From August 2025 through July 2026, fossil fuels supplied almost three-quarters of Mexico’s electricity, while low-carbon sources provided about a quarter. Gas alone accounted for 60%, with coal and oil each contributing roughly 7%. Among clean electricity sources, hydropower supplied about 8%, solar almost 7%, wind 6%, and nuclear 3%. Mexico therefore remains heavily dependent on fossil electricity, leaving considerable room to expand low-carbon generation and reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Mexico?

Electricity consumption per person is growing, although modestly: the latest 2026 figure reached 2,815 kWh, surpassing the previous record of 2,771 kWh in 2024 by 44 kWh, or about 1.6%. That new high is welcome, but clean electricity has not kept pace. Low-carbon generation stood at 709 kWh per person, about 23 kWh, or 3%, below its 2021 record of 732 kWh. This shortfall is concerning: Mexico needs stronger clean electricity growth to support electrification, expanding industry, and emerging demand from AI.

Suggestions

Mexico can accelerate progress by expanding solar, nuclear, and wind generation alongside the grid infrastructure needed to deliver their output. Nearby regions offer useful examples: the US states of Nevada and California generate about 35% and 31% of their electricity from solar, respectively, while Chile reaches 24%. These examples offer practical lessons for scaling solar in Mexico’s sunny regions. Nuclear expansion also deserves a central role: the US state of Arizona generates a quarter of its electricity from nuclear, while France obtains roughly two-thirds, demonstrating its potential to supply substantial clean electricity. For wind, Mexico can learn from the US states of New Mexico and Texas, where wind contributes about 36% and 22%, and from Uruguay, where it supplies a third.

History

Mexico’s recorded low-carbon electricity changes have been dominated by hydropower fluctuations. In the 1980s and 1990s, hydro gains of roughly 8 TWh in 1981, 1995, and 1999 alternated with declines of about 5–6 TWh in 1986, 1994, and 1997. The 2000s brought another reversal: hydro rose by nearly 12 TWh in 2008 before falling by about 13 TWh in 2009, then rebounding by 10 TWh in 2010. During the 2010s, an 11 TWh hydro increase in 2014 was followed by drops of about 8 TWh in both 2015 and 2019. Encouragingly, solar and wind each added nearly 5 TWh in 2019, and solar added another 9 TWh in 2020. Hydro subsequently rose by about 8 TWh in 2021, fell sharply by 15 TWh in 2023, and recovered by around 5 TWh in 2025. Sustained solar, wind, and nuclear expansion would help turn these uneven changes into stronger long-term clean electricity growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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