Where Washington Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, July 2025 – June 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 11.6% | 12,963 GWh |
| Coal | 1.7% | 1,877 GWh |
| Nuclear | 8.8% | 9,788 GWh |
| Wind | 7.7% | 8,626 GWh |
| Solar | 0.6% | 646 GWh |
| Hydro | 68.3% | 76,096 GWh |
| Other | 1.3% | 1,440 GWh |
111.4 TWh generated over the 12 months to June 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 771 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
Hydropower supplied 67.7% of Washington's electricity generation in the twelve months since June 2025, making it the dominant source by a wide margin. The state's carbon-free electricity reached 85.3%, with renewables accounting for 77.1% of generation. Utility-scale solar contributed 0.6%, though including rooftop solar raises that figure to 1.3%. These renewable and carbon-free shares both rank third among the 51 states and DC with generation data. Solar generation ranks 47th.
Washington's mix has shifted substantially since 2001. Wind generation emerged from zero to reach 8.3% in 2025, while coal fell from 10.9% to 3.1%. Hydropower declined slightly from 65.9% to 63.2%, and nuclear dropped from 9.9% to 7.5%. Gas increased from 11.3% to 15.8%. Renewable generation overall rose from 67.4% in 2001 to 73.3% in 2025.
Against the national mix, Washington generates far less gas—12.4% versus 40.8%—and generates coal at one-tenth the national rate of 15.8%. The state's renewable share exceeds the nation's 24.9% by 52.2 percentage points. Both bordering states generate lower renewable shares than Washington: Idaho at 74.3% and Oregon at 68%, each with hydropower as their largest source.
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 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.