From June 2025 through May 2026, Mexico relied on fossil fuels for almost three-quarters of its electricity consumption, while low-carbon sources supplied about a quarter. Gas alone accounted for 60%, with oil and coal each contributing roughly 6.5%. Among clean electricity sources, hydropower provided about 9%, solar nearly 7%, wind 6%, and nuclear 3%. This mix leaves substantial room to expand low-carbon electricity and reduce fossil-fuel dependence, along with its climate and air-pollution impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Mexico?

Mexico’s electricity consumption per person is growing, but only slightly: the latest 2026 figure reached 2,788 kWh, just 17 kWh—or about 0.6%—above the previous record of 2,771 kWh in 2024. Low-carbon electricity generation per person, however, has not regained its historic peak. At 707 kWh, it remains 25 kWh, or about 3%, below the 2021 record of 732 kWh. The new consumption record is welcome, but this modest growth and the shortfall in clean generation underline the need for faster expansion to meet demand from electrification and AI.

Suggestions

Mexico should expand solar, wind, and nuclear electricity together, learning particularly from nearby regions with relevant experience. The US states of Nevada and California generate about 35% and 31% of their electricity from solar, respectively, while Chile achieves 24%—useful examples for Mexico’s sunny regions. For wind, the US states of New Mexico and Texas generate roughly 36% and 22%, while Uruguay reaches a third. Nuclear should also play a larger role: the US state of Arizona generates a quarter of its electricity from nuclear, and France generates about two-thirds. Building more solar and nuclear capacity, developing strong wind resources, and expanding transmission would help Mexico deliver much more clean electricity.

History

Mexico’s low-carbon electricity history has been marked by large hydropower swings. Generation rose by about 8 TWh in 1981, then fell by 6 TWh in 1986. During the 1990s, declines in 1994 and 1997 alternated with gains of roughly 8 TWh in 1995 and 1999. The 2000s brought another decline-and-recovery cycle in 2003–2004, followed by a 12 TWh increase in 2008 that was more than reversed in 2009. Hydropower rebounded by about 10 TWh in 2010 and 11 TWh in 2014, but fell 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 then gained 8 TWh in 2021, suffered a substantial 15 TWh drop in 2023, and recovered by 5 TWh in 2025. These fluctuations reinforce the importance of sustained expansion across solar, wind, and nuclear to build a growing clean electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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