From August 2025 through July 2026, almost four-fifths of Colombia’s electricity came from low-carbon sources, while about one-fifth came from fossil fuels. Hydropower dominated, supplying roughly 71% of electricity, followed by solar at nearly 7% and biofuels at just over 1%. Among fossil sources, gas supplied about 11%, coal 6%, and oil 3%. Colombia therefore has a largely clean electricity mix, with considerable scope to expand solar and other low-carbon generation while reducing fossil-fuel use and its associated climate impacts and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Colombia?

Electricity consumption per person is growing and has reached a new record. The latest 2026 figure is about 1,726 kWh per person, compared with 1,680 kWh in 2025—an increase of roughly 47 kWh, or nearly 3%, using the supplied change figure. Low-carbon electricity generation also reached a record of 1,365 kWh per person, up 21 kWh, or around 2%, from 1,344 kWh in 2025. These gains are encouraging, although clean electricity generation needs to grow faster to cover rising demand from electrification and AI while replacing fossil generation. These figures establish growth per person; population figures would also be needed to quantify growth in national electricity consumption.

Suggestions

Colombia can build on its strong hydropower foundation by accelerating solar development, expanding wind generation, and considering a nuclear electricity programme. Nearby Chile offers a relevant solar example, generating about 24% of its electricity from solar, while the US state of California reaches roughly 31%. Regional wind examples include Uruguay, where wind supplies about one-third of electricity, and Brazil, where it supplies 14%. For nuclear, Colombia could learn from France, which generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, and from the United Arab Emirates, where nuclear supplies one-fifth. Investment in transmission, workforce training, and clear project planning would help Colombia translate these lessons into more abundant clean electricity.

History

Colombia’s low-carbon electricity history has been shaped by substantial hydropower gains interrupted by concerning declines. Generation rose by about 3 TWh in 1986. During the 1990s, a fall of roughly 5 TWh in 1992 was followed by gains of nearly 6 TWh in 1993 and 4 TWh in 1994; further increases in 1996 and 1999 surrounded a 4 TWh decline in 1997. Gains of around 4 TWh in 2004 and 3 TWh in 2006 preceded another roughly 5 TWh drop in 2009. The 2010s brought major increases of about 9 TWh in 2011 and 12 TWh in 2017, alongside a smaller gain in 2013 and declines in 2014 and 2019. After a further fall of nearly 5 TWh in 2020, hydropower rebounded by about 12 TWh in 2021, declined again in 2023 and 2024, and then surged by roughly 13 TWh in 2025—the largest annual increase listed. That strong recovery is welcome, and sustained expansion of solar, wind, and nuclear could help turn it into broader, lasting growth in clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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