughly 4–5 TWh in several years alternated with declines, including almost 7 TWh in 1988 and around 4–5 TWh in 1996 and 1999. The early 2000s brought particularly strong growth, with increases of about 7 TWh in 2000 and 8 TWh in 2001. Further gains in 2005–2006 were followed by a 6.5 TWh drop in 2007, then increases of about 3.6 TWh in both 2009 and 2013. More recently, hydro fell by around 5 TWh in both 2019 and 2021, while wind delivered a welcome 4.4 TWh increase in 2020. Hydro rebounded by almost 4 TWh in 2022 and nearly 11 TWh in 2023, before falling by about 7 TWh in 2025. These swings underline the importance of sustained expansion across multiple clean electricity sources.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.