Where Washington Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 12.4% | 13,649 GWh |
| Coal | 1.9% | 2,119 GWh |
| Nuclear | 8.3% | 9,077 GWh |
| Wind | 7.8% | 8,567 GWh |
| Solar | 0.6% | 626 GWh |
| Hydro | 67.7% | 74,492 GWh |
| Other | 1.3% | 1,467 GWh |
110 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 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 759 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 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 9.6% | 15.8% | +6.2 pts |
| Coal | 4.0% | 3.1% | −1.0 pts |
| Nuclear | 8.4% | 7.5% | −0.9 pts |
| Wind | 7.0% | 8.3% | +1.3 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0.6% | +0.6 pts |
| Hydro | 68.7% | 63.2% | −5.4 pts |
| Other | 2.2% | 1.5% | −0.7 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
Washington's generation mix in context
Hydroelectric power dominates Washington's electricity generation, supplying 67.7% of the state's output since June 2025. This far exceeds the national average, where the largest source, natural gas, accounts for 40.8%. Renewable energy makes up 77.1% of generation, ranking Washington third among all states and territories with generation data. Carbon-free sources, including nuclear and renewables, reach 85.3%.
The state's solar share stands at 0.6% when counting utility-scale facilities alone, or 1.3% when rooftop solar is included; Washington ranks 47th nationally on solar generation. Over the past decade, hydroelectric generation fell from 68.7% in 2016 to 63.2% in 2025, while gas production grew from 9.6% to 15.8%. Wind generation increased to 8.3% in 2025, and solar emerged from zero in 2016 to 0.6% by 2025. Renewable energy overall declined slightly, from 77.5% in 2016 to 73.3% in 2025.
Washington generates far more renewably than the nation, which relies on renewables for just 24.9% of its electricity. Both bordering states rank lower in renewable share: Idaho generates 74.3% from renewables, and Oregon generates 68%, each relying primarily on hydroelectric power like Washington, but in smaller proportions. Gas makes up 12.4% of Washington's generation—28.4 percentage points below the national share.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 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 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.