In 2023, fossil fuels supplied almost 87% of Dominica’s electricity consumption, while low-carbon electricity accounted for just over 13%, or roughly one-seventh. Hydropower provided all of that clean electricity. This leaves Dominica heavily dependent on fossil fuels, with substantial scope to expand low-carbon generation and reduce the climate impacts and air pollution associated with fossil electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Dominica?

Dominica’s electricity consumption per person has not surpassed its previous peak. In 2023, it stood at about 2,260 kWh per person, roughly 43 kWh, or 2%, below the 2016 record of 2,300 kWh. Low-carbon electricity generation was about 300 kWh per person, compared with its 2011 peak of about 580 kWh—almost half below that record. These comparisons do not establish the latest year-to-year trend, but they show a concerning shortfall, particularly in clean electricity, when electrification and emerging demand call for growth.

Suggestions

Dominica could increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar power, strengthening its hydropower supply and exploring suitable wind projects, supported by storage and grid improvements. Island regions offer useful examples: Cape Verde generates about 14% of its electricity from solar and another 14% from wind, while Samoa generates about 13% from solar. The US state of Hawaii and Cyprus each generate almost a quarter of their electricity from solar, illustrating further opportunities for island electricity systems. Nuclear should also be considered in long-term planning, including an assessment of appropriately scaled technologies and regional cooperation. France, which generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, demonstrates its potential contribution to a clean electricity supply, although Dominica would need an approach tailored to its much smaller system.

History

From 2001 through 2020, every reported annual change in Dominica’s hydropower generation was zero TWh. Across the 2000s and 2010s, the supplied figures therefore show no recorded expansion or decline at the stated precision. These rounded changes do not mean that hydropower generation itself was zero, nor do they rule out smaller fluctuations. Nevertheless, the absence of visible growth underscores the importance of renewed investment in clean electricity to move beyond stagnation and support future demand.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade