Over 13.8 GW of New Renewables Expected Online in Latin America in 2026

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Written by Amir Richani for, IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Latin America could see 13.8 GW of renewable capacity coming online in 2026, based on IIR's database. Solar projects dominate the expansion with a possible 9.16 GW coming online this year, followed by wind at 2.56 GW. Brazil is set to see the largest capacity come online in 2026, followed by Chile and Peru.

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Latin America Expected to Install 13.8 GW of Renewables in 2026

Industrial Info Resources is tracking some 13.8 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power generation capacity that could come online in 2026 across Central and South America. This includes plants that have already begun operations or those under construction with a scheduled start-up date before the end of 2026.

According to IIR, some 6.45 GW have already begun operations in the region between January and early October 2026, while remaining 7.35 GW could come online towards the end of 2026. Subscribers can access IIR's database for the full list and details of each specific project.

Solar power capacity leads the charts with some 9.16 GW expected to come online in 2026, with 4.51 GW already operational. That represents around 67% of fuel type share.

In second place comes wind power at 2.56 GW, with about half of that capacity already operational, for around 19% fuel type share. In third place is hydropower capacity with just over 1.7 GW and 12%, while the remaining technologies account for less than 0.5 GW. See the following chart for data separated by fuel type.

 

Brazil is leading the development of renewable technologies with a possible 4.8 GW coming online in 2026. About 67% of that capacity is composed of solar power generation, while wind power plants account for another 28%. Meanwhile, according to a document by Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy, about 2.6 GW of solar power capacity had come online between January and July 2026, while another 626 megawatts (MW) were also expected to begin operations by year-end.

Brazil is also home to the three biggest renewable projects in Latin America coming online in 2026. The biggest two are Complexo Eólico Serra da Palmeira and Complexo Fotovoltaico Cristino Castro, with a capacity of 648 MW and 600 MW, respectively.

For its part, Chile ranks second with 1.97 GW of renewable capacity coming online this year. Of those, almost 1.58 GW of solar capacity coming online this year, according to IIR's project tracking, followed by 355 MW of hydropower.

Peru ranks third and could see 1.64 GW of renewable power becoming operational throughout 2026, of which 1.4 GW pertain to solar projects and 220 MW to wind capacity. Throughout this year, the Peruvian government has been pushing for the development of new solar and wind projects as a strategy to diversify its energy sources and to help reduce emissions from key energy-intensive sectors such as copper mining. Peru's electricity generation is dominated by hydropower and natural gas.

Mexico ranks fourth with 1.2 GW of renewable capacity becoming operational in 2026; however, unlike the other countries in the region, Mexico's growth could be driven by hydropower capacity, which could grow by 726 MW in 2026. Wind comes second with 319 MW, and solar power at 158 MW. Thermoelectric power plants, powered by fossil fuels, represent a significant portion of the country's electricity matrix.

See the following chart for a summary of the expected renewables installations by country in the region.

 

Key takeaways

• Central and South America could see 13.8 GW of new renewable energy capacity come online in 2026.
• Solar power would dominate the new capacity, with some 9.16 GW potentially coming online in 2026.
• Brazil is the country with the biggest projected capacity coming online, with 4.8 GW in potential capacity.

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