Where Washington Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 11.3% | 12,509 GWh |
| Coal | 1.1% | 1,233 GWh |
| Nuclear | 8.9% | 9,792 GWh |
| Wind | 7.7% | 8,483 GWh |
| Solar | 0.6% | 697 GWh |
| Hydro | 69.1% | 76,272 GWh |
| Other | 1.2% | 1,357 GWh |
110.3 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within Washington, 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. Washington generated 796 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 0.6% to 1.3%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 11.3% | 15.8% | +4.5 pts |
| Coal | 10.9% | 3.1% | −7.9 pts |
| Nuclear | 9.9% | 7.5% | −2.4 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 8.3% | +8.3 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0.6% | +0.6 pts |
| Hydro | 65.9% | 63.2% | −2.7 pts |
| Other | 1.9% | 1.5% | −0.5 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
Washington's generation mix in context
Hydroelectric generation supplied 69.1% of Washington's electricity from September 2025 to August 2026, dominating the state's mix far more than any other source. This enormous reliance on hydro as the largest source stands in sharp contrast to the national picture, where natural gas leads at 40.9%. Washington's renewable generation reached 78.4%, ranking third of the 50 states and DC — substantially higher than the national renewable share of 25.4%. Carbon-free sources, including nuclear, made up 87.3% of generation, leaving fossil fuels at just 12.7%.
The composition has shifted markedly since 2001. Wind generation grew from nothing to 8.3% in 2025, emerging as a significant source over that span. Coal fell from 10.9% in 2001 to 3.1% in 2025, declining sharply. Gas rose from 11.3% to 15.8% across the same period, while nuclear and hydro both edged downward. The renewable share climbed from 67.4% in 2001 to 73.3% in 2025, a gain of 5.9 percentage points. Solar generation remains minimal at 0.6% utility-scale or 1.3% when rooftop solar is included, ranking 47th of the 50 states and DC.
Both neighbouring states generate less from renewables than Washington does. Idaho's renewable share stands at 73.4% and Oregon's at 68%, making Washington's 78.4% the highest of the three. Hydro is the largest source in both neighbours as well, sustaining the Pacific Northwest's distinctive generation profile across the region.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Washington's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Washington's power comes from solar?
›Where does Washington get most of its electricity?
›Does Washington still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Washington 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.