In 2023, Turks & Caicos Islands relied entirely on fossil fuels for its electricity consumption, with fossil sources supplying 100% and low-carbon sources contributing none in the supplied data. This leaves a clear opportunity to develop clean electricity, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and cut the climate-changing emissions and air pollution associated with their use.

Is Electricity Growing in Turks & Caicos Islands?

Electricity consumption per person remains well below its historical peak. In 2023, it stood at about 5,600 kWh per person, compared with roughly 7,300 kWh in 2017—a decline of about 1,640 kWh, or 23%. These figures show that consumption per person has not recovered to its record, although they do not establish whether total electricity consumption is growing. Low-carbon generation remained at zero kWh per person, unchanged from the reported 2000 record. This lack of clean electricity growth is concerning as electrification and expanding digital services could increase future demand.

Suggestions

Solar offers a promising starting point for increasing low-carbon electricity generation. Relevant island examples include Cyprus, where solar supplies about a quarter of electricity generation, and the US state of Hawaii, where it supplies 23%. Turks & Caicos Islands could encourage rooftop solar and larger solar installations, supported by batteries and grid upgrades. Cape Verde also offers a useful island example, with solar and wind each supplying 14% of generation, suggesting that local wind-resource assessments could identify another clean option. Nuclear should also be considered in long-term electricity planning: France generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, demonstrating its substantial contribution to low-carbon supply. For Turks & Caicos Islands, assessing appropriately scaled nuclear options would help determine their potential alongside solar and wind.

History

The supplied historical information contains no year-by-year changes in low-carbon electricity generation, so a detailed account by decade is not possible. The available benchmarks report zero low-carbon generation per person in both 2000 and 2023, with no improvement over that record. They therefore show no demonstrated clean electricity progress at those endpoints, rather than establishing what happened in every intervening year. Moving beyond this stagnation through sustained investment in low-carbon electricity would be an important step toward a cleaner and more abundant electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade