From September 2025 through August 2026, Virginia’s electricity consumption depended on three main groups: fossil-fuel generation supplied about 38%, net imports supplied 35%, and low-carbon generation supplied 26%. Gas dominated fossil electricity at about 36% of total consumption, while coal contributed just over 2%. Nuclear was Virginia’s largest clean electricity source, supplying about 17%, followed by solar at nearly 7% and biofuels at about 2%. Utility-scale solar accounted for almost 6% of consumption and is included in the overall solar share. Imports supplied more than a third of Virginia’s electricity, but the figures do not identify their generation sources, so they should not be classified as either fossil or low-carbon.

Is Electricity Growing in Virginia?

Virginia’s electricity consumption is growing: the latest 2026 figure reached about 18,500 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of roughly 18,000 kWh in 2025. That increase of 532 kWh per person represents growth of about 3%. Low-carbon electricity generation also set a record, reaching approximately 4,830 kWh per person, about 50 kWh above its 2025 record—an increase of roughly 1%. Both records are welcome, but clean generation is growing more slowly than electricity consumption. Accelerating low-carbon growth would help Virginia meet rising demand from electrification and AI while reducing dependence on fossil generation and its climate and air-pollution impacts.

Suggestions

Virginia should expand its existing nuclear generation base and accelerate solar deployment, supported by investment in transmission, storage, and grid connections. Nearby examples offer useful benchmarks: nuclear supplies 52% of electricity generation in the US state of South Carolina and 27% in the US state of North Carolina, compared with Virginia’s nuclear contribution equivalent to about 17% of consumption. France, where nuclear supplies 67% of generation, provides another example of large-scale clean electricity production. For solar, Virginia can learn from the US states of California and Nevada, where solar supplies about 30% and 33% of generation, respectively. Wind could also diversify Virginia’s clean electricity supply, drawing lessons from the US state of Iowa, where it provides 57% of generation, alongside consideration of Virginia’s own wind resources.

History

The supplied history covers 2024–2026 and shows a concerning pattern of declining output from established low-carbon sources. Nuclear generation fell by 0.7 TWh in both 2024 and 2025, followed by another 0.3 TWh decline in 2026—a cumulative reduction of 1.7 TWh. This repeated loss of substantial clean electricity output is disappointing and underscores the importance of restoring and expanding nuclear generation. Hydroelectric generation also declined throughout the period, falling by a combined 0.5 TWh. Biofuel generation was unchanged in 2024 and 2025 before increasing by 0.1 TWh in 2026, while wind showed no annual change. These figures highlight the need for stronger growth in nuclear, solar, and other clean electricity sources.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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