In 2025, Trinidad & Tobago’s electricity consumption was overwhelmingly supplied by fossil fuels, which accounted for about 99% of the total. Low-carbon electricity contributed just 1.5%, all from solar. Clean electricity therefore remains a very small part of the electricity mix, leaving considerable scope to expand solar and other low-carbon sources while reducing fossil-fuel-related climate emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Trinidad & Tobago?

The figures show encouraging growth in clean electricity, but total electricity consumption per person remains below its historical peak. In 2025, consumption was about 6,460 kWh per person—roughly 750 kWh, or 10%, below the 2015 record of about 7,210 kWh. This comparison does not establish whether consumption grew in the latest year, but the shortfall highlights the importance of expanding electricity supply to support future electrification and AI-related demand. Meanwhile, low-carbon generation reached 97 kWh per person, almost three times the previous record of 35 kWh set in 1971—a welcome increase of 62 kWh per person.

Suggestions

Trinidad & Tobago can build on its solar progress through rooftop installations, larger solar projects, and grid investment. Relevant island examples include Cyprus and the US state of Hawaii, where solar supplies almost a quarter of electricity, and Cape Verde, where it supplies about 14%. Wind also merits consideration where local conditions are suitable: Cape Verde generates about 14% of its electricity from wind, while Uruguay generates a third. Nuclear should also be considered as a source of dependable low-carbon electricity. Trinidad & Tobago could learn from the United Arab Emirates, where nuclear supplies 20% of electricity, and France, where it supplies about two-thirds, particularly regarding long-term planning, workforce development, and project delivery.

History

The supplied historical data show little recorded change in low-carbon generation for many years, followed by a recent solar breakthrough. Biofuel electricity generation showed no year-to-year change in the listed years throughout much of the 1990s and from 2000 through 2009; these figures indicate unchanged output, not necessarily zero generation. Solar likewise recorded no change in 2019 or 2024. In 2025, however, solar generation increased by 0.1 TWh, equivalent to about 100 million kWh. That welcome step forward provides a foundation for sustained clean electricity growth rather than a return to stagnation.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade