In 2022, St. Kitts & Nevis relied on fossil fuels for about 95% of its electricity consumption, while low-carbon electricity supplied only about 5%, entirely from wind. This means nearly all electricity came from fossil sources, with clean electricity playing a small role. Expanding low-carbon generation would help reduce the climate impacts and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in St. Kitts & Nevis?

Electricity consumption per person remained below its historical peak rather than setting a new record. In 2022, consumption was about 4,700 kWh per person, roughly 190 kWh below the 2019 record of about 4,900 kWh—a decline of around 4%. Low-carbon electricity generation stood at 214 kWh per person, unchanged from its 2021 record. This stagnation in clean electricity is concerning: stronger growth would help meet future demand from electrification and increasingly electricity-intensive digital services.

Suggestions

St. Kitts & Nevis can increase clean electricity generation by expanding solar and building on its existing wind generation. Island regions offer useful solar examples: the US state of Hawaii and Cyprus each generate about 23% of their electricity from solar, while Cape Verde generates about 14% and Samoa about 13%. Their experience could inform rooftop solar, larger solar projects, and supporting storage and grid improvements. For wind, Ireland generates about 35% of its electricity from this source, demonstrating what sustained development can achieve. Nuclear should also be considered as a longer-term clean electricity option, including evaluating smaller-scale technologies and regional cooperation. France and Slovakia generate roughly two-thirds of their electricity from nuclear, illustrating its substantial contribution to low-carbon electricity systems, although their approaches would need adaptation to St. Kitts & Nevis’s much smaller electricity demand.

History

The supplied history shows no recorded year-to-year change in wind electricity generation, at the reported precision, throughout the listed years from 2012 to 2016 and from 2018 to 2022. Each listed change is zero TWh; this indicates unchanged reported generation, not an absence of wind electricity. With no entry supplied for 2017, the data cannot establish that year’s change. Overall, the record points to a prolonged period without visible growth in the country’s existing low-carbon electricity source, making a renewed push for clean electricity expansion especially important.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade