From July 2025 through June 2026, West Virginia’s electricity consumption remained overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels, which supplied about 94% of the total. Coal alone accounted for roughly 86%, while gas contributed about 7%. Low-carbon electricity supplied only about 6%, including around 3% from wind and 2% from hydropower. This leaves substantial room to expand clean electricity and reduce the climate-changing emissions and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in West Virginia?

Electricity consumption per person is growing, although clean electricity generation is lagging behind. The latest 2026 figure reached about 30,800 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of roughly 30,500 kWh in 2025 by 320 kWh, or about 1%. However, low-carbon electricity generation stood at just 1,890 kWh per person—186 kWh, or about 9%, below its 2023 record of 2,076 kWh. The new consumption record is encouraging, but the shortfall in clean generation highlights the need to expand low-carbon supply to support electrification and growing electricity demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

West Virginia can increase low-carbon electricity generation by developing nuclear power, expanding solar installations, and building on its existing wind generation. Nearby US states offer useful nuclear examples: Pennsylvania generates about 31% of its electricity from nuclear, Maryland about 22%, and Virginia about 17%. The US state of South Carolina goes further, generating more than half its electricity from nuclear. For solar, the US state of Maine’s roughly 18% share offers a useful example beyond the sunniest regions, while California generates almost a third of its electricity from solar. Wind also has considerable potential: the US state of Iowa generates about 57% of its electricity from wind. Learning from these regions’ clean-electricity development could help West Virginia diversify its supply while meeting future demand.

History

The supplied history shows repeated setbacks for West Virginia’s low-carbon electricity generation from 2024 through 2026. Hydropower declined every year: by 0.2 TWh in 2024 and by another 0.1 TWh in each of 2025 and 2026. Wind generation fell by 0.1 TWh in 2024, remained unchanged in 2025, and then dropped by 0.3 TWh in 2026. Biofuels generation was unchanged in 2024. Together, the listed changes represent a cumulative decline of 0.8 TWh in clean electricity generation—a disappointing trend that reinforces the importance of sustained investment in nuclear, solar, and wind.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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