21st May 2025, Panama City, Panama: At the Climate Week in Panama today, the government of Honduras has affirmed the country’s commitments to not build any new coal power plants and work together with other countries to accelerate the global coal-to-clean energy transition. The nation joins Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay as the 10th Latin American national government member of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), heralding the approach of a coal-free Latin America.
Honduras’s PPCA membership comes at a time when the country is already leading by example. Honduras currently uses over 60% renewables in its grid – and stopped using coal for electricity production in 2015. The government also aims to increase renewable energy to 80% of power generation by 2038. By joining this international Alliance of 60 nations, Honduras commits to sharing this experience with developing economies around the world – ensuring that every country can benefit from the many opportunities of the coal-to-clean transition.
Tomás Antonio Rodríguez Sánchez, Vice Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Honduras Ministry of Energy, said:
“The future of Latin American energy lies in renewables, not coal. That’s why we’re thrilled to join 60 nations in the Powering Past Coal Alliance. Honduras is working to achieve an energy system dominated by renewables. We look forward to sharing our experience with other emerging economies aiming to make a similar leap from coal to clean.”
Latin America turns its back on coal power
Honduras’s PPCA membership is further proof that the Latin American region is moving irreversibly away from coal, towards the renewable energy systems of the future.
In 2024, coal only made up 4% of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region’s electricity generation. As in other rapidly developing regions, electricity demand in the LAC is growing fast. However, the region is delivering an energy transition at a scale that can absorb this growth. There are no active coal plant proposals, and renewables are being deployed at pace: LAC now generates 65% of its electricity from clean sources, well above the global average of 41%.
In October 2024, 20 countries, including Honduras, signed the OLADE declaration ‘No New Coal-Fired Power Plants in LAC’, showing there is an increasing regional consensus on the benefits of coal to clean energy transitions in terms of the fight against climate change, regional economic development and the reduction of inequality.
Momentum builds for No New Coal at COP30 in Brazil
With the critical COP30 taking place in Brazil, the 10 Latin American PPCA members are showing the world that phasing out coal power and embracing renewables is an achievable reality. And, as shown by the OLADE Declaration in this leading region, one of the key first steps in kickstarting a clean energy transition is a commitment on No New Coal.
In the build-up to COP30, Honduras and its new partners at the PPCA will be looking to expand No New Coal commitments across the globe through the PPCA’s Call to Action on No New Coal. Announced at COP29, 26 countries and the European Union have so far signed the Call to Action which declares their intention to put forward national climate plans that reflect no new unabated coal in their energy systems and call on others to do the same.
Kerry McCarthy, Minister of Climate, Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, United Kingdom, said:
“Clean energy is the economic opportunity of the 21st century, and with the UK phasing out coal power last year, we warmly welcome Honduras to the PPCA.
“As we look to COP30, this is an ideal moment to seize the opportunities of the coal to clean energy transition – something already being embraced in Honduras, Latin America and around the world.”
Ionna Saha Martin, Ambassador-designate of Canada to Honduras, said:
“As Honduras joins the Powering Past Coal Alliance, the collective experience of our membership continues to grow. While every country’s journey away from coal power is unique, we know that a secure transition begins with strong government commitments – like Honduras’s firm stance on No New Coal. We must all work together to advance a future that is built by clean, reliable and affordable electricity”.
Christiana Figueres, founding partner of Global Optimism and former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, said:
“Honduras joining the powering past coal alliance is an example of courage and leadership. It sends a powerful message to the rest of the countries that in the face of climate vulnerability, leadership is not about waiting, it’s about choosing a cleaner, healthier future.
Honduras’ decision to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance and commit to not building any new coal power plants moves Latin America closer to being coal free and moves all of us, a step closer to a world where prosperity and sustainability go hand in hand. President Lula and the COP30 at Brazil can build on this momentum and take us all towards a fossil free world.”
María Mendiluce, CEO, We Mean Business Coalition, said:
“Honduras’s decision to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance is a welcome signal of leadership that aligns with growing momentum across Latin America to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Companies around the world are ramping up investment in renewable energy as a foundation for long-term competitive advantage and are urging governments to take bold steps to move beyond fossil fuels. Honduras’s ‘no new coal’ commitment sends the right signal to markets — unlocking clean energy investment, driving innovation, and building a more resilient, competitive economy.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Callum Mason, Communications Officer, Powering Past Coal Alliance Secretariat, phone: +44 7825 829592, email: callum.mason@poweringpastcoal.org
