Where North Dakota Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 5.2% | 2,278 GWh |
| Coal | 53.5% | 23,217 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 35.4% | 15,356 GWh |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Hydro | 5.7% | 2,479 GWh |
| Other | 0.2% | 100 GWh |
43.4 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within North Dakota, 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. North Dakota generated 4 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 0.0% to 0.0%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2.8% | 5.1% | +2.2 pts |
| Coal | 70.2% | 53.1% | −17.1 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 21.6% | 36.2% | +14.6 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Hydro | 5.1% | 5.2% | +0.1 pts |
| Other | 0.3% | 0.5% | +0.2 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 41.1% | 41.1% | Coal 53.5% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| South Dakota | 81.7% | 81.7% | Wind |
| Montana | 62.2% | 62.2% | Hydro |
| Minnesota | 33.9% | 56.1% | Wind |
North Dakota's generation mix in context
Coal supplied 53.5% of North Dakota's electricity generation since June 2025, making it the largest source. Renewables accounted for 41.1% of the generation mix, the same as the carbon-free share, and North Dakota ranked 16th among the 51 states and DC with generation data. Solar generated 0% whether counted as utility-scale alone or including rooftop solar.
Over the ten years from 2016 to 2025, the state's renewable share grew from 26.7% to 41.3% in 2025, a gain of 14.6 percentage points driven almost entirely by wind power, which rose from 21.6% to 36.2%. Coal fell sharply from 70.2% to 53.1%, while gas crept upward from 2.8% to 5.1% and hydro stayed nearly flat.
North Dakota's renewable share exceeded the national average of 24.9% by 16.2 percentage points, but two of its three bordering states generated renewable energy at higher shares: South Dakota at 81.7% and Montana at 62.2%. Minnesota, the third neighbour, relied on renewables for 33.9% of its generation, below North Dakota's level.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of North Dakota's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of North Dakota's power comes from solar?
›Where does North Dakota get most of its electricity?
›Does North Dakota still burn coal for electricity?
›Is North Dakota 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.