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The actions will include efforts to save coal plants that are likely to be retired
Published : 08 Apr 2025, 06:59 PM
US President Donald Trump will sign executive orders on Tuesday aiming to boost coal production, a senior White House official and two sources told Reuters, in his latest action that runs counter to global efforts to curb carbon emissions.
Coal-burning plants generate less than 20 percent of US electricity, a drop from 50 percent at the beginning of the century, according to the Energy Information Administration, as fracking and other drilling techniques have hiked production of natural gas. Growth in solar and wind power has also cut coal use.
Trump, a Republican, campaigned on a promise to increase US energy output and has sought to roll back energy and environmental regulations since taking office on Jan 20.
US power demand is rising for the first time in two decades as energy-intensive data centres for artificial intelligence, electric cars, and cryptocurrencies increase consumption.
Trump is scheduled to sign energy-related orders at the White House at 3pm (1900 GMT), the White House said.
The orders will include efforts to save coal plants that were likely to be retired, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.
They will also direct Energy Secretary Chris Wright to determine whether coal used in steel production is a "critical mineral", the White House official said.
In addition, they will direct Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to acknowledge the end of a moratorium that paused new coal leasing - which allows private companies to buy the right to extract coal - on federal lands, and to prioritise the leasing.
Shares in US coal producers Peabody and Core Natural Resources each shot up about 9 percent after the news.
When burned, coal releases more of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide than any other fossil fuel. It also emits pollutants linked to lung and heart diseases. Much of its use has declined due to regulations from Democrats, including former President Joe Biden.
'STUCK IN THE PAST'
Existing US coal plants only provide power to the grid about 40 percent of the time. Backers say that number can be boosted through deregulation and other measures.
In his first administration, Trump tried to prop up coal by having his then energy secretary direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to subsidise coal plants for their contribution in making power grids more reliable and resilient. FERC rejected the plan in 2018.
Coal backers were hopeful about the new approach. Trump's orders will "clearly prioritise how to responsibly keep the lights on, recognise the enormous strategic value of American mined coal and embrace the economic opportunity that comes from American energy abundance," said Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association.
Environmental groups slammed Trump's coal plan. “Coal plants are old and dirty, uncompetitive and unreliable," said Kit Kennedy, managing director for Power at the Natural Resources Defence Council.
"The Trump administration is stuck in the past, trying to make utility customers pay more for yesterday’s energy. Instead, it should be doing all it can to build the electricity grid of the future."
