In 2023, Dominica relied on fossil fuels for about 87% of its electricity consumption—almost seven-eighths of the total. Low-carbon electricity supplied the remaining 13%, entirely from hydropower in the supplied data. Clean electricity therefore represents only a modest share of Dominica’s electricity mix, leaving considerable scope to replace fossil-fuel generation and reduce its associated climate emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Dominica?

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 record set in 2016. Low-carbon electricity generation shows a much larger shortfall: about 301 kWh per person in 2023, compared with a record of 579 kWh in 2011—a decline of roughly 279 kWh, or nearly half. These comparisons do not establish the latest year-to-year trend, but they show disappointing progress relative to earlier highs. Expanding clean electricity would help Dominica meet future demand from electrification and increasingly electricity-intensive digital services.

Suggestions

Dominica can build on hydropower by expanding solar electricity and assessing suitable wind projects. Island examples are particularly relevant: solar supplies about 23% of electricity in Cyprus and the US state of Hawaii, while Cape Verde gets about 14% each from solar and wind. Samoa and Vanuatu also demonstrate meaningful solar contributions, at about 13%. Dominica could learn from these places when planning solar deployment, storage and grid improvements. Nuclear should also be considered in long-term clean-electricity planning, including an assessment of appropriately sized options and regional cooperation. France and Slovakia, where nuclear supplies roughly two-thirds of electricity, illustrate its potential contribution to a low-carbon electricity system, although their experience would need adaptation to Dominica’s scale.

History

The supplied historical series records no year-to-year change in hydropower generation, at the stated TWh precision, throughout 2001–2020. This pattern spans both the 2000s and the 2010s and continues into 2020, indicating no recorded expansion in that series. Zero reported changes do not mean that hydropower produced no electricity, and small variations may be hidden by rounding. Nevertheless, the absence of visible growth highlights the importance of renewed investment in clean electricity, especially solar alongside Dominica’s existing hydropower.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade