In 2024, Bosnia & Herzegovina's electricity generation landscape starked showed a heavy reliance on fossil fuels, with more than half of its electricity, approximately 63%, generated from coal. Meanwhile, the greener side of its energy portfolio accounted for roughly 37% of the total. Hydropower led the way among low-carbon options, contributing nearly a third. Though smaller, solar and wind energy added to this cleaner mix, with solar just over 2% and wind at slightly more than 1.5%. Even though the presence of low-carbon sources is encouraging, it highlights the need for significant improvements and diversification in the green energy sector to reduce the fossil dependency further.
Is Electricity Growing in Bosnia & Herzegovina?
The trend in Bosnia & Herzegovina's electricity consumption indicates a decline. In 2024, the average electricity usage dropped to 4877 kWh per person, which is almost 800 kWh less per person compared to the peak consumption year of 2021. Similarly, there was a noticeable dip in the generation of low-carbon electricity, which fell from a previous high-water mark of 2213 kWh per person in 2021 to 1798 kWh per person in 2024, amounting to a reduction of 415 kWh per person. These declines are concerning, suggesting that efforts might need redirection or intensification to bolster consumption and simultaneously expand low-carbon generation capabilities.
Suggestions
To enhance low-carbon electricity generation, Bosnia & Herzegovina can draw inspiration from countries successfully leveraging both wind and solar power, as well as nuclear energy. Countries like Slovakia and France lead with nuclear energy, producing more than 60% of their electricity via nuclear facilities, demonstrating its feasibility and effectiveness in reducing emissions. Alongside, examining the success of wind energy in Iowa or Denmark, which generate more than 50% of their electricity from this source, can provide valuable insights. Investing in these technologies, particularly nuclear and solar, could offer Bosnia & Herzegovina a robust path toward sustainable, clean energy, combating the adverse effects of fossil fuels and paving the way for a greener future.
History
Historically, Bosnia & Herzegovina has experienced fluctuations in its hydropower generation. The 1990s presented a mixed bag with intermittent increases such as in 1991 and 1996, alongside declines in 1992 and 1993. Moving into the 2000s, while there were occasional gains in years like 2004 and 2013, there were significant dips in 2007 and 2011, reflecting the volatility of hydropower generation. More recent years continued this up-and-down pattern, with noteworthy drops seen in both in 2014 and 2022 but minimal recovery in 2023. The need for diversification into other low-carbon technologies becomes apparent to reduce the dependency and volatility of hydropower and ensure a more stable and sustainable electricity generation landscape.
Electrification
We estimate the degree of electrification by comparing electricity and total energy emissions. More about methodology.