In 2022, electricity consumption in the Cook Islands was evenly divided between low-carbon electricity and fossil electricity: each supplied half of the total. Solar provided the entire low-carbon share, making it a central part of the islands’ electricity supply. Expanding clean electricity would help reduce the remaining reliance on fossil fuels and their associated climate change and air pollution impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Cook Islands?

The figures show a mixed picture rather than clear overall electricity growth. Total electricity consumption reached about 2,720 kWh per person in 2022, roughly 300 kWh—or 10%—below the record set in 2018. This shortfall is concerning as electrification creates demand for more electricity. However, low-carbon electricity generation reached a new high of 1,360 kWh per person, about 40 kWh—or 3%—above its previous record in 2021. That modest clean electricity gain is encouraging, although total consumption per person remained below its peak.

Suggestions

The Cook Islands should prioritize expanding solar, building on a technology that already supplies half its electricity, alongside storage and grid improvements. For wind, Cape Verde offers a relevant island example, generating about 14% of its electricity from wind; Denmark demonstrates a much larger contribution, at more than half. Nuclear should also be considered in long-term clean electricity planning, with any assessment tailored to the islands’ electricity needs. France, where nuclear supplies about two-thirds of electricity, and the US state of South Carolina, where it supplies just over half, show how nuclear can underpin a substantial low-carbon electricity supply.

History

From 2017 through 2022, the supplied historical series records zero TWh of annual change in solar electricity generation in every year. At the reported precision, this suggests no visible increase or decrease across that period, rather than an absence of solar generation. Because the Cook Islands has a small electricity system, changes may be too small to appear in figures expressed in TWh. This series therefore cannot establish exact stagnation, and the separate per-person figures show a modest low-carbon increase in 2022. Sustained solar expansion would build on that progress.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade