From August 2025 through July 2026, almost two-thirds of Chile’s electricity came from low-carbon sources, while just over a third came from fossil fuels. Solar led the clean electricity mix at about 24% of total electricity, followed by hydropower at 20%, wind at 14%, and biofuels at 6%. Among fossil sources, coal supplied 17%, gas about 14%, and oil roughly 5%. Chile therefore has a strong clean electricity foundation, but replacing its remaining fossil electricity would help reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Chile?

Electricity consumption per person is growing: the latest 2026 figure reached 4,688 kWh, exceeding the previous record of 4,550 kWh in 2024 by 138 kWh, or about 3%. That is welcome progress toward supplying expanding electricity needs. However, low-carbon electricity generation per person stood at 3,028 kWh, down 111 kWh, or roughly 4%, from its 2024 record of 3,139 kWh. This disappointing gap shows that record electricity consumption has not yet been matched by record clean generation per person. Chile needs faster low-carbon growth to support electrification and future demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Chile should expand solar and wind, both of which already make substantial contributions, while considering nuclear power as an additional source of clean electricity. For solar, the US state of Nevada offers a useful example: solar supplies 35% of its electricity, compared with Chile’s roughly 24%. For wind, nearby Uruguay generates about a third of its electricity from wind, demonstrating a strong regional example that Chile could study. Nuclear deserves consideration alongside these expansions: France generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, while Spain combines an 18% nuclear share with other electricity sources. These regions offer lessons in developing a larger, diversified low-carbon electricity supply, supported by expanded grids and storage.

History

Chile’s low-carbon electricity history has featured substantial hydropower swings alongside more recent solar growth. Hydropower generation rose by a combined 7.8 TWh in 1991–1992, before falling by 5.4 TWh across 1998–1999. Strong gains returned in 2000–2001 and 2005–2006, but hydro then dropped by 6 TWh in 2007 and another 3.6 TWh in 2010. The following decade included a 2.4 TWh increase in biofuel electricity in 2011 and a 3.4 TWh hydro gain in 2014, followed by hydro declines of 2.5 TWh in both 2019 and 2021. Solar delivered an encouraging expansion in 2021–2023, with annual increases totaling 10.3 TWh. Hydro also recovered in 2023–2024, gaining a combined 6.1 TWh, before a sharp 6.4 TWh decline in 2025. This history reinforces the importance of sustained solar and wind expansion and consideration of nuclear to keep clean electricity growing.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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