In 2025, Qatar’s electricity consumption remained overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels, which supplied about 94% of the total. Low-carbon sources accounted for almost 6%, with solar providing nearly all of that clean electricity, at about 5.6% of total consumption. This leaves considerable room to expand clean electricity and reduce the climate impacts and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Qatar?

Electricity consumption per person is growing in Qatar. In 2025, it reached about 20,600 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of roughly 19,600 kWh in 2024 by almost 1,000 kWh, or 5%. Low-carbon electricity generation also reached a new high of about 1,190 kWh per person, compared with the previous record of just 53 kWh in 2021—an increase of roughly 1,135 kWh per person using the supplied figures. This sharp growth in clean electricity is encouraging, and continued expansion can help meet future demand from electrification and AI.

Suggestions

Qatar should build on its solar breakthrough while considering nuclear electricity as a complementary source of clean generation. The neighboring United Arab Emirates offers a particularly relevant example, generating 20% of its electricity from nuclear power. France demonstrates how much further nuclear can scale, supplying about two-thirds of its electricity. For solar, Qatar can learn from sunny regions such as the US state of Nevada, where solar generates 35% of electricity, and the US state of Arizona, where it supplies 19%. Expanding large-scale and rooftop solar, alongside planning for nuclear generation and the grid infrastructure needed to support growth, would help Qatar establish a much larger low-carbon electricity supply.

History

Qatar’s recent low-carbon electricity history shows a prolonged period of stagnation followed by a major solar advance. From 2020 through 2024, the supplied data records no year-to-year increase in either solar or biofuel electricity generation. That lack of growth was disappointing given the need for more clean electricity. In 2025, however, solar generation increased by 3.5 TWh, while biofuel generation again showed no change. This substantial solar expansion marks an encouraging shift that Qatar can sustain through further solar development and consideration of nuclear power.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade