Profile Overview
Quick Facts
- West Virginia is the second-largest coal producer in the nation, after Wyoming, and accounts for 15% of U.S. total coal production. West Virginia has 16% of U.S. recoverable coal reserves, the third-largest state reserves after Wyoming and Illinois.
- In 2023, coal-fired electric power plants accounted for 86% of West Virginia's total electricity net generation. Renewable energy resources—primarily wind energy and hydroelectric power—contributed 7% and natural gas also provided about 7%.
- In 2022, West Virginia ranked fifth among the states in total energy production, accounting for 6% of the nation's total.
- In 2023, West Virginia was the fifth-largest producer of marketed natural gas. The state produced a record of nearly 3.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and about 95% of it came from shale gas wells.
- West Virginians use about three-fifths of the electricity generated in the state. As a result, West Virginia is a net supplier of electricity to the regional grid and ranks fifth in interstate transfers of electricity.
Last Updated: February 20, 2025