Trump administration officials vowed to keep US coal power plants operating, casting it as an imperative to meet surging electricity demand and drive a revival of the nation’s industrial base.
“The goal is 100% open,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “That’s the standard we’re operating against.”
Burgum’s comment came during the first meeting of Trump’s newly reconstituted National Coal Council, an advisory panel that Joe Biden let lapse during his presidency. President Donald Trump, by contrast, has sought to engineer a coal resurgence in his second term, including byrequiring some power plants to keep burning the fuel.
The bullish Trump administration predictions for America’s coal — and the power plants that rely on it — contrast with a more skeptical view from analysts who point to generation from natural gas and renewables. The message comes as the Trump administration addresses concerns about rising electricity prices and consumer costs, an issue that weighs heavily on Republicans’ bid to keep control of the House and Senate in November’s elections.
Focusing on the existing coal fleet works better as a short-term strategy, according to Andy Blumenfeld, director of data analytics at McCloskey by Opis. While they’re generating power now, many of the plants are old and will require significant maintenance if the administration expects them to remain in service for a while. And in the meantime, utilities will be able to turn to gas and nuclear capacity that will likely become more widely available over the next several years.
“We need the power, and the coal units are there now,” said Blumenfeld. “But in the long term, they’re up against an aging coal fleet.”
In a move aimed at addressing some of these issues, the Energy Department is putting aside as much as $525 million to upgrade or build coal-fired power plants, a move criticized by environmental groups.
Trump has moved quickly to dial back regulations and subsidies that have encouraged emissions-free renewable power. Under Trump, the Energy Department also has issued emergency orders requiring some coal plants to keep running, and the Environmental Protection Agency recently rejected a bid by Colorado to force the closing of one of its coal plants in the central part of the state.
Meanwhile, the Interior Department has also moved to open more federal land for coal leasing in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.
“Seventeen gigawatts of coal generation are open today that would not have been open,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright, attributing some of that shift to the short-termemergency ordersforcing plants to operate. “You will not see those coal plants close during this administration.”
Wright said utilities are now calling the Energy Department in a bid to keep plants running, despite some states pushing to shutter the facilities.
Burgum, who leads Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, went even further, predicting new coal plant construction — though many analysts have foreclosed the possibility.
The National Coal Council meeting on Thursday included discussion of options for maintaining and growing the nation’s fleet of coal plants, as well as opportunities to expand exports of the fossil fuel.
The roughly 60-member panel includes executives from some of the nation’s top coal producers, such as Peabody Energy, Warrior Met Coal Inc., Hallador Energy Co. and Nacco Industries Inc.,as well as power utilities and co-operatives such as FirstEnergy Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. Joe Craft, chief executive officer of Alliance Resource Partners, a Trump donor, is a member; Jim Grech, CEO of Peabody Energy is chairing the group; and Jimmy Brock, CEO of Core Natural Resources Inc., is vice-chair.
US coal consumption has declined for years as utilities increasingly shift toward cheaper natural gas and renewables. Coal once accounted for more than half of the country’s electricity generation, but that share fell to about 17% in 2025 and is expected to slip to 15% this year.
A boom in US electricity demand, however, has provided a near-term tailwind for coal producers. Utilities have delayed retirement of coal-fired power plants, while federal orders keep others running, supporting demand and contributing to a modest rebound in 2025.
Electric generation from coal climbed 13% last year, driven largely by higher gas prices. The downward trajectory is expected to resume in 2026, according to government forecasts.
During Thursday’s meeting, coal and utility executives warned about overdependence on natural gas as a US power source. Some urged doing more to protect America’s mines, others emphasized the need to keep rising electricity prices in check.
Wright linked coal power to a thriving manufacturing sector, and Burgum said it’s intertwined with US efforts to win the artificial intelligence competition with China — both Trump administration goals.
The immediate focus now is ensuring there’s enough electricity, especially for the data centers that are key to developing AI capabilities, said Randall Atkins, CEO of coal supplier Ramaco Resources Inc. and a member of the council who attended the meeting Thursday.
“The objective is the data centers, and how we’re going to figure out how to power them,” Atkins said in an interview.
Separately, Wright warned that if courts compel some of the world’s largest asset managers to divest coal-related assets, it could undermine efforts to buttress coal mining and electricity generation.
That’s the potential outcome of a lawsuit alleging that BlackRock Inc., Vanguard Group Inc. and the asset management arm of State Street Corp. colluded to reduce coal output. Republican state attorneys general, led by Texas’ Ken Paxton, say the firms violated antitrust laws by using environmental, social and governance-related initiatives, including carbon-reduction alliances, to suppress production.
Read More: BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard Must Face Antitrust Suit
Fossil fuel advocates have criticized ESG initiatives as forcing capital away from oil, gas and coal. But former Trump Energy Secretary and Texas Governor Rick Perry has predicted that if successful, the lawsuit would take an estimated $18 billion in coal holdings off the asset managers’ books. He said that outcome would pose “a direct threat to coal companies’ ability to raise capital, finance infrastructure and support jobs.”
Photo: The PacifiCorp Hunter coal-fired electrical generation plant in Castle Dale, Utah. Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg
Topics USA