From June 2025 to May 2026, almost two-thirds of Chile’s electricity came from low-carbon sources, while just over a third came from fossil fuels. Solar supplied about 24% of electricity, hydropower 20%, wind 14%, and biofuels 6%. Among fossil sources, coal accounted for roughly 18%, gas 15%, and oil 3%. Solar is already Chile’s largest individual electricity source, but the substantial fossil share leaves considerable room for more clean electricity to reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Chile?

Chile’s electricity consumption is growing, but only slightly: the latest 2026 figure reached 4,594 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of 4,550 kWh in 2024 by 44 kWh, or about 1%. That new high is welcome, although faster growth will be needed to support electrification and emerging demand, including AI. The low-carbon picture is less encouraging: generation reached 2,987 kWh per person, about 152 kWh—or 5%—below its 2024 record of 3,139 kWh. Chile therefore needs to accelerate clean electricity generation so that rising consumption is accompanied by a growing low-carbon supply.

Suggestions

Chile should expand solar and wind, building on technologies that already provide substantial amounts of its electricity, while also considering nuclear power as another major source of clean generation. Relevant examples include neighboring Uruguay, where wind supplies about a third of electricity, and the US state of Nevada, where solar supplies 35%—a useful benchmark for Chile’s sunny regions. Denmark and the US state of Iowa demonstrate that wind can supply more than half of electricity. For nuclear development, Chile can learn from France, where nuclear generates about two-thirds of electricity, and South Korea, where it supplies a quarter. Combining expanded solar and wind with nuclear generation would help Chile build a larger, more diversified low-carbon electricity supply.

History

Chile’s low-carbon electricity history shows substantial hydropower fluctuations alongside more recent solar growth. Hydropower increased by nearly 8 TWh across 1991–1992, before falling by a combined 5.4 TWh in 1998–1999. Strong gains returned in 2000–2001 and 2005–2006, totaling about 7 TWh in each pair of years, but were followed by declines of 6 TWh in 2007 and 3.6 TWh in 2010. The following decade included a 2.4 TWh biofuel increase in 2011, a 3.4 TWh hydro gain in 2014, and a 2.5 TWh hydro decline in 2019. Solar then grew by more than 10 TWh across 2021–2023, while hydro fell in 2021 before recovering by about 6 TWh across 2023–2024. Hydro’s sharp 6.4 TWh decline in 2025 underscores the urgency of sustained solar and wind expansion and the addition of nuclear power to keep clean electricity growing.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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