Panama energy mix & electricity
Power plants in Panama produced 13.4 TWh of electricity in 2024. Hydropower dominates the mix with 53.1%, followed by natural gas at 20.8% and oil at 7.4%.
Electricity generation by source in 2024
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 | 7.13 | 53.1% | −1 |
| Gas | 2.8 | 20.8% | +20.9 |
| Oil | 1 | 7.4% | −29.3 |
| Solar | 0.99 | 7.4% | +7.3 |
| Wind | 0.96 | 7.1% | +5.9 |
| Coal | 0.5 | 3.7% | −3.7 |
| Bioenergy | 0.05 | 0.4% | +0.1 |
| Total | 13.43 | 100% |
Panama: electricity in context
Power plants in Panama produced 13.4 TWh of electricity in 2024. That puts it in the same league as Georgia. Hydropower dominates the mix with 53.1%, followed by natural gas at 20.8% and oil at 7.4%.
The renewable share stood at 68%, placing Panama 41st of 158 ranked countries. That is 34 points above the world average of 33.8%. It is also above the average for North America (28.8%). Each kilowatt-hour emitted on average 221 g CO₂e, against a world average of 458 g. That makes the grid comfortably cleaner than the global average. In the cleanest-grid ranking, Panama is 48th of 158.
Over the past decade natural gas added more generation than any other source (+2.8 TWh since 2014, plus 20.9 percentage points of share). The biggest decline came from oil (−2.4 TWh). The net effect: renewables gained 12.2 percentage points of share since 2014. Total generation grew by 4.1 TWh over the same period. Carbon intensity dropped from 320 to 221 g/kWh, a 31% cut.
Coal supplies 3.7% of electricity. That is 3.7 percentage points less than in 2014. The peak was 9.2% in 2019. In absolute terms, coal generation peaked in 2019 at 1.1 TWh and has since fallen 53%.
Solar (7.4%) and wind (7.1%) now add up to 14.5% of generation; the global figure is 17.3%. Per person, that is 219 kWh of solar electricity a year, versus a global average of 338 kWh. Wind adds 213 kWh per person. Solar first passed 1% of the mix in 2017.
Generation per person is 2,974 kWh a year, 77% 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
Panama against the world and North America averages.
Power plants in Panama
The 17 power plants recorded in Panama add up to 1.6 GW of capacity, 65% of it Hydro. The largest is Edwin Fabrega (Fortuna) Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama at 300 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 | Edwin Fabrega (Fortuna) Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama | Hydro | 300 | — | — |
| 2 | Bayano Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama | Hydro | 260 | — | — |
| 3 | Changuinola I Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama | Hydro | 222 | — | — |
| 4 | Central 9 de Enero (JB) CCGT Power Plant Panama | Gas | 160 | — | — |
| 5 | Bahia las Minas Coal Power Plant Panama | Coal | 120 | — | — |
| 6 | Esti Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama | Hydro | 120 | — | — |
| 7 | PanAm IC Power Plant Panama | Oil | 96 | — | — |
| 8 | ACP Miraflores 3 and 4 Thermal Power Plant Panama | Oil | 59 | — | — |
| 9 | Los Valles Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama | Hydro | 55 | — | — |
| 10 | ACP Miraflores IC Power Plant Panama | Oil | 54 | — | — |
| 11 | Pedregal Pacora Power Plant Panama | Oil | 53 | — | — |
| 12 | La Estrella Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama | Hydro | 47 | — | — |
| 13 | Madden Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama | Hydro | 36 | — | — |
| 14 | Gatun Hydroelectric Power Plant Panama | Hydro | 23 | — | — |
| 15 | Ingenio | Solar | 10 | — | — |
Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 17 plants on the interactive power plant map.
Solar & wind farms: Panama
124 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 700 MW of solar and 337 MW of wind operating, plus 3.2 GW under construction or planned.
How does Panama compare?
Panama 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama | 68% | 68% | 32% | 221 | 2,974 | 13.4 | — | |
| Colombia | 77% | 77% | 23% | 187 | 1,691 | 90.4 | Compare | |
| Costa Rica | 100% | 100% | 0% | 24 | 2,486 | 12.8 | Compare | |
| Nicaragua | 62.4% | 62.4% | 37.6% | 301 | 654 | 4.5 | Compare | |
| Honduras | 55.4% | 55.4% | 44.6% | 322 | 1,153 | 12.5 | Compare | |
| Jamaica | 12.6% | 12.6% | 87.4% | 563 | 1,733 | 4.9 | Compare | |
| El Salvador | 86.5% | 86.5% | 13.5% | 139 | 1,015 | 6.5 | Compare | |
| North America average | 28.8% | 44.7% | 55.3% | 369 | 9,025 | 5,534 | Compare | |
| World average | 33.8% | 42.6% | 57.4% | 458 | 3,860 | 31,772 | Compare |
Calculators for Panama
Panama energy: frequently asked questions
What percentage of electricity in Panama is renewable?
What is the main source of electricity in Panama?
How clean is the electricity in Panama?
Does Panama have nuclear power?
How much electricity does Panama use per person?
How much solar power does Panama produce?
Does Panama import electricity?
More countries in North 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 2024. 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.