Where New Mexico Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 25.1% | 11,496 GWh |
| Coal | 20.4% | 9,332 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 37.4% | 17,156 GWh |
| Solar | 16.9% | 7,730 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Other | 0.3% | 126 GWh |
45.8 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within New Mexico, 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. New Mexico generated 847 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 16.9% to 18.4%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 14.5% | 26.8% | +12.3 pts |
| Coal | 84.5% | 20.9% | −63.6 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 36.3% | +36.3 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 15.6% | +15.6 pts |
| Hydro | 0.7% | 0.0% | −0.7 pts |
| Other | 0.3% | 0.4% | +0.2 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
New Mexico's generation mix in context
Wind supplies 37.4% of New Mexico's electricity generation, making it the largest source. Solar accounts for 16.9% of generation when counted as utility-scale alone, or 18.4% when rooftop solar is included. Together, these two renewable sources dominate the state's mix. Gas and coal contribute 25.1% and 20.4% respectively, with other sources making up the remainder.
Renewables overall account for 54.5% of New Mexico's generation, ranking it 10th of the 50 states and DC. The solar share ranks 5th of the 50 states and DC. This renewable share sits 29.1 percentage points above the national average of 25.4%, a stark contrast to bordering states: all five neighbours—Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Utah, and Arizona—have lower renewable shares than New Mexico.
The composition of New Mexico's electricity generation has transformed since 2001. Renewable generation stood at just 0.8% in 2001 but reached 52.1% in 2025. Coal collapsed from 84.5% in 2001 to 20.9% in 2025, while wind emerged from nothing to 36.3% in 2025 and solar grew from zero to 15.6% in 2025. Gas rose from 14.5% to 26.8% over the same period. This shift represents a near-complete reversal of the state's generation profile.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of New Mexico's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of New Mexico's power comes from solar?
›Where does New Mexico get most of its electricity?
›Does New Mexico still burn coal for electricity?
›Is New Mexico 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 August 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.