OLADE: Regional Electricity Generation Grew 4.5% Year-on-Year in April, with 67% Renewable

The Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) reported that 67% of the 164 TWh generated across Latin America and the Caribbean in April 2026 came from renewable sources, marking a 4.5% year-on-year increase in total generation compared to the same month in 2025, according to the organization's Report No. 15, published on July 15.

Hydroelectricity remained the leading source at 44.6% of total output, though its share fell by 9.4 TWh compared to April 2025, reflecting lower water availability across several countries in the region. That decline was more than offset by gains in wind generation, which added 5.1 TWh to reach 12.2% of the regional mix, and in natural gas, which grew by 4.6 TWh to cover 23.2% of total output. Bioenergy also posted a notable advance, contributing an additional 3.3 TWh. According to the EFE news agency, which replicated the report's data on July 17, the combination of hydroelectric, natural gas, and wind power accounted for roughly 80% of the region's electricity generation during the month.

Nine of OLADE's 27 member countries exceeded the regional renewability average of 67 percent. Paraguay led with 100% of its electricity mix from renewable sources, followed by Uruguay (97%), Costa Rica and Ecuador (92% each), Brazil (88%), Colombia (87%), Venezuela (86%), Belize (76%), and Peru (68%), according to the report. Solar generation, while still modest at 8.2 TWh and a 5.0% share, grew approximately 9% year-on-year, according to the source-level analysis in Report No. 15. Wind was the renewable source with the largest absolute increase over the period and now leads both solar and bioenergy by a wide margin within the clean energy bloc. By contrast, petroleum derivatives and coal together accounted for 7.8% of regional generation.

OLADE's monthly report confirms that the regional electricity mix maintains a renewable majority even as total generation rises, a finding that stands in contrast to the transmission constraints and curtailment episodes affecting several markets across the region. The May edition of the report is expected in the first half of August.

This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.