Over the past year, spanning from April 2025 to March 2026, Nebraska's electricity landscape has been fairly balanced between low-carbon and fossil energy sources. Low-carbon electricity generation accounted for almost half of the total electricity supply, coming in at approximately 48%. This includes significant contributions from wind and nuclear power, which are responsible for 27% and 17% of the electricity generation, respectively. On the other hand, fossil fuels, primarily dominated by coal, also make up close to half of the electricity generation, at about 48%, with coal alone contributing 44%. The remaining small portion comes from natural gas and a negligible net import. Notably, hydropower accounts for a modest 3%, reflecting its limited role in the state's energy mix.

Is Electricity Growing in Nebraska?

Electricity consumption in Nebraska shows a promising growth trend, having reached a new high in 2026 of 20,803 kWh per person. This marks an increase from the previous year’s record of 20,524 kWh per person, reflecting a growth trajectory by 279 kWh per person. While overall consumption is on the rise, the low-carbon segment specifically has seen a slight decline since its peak in 2023. In the latest year, low-carbon electricity generation per person was 9,952 kWh, a decrement of 176 kWh from its previous high. This situation underscores an essential opportunity for Nebraska to strengthen its efforts to expand its clean energy capacity in response to growing electricity demand.

Suggestions

To enhance its low-carbon electricity generation, Nebraska could benefit significantly from expanding its existing nuclear and wind power capacities. Given the state's current reliance on these clean energy sources, further development can solidify Nebraska's position as a leader in sustainable electricity production. Drawing inspiration from regions and states that have successfully increased their reliance on similar setups can be valuable. For instance, Southern Illinois utilizes half of its electricity from nuclear power, demonstrating the potential scale Nebraska could aim for. Likewise, Iowa generates more than half of its electricity from wind power, suggesting significant room for Nebraska to increase wind power utilization. Both instances highlight pathways for Nebraska to adopt more robust and sustainable electricity generation strategies to meet future demand and reduce its carbon footprint.

History

In the past few years, low-carbon electricity generation in Nebraska has seen some fluctuations. 2024 brought a decline in nuclear electricity by almost 1 TWh, with wind and hydropower remaining steady and biofuels making no change. The following year, 2025, experienced a resurgence in nuclear production returning the nearly 1 TWh lost, though wind saw a slight drop due to a 0.2 TWh decrease. In contrast, the year 2026 experienced a dip in wind energy production by 0.4 TWh, while biofuels remained unchanged, and hydro energy increased slightly by 0.2 TWh without any further changes in nuclear generation. These developments stress the importance of maintaining and boosting investments in clean technologies to stabilize and increase Nebraska's low-carbon electricity output for the duration of the decade. Expanding low-carbon infrastructure through reliable and proven avenues such as nuclear and wind can ensure that Nebraska meets both its energy needs and environmental goals effectively.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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