Geographic Feature: Costa Rica
Friday, September 4, 2026. COSTA RICA ENERGY PROFILE. OIL AND NATURAL GAS: Costa Rica reports no proven oil reserves, produces only ~400 b/d petroleum liquids (unchanged YoY 2025; zero crude/NGPL). Oil consumption ~65k b/d 2024 (large deficit entirely imports); production covers <1% needs. No domestic natural gas production reported/indicated. ELECTRICITY GENERATION: 2025 electricity 98.6% renewables (hydro/geothermal/wind/biomass/solar), verified ICE/DOCSE; thermal/fossil minimal. 2025/early 2026 hydro dominated ~70-75%+ generation, wind ~12%, geothermal ~11%, biomass/solar rest; low-carbon ~98% rolling 12-month mid-2026. Installed capacity end-2025 ~3,659 MW led hydro (~2,342 MW), wind (~437 MW), thermal/backup (~531 MW), geothermal (~263 MW), small biomass/solar shares. OVERALL ENERGY SUPPLY AND CONSUMPTION: 2024 baseline oil/products ~55% total supply; renewables (hydro/solar/wind/other/biofuels/waste) balance. Final consumption oil products ~67%, reflecting heavy transport use despite clean electricity. 2026 economic higher oil prices moderate GDP ~3.6% (IMF); headwind alongside factors. RENEWABLE OUTLOOK AND CAPACITY: Plans add ~600 MW new geothermal/solar/wind by 2030 (ICE/private generators) maintain high renewable shares. Fossil thermal plants mainly strategic backup; share electricity ~2% or less high-renewable periods. Imports 100% finished petroleum products; no domestic refining. REGIONAL AND SOLAR SPECIFICS: Costa Rica stands out regionally near-100% renewable electricity vs. higher fossil neighboring countries. Solar 2025 only ~0.27-0.28% electricity (~36.6 GWh total generation), 15.5 MW installed capacity. National demand ~13 TWh 2025; system supports regional exports while maintaining high domestic coverage (~97% demand met renewably). Clean energy leader. Lessons for the world.
