Uruguay relies almost entirely on renewable sources for electricity
Available figures point to an exceptionally clean electricity mix, but do not confirm that the country is fully independent of oil and gas.
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
Uruguay generates almost all its electricity from renewable sources, according to figures from the energy ministry. The country continues to use non-renewable sources for its overall energy supply. The figures do not show almost complete independence from oil and gas.
In March, Uruguay’s Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining reported that 98 per cent of electricity generation in 2025 came from renewable sources. Hydropower was the largest source, followed by wind power and biomass. Solar power and fossil fuels accounted for a smaller share of electricity production.
Those figures cover electricity, not the country’s total energy demand. According to the ministry’s provisional energy balance for 2025, 64 per cent of the energy supply came from renewable sources, 35 per cent from non-renewable sources and 1 per cent from imported electricity. Oil and oil products therefore remained an important energy source.
The ministry stresses that Uruguay has no proven reserves of oil, natural gas or coal. According to the ministry, energy policy has focused on hydropower, wind power, biomass and solar power for some time. Government figures indicate that the shift towards renewable electricity is mainly the result of long-term policy and investment in the electricity sector.
Dependence on fossil fuels has also not disappeared in transport and industry. Industrial consumption accounted for 52 per cent of final energy use in 2025, and transport for 25 per cent. Oil products still occupied an important place in the provisional figures.
A high share of renewable electricity therefore does not mean that Uruguay is independent of oil and gas. The share of renewable sources is higher in electricity production than in the overall energy supply.
Because no public source dated 19 or 20 October was found for the new headline, we are not presenting this subject as fully confirmed current news. The available figures are useful as context, but cannot establish what new development prompted the summary headline.
Also show the region and a close-up
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- According to provisional figures, Uruguay generated 98 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources in 2025.
- In the total provisional energy mix, 35 per cent came from non-renewable sources.
- Oil products remained an important source for overall energy use.
- The government sources used date from March and June 2026.
Left
Arguments Uruguay shows that public investment and long-term planning can enable the rapid greening of electricity. The next step should focus on transport, industry and affordability, not new fossil-fuel infrastructure.
Values Climate justice, public stewardship and affordable clean energy.
Consequences Accelerating the transition could reduce emissions further, but requires investment and may cause higher costs in the short term.
Centre
Arguments The Uruguayan approach has been successful for electricity, but should be assessed across the entire energy mix. A gradual transition that takes security of supply and industry into account is institutionally the most feasible.
Values Reliability, affordability and measurable progress.
Consequences A phased approach limits risks for consumers and businesses, but keeps fossil-fuel use in place for longer.
Right
Arguments A country should not make itself dependent on ambitious climate targets while industry and transport still need fossil energy. Renewable electricity is useful, but competitiveness and energy security should remain the guiding priorities.
Values Economic freedom, security of supply and national resilience.
Consequences Allowing more scope for fossil fuels or other reliable energy sources could protect the economy, but would slow emissions reductions and increase climate risks.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The energy figures used are verifiable, but the current trigger for the feed headline could not be confirmed within the search budget. The text is therefore limited to older background information and explicitly identifies the uncertainty.
- confirmed 98 per cent of Uruguay’s electricity generation was renewable in 2025. — The Uruguayan energy ministry reports this figure. source
- confirmed In 2025, 64 per cent of the energy supply was renewable and 35 per cent non-renewable. — This appears in the ministry’s provisional energy balance. source
- uncertain Uruguay is almost independent of oil and gas. — The available figures instead show a considerable share of non-renewable energy; the wording was therefore not used as a fact. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Uruguay: A country almost independent of oil and gasNow: Uruguay relies almost entirely on renewable sources for electricity (The figures found support a statement about electricity generation, not full energy independence.)
Editor's note
The government data are from March and June 2026 and do not confirm the current feed headline within 48 hours. The article was therefore marked as insufficient_sources and uses only verifiable background figures.Sources
- Uruguay continúa reduciendo la participación de fuentes fósiles en la matriz primaria — Ministerie van Industrie, Energie en Mijnbouw van Uruguay
- Política Energética — Ministerie van Industrie, Energie en Mijnbouw van Uruguay
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „uruguay energie”
- FD — „uruguay energie”
- AD — „uruguay energie”