From July 2025 through June 2026, Utah relied on fossil fuels for almost three-quarters of its electricity consumption: coal supplied about 37% and gas about 35%. Low-carbon sources provided roughly a quarter, led by solar at almost 20%—about 17% from utility-scale installations and 3% from behind-the-meter systems. Hydropower and wind each contributed about 2%, while geothermal supplied around 1%. Net imports accounted for another 3%; their carbon profile is not specified. Expanding clean electricity would help reduce Utah’s reliance on fossil fuels and their associated climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Utah?

Electricity consumption per person is growing, although only modestly. The latest 2026 figure reached about 11,200 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of roughly 11,100 kWh in 2025 by 87 kWh, or just under 1%. Low-carbon electricity generation grew much faster, reaching about 2,830 kWh per person compared with the previous record of about 2,480 kWh in 2025—an increase of roughly 345 kWh, or 14%. That clean-electricity growth is encouraging, while the slower growth in overall consumption underscores the importance of expanding electricity supply to support electrification and rising demand from AI.

Suggestions

Utah should build on its strong solar foundation by expanding both utility-scale and rooftop installations. Nearby examples show the potential: solar supplies about 35% of electricity in the US state of Nevada and 31% in the US state of California, compared with Utah’s 20%. Utah should also consider developing nuclear generation, learning from the US state of Arizona, where nuclear supplies a quarter of electricity, and from France, where it supplies about two-thirds. Wind could make a larger contribution too, with neighboring US states Wyoming and Colorado generating about 31% and 27% of their electricity from wind, respectively. Together, these regions demonstrate how solar, nuclear and wind can support a larger, cleaner electricity supply.

History

The supplied history for 2024–2026 shows modest, uneven changes in Utah’s non-solar low-carbon electricity generation. Wind increased by 0.1 TWh in both 2024 and 2025, before declining by 0.1 TWh in 2026—a disappointing reversal of some earlier gains. Hydropower was unchanged in 2024, fell by 0.1 TWh in 2025, then rebounded by 0.2 TWh in 2026. Geothermal and biofuels recorded no change in each of these years. Overall, these sources made only limited net progress, reinforcing the case for accelerating solar expansion and adding nuclear generation; the supplied historical series does not include solar or nuclear changes.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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