In 2023, low-carbon sources supplied about 60% of electricity consumed in Honduras, while fossil fuels accounted for almost 38% and net imports supplied nearly 2%. Hydropower was the largest clean electricity source, providing almost a third of the total. Biofuels contributed around 10%, solar nearly 9%, wind about 6%, and geothermal roughly 3%. Clean electricity therefore supplied a clear majority, but fossil fuels still represented a substantial share, with associated climate and air-pollution impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Honduras?

Electricity consumption per person in Honduras had not regained its previous peak by 2023. Consumption stood at 1,120 kWh per person, about 27 kWh, or 2%, below the 2019 record of 1,146 kWh. Low-carbon electricity generation was also below its peak: 677 kWh per person, roughly 25 kWh, or 4%, below the 2021 record of 703 kWh, using the supplied change figures. These comparisons do not establish the latest year-on-year trend, but they show a concerning lack of progress beyond earlier records. Expanding clean electricity supply would help support electrification, economic development, and future demand.

Suggestions

Honduras can increase low-carbon electricity generation by accelerating solar deployment, expanding wind where suitable, and considering nuclear power as a long-term source of dependable clean electricity. Relevant regional examples include Chile, where solar supplies 24% of electricity, and Uruguay, where wind supplies 33%. Honduras could draw on their experience with project development and electricity-system integration. The US state of Nevada, with 35% solar electricity, offers another useful solar example. For nuclear development, Honduras could study France, where nuclear supplies 67% of electricity, alongside the United Arab Emirates, where it supplies 20%, to understand the institutions, workforce training, and planning needed to establish a nuclear programme. Investment in transmission and a stronger grid would help turn these opportunities into sustained growth.

History

Historically, Honduras’s low-carbon electricity growth has been led by hydropower, with more recent contributions from solar and wind. Hydro generation increased by 0.4 TWh in 1986, 0.6 TWh in 1988, and 0.5 TWh in 1990; a 0.4 TWh decline in 1994 was matched by a gain of the same size in 1996. The early 2000s brought further hydro declines in 2001, 2002, and 2004, followed by gains in 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010. Biofuels also added 0.3 TWh in 2009. Diversification gathered pace when solar added 0.4 TWh in 2015 and 0.5 TWh in 2016, followed by a 0.4 TWh wind increase in 2018. Hydro rose by 0.7 TWh in 2017 but fell by 0.8 TWh in 2019, when biofuels increased by 0.5 TWh. The largest hydro increase listed came in 2021, at 1.1 TWh—a substantial clean electricity gain to build upon.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade