In 2022, almost three-quarters of New Caledonia’s electricity consumption came from fossil fuels, with coal alone accounting for about 37% of the total. Low-carbon sources supplied just over a quarter: hydropower contributed roughly 17%, solar about 7%, and wind just over 1%. This leaves substantial scope to expand clean electricity and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, along with their climate and air-pollution impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in New Caledonia?

The picture for electricity growth is mixed. Total electricity consumption reached about 10,800 kWh per person in 2022, around 1,600 kWh—or 13%—below the record of roughly 12,300 kWh set in 2018. That decline is concerning as electrification creates demand for more electricity. However, low-carbon electricity generation reached a new high of about 2,800 kWh per person, surpassing the previous record of approximately 2,300 kWh in 2021 by about 540 kWh, or 24%. This strong clean-electricity growth is encouraging, although overall consumption remained below its historical peak.

Suggestions

New Caledonia can build on that progress by expanding solar generation, developing suitable wind resources, and considering nuclear electricity as part of its long-term clean-electricity strategy. Island regions offer useful examples: solar supplies about 23% of electricity in both Cyprus and the US state of Hawaii, while wind supplies roughly 14% in Cape Verde. Nearby Australia also demonstrates substantial solar deployment, with about 21% of its electricity coming from solar. For nuclear electricity, France is a particularly relevant reference given its ties to New Caledonia: nuclear supplies about two-thirds of French electricity. Drawing on these regions’ experience, New Caledonia could assess locally appropriate solar, wind, and nuclear projects alongside grid improvements to support growing low-carbon generation.

History

New Caledonia’s recorded low-carbon electricity changes show fluctuating hydropower output followed by more recent solar growth. In the 2000s, hydropower fell by 0.1 TWh in both 2001 and 2006, then rose by the same amount in 2007 and 2008; it was unchanged in 2002 and 2009. During the 2010s, several 0.1 TWh increases and decreases were interrupted by a larger 0.2 TWh fall in 2014, while output was unchanged in 2012, 2018, and 2019. Solar added 0.1 TWh in 2019, broadening the clean-electricity mix. More recently, hydropower increased by 0.1 TWh in both 2021 and 2022, and solar added another 0.1 TWh in 2022—a welcome combination of gains that supported the latest low-carbon record.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade