In 2025, more than three-fifths of Sri Lanka’s electricity consumption came from low-carbon sources, while fossil fuels supplied about 39%. Hydropower was the largest clean electricity source, providing roughly 40% of the total, followed by solar at about 15% and wind at 4%. Geothermal and biofuels together accounted for around 1%. This gives Sri Lanka a strong low-carbon foundation, although its substantial fossil electricity share still contributes to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Sri Lanka?

Electricity consumption is growing in Sri Lanka: it reached a record 844 kWh per person in 2025, up from 789 kWh in 2024—an increase of approximately 56 kWh per person, or 7%. Low-carbon electricity generation grew even faster, reaching 515 kWh per person compared with the previous record of 423 kWh in 2024. That increase of 92 kWh per person represents roughly 22% growth, an encouraging sign that clean electricity is leading the expansion. Sustaining this momentum will help meet rising demand from electrification and AI-related infrastructure.

Suggestions

Sri Lanka should build on solar’s already substantial contribution by expanding rooftop and utility-scale solar alongside electricity grid investment. Lebanon, where solar supplies about 31% of electricity, and the US state of Nevada, at 35%, demonstrate how much further solar’s contribution can grow. Wind also offers room for expansion: Uruguay generates about a third of its electricity from wind, while Ireland, another island setting, generates roughly 35%. Sri Lanka should also consider developing nuclear electricity, drawing on regional experience from Pakistan, where nuclear supplies about 13% of electricity, and the larger nuclear contribution in South Korea, at 25%. Together, solar, wind and nuclear could strengthen Sri Lanka’s clean electricity supply and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

History

Sri Lanka’s low-carbon electricity history has been dominated by changing hydropower output. Hydro generation increased by about 0.9 TWh in both 1984 and 1993, before falling by 1.2 TWh in 1996 and 1 TWh in 2000. Gains of 1.2 TWh in 2006 and 1.8 TWh in 2010 were followed by repeated rises and falls throughout the 2010s: notably, a 3.6 TWh increase in 2013 was followed by a 2.4 TWh decline in 2014, while a 2.4 TWh gain in 2018 preceded a 1.6 TWh decline in 2019. The early 2020s continued this uneven pattern, with hydro rising 2.3 TWh in 2021 and falling 1.9 TWh in 2022. More recently, growth has been especially encouraging: hydro added 1.1 TWh in each of 2024 and 2025, while solar added 0.7 TWh in 2024 and 1.1 TWh in 2025, broadening the sources driving clean electricity expansion.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade