Where Alabama Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 44.9% | 64,073 GWh |
| Coal | 14.8% | 21,077 GWh |
| Nuclear | 31.9% | 45,485 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Solar | 1.0% | 1,487 GWh |
| Hydro | 5.1% | 7,251 GWh |
| Other | 2.3% | 3,257 GWh |
142.6 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Alabama, which is not the same as what the state consumes — power crosses state lines.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 40.6% | 45.6% | +5.0 pts |
| Coal | 24.1% | 15.3% | −8.8 pts |
| Nuclear | 28.0% | 30.0% | +2.0 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0.9% | +0.9 pts |
| Hydro | 4.9% | 5.8% | +0.9 pts |
| Other | 2.4% | 2.3% | −0.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 8.4% | 40.3% | Natural gas 44.9% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| Georgia | 12.5% | 47.2% | Natural gas |
| Tennessee | 12.5% | 57.8% | Nuclear |
| Florida | 10.9% | 21.3% | Natural gas |
| Mississippi | 6.6% | 19.5% | Natural gas |
Alabama's generation mix in context
Natural gas generated 44.9% of Alabama's electricity since June 2025, making it the largest source. Nuclear power supplied 31.9%, and together these two sources accounted for over three-quarters of the state's generation. Coal contributed 14.8%, while hydroelectric dams generated 5.1%. Solar accounted for 1% of utility-scale generation. Renewable sources overall made up 8.4% of the mix, while carbon-free generation—renewables plus nuclear—reached 40.3%.
Over the past decade, Alabama's generation mix has shifted markedly. Natural gas grew from 40.6% in 2016 to 45.6% in 2025, a gain of 5 percentage points. Coal fell sharply from 24.1% to 15.3% over the same span. Solar emerged during this period, growing from nothing to 0.9% by 2025. Hydroelectric and nuclear each edged upward, by 0.9 and 2 percentage points respectively. The renewable share rose from 7.3% in 2016 to 9.1% in 2025.
Alabama ranks 42nd among the 51 states and DC for renewable generation, trailing the national renewable share of 24.9% by 16.5 percentage points. Its solar generation of 1% ranks 44th. Compared with neighbouring states, three of four—Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida—generate higher shares of renewable electricity. Only Mississippi, at 6.6% renewable, falls below Alabama's 8.4%. Natural gas also dominates in Georgia and Florida, while Tennessee's largest source is nuclear. In carbon-free generation, Alabama stands at 40.3%, just below the national 42.6%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Alabama's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Alabama's power comes from solar?
›Where does Alabama get most of its electricity?
›Does Alabama still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Alabama getting greener?
How this is measured
Figures are net generation reported to the U.S. Energy Information Administration for all sectors — utilities, independent power producers, and industrial and commercial plants that generate their own power. Shares are of the 12 months to May 2026, rather than a single month, because generation is strongly seasonal: solar peaks in summer and hydro with the spring melt, so one month says more about the weather than about the grid.
“Other” is the reported total minus the six named sources, so the shares add to exactly 100%. It holds geothermal, biomass, petroleum, other gases, and pumped storage — the last of which consumes more electricity than it returns, and so can be negative. Geothermal and biomass are renewable, which is why the renewable share above is slightly larger than wind, solar and hydro added together.
This is generation, not consumption. Electricity crosses state lines freely, so a state can generate more than it uses or rely on imports for a large part of its supply; neither shows up here.