Where Louisiana Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, July 2025 – June 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 70.7% | 75,559 GWh |
| Coal | 4.8% | 5,141 GWh |
| Nuclear | 16.9% | 18,084 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Solar | 2.5% | 2,645 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.7% | 797 GWh |
| Other | 4.3% | 4,633 GWh |
106.9 TWh generated over the 12 months to June 2026. Shares are of net generation within Louisiana, which is not the same as what the state consumes — power crosses state lines.
Counting rooftop solar
EIA reports small-scale solar — mostly rooftop panels on homes and businesses — separately, and leaves it out of the state generation total that the mix above is a share of. Louisiana generated 395 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 2.5% to 2.8%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 45.9% | 72.1% | +26.2 pts |
| Coal | 25.0% | 5.4% | −19.6 pts |
| Nuclear | 19.7% | 14.9% | −4.8 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.0% | 2.3% | +2.3 pts |
| Hydro | 0.8% | 0.8% | — |
| Other | 8.5% | 4.4% | −4.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 5.1% | 22.0% | Natural gas 70.7% |
| U.S. average | 25.2% | 42.9% | Natural gas 40.7% |
| Texas | 34.0% | 40.7% | Natural gas |
| Arkansas | 13.8% | 34.6% | Natural gas |
| Mississippi | 6.7% | 19.8% | Natural gas |
Louisiana's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 70.9% of Louisiana's electricity generation in the twelve months since June 2025, far more than any other source. Nuclear power generated 16.8%, making it the second-largest contributor, while coal supplied 4.8%. Across all sources, Louisiana generated 106.3 TWh.
Renewable sources accounted for 5.1% of generation, and carbon-free sources for 21.9%. Solar made up 2.4% of the utility-scale generation total, or 2.8% when rooftop solar is included in the count. These renewable and carbon-free shares ranked Louisiana 47th and well below the national renewable share of 24.9% and carbon-free share of 42.6%.
The state's generation mix has shifted markedly since 2001. Natural gas grew from 45.9% to 72.1% in 2025, while coal fell from 25% to 5.4%. Solar emerged from nothing to reach 2.3% in 2025. Nuclear declined slightly from 19.7% to 14.9%. Renewable generation overall grew from 3.9% in 2001 to 5.1% in 2025. All three neighbouring states with published generation data have higher renewable shares: Texas at 33.7%, Arkansas at 13.8%, and Mississippi at 6.6%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Louisiana's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Louisiana's power comes from solar?
›Where does Louisiana get most of its electricity?
›Does Louisiana still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Louisiana 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 June 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.