Where Virginia Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 56.6% | 59,461 GWh |
| Coal | 3.6% | 3,759 GWh |
| Nuclear | 26.7% | 28,026 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 48 GWh |
| Solar | 9.1% | 9,519 GWh |
| Hydro | 1.1% | 1,173 GWh |
| Other | 3.0% | 3,115 GWh |
105.1 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Virginia, 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. Virginia generated 1,086 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 9.1% to 10.0%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 44.2% | 57.3% | +13.1 pts |
| Coal | 17.8% | 3.4% | −14.4 pts |
| Nuclear | 32.1% | 26.6% | −5.5 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.0% | 8.6% | +8.6 pts |
| Hydro | 1.6% | 1.2% | −0.4 pts |
| Other | 4.2% | 2.9% | −1.3 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 13.7% | 40.4% | Natural gas 56.6% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| District of Columbia | 53.1% | 53.1% | Other |
| North Carolina | 14.3% | 45.0% | Natural gas |
| Tennessee | 12.5% | 57.8% | Nuclear |
| Maryland | 10.8% | 49.0% | Natural gas |
| Kentucky | 8.6% | 8.6% | Coal |
| West Virginia | 5.9% | 5.9% | Coal |
Virginia's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 56.6% of Virginia's electricity generation since June 2025, making it by far the largest source. Nuclear power contributed 26.7%, and solar accounted for 9.1% of utility-scale generation, or 10% when rooftop solar is included. Together, carbon-free sources—nuclear and renewables—made up 40.4% of the mix. Renewables alone reached 13.7%, ranking Virginia 33rd among the 51 states and DC with generation data. Solar ranked 15th nationally.
The mix has shifted markedly over the past decade. Natural gas grew from 44.2% in 2016 to 57.3% in 2025, gaining 13.1 percentage points. Coal collapsed from 17.8% to 3.4%, a loss of 14.4 points. Nuclear fell from 32.1% to 26.6%. Renewable generation rose from 6% in 2016 to 13.2% in 2025, a gain of 7.2 points, driven almost entirely by solar, which went from nothing to 8.6%.
Virginia's gas reliance is markedly higher than the national average of 40.8%, and its renewable share 11.2 points lower than the nation's 24.9%. Among its six bordering states, two—District of Columbia and North Carolina—have higher renewable shares, while four have lower shares. Most neighbours rely less on renewables than Virginia, with Kentucky and West Virginia particularly coal-dependent.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Virginia's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Virginia's power comes from solar?
›Where does Virginia get most of its electricity?
›Does Virginia still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Virginia 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.