Norway energy mix & electricity
Power plants in Norway produced 161 TWh of electricity in 2025. Hydropower provides 90% of it. Few countries depend so heavily on a single source.
Electricity generation by source in 2025
Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.
| Source | TWh | Share | 10-yr Δ pp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 145 | 90% | −6 |
| Wind | 13.56 | 8.4% | +6.7 |
| Gas | 0.9 | 0.6% | −1 |
| Oil | 0.71 | 0.4% | 0 |
| Solar | 0.53 | 0.3% | +0.3 |
| Bioenergy | 0.24 | 0.1% | 0 |
| Other renewables | 0.1 | 0.1% | +0.1 |
| Total | 161 | 100% |
Norway: electricity in context
Power plants in Norway produced 161 TWh of electricity in 2025. That is about 0.5% of the world total, in the same league as Argentina. Hydropower provides 90% of it. Few countries depend so heavily on a single source.
Renewables supplied 99% of the electricity, which ranks Norway 9th of 158 countries (in the global top ten). That is 65 points above the world average of 33.8%. It is also above the average for Europe (41.6%). Each kilowatt-hour emitted on average 28 g CO₂e, against a world average of 458 g. That makes it one of the cleanest power grids anywhere. In the cleanest-grid ranking, Norway is 9th of 158.
Over the past decade wind power added more generation than any other source (+11 TWh since 2015, plus 6.7 percentage points of share). The net effect: renewables gained 1.1 percentage points of share since 2015. Total generation grew by 17.8 TWh over the same period.
Coal has essentially never been burned for electricity here: its share has stayed below 1% throughout the record.
Solar (0.3%) and wind (8.4%) now add up to 8.8% of generation; the global figure is 17.3%. Per person, that is 94 kWh of solar electricity a year, versus a global average of 338 kWh. Wind adds 2,412 kWh per person, the 4th-highest figure of 156 countries.
Generation per person is 28,598 kWh a year, 7.4× the world average of 3,860 kWh. More power leaves the country than arrives: a net 23.1 TWh of exports, equal to 17% of domestic demand.
How the power mix has changed
Electricity generation by source since 1985. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.
Renewables and carbon intensity
Norway against the world and Europe averages.
Total energy: beyond electricity
Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Renewables supply 71.8% of primary energy and fossil fuels 28.2% (2024). Per person, that is 99,634 kWh a year (world: 21,654).
Substitution method: non-fossil electricity is converted to the primary energy a fossil plant would have needed.
Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.
Power plants in Norway
The 306 power plants recorded in Norway add up to 32.6 GW of capacity, 94% of it Hydro. The largest is Kvilldal at 1,444 MW. The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.
Largest power plants
| # | Plant | Fuel | Capacity MW | Commissioned | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kvilldal | Hydro | 1,444 | — | — |
| 2 | Aurland5 | Hydro | 1,398 | — | — |
| 3 | Tonstad | Hydro | 1,130 | — | — |
| 4 | Svartisen | Hydro | 780 | — | — |
| 5 | Sy-Sima | Hydro | 720 | — | — |
| 6 | Saurdal | Hydro | 674 | — | — |
| 7 | Lang Sima | Hydro | 580 | — | — |
| 8 | Rana | Hydro | 570 | — | — |
| 9 | Naturkraft CCPP | Gas | 520 | — | — |
| 10 | Tokke | Hydro | 480 | — | — |
| 11 | Holen | Hydro | 460 | — | — |
| 12 | Evanger | Hydro | 446 | — | — |
| 13 | Brokke | Hydro | 443 | — | — |
| 14 | Tyin | Hydro | 440 | — | — |
| 15 | EVM | Gas | 382 | — | — |
Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 306 plants on the interactive power plant map.
Solar & wind farms: Norway
354 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 36 MW of solar and 5.6 GW of wind operating, plus 29.4 GW under construction or planned.
How does Norway compare?
Norway next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.
| Country | Renewable % | Low-carbon % | Fossil % | gCO₂/kWh | kWh / person | Generation TWh | Mix | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 99% | 99% | 1% | 28 | 28,598 | 161 | — | |
| Russia | 17.4% | 35.7% | 64.3% | 450 | 8,283 | 1,193 | Compare | |
| Sweden | 71.2% | 98.8% | 1.2% | 35 | 16,019 | 171 | Compare | |
| Finland | 56.5% | 96.3% | 3.7% | 57 | 14,635 | 82.3 | Compare | |
| Denmark | 91.2% | 91.2% | 8.8% | 114 | 5,548 | 33.3 | Compare | |
| Faroe Islands | 46.9% | 46.9% | 53.1% | 347 | 8,952 | 0.5 | Compare | |
| Estonia | 59.6% | 59.6% | 40.4% | 319 | 4,545 | 6.1 | Compare | |
| Europe average | 41.6% | 62% | 38% | 271 | 6,203 | 4,626 | Compare | |
| World average | 33.8% | 42.6% | 57.4% | 458 | 3,860 | 31,772 | Compare |
Calculators for Norway
Norway energy: frequently asked questions
What percentage of electricity in Norway is renewable?
What is the main source of electricity in Norway?
How clean is the electricity in Norway?
Does Norway have nuclear power?
How much electricity does Norway use per person?
How much solar power does Norway produce?
Does Norway import electricity?
More countries in Europe
Sources & references
- Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
- Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
- World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity
Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2025. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.