From August 2025 through July 2026, Mexico relied on fossil fuels for almost three-quarters of its electricity consumption, while low-carbon sources supplied about a quarter. Gas dominated at roughly 60%, with coal and oil each contributing about 7%. Among clean sources, hydropower supplied around 8%, solar nearly 7%, wind 6%, and nuclear 3%. This leaves substantial room to expand low-carbon electricity and reduce the climate-changing emissions and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Mexico?

Electricity consumption per person is growing, although the latest increase is modest: the 2026 figure of 2,815 kWh per person exceeds the previous record of 2,771 kWh in 2024 by 44 kWh, or about 2%. Clean electricity has not yet matched its earlier peak, however. Low-carbon generation reached 709 kWh per person, about 3% below the 2021 record of 732 kWh. The new consumption record is encouraging, but the shortfall in clean generation is concerning: Mexico needs stronger low-carbon electricity growth to support electrification and emerging demand, including AI.

Suggestions

Mexico could accelerate clean electricity generation by expanding solar, wind, and nuclear together, learning from regions with relevant experience. The sunny US states of Nevada and Arizona generate about 35% and 19% of their electricity from solar, respectively, while Chile reaches 24%, offering useful examples for solar expansion. For wind, Mexico could look to the neighboring US state of Texas, where wind supplies 22% of electricity, and Uruguay, where it supplies about a third. Nuclear expansion also deserves serious consideration: the US state of Arizona generates a quarter of its electricity from nuclear, while France generates roughly two-thirds. Pairing these sources with expanded electricity networks would help Mexico build a larger, cleaner electricity supply.

History

Mexico’s low-carbon electricity history has featured large hydropower swings alongside more recent solar and wind growth. Hydropower rose by nearly 8 TWh in 1981, then fell by about 6 TWh in 1986. The 1990s brought repeated declines and rebounds, including gains of roughly 8 TWh in both 1995 and 1999. Similar fluctuations continued in the 2000s: a nearly 12 TWh increase in 2008 was followed by a roughly 13 TWh decline in 2009. Hydropower rebounded by about 10 TWh in 2010 and 11 TWh in 2014, before falling by around 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. Hydropower increased by about 8 TWh in 2021, dropped sharply by 15 TWh in 2023, and recovered by around 5 TWh in 2025. These fluctuations reinforce the importance of sustained expansion across Mexico’s clean electricity sources.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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