From July 2025 through June 2026, fossil fuels supplied almost two-thirds of Arkansas’s electricity consumption, while low-carbon sources supplied just over a third. Gas accounted for about 37% of electricity and coal for 28%. Nuclear was the largest clean electricity source, providing about 21%, followed by solar at nearly 9%, hydropower at about 4%, and biofuels at about 1%. Utility-scale solar alone supplied nearly 8%. This leaves considerable room for clean electricity to replace fossil-fuel generation and reduce its contribution to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Arkansas?

Arkansas’s electricity consumption per person is growing: the latest 2026 figure reached about 22,100 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record set in 2025 by 446 kWh, or roughly 2%. However, low-carbon electricity generation moved in the opposite direction, falling to about 7,800 kWh per person—185 kWh, or roughly 2%, below its 2025 record. Record electricity consumption is encouraging as electrification and AI increase demand, but the decline in clean electricity generation is concerning. Arkansas needs low-carbon supply to grow alongside consumption.

Suggestions

Arkansas should expand its existing nuclear generation and accelerate solar deployment, building on technologies that already contribute substantially to its electricity supply. Nearby examples offer useful lessons: the US state of Tennessee generates about 32% of its electricity from nuclear, while the US state of South Carolina generates more than half from nuclear. Arkansas can learn from these regions’ substantial nuclear fleets when planning additional capacity. For solar, the US states of Arizona and Nevada generate about 19% and 35% of their electricity from solar, respectively, illustrating the potential for much larger solar contributions. Wind can also complement this expansion: neighboring Oklahoma generates about 45% of its electricity from wind. Together, nuclear, solar, and suitable wind projects could support a larger, cleaner electricity supply.

History

The supplied history shows mixed changes in Arkansas’s low-carbon electricity generation during 2024–2026. In 2024, nuclear output fell by 0.2 TWh and hydropower by 0.1 TWh, while biofuels increased by 0.1 TWh. These changes reversed in 2025 for nuclear and hydropower, which rose by 0.4 TWh and 0.1 TWh, respectively; biofuels also added 0.1 TWh. The 2026 figures then show a disappointing setback: nuclear generation dropped by 1.1 TWh and hydropower by 0.4 TWh, outweighing a 0.2 TWh increase in wind, while biofuels were unchanged. The substantial loss of nuclear output deserves particular attention: allowing such a large clean electricity contribution to shrink runs counter to the need for growing low-carbon generation. Restoring and expanding nuclear output, alongside faster solar growth, should be a priority.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.