All articles tagged with #coal
A D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Trump administration cannot invoke a 202(c) emergency under the Federal Power Act to keep the J.H. Campbell coal plant open, finding the claimed emergency vague and not the kind Congress intended, and warning the order disrupts normal grid assessment and market signals while costing taxpayers hundreds of millions without averting a real shortfall.
A DC Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously voided the Department of Energy’s emergency declaration aimed at forcing Michigan’s J.H. Campbell coal plant to stay open, finding no proven emergency or shortfall and noting that planned closures and grid-operating processes already addressed reliability. The decision curtails DOE power to compel generation and could reverse similar orders, allowing Michigan to proceed with the planned shutdown and potentially reducing costs for ratepayers while signaling limits on federal intervention in generation facilities.
A federal court ruled against the Energy Department’s nationwide order to keep Michigan’s Campbell coal plant open, saying the plan would cost hundreds of millions and was misaligned with retirement timelines. The plant will continue operating under a DOE extension through mid‑November while litigation proceeds; Consumers Energy is reviewing the ruling. Environmental groups hailed the decision as a victory against propping up aging, costly coal power.
A federal appeals court in the D.C. Circuit rejected Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s emergency order to keep Michigan’s Campbell coal plant online past its retirement, saying DOE overstepped by intervening in state reliability planning; the ruling favors Michigan, Illinois, and environmental groups and could influence similar challenges to other emergency orders affecting six coal plants; DOE may appeal.
Ember’s analysis shows China’s rapid clean-energy expansion is curbing coal, with 17 of 26 provinces seeing coal generation plateau or decline in 2025 as thermal output fell 0.7% despite a 5% rise in electricity demand. Battery storage grew strongly, helping balance the grid, while electrification—especially EVs and industrial electrification—is reducing oil use and reshaping energy demand across sectors. The shift from “build clean energy first” to “build while breaking” signals a broader transition in China’s economy and energy security.
China has surpassed coal in installed electricity capacity, with solar at 1,288 GW edging out coal at 1,285 GW and solar accounting for about 31.5% of total capacity; however, solar generation remains lower than coal on a per‑unit basis due to capacity factors. In H1 2026, wind and solar combined produced 24.6% of electricity while coal generated 49.7%, marking the first time coal’s share fell below half. Solar installations continue to grow despite tariff changes, supporting China’s booming EV market and climate goals, though long‑term coal use persists due to contracts and storage challenges, even as emissions dipped about 1% in Q2 thanks to reduced oil use in transport.
The Trump administration has diverted roughly $2.7 billion to pay developers to relinquish offshore wind leases and redirect funds toward coal, with the DOE also advancing hundreds of millions to extend coal plants and boost coal infrastructure; critics argue the moves raise electricity bills for consumers and benefit fossil-fuel donors, while White House officials say funds are being repurposed to provide affordable, reliable energy and that renewables are not being unjustly subsidized; independent analyses, however, often show renewables can be cheaper than coal.
U.S. solar power generation has, for the first time, surpassed coal as the dominant source of electricity, signaling a historic shift in the nation’s energy mix driven by cheaper solar and retirements of coal plants, with potential implications for emissions, pricing, and grid planning.
U.S. solar generation surpassed coal in May for the first time (solar 12.8% vs coal 12.2%), with solar becoming the third-largest electricity source behind natural gas and nuclear. Despite Trump’s push to bolster coal, solar and other renewables are driving growth and are the leading source of new power—solar plus battery storage comprised about 91% of new capacity in Q1—signaling a continued shift toward clean energy as analysts expect solar to overtake coal on an annual basis in coming years.
Ember data show solar generation in May 2026 exceeded coal for the first time on record, supplying 12.8% of US electricity to coal's 12.2% and hitting a record 45.5 TWh, with solar becoming the third-largest power source behind natural gas and nuclear as renewables reshape the grid.
The Trump administration unveiled a new effort to revive coal by allocating $700 million under the Defense Production Act to update 14 existing plants and build new ones in Alaska and West Virginia, paired with private investment. Officials claim it could lower electricity costs, but critics point out coal’s high price relative to wind/solar, ongoing environmental and health concerns, and the risk of stranded assets if renewables and stricter EPA rules continue to dominate the market.
President Trump announced via the Defense Production Act that $75 million will go toward building the West Oakland coal export terminal, part of a broader $700 million coal-industry push. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon praised the project as essential for his state’s coal industry, while environmentalists and Oakland residents oppose it amid years of litigation involving developer Phil Tagami’s Oakland Bulk Oversized Terminal (OBOT). The plan envisions groundbreaking this summer and first shipments by 2028, with critics warning of pollution and climate impacts.
Donald Trump announced a $700 million plan to revive the US coal industry, invoking the Defense Production Act to fund 14 existing plants, 42 mines, build two new plants, and an Oakland export terminal, with about 1,400 jobs tied to the terminal and roughly 14,000 total jobs supported, plus an estimated $50 billion in potential energy-cost savings for consumers, as energy prices rise amid tensions with Iran and criticism of renewables.
The Trump administration plans to invest more than $800 million in public funds to revive coal-fired power, funding new plants in Alaska and West Virginia and propping up about 14 struggling facilities across 11 states, tapping clean-energy funds and invoking the Defense Production Act; the move, which could face legal challenges, aims to revive an industry increasingly uneconomic next to natural gas and renewables.
Trump says he will invoke the Defense Production Act to invest nearly $700 million in upgrading 13 coal plants, build two new plants in Alaska and West Virginia, restart a shuttered Maryland plant, and fund a West Coast coal export terminal in Oakland to move U.S. coal overseas, arguing it strengthens national energy security; environmental and local groups warn it will raise electricity costs, worsen pollution, and undermine climate goals, and opponents vow to challenge the plan in court.