Where Utah Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 36.3% | 13,687 GWh |
| Coal | 40.4% | 15,204 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 2.0% | 735 GWh |
| Solar | 17.1% | 6,431 GWh |
| Hydro | 2.2% | 830 GWh |
| Other | 2.1% | 784 GWh |
37.7 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Utah, 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. Utah generated 1,135 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 17.1% to 19.5%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 22.8% | 30.8% | +8.0 pts |
| Coal | 68.0% | 48.1% | −19.9 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 2.2% | 2.1% | — |
| Solar | 2.8% | 14.9% | +12.1 pts |
| Hydro | 2.0% | 1.8% | −0.2 pts |
| Other | 2.3% | 2.4% | +0.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
Utah's generation mix in context
Coal generated 40.4% of Utah's electricity since June 2025, making it the largest single source. Solar accounted for 17.1% of utility-scale generation, or 19.5% when including rooftop solar. Together, renewable sources—wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass—supplied 22.6% of the state's generation, placing Utah 23rd among 51 states and DC with generation data. Carbon-free sources, which add nuclear to the renewable total, also reached 22.6%.
Over the decade from 2016 to 2025, Utah's generation mix shifted dramatically. Coal's share fell from 68.0% in 2016 to 48.1% in 2025, while solar surged from 2.8% to 14.9%. Gas grew from 22.8% to 30.8%, and the renewable share rose from 8.4% in 2016 to 20.2% in 2025. Wind and hydro remained largely flat at roughly 2% each.
Compared with the nation, Utah relies more heavily on coal and less on natural gas and nuclear. Nationally, coal supplied 15.8% of generation and renewables 24.9%, both higher proportions than Utah's 40.4% coal and 22.6% renewables. Among its six bordering states, only Arizona has a lower renewable share at 21.8%. The others—Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Wyoming—all generate higher renewable shares, with Idaho leading at 74.3%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Utah's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Utah's power comes from solar?
›Where does Utah get most of its electricity?
›Does Utah still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Utah 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.