The idea of coal’s future is at the forefront of this editor’s mind – and I know I’m not alone.
This isn’t just for selfish reasons: the very first America’s Coal Revolution conference is now just days away in Pittsburgh, Pa., October 20-21, with the promise of two days of discussion about the various facets of what that future will look like. It will serve as another barometer of where the industry is headed and is sure to offer findings that are noteworthy and newsworthy.
At the same moment as the black carpet is being unrolled at the Hilton Garden Inn-Southpointe, the event venue, the Trump administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed a $625 million investment to “expand and reinvigorate” the coal industry in America.
Within the confines of two executive orders, “Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry” and “Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid,” the funding will help to keep U.S. coal plants online and maintain coal-fired electricity pricing.
Among the earmarks are $350 million for Coal Recommissioning and Retrofit, set for projects to demonstrate readiness to recommission or modernize coal power units and provide near-term electric power reliability and capacity; $175 million for Rural Capacity and Energy Affordability Projects, coal power projects that provide direct benefits of energy affordability, reliability, and resiliency in rural communities; and $25 million for Engineering and Implementation of Dual Firing Retrofits to enable coal power plants to seamlessly switch between fuels, achieve full steam capacity, and economic flexibility to extend plant lifespans.
Another $50 million will support the development and implementation of advanced wastewater management systems, and $25 million will back the development and testing of natural gas cofiring systems.
The entire initiative follows the announcement the administration made last April that it would “unleash coal production” in support of the industry. It was then that coal was additionally added to the critical mineral list (see page 34 of this issue for more).
Oh, and there is one more thing: federal coal lands are once again in the mix for lease via a normal auction process. In fact, competitive auctions have already opened for 600 million tons of recoverable coal across numerous tracts in Alabama, Wyoming, Utah and Montana. Royalties have been sliced from the historical 12.5% to 7%, which is part of Trump’s tax outlines. Keep in mind that these leases often secure many years’ worth of our domestic coal production – or, in short, the promise of strong mining in these needed areas for what could be decades more.
“Beautiful, clean coal will be essential to powering America’s reindustrialization and winning the AI race,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said recently. “These funds will help keep our nation’s coal plants operating and will be vital to keeping electricity prices low and the lights on without interruption. Coal built the greatest industrial engine the world has ever known, and with President Trump’s leadership, it will help do so again.”
Donna Schmidt
Editor, North American Mining magazine
[email protected]
X: @Dschmidt_NAM