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Where does U.S. electricity come from?

Updated

General information, not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Short answer: Mostly natural gas. In 2023, the latest year on EIA's FAQ page when we opened it, U.S. utility-scale plants generated 4,178 billion kWh, of which natural gas supplied 43.1%, renewables 21.4%, nuclear 18.6%, coal 16.2%, and petroleum 0.4% (EIA FAQ 427).

The 2023 mix by source

  • Natural gas: 1,802 billion kWh, 43.1% (EIA FAQ 427).
  • Nuclear: 775 billion kWh, 18.6% (EIA FAQ 427).
  • Coal: 675 billion kWh, 16.2% (EIA FAQ 427).
  • Renewables total: 894 billion kWh, 21.4%, made up of wind 425 billion kWh (10.2%), hydropower 240 (5.7%), solar 165 (3.9%), biomass 47 (1.1%), and geothermal 16 (0.4%) (EIA FAQ 427).
  • Petroleum: 16 billion kWh, 0.4% (EIA FAQ 427).

Those shares cover utility-scale plants only. EIA estimates an additional 73.62 billion kWh in 2023 from small-scale solar photovoltaic systems, defined as systems under 1 megawatt that are not connected to a plant of 1 megawatt or larger (EIA FAQ 427). The page cites EIA's Electric Power Monthly, February 2024, and labels the 2023 figures preliminary (EIA FAQ 427).

Why gas dominates the price, too

Because gas is the largest source, its fuel cost shows up in retail rates. EIA lists fuels first among the factors that move electricity prices and notes that natural gas costs rise during high demand or when supply is disrupted (EIA, prices and factors). Henry Hub spot gas averaged $2.95 per million Btu in September 2026, after a $7.72 spike in January 2026 (EIA Henry Hub).

What about Texas?

ERCOT publishes actual generation by fuel type for every 15-minute settlement interval in its annual Fuel Mix Report spreadsheets, with 2025 and 2026 files posted on its generation page, but the page itself shows no percentages and we did not open the spreadsheets, so we do not quote an ERCOT mix here. Our ERCOT guide covers the market structure.

See the ERCOT interconnection queue, grid interconnection by market, and substations versus transmission lines.

General information from the sources linked above, not legal, tax, or financial advice.

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