Over the last year, spanning from June 2024 to May 2025, Washington has relied heavily on low-carbon energy sources for its electricity consumption. Remarkably, more than three-quarters of the state's electricity—about 79%—comes from low-carbon sources. Hydropower dominates this category, contributing over 61%, while nuclear and wind add close to 8% each to the clean energy mix. However, fossil fuels are still a part of the electricity landscape, making up just under 20%. The primary fossil fuel here is gas, which accounts for approximately 16% of the total share, while coal is minimal, accounting for about 3%. Net imports and biofuels handle small fractions, contributing around 1% each and almost negligible amounts, respectively.
Is Electricity Growing in Washington?
The growth in electricity consumption in Washington has seen a downward trend compared to historical highs. As of 2025, the state's total per capita electricity usage stands at around 13,051 kWh, which is a noticeable decline of nearly 4,000 kWh per person from its peak in 2006. This decline extends to low-carbon electricity generation too, with the latest figure at 10,335 kWh/person, down by over 5,000 kWh from the 2012 maximum. This reduction is troubling, as both overall and clean electricity generation have decreased over the years, raising concerns about meeting future demand and the transition to a clean energy economy.
Suggestions
To boost low-carbon electricity generation, Washington can learn valuable lessons from other successful regions. For instance, states like Iowa and South Dakota have achieved notable success by generating over 60% of their electricity from wind energy, suggesting that Washington could further capitalize on its wind potential. Additionally, insights can be drawn from countries such as France and Slovakia, where nuclear power provides over 60% of their electricity mix. This emphasizes the potential value of expanding nuclear facilities in Washington to significantly enhance its clean electricity share, coupled perhaps with exploring solar energy opportunities, as evidenced by the upward trajectory in sunnier regions like Arizona and California.
History
Historically, Washington's low-carbon electricity generation has seen varied changes over the years. In the mid-2000s, from 2006 onwards, hydropower experienced increases and decreases, including a significant decline in 2013. The 2011 spike of more than 23 TWh in hydropower contrasted starkly with drops in subsequent years, such as the steep 14.9 TWh fall in 2019 and an even larger decrease of 17.5 TWh in 2023. While nuclear energy saw a decrease of 2.6 TWh in 2009 followed by inconsistent changes in succeeding years, the slight increases were not sufficient to counteract earlier declines, indicating a need for a more robust strategy to expand nuclear generation consistently. These trends highlight the necessity for Washington to stabilize and increase its low-carbon electricity production to ensure sustainability and meet future energy demands.