From July 2025 through June 2026, fossil fuels supplied about 40% of Virginia’s electricity consumption, while low-carbon sources supplied about 26%. Net imports accounted for the remaining 34%—roughly a third—and the data do not identify their generation mix. Gas dominated fossil electricity at about 37% of consumption, with coal contributing just over 2%. Nuclear was Virginia’s largest clean electricity source, supplying about 17% of consumption, followed by solar at almost 7% and biofuels at just over 2%. Utility-scale solar accounted for about 6% of consumption, making up most of solar’s contribution.

Is Electricity Growing in Virginia?

Electricity consumption per person is growing, although modestly. The latest 2026 figure reached about 18,300 kWh per person, surpassing the previous record of about 18,100 kWh in 2025 by 226 kWh, or roughly 1.3%. Low-carbon electricity generation also set a record, reaching 4,741 kWh per person, but its increase over 2025 was only 13 kWh—about 0.3%. These records are encouraging, but clean electricity generation needs to grow much faster to meet rising demand from electrification and AI while reducing dependence on fossil fuels and their associated climate and air-pollution impacts.

Suggestions

Virginia should expand its existing nuclear generation through capacity upgrades and build additional nuclear capacity, while accelerating utility-scale and rooftop solar. Nearby US states offer useful examples: nuclear supplies about 52% of electricity generation in the US state of South Carolina, around 32% in Tennessee and 31% in Pennsylvania. France, where nuclear supplies roughly two-thirds of generation, offers another example of a nuclear-led clean electricity system. For solar, Virginia can learn from the US states of California and Nevada, where solar supplies about 31% and 35% of generation, respectively, while adapting development to local conditions. Wind can complement these sources: it supplies about 13% of generation in the US state of Illinois and nearly 60% in Iowa. These regions demonstrate the scope for a substantially larger low-carbon electricity supply.

History

The supplied history covers only 2024–2026, rather than Virginia’s longer-term development. Across those three years, nuclear generation decreased by 0.7 TWh in both 2024 and 2025, followed by 0.4 TWh in 2026—a cumulative reduction of 1.8 TWh compared with 2023 output. Recovering that clean electricity output should be a priority as consumption grows. Hydro generation fell by 0.2 TWh in 2024 and was unchanged in 2025. Biofuel generation was unchanged in 2024 before increasing by 0.2 TWh in 2025 and 0.1 TWh in 2026, while wind generation showed no change throughout the period. Overall, the reported changes underline the need for stronger growth in clean electricity, particularly nuclear and solar.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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