From August 2025 through July 2026, just over half of electricity consumed in the Netherlands came from low-carbon sources, at about 52%, while fossil fuels supplied about 47%. Wind provided roughly a quarter of electricity and solar almost a fifth, making them the largest clean sources. Biofuels contributed about 5% and nuclear around 2.5%. On the fossil side, gas remained the largest individual source at 36%, followed by coal at 9% and oil at about 1%. Clean electricity has therefore edged ahead of fossil electricity, but substantial fossil dependence remains, with associated climate change and air pollution impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Netherlands?

The latest 2026 figures show that electricity consumption per person has not yet surpassed its historical peak. At about 7,380 kWh per person, it was 56 kWh, or less than 1%, below the record set in 2008. This long period without a new per-person consumption record is concerning as electrification and AI create additional electricity needs, although these figures alone do not establish whether total national consumption is growing. Encouragingly, low-carbon generation reached a new record of about 3,850 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record from 2025 by 137 kWh, or almost 4%.

Suggestions

The Netherlands should expand wind and solar generation, building on their already substantial contributions, while also expanding nuclear electricity. Nearby Denmark offers a particularly relevant example: wind supplies 59% of its electricity, demonstrating the potential for a much larger wind contribution. For solar, the US state of California generates 31% of its electricity from this source, offering useful experience even though its climate differs from the Netherlands. France, where nuclear supplies 67% of electricity, and Finland, at 37%, show how nuclear can provide a strong foundation for a clean electricity system. Learning from these regions could help the Netherlands increase low-carbon output while meeting growing electricity demand.

History

The history of Dutch low-carbon electricity includes a disappointing 1.8 TWh decline in nuclear generation in 1997—a significant loss of clean output that underscores the importance of maintaining and expanding nuclear production. Biofuels generation increased by 1.9 TWh in 2005. During the mid-to-late 2010s, wind gained 1.8 TWh in 2015 and 2.4 TWh in 2017, while solar added 1.5 TWh in 2018. Growth accelerated in the early 2020s: across 2020–2022, wind added about 10 TWh and solar about 13 TWh, while biofuels rose in 2020 and 2021 before declining by 1.8 TWh in 2023. Wind then achieved a striking 8 TWh increase in 2023, followed by gains of 3.5 TWh in 2024 and 2.4 TWh in 2026. Solar also kept advancing, adding about 8 TWh across 2023–2025—welcome progress toward a larger, cleaner electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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