OPINION:
The rapid growth in electricity demand fueled by artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing led the International Energy Agency to affirm earlier this year that “the Age of Electricity is now firmly underway.”
Still to be determined, however, is how the United States will respond to this new era.
Last month, the National Coal Council released a report offering a road map for how America can quickly mobilize a response. The report, “Maximizing the Value of the U.S. Coal Fleet,” highlights that the nation’s existing coal fleet is one of the few resources capable of providing the substantial amounts of reliable power needed in the 21st century.
The report’s release is well timed. For the second consecutive year, U.S. electricity consumption reached a record high in 2025 and is expected to climb further in 2026 and 2027.
Yet despite this unprecedented demand, federal and state policies have led to the premature retirement of significant amounts of our nation’s coal fleet. Since 2011, the U.S. has retired enough coal-fueled generation to power 62 million households, roughly equivalent to the power needs of New York and California combined.
As the old saying goes, when you are in a hole, stop digging. To that end, the NCC report includes 19 specific recommendations that would preserve and modernize our existing coal fleet, strengthen its supply chain and enable the development of new coal generation.
These recommendations build on initiatives the Trump administration has already undertaken and call for additional action by federal agencies, grid operators and Congress.
They include revising or repealing numerous federal regulations, such as the Carbon Rule, that threaten grid reliability. Under the Carbon Rule, for example, providers are left with just two options: Shutter their plants by 2032 or comply with carbon standards that are technically unrealistic and economically unworkable.
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed formally repealing the rule, but it is still awaiting final review from the White House Office of Management and Budget. This delay is something America can ill afford.
The NCC also calls for electricity market reforms that would ensure coal’s unique attributes are properly valued. Coal plants can store fuel inventories on-site and produce electricity when other resources fall short, such as during winter storms.
Still, electricity markets often fail to compensate generators for the reliability that coal provides, which is especially important as demand continues to grow and the consequences of an unreliable grid may leave Americans at greater risk.
The report also recommends financial support to help modernize existing coal plants and extend their useful lives. The U.S. has approximately 168 gigawatts of coal generation operating across 37 states, representing decades of investment in power plants, mines, transportation, storage and transmission infrastructure.
Maintaining and upgrading these existing investments would be faster and more efficient than replacing them with entirely new generation sources and infrastructure. It would also enable the U.S. to achieve new levels of electricity generation without waiting years for projects to be permitted and constructed.
Beyond preserving the existing coal fleet, the NCC also recommends supporting the development of new coal power plants. These new plants would feature modern technologies for power generation and emissions control and, in some cases, could be located at existing or recently retired coal power plant sites with transmission connections, water supplies and transportation infrastructure.
Other countries are already aggressively undertaking new coal projects. More than 256 gigawatts of new coal capacity is under construction globally, with 212 gigawatts of that capacity in China.
At the same time, a July Interior Department report concluded that the U.S. has enough coal to supply the nation for 600 years at its current rate of consumption. Our country should not voluntarily eliminate one of its largest domestic energy sources.
A century and a half ago, coal was the energy source at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, powering the factories, railroads and ships that transformed the U.S. into a global power. Today, coal’s unique attributes make it the best choice for seizing the economic and technological opportunities that will shape the 21st century.
However, this will require the Trump administration and other policymakers to act quickly or risk leaving a reliable, abundant and uniquely American source of power sitting on the sidelines while our international competitors race ahead.
• Michelle Bloodworth is president and CEO of America’s Power, a trade organization representing coal producers operating across the country.
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