From November 2025 through October 2026, low-carbon sources supplied about two-thirds of Latvia’s electricity consumption. Hydropower contributed roughly 36%, solar supplied 21%, and wind and biofuels each provided about 5%. Fossil fuels supplied around one-fifth, almost entirely from gas, while net imports covered roughly 12%. Latvia therefore has a predominantly clean electricity supply, with hydropower and solar leading the way, but fossil generation remains a significant source of climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Latvia?

Electricity consumption per person is growing beyond its previous peak. The latest 2026 figure reached about 4,100 kWh per person, roughly 130 kWh, or 3%, above the previous record of about 3,960 kWh in 2018. That growth is welcome as electrification and AI create additional electricity demand. However, low-carbon electricity generation has not yet regained its own record: at about 2,720 kWh per person, it remains around 90 kWh, or 3%, below the 2017 peak. This shortfall is concerning: Latvia needs clean generation to grow alongside electricity consumption.

Suggestions

Latvia should expand solar, which already supplies more than a fifth of its electricity, while also developing wind and considering nuclear generation. North Macedonia, where solar provides 40% of generation, offers an example of a much larger solar contribution. Nearby Lithuania generates 43% of its electricity from wind, while Denmark reaches 58%, illustrating the scope for expanding wind beyond Latvia’s current modest share. Finland offers a particularly relevant northern European example, generating 36% of its electricity from nuclear and 25% from wind; Sweden similarly combines nuclear and wind, each at 25%. Learning from these regions could help Latvia build a larger, more diverse low-carbon electricity supply, with expanded solar alongside wind and dependable nuclear generation.

History

Latvia’s low-carbon electricity history has been marked by substantial year-to-year changes in hydropower. A gain of 0.7 TWh in 1987 was reversed in 1988, while the 1990s brought repeated swings: increases of 1.1 TWh in 1997 and 1.4 TWh in 1998 were followed by a disappointing 1.6 TWh decline in 1999. Hydropower rose by 0.8 TWh in 2004 before falling by 0.6 TWh in 2006. The 2010s continued this uneven pattern, with several declines interrupted by gains in 2012 and 2016; a particularly strong 1.9 TWh increase in 2017 was fully reversed in 2018. More recently, hydropower increased by 1 TWh in 2023, and solar added 0.9 TWh in 2026—an encouraging contribution that highlights solar’s growing role in expanding Latvia’s clean electricity generation.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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