From May 2025 through April 2026, almost three-quarters of Ecuador’s electricity consumption came from low-carbon sources, while fossil fuels supplied about a quarter and net imports accounted for roughly 1%. Hydropower dominated the mix, providing about 71% of electricity, with biofuels contributing around 1%. Within the fossil share, gas supplied nearly 3% of total electricity consumption. Ecuador therefore has a largely clean electricity supply, but expanding other low-carbon sources would help replace the remaining fossil generation and reduce its associated air pollution and climate impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Ecuador?

Electricity consumption in Ecuador is growing, although modestly: the latest 2026 figure reached 2,140 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of 2,104 kWh in 2025 by 36 kWh, or about 2%. Low-carbon electricity generation, however, was approximately 1,561 kWh per person, slightly below the 2025 record of 1,570 kWh—an indicated decline of roughly 8–9 kWh per person, allowing for rounding. The new consumption record is encouraging, but the lack of corresponding clean electricity growth is concerning. Ecuador needs stronger growth in low-carbon generation to support electrification and future electricity demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Ecuador can build on its hydropower foundation by expanding solar and wind generation and considering nuclear power as a further source of clean electricity. Relevant regional examples include Chile, where solar supplies about a quarter of electricity, and Uruguay, where wind supplies a third; Brazil also demonstrates contributions from both wind and solar, at around 15% and 11%, respectively. Ecuador could learn from these places’ experience deploying projects and integrating them into electricity networks. For solar, the US states of Nevada and California offer additional examples, generating roughly a third of their electricity from sunlight. Nuclear deserves consideration in Ecuador’s long-term planning: France and Slovakia generate around two-thirds of their electricity from nuclear, illustrating its potential to provide substantial low-carbon electricity alongside hydro, solar and wind.

History

Ecuador’s low-carbon electricity history has been driven primarily by hydropower. In the early 1980s, hydro generation increased by 0.8 TWh in 1983 and 1.5 TWh in 1984. The 1990s brought mixed changes, with gains in 1993 and 1996 interrupted by a 1.4 TWh decline in 1995. Strong increases in 2007 and 2008 were followed by a 2.1 TWh fall in 2009, before growth resumed in 2011–2012. The strongest sustained expansion came later in the 2010s, with gains of 1.6 TWh in 2015, 2.7 TWh in 2016, 4.3 TWh in 2017 and 4 TWh in 2019. In the 2020s, increases in 2021 and 2023 alternated with declines in 2022 and 2024, but the substantial 5.1 TWh rebound in 2025 was an encouraging step toward greater clean electricity generation.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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