In 2018, Curaçao still relied on fossil fuels for about 71% of its electricity, all of it from oil. Low-carbon sources supplied almost 30%, with wind providing 27% and solar just over 2%. Wind was therefore the backbone of clean electricity generation, but oil remained dominant, leaving substantial scope to replace electricity associated with climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Curaçao?

Electricity consumption per person was well below its historical peak: in 2018 it stood at about 4,770 kWh, down roughly 3,670 kWh, or 43%, from the 2010 record. This does not indicate sustained growth relative to that peak, although the figures alone do not establish the latest year-to-year trend. Encouragingly, low-carbon electricity generation reached a new record of about 1,390 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record set in 2017 by around 280 kWh, or 25%. That clean electricity growth is a welcome foundation for meeting future demand from electrification and digital services.

Suggestions

Curaçao should expand its established wind generation while accelerating solar deployment. Denmark, where wind supplies 59% of electricity, offers lessons in integrating substantial wind generation. For solar, island settings provide particularly relevant examples: solar supplies 23% of electricity in Cyprus and the US state of Hawaii, and 14% in Cape Verde. Their experience could inform Curaçao’s approach to rooftop solar, larger installations, storage and grid development. Nuclear should also be considered in long-term clean electricity planning: France generates 67% of its electricity from nuclear, demonstrating its potential to supply a large low-carbon share. Curaçao could explore appropriately scaled nuclear options and international partnerships alongside wind and solar expansion.

History

The supplied historical data show little recorded change in wind generation during 1993–2000, followed by an increase of about 0.1 TWh in 2001. Another wind increase of roughly 0.1 TWh came in 2013, while the listed changes for wind and solar during 2014–2016 were zero at the data’s reported precision. Wind also showed no recorded increase in 2017 before adding another 0.1 TWh in 2018. Solar’s listed changes during 2013–2016 likewise rounded to zero, which does not necessarily mean there was no underlying growth. Overall, the record shows welcome wind-led advances separated by periods of limited reported progress, highlighting the value of more consistent clean electricity expansion.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade