{
  "id": 1354683,
  "title": "Uruguay’s Solar Decade: UTE’s Big Plan and EV Boom Explained",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/uruguays-solar-decade-utes-big-plan-and-ev-boom-explained",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-16T21:17:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/uruguay-solar-decade-ev/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Uruguay's state power utility, UTE, has announced plans to add between 500 and 600 megawatts (MW) of new solar generation capacity over the next five years, marking the beginning of a decade-long solar investment strategy. This decision follows a decade-long focus on wind and hydro power. UTE's president, Andrea Cabrera, stated that this plan is part of a larger effort to diversify the country's energy mix beyond hydro, which is vulnerable to droughts, and wind, which can be intermittent. This shift also aims to reduce Uruguay's dependence on imported fossil fuels, a key strategic goal for the nation.\n\nIn addition to solar, UTE is opening private tenders for the first time in over a decade, with a public tender planned before the end of 2026 for approximately 150-200 MW of new solar capacity. This is expected to be the first major solar push in a decade. The government has not disclosed specific investment amounts for the solar plans, but the scale is clear, and Uruguay is already at around 90% renewables in its electricity mix.\n\nUruguay has also become Latin America's electric vehicle (EV) leader. In July 2026, more than 40% of new vehicle sales were fully electric, surpassing gasoline cars. This shift is particularly sharp in some segments, with 52% of new SUVs and 57% of new passenger cars being electric. However, it's important to note that the 40% figure refers to new vehicle sales, not the total fleet. EVs currently make up only about 1-2% of Uruguay's roughly 2.5 million vehicle fleet. Nonetheless, the transition is accelerating rapidly, with EVs accounting for one-fifth of new car sales in 2025.",
  "summary": "Uruguay is entering a solar decade, with UTE planning 500–600 MW new solar by 2030 and opening its first private tender since 2014. Meanwhile, new EV sales top 40%, but fleet remains small. Investors take note. The post Uruguay’s Solar Decade: UTE’s Big Plan and EV Boom Explained appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}