Display omitted •Bi-based catalysts were used in a continuous process for CO2 electroreduction.•The process developed offers the best trade-off among relevant figures of merit.•FE of 90% and concentrations of 340 g·L−1 of HCOO− were achieved.•At 45 mA·cm−2, energy consumption of only 180 kWh·kmol−1 was required. The electrochemical conversion of CO2 is gaining increasing attention because it could be considered as an appealing strategy for making value-added products at mild conditions from CO2 captured. In this work, we report a process for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formate (HCOO−) operating in a continuous way, employing a single pass of the reactants through the electrochemical reactor and using Bi carbon supported nanoparticles in the form of a membrane electrode assembly composed by a Gas Diffusion Electrode, a current collector and a cationic exchange membrane. This contribution presents the best trade-off between HCOO− concentration, Faradaic Efficiency and energy consumption in the literature. We also show noteworthy values of energy consumption required of only 180 kWh·kmol−1 of HCOO−, lower than previous approaches, working at current densities that allow achieving formate concentration higher than 300 g·L−1 and simultaneously, a Faradaic Efficiency close to 90%. The results here displayed make the electrochemical approach closer for future implementation at the industrial scale.