Where North Dakota Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, July 2025 – June 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 5.1% | 2,255 GWh |
| Coal | 53.4% | 23,508 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 35.5% | 15,652 GWh |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Hydro | 5.8% | 2,535 GWh |
| Other | 0.2% | 99 GWh |
44 TWh generated over the 12 months to June 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 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 0.0% | 5.1% | +5.0 pts |
| Coal | 95.2% | 53.1% | −42.1 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 36.2% | +36.2 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Hydro | 4.4% | 5.2% | +0.8 pts |
| Other | 0.4% | 0.5% | +0.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 41.3% | 41.3% | Coal 53.4% |
| U.S. average | 25.2% | 42.9% | Natural gas 40.7% |
| South Dakota | 82.4% | 82.4% | Wind |
| Montana | 63.1% | 63.1% | Hydro |
| Minnesota | 34.2% | 56.6% | Wind |
North Dakota's generation mix in context
Coal supplied 53.5% of North Dakota's electricity generation in the twelve months since June 2025, making it the state's largest source. Renewables accounted for 41.1% of generation, a share driven by wind at 35.4%, with hydro contributing 5.7% and other renewable and carbon-free sources making up the remainder. The state's carbon-free generation matched its renewable share at 41.1%, since nuclear played no part in the mix.
Since 2001, North Dakota's generation has undergone a profound shift. Renewable generation rose from 4.4% in 2001 to 41.3% in 2025, with wind climbing from nothing to 36.2% in 2025. Coal, which dominated at 95.2% in 2001, fell to 53.1% in 2025. Gas emerged as a source, reaching 5.1% in 2025, while hydro edged up slightly.
North Dakota's renewable share of 41.1% substantially exceeds the national figure of 24.9%, putting it 16.2 percentage points ahead. It ranks 16th among all states and DC for renewable generation. However, on solar the state lags most others, ranking 49th with 0% utility-scale solar and 0% when rooftop solar is included. Of the three bordering states with generation data, South Dakota and Montana both have higher renewable shares than North Dakota, while Minnesota's renewable share is lower.
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 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.