North America’s energy future is being pulled in two directions, with a record surge in renewable projects unfolding alongside an entrenched expansion of fossil fuels.
According to a new report by the Energy Industries Council (EIC), the continent added 214 utility-scale energy facilities last year, with more than half powered by wind, solar, or storage.
But the rise in renewables is being matched—if not outpaced—by growth in LNG exports, oil production and petrochemicals.
Much of this is down to the ‘energy emergency’ declared by President Trump in which he has stressed the importance of using American oil and gas resources.
“This isn’t a transition, it’s a coexistence,” said Rebecca Groundwater, EIC’s head of external affairs. “Governments are scaling renewables to meet climate goals but doubling down on fossil fuels to hedge economic and geopolitical risks. The situation mirrors global struggles to balance decarbonisation with energy security.”
Solar energy led renewable gains, with 100GW of capacity across North America—88% of it in the U.S. Nevada’s Gemini Solar-Plus-Storage project, the largest on the continent, began operations in July 2024, pairing 690MW of solar panels with a 380MW battery system.
Wind still holds the largest renewable footprint at 214GW, although new installations declined 35% year-over-year.
Meanwhile, fossil fuels remain dominant.
The U.S. became the world’s top LNG exporter in 2024, shipping 11.9 billion cubic feet per day—up 27% from 2023.
Canada’s Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion tripled its crude capacity to 890,000 barrels per day, and Mexico’s PEMEX opened the controversial $12 billion Dos Bocas refinery.
Report author Victória Marques said:
“Fossil fuels aren’t retreating. Gas is now framed as a ‘bridge’ fuel and oil as ‘strategic,’ while carbon capture as the magic bullet that removes at least some of the carbon emitted by both.”
Ms Marques also pointed to the geopolitical role of U.S. LNG exports in weakening Russia’s energy hold over Europe and Canada’s emergence as a critical minerals supplier for EVs.
Mexico is also entering the clean energy race, investing $21 billion into green hydrogen, with projects like the Helax-Isthmus facility aiming to produce 900,000 tons of green ammonia annually by 2032.
“Nuclear is back not because it’s clean but because it’s constant, it’s a perfect baseload clean power solution,” Marques said, highlighting projects like Canada’s planned small modular reactor in Ontario and Holtec’s push to reopen the Palisades plant in Michigan.
