How wind power grew in Uruguay
Uruguay's first wind park, Nuevo Manantial in Rocha, began operating in October 2008. The state utility UTE's own Sierra de los Caracoles farm in Maldonado followed in December 2008, with five Vestas turbines of 2 MW. It cost a little over US$25m and was paid for through a debt-conversion programme with Spain. A second phase in June 2010 took the complex to 20 MW.
The energy policy for 2005 to 2030 first aimed for 300 MW of wind by 2015, then raised the goal to 1,200 MW. A wind programme run with UNDP and funded by the GEF, from 2007 to 2013, worked on rules, wind data and training. UTE built farms alone and with partners such as Brazil's Eletrobras, and financed some through trusts listed on the Montevideo stock exchange. The first, Pampa, has 140 MW of Nordex turbines and cost US$275m. Connected wind passed 1,000 MW on 28 September 2016.
IRENA counted 1,524 MW of wind in 2024, unchanged since 2019. Preliminary official data show that wind supplied 34% of the 13,040 GWh Uruguay generated in 2025, about 4.4 TWh, when 98% of generation was renewable. The share varies with hydro output: wind gave 37% in 2023, when hydro gave 27%, against hydro's 46% in 2025. UTE's 2023 plan adds 100 MW of solar a year to 2047, with new wind only from 2032.
Sources: Energías Renovables · Energías Renovables · Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining · Presidencia · El Observador · IRENA · Montevideo Portal · Energía Estratégica
Where Uruguay's power comes from, 2025
| Source | Share of electricity |
|---|---|
| Wind | 40.6% |
| Hydro | 27.2% |
| Bioenergy | 24.9% |
| Solar | 5.1% |
| Other fossil fuels | 2.2% |
Wind farms in Uruguay
We track 38 wind farms in Uruguay: 1.6 GW operating and 1.3 GW under construction, consented or planned. Each one's owners, turbines and status are in the Wind app.
Electricity data: Ember yearly electricity data (CC BY 4.0). Wind farms: national registers and Global Energy Monitor; see data sources.
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