In 2022, St. Pierre & Miquelon relied entirely on fossil fuels for its electricity: fossil generation accounted for 100% of consumption, while low-carbon sources contributed none. This leaves substantial scope to introduce clean electricity and reduce the climate-changing emissions and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in St. Pierre & Miquelon?

Electricity consumption per person grew slightly, reaching a new record of about 8,735 kWh in 2022, compared with 8,685 kWh in 2021. That increase of 50 kWh per person represents growth of roughly 0.6%. Although the rise is welcome, clean electricity remained stagnant: low-carbon generation was zero kWh per person, unchanged from the recorded benchmark in 2000. Future electricity growth should be supported by expanding low-carbon generation to meet demand from electrification and potentially new digital activities.

Suggestions

St. Pierre & Miquelon can draw on relevant island and northern-region examples to develop solar and wind electricity, while exploring nuclear options suited to its small electricity system. Denmark generates almost 60% of its electricity from wind, and Ireland about a third, offering useful examples for assessing local wind opportunities. The US state of Maine generates about 18% from solar and another 18% from wind, demonstrating that both can contribute in a northern coastal setting. Solar installations on rooftops and suitable land deserve consideration, alongside storage and grid improvements. France, with about two-thirds of its electricity generated by nuclear, provides a particularly relevant source of technical expertise through the territory’s French ties. Cooperation with France could help assess appropriately scaled nuclear technologies as part of a long-term clean electricity strategy.

History

The historical information supplied contains no year-by-year changes in low-carbon electricity generation, so it does not support a detailed account of developments across decades. The available benchmarks show zero low-carbon generation per person in both 2000 and 2022, with no improvement over the earlier record. This lack of progress is disappointing and underscores the opportunity to establish a growing clean electricity sector through solar, wind and a careful assessment of nuclear options.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade