Ecuador energy mix & electricity
Electricity generation in Ecuador reached 36.6 TWh in 2025. Hydropower dominates the mix with 77.9%, followed by oil at 17.9%.
Electricity generation by source in 2025
Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.
| Source | TWh | Share | 10-yr Δ pp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 28.51 | 77.9% | +27.7 |
| Oil | 6.56 | 17.9% | −20.1 |
| Gas | 0.98 | 2.7% | −8.2 |
| Bioenergy | 0.32 | 0.9% | +0.5 |
| Wind | 0.19 | 0.5% | +0.1 |
| Solar | 0.04 | 0.1% | −0.1 |
| Total | 36.6 | 100% |
Ecuador: electricity in context
Electricity generation in Ecuador reached 36.6 TWh in 2025. That puts it in the same league as Serbia. Hydropower dominates the mix with 77.9%, followed by oil at 17.9%.
79.4% of the country’s power came from renewable sources: 29th of 158 countries (in the top quarter). That is 46 points above the world average of 33.8%. It is also above the average for South America (76.8%). Generating one kWh emits about 159 g CO₂e here (world average: 458 g). That makes the grid comfortably cleaner than the global average. In the cleanest-grid ranking, Ecuador is 39th of 158.
Over the past decade hydropower added more generation than any other source (+15.5 TWh since 2015, plus 27.7 percentage points of share). The biggest decline came from oil (−3.3 TWh). The net effect: renewables gained 28.3 percentage points of share since 2015. Total generation grew by 10.8 TWh over the same period. Carbon intensity dropped from 346 to 159 g/kWh, a 54% cut.
Coal has essentially never been burned for electricity here: its share has stayed below 1% throughout the record.
Wind and solar have barely started in Ecuador: combined, they produce less than 1% of the power.
Generation per person is 2,001 kWh a year, 52% of the world average of 3,860 kWh. Imports and exports roughly cancel out.
How the power mix has changed
Electricity generation by source since 2000. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.
Renewables and carbon intensity
Ecuador against the world and South America averages.
Total energy: beyond electricity
Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Renewables supply 25.4% of primary energy and fossil fuels 74.6% (2024). Per person, that is 12,722 kWh a year (world: 21,654).
Substitution method: non-fossil electricity is converted to the primary energy a fossil plant would have needed.
Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.
Power plants in Ecuador
The 22 power plants recorded in Ecuador add up to 4.2 GW of capacity, 77% of it Hydro. The largest is Coca Coda Sinclair at 1,500 MW. The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.
Largest power plants
| # | Plant | Fuel | Capacity MW | Commissioned | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coca Coda Sinclair | Hydro | 1,500 | 2010 | Cocasinclair EP |
| 2 | Paute | Hydro | 1,100 | — | CELEC EP |
| 3 | Sopladora II | Hydro | 487 | — | CELEC EP |
| 4 | Electroquil | Gas | 181 | — | Electroquil |
| 5 | Gonzalo Zevallos | Gas | 146 | 1978 | Electroguayas |
| 6 | Central Termica Trinitaria | Oil | 133 | 1994 | Electroguayas |
| 7 | Esmeraldas | Oil | 133 | — | Termoesmeraldas |
| 8 | Esmeraldas II | Oil | 96 | 2014 | CELEC EP |
| 9 | Alvaro Tinajero | Gas | 95 | — | Electrica de Guayaquil |
| 10 | Manduriacu | Hydro | 65 | 2015 | — |
| 11 | Miraflores | Oil | 52 | — | Termoesmeraldas |
| 12 | Santa Rosa | Gas | 51 | — | Termopichincha |
| 13 | Gualberto Hernandez | Oil | 34 | — | EEQ SA |
| 14 | Condor | Solar | 30 | — | — |
| 15 | Saucay | Hydro | 24 | — | Elecaustro |
Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 22 plants on the interactive power plant map.
Solar & wind farms: Ecuador
62 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 24 MW of solar and 50 MW of wind operating, plus 1.8 GW under construction or planned.
How does Ecuador compare?
Ecuador next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.
| Country | Renewable % | Low-carbon % | Fossil % | gCO₂/kWh | kWh / person | Generation TWh | Mix | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | 79.4% | 79.4% | 20.6% | 159 | 2,001 | 36.6 | — | |
| Colombia | 77% | 77% | 23% | 187 | 1,691 | 90.4 | Compare | |
| Peru | 63.7% | 63.7% | 36.4% | 238 | 1,748 | 60.4 | Compare | |
| Panama | 68% | 68% | 32% | 221 | 2,974 | 13.4 | Compare | |
| Costa Rica | 100% | 100% | 0% | 24 | 2,486 | 12.8 | Compare | |
| Venezuela | 91.1% | 91.1% | 8.9% | 86 | 2,821 | 80.1 | Compare | |
| Aruba | 17% | 17% | 83% | 550 | 9,253 | 1 | Compare | |
| South America average | 76.8% | 78.8% | 21.2% | 167 | 3,031 | 1,321 | Compare | |
| World average | 33.8% | 42.6% | 57.4% | 458 | 3,860 | 31,772 | Compare |
Calculators for Ecuador
Ecuador energy: frequently asked questions
What percentage of electricity in Ecuador is renewable?
What is the main source of electricity in Ecuador?
How clean is the electricity in Ecuador?
Does Ecuador have nuclear power?
How much electricity does Ecuador use per person?
How much solar power does Ecuador produce?
Does Ecuador import electricity?
More countries in South America
Sources & references
- Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
- Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
- World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity
Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2025. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.