Latin America’s Challenges in Clean-Cooking Transition

According to the World Health Organization, around 2.1 billion people worldwide still cook using open fires fueled by kerosene, firewood, animal remains, vegetable coal, or waste. These traditional cooking methods cause indoor air pollution that contaminates homes and contributes to approximately 6.7 million deaths annually. These deaths are linked to transmissible diseases, cardiovascular problems, and lung issues caused by prolonged exposure to smoke from burning fuels.

Because of these alarming health impacts, governments across the globe have made it a priority to replace these hazardous cooking methods with cleaner alternatives. However, this transition remains challenging in many remote regions where populations lack easy access to electricity or liquefied petroleum (LP) gas. As a result, the use of open fires and traditional fuels continues to be widespread in developing regions like Latin America, where about 12% of the population, roughly 78 million people, still rely on such methods daily.

In Latin America, firewood remains a heavily used energy source. It has accounted for approximately 8% of the region’s total energy consumption over the past two decades, representing 7% of total energy use in 2024 alone, equivalent to 46,490ktoe out of a total 664,153ktoe. Residential consumption of firewood, while still the second-largest energy source after electricity, has declined in the last 20 years, dropping from 43% of the residential energy matrix in 2004 to 31% in 2024. This means firewood accounts for 43,461ktoe of the total 110,843ktoe residential energy consumption forecast for this year.

Brazil and Mexico lead the region in residential firewood use, with 22% and 18% shares respectively in 2024. According to official Mexican government statistics, around 3.3 million households continue to use firewood for cooking. However, Central America stands out as the region with the highest per capita residential firewood consumption, 0.62t per person, well above the Latin America and Caribbean average of 0.16t per person.

The Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) highlights the significant potential for the region to transition away from firewood for cooking. With nearly 97% of the population having access to electricity, OLADE argues that the region has yet to fully exploit the possibilities of electrification. Thanks to abundant renewable resources, including hydro, wind, solar, and geothermal energy, providing clean, affordable electricity for cooking could become a reality in the near future.

However, OLADE also points out the challenges. Firewood consumption is concentrated mostly in rural and remote areas where electricity access is limited. For many families, firewood remains the most direct, affordable, and accessible energy option. Additionally, firewood use is deeply embedded culturally in many communities, which complicates the adoption of alternative cooking energy sources.

Another technical challenge lies in the energy intensity of cooking and water heating. Compared to tasks like lighting or refrigeration, these processes demand significantly higher power. Electrifying cooking would therefore require increased generation capacity, as well as expanded transmission and distribution infrastructure, especially in areas currently lacking adequate networks.

According to OLADE’s projections, for 95% of Latin America’s population to switch to alternative cooking energy sources by 2035, governments will need to provide LP gas or electricity access to approximately 50 million people. This shift would translate into roughly 1.7Bcm of natural gas, 46MMb of LP gas, or 11TWh of electricity replacing some 62Mt of firewood annually. Meeting this demand will require investments estimated at around US$7.7 billion, including new generation capacity and expanded infrastructure for electricity and gas distribution.

Where Does Mexico Stand?

At Mexico’s National Energy Forum last week, Walter Julián Ángel Jiménez, Minister of Energy Development, Tamaulipas, described a proprietary technology being developed by the state government to ease communities’ transition away from firewood. This hybrid stove combines firewood and LP gas use, making the shift gradual rather than immediate, a practical solution given that 78% of indigenous communities in Mexico already use both fuels in tandem.

“In the next few weeks the governor is going to launch a technology from Tamaulipas, a hybrid between firewood and gas technology to generate the transition toward LP gas,” said Jimenez. 

Jiménez has already presented a prototype of this stove to the Tamaulipas Ministry of Well-Being as part of the Efficient Stoves for Well-Being Program, a federal initiative led by President Claudia Sheinbaum. Launched in April 2024, this program aims to bring more efficient, affordable, and less polluting cooking stoves to indigenous communities across Mexico. The program started in Michoacan in the 146 rural Purepecha communities within 23 municipalities but looks to expand throughout the country.