From October 2025 through September 2026, Bosnia & Herzegovina relied on fossil fuels for slightly more than half of its electricity consumption: coal supplied about 53%. Low-carbon sources accounted for the remaining 47%, led by hydropower at roughly 39%, with wind contributing about 5% and solar about 4%. Clean electricity therefore already supplies nearly half of consumption, but expanding it further would help reduce dependence on coal and the associated climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Bosnia & Herzegovina?

The latest figures do not show electricity consumption reaching new heights. In 2026, consumption stood at about 4,400 kWh per person, roughly 1,260 kWh—or 22%—below the record of about 5,660 kWh set in 2018. Low-carbon electricity generation was also below its peak, at about 2,090 kWh per person compared with about 2,190 kWh in 2023, a decrease of around 100 kWh, or 5%. These comparisons do not establish the latest year-on-year trend, but the shortfall from previous records is concerning: more clean electricity will be needed to support electrification, economic development and growing demand from technologies such as AI.

Suggestions

Bosnia & Herzegovina can increase clean electricity generation by accelerating solar and wind deployment while considering nuclear power as a complementary source. Nearby regions offer useful examples: North Macedonia generates about 40% of its electricity from solar, while Hungary gets roughly a quarter and Bulgaria a fifth from solar. These examples support a stronger push for rooftop and utility-scale solar. For wind, Greece generates about a fifth of its electricity from this source, illustrating its potential in the wider region. Nuclear also deserves serious consideration, including through regional cooperation: Slovenia generates about 43% of its electricity from nuclear, Bulgaria about 36%, and Slovakia nearly two-thirds. Combining expanded solar and wind with nuclear and the existing hydropower fleet would provide a broader foundation for low-carbon electricity growth.

History

The supplied history of low-carbon electricity in Bosnia & Herzegovina is dominated by substantial year-to-year changes in hydropower. In the 1990s, generation rose by 2.1 TWh in 1991, fell in 1992 and 1993, and recorded further gains in 1994, 1996 and 1999. The 2000s brought increases of around 1.5 TWh in 2004 and 1.4 TWh in 2009, alongside a 1.9 TWh decline in 2007. The 2010s were particularly uneven: a 1.8 TWh gain in 2010 was followed by a 3.6 TWh fall in 2011; substantial recoveries in 2013 and 2018 were interspersed with declines in 2014 and 2017. From 2020 through 2024, annual changes alternated between losses of around 1.6–1.8 TWh and gains of about 1.9 TWh. This uneven record reinforces the importance of expanding a more diversified clean electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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