Coal Is on a Comeback
Learn the hard truth about coal and its contributions to our quality of life.
Coal Mining
8.79B
The IEA just formalized its 2024 numbers for global coal demand, hitting an all-time high of 8.79 billion metric tonnes. [1] That’s a ton of coal for every man, woman and child on Earth. Whether you like it or not, we are all heavy consumers of coal.
$104K
The coal mining industry employs engineers, geologists, and a variety of technical specialists. The average total annual salary for an underground bituminous coal miner in Pennsylvania is over $104,000. [2]
3000 lbs
In a single year, the average person in the United States uses nearly 3000 pounds of coal, or 235,000 pounds over an average lifetime. [3]
55%
Over the last two decades, the overall use of fossil fuels around the world has increased by roughly 41%, with the use of coal increasing by approximately 55%. [4]
The U.S. has more coal reserves than any other nation on Earth—enough to last for centuries. Energy independence doesn’t get more secure than that.
Infrastructure
2x
Significant investment in new infrastructure will be required to meet population growth and shifts. Annual infrastructure investment will need to double by 2040 and building floor area will nearly double by 2050. [5]
75%
75% of global steel production relies on coal as a heat source or feedstock. Without coal, the backbone of modern infrastructure simply couldn’t exist. [11]
To build the massive infrastructure needed for renewable power generation, a substantial amount of materials and energy will be required. For example, one megawatt of onshore wind capacity requires hundreds of tons of steel and concrete, which requires hundreds of tons of coal to produce. [6][7][8]
71%
71% of steelmaking requires metallurgical coal as a feedstock. No other material can replicate its role in the steelmaking process at scale. [12]
90%
90% of cement plant energy comes directly from coal. Cement is a fundamental building block of construction worldwide, making coal critical to progress. [13]
46%
Steel demand is projected to rise 46% by 2030 to meet net-zero targets. Coal will be required to produce the steel needed for renewable infrastructure, EVs, and urban growth. [14]
48%
Cement demand is projected to increase 48% by 2050. Coal’s role in powering this expansion is unavoidable if the world is to meet its infrastructure needs. [15]
Historically, coal has been a vital element in the making of steel and cement, two of the most impactful and prevalent construction materials in the world. Therefore, much of our modern-day infrastructure, such as roadways, buildings, bridges, sewers, railroads, cell towers, dams, and aqueducts, were created using coal. [9][10]
Innovation
Coal is more than fuel, it’s a carbon-rich resource with unique chemical properties that make it the foundation for advanced materials. From aerospace, battery components, and construction, coal’s structure can be engineered into products that are lighter, stronger, and more sustainable than traditional alternatives.
Look around your home and workplace—most manufactured products we touch in our everyday lives are created with derivatives of fossil fuels, such as coal. Steel, cement, certain medicines, water filtration, fertilizers, and many other products we take for granted often rely on coal at some point in the manufacturing process. [16][17]
Electricity
34%
In 2024, coal generated 34% of the world’s electricity. While Western leaders talk about phasing it out, developing nations are using more coal than ever to fuel growth, industry, and rising standards of living. [18]
Coal is arguably the single most important natural resource responsible for the creation of modern civilization and all the prosperity we enjoy today. Our ability to discover, harness, store, and deliver affordable energy on-demand has been the primary driver of human progress over the last 250 years. In large part, thanks to coal. [19][20]
Fossil fuels, such as coal, will continue to play a critical role in the ongoing transition to more sustainable forms of energy. We see a future where renewable energy sources work together with advanced, abated coal technologies to provide society with clean, dependable, and diverse power sources without jeopardizing our climate and our energy needs. [21] [22] [23]
20x
Earlier this year, in the latest MISO energy auction, the price per megawatt-day hit a record-breaking $660. The summer 2025 auction price that was announced is 20 times higher than the price for last summer, and 60 times higher than the price two years ago. This pattern of increasing prices clearly indicates a dysfunctional marketplace. [24]
22x
2025 prices out of the biggest U.S. power auction, held by grid operator PJM Interconnection, cleared at $329.17 a megawatt-day, roughly 22% higher than last year’s record-high levels as electricity demand continues to outstrip supply. [25]
Agriculture & Land
2.8M
Since 1978, more than 2.8 million acres of land have been restored by the U.S. mining industry. [26]
10x
Renewable power requires approximately ten times more land area than fossil fuels per unit of power produced. [27] This surprising reality requires serious consideration as we develop future energy policies.
1900%
2500%
4200%
To reach goals for renewable energy use, the IEA is estimating the supply of nickel, graphite, and lithium will need to increase by 1900%, 2500%, and 4200% respectively. [28] This will require an enormous increase in mining and industrial activity, as well as large amounts of fossil fuels to extract, process, and transport these materials.
National Security
Our energy independence as a country could be at risk. Increasing our reliance on renewable energy means an increased reliance on imported materials and minerals needed to manufacture wind turbines, batteries, solar panels, and other infrastructure. Many of these imports will come from countries that don’t share our environmental and human rights standards. [28][29][30][31][32][33]
90%
An electrical grid powered solely by renewable energy will significantly increase our dependence on foreign nations, many of them with lower workplace safety standards. For instance, China controls roughly 90% of the market for refining rare earth elements, which are critical to the production of EV motors and wind turbines. [28]
77%
In 2022, 77% of all energy consumed in the U.S. was produced domestically. [34] Transitioning to renewable energy too quickly weakens this important metric and makes the U.S. more reliant on foreign sources of energy.
Global Poverty
Coal is one of the most abundant sources of electricity worldwide. [35] Deprived of coal as a major source of affordable electricity, developing countries will struggle to rise out of poverty and improve their quality of life. [36]
Life expectancy, educational attainment, and income all correlate with per capita electricity use. [37]
774M
With an estimated 774 million people in the world still without access to electricity, the need for abundant, affordable coal remains self-evident. [23]
Renewable Energy
A renewable energy economy will require a substantial infrastructure, including power lines, charging stations, wind turbines, solar panels, battery storage, supply chain channels, and massive disruptions to land-use priorities. [38][39][40] Transitioning too quickly to renewables without any consideration for the long-term consequences could produce serious and unintended outcomes. [27]
5-10x
To meet aspirational net-zero emissions goals by 2050, the renewable energy industry would need to increase the rate at which it builds new wind power plants by 5 to 10 times. [41]
60%
A Pew Research poll found in 2020, nearly 80% of Americans supported prioritizing wind and solar over fossil fuels. In 2025, that number has dropped to 60%. [42]
In times of high energy demand such as periods of extreme weather, renewables like wind and solar are intermittent and unreliable forms of power, especially compared to storable and dispatchable energy sources like coal that can quickly adjust to fluctuating demand. [43][44]
3.8%
Over the last 20 years, after investing trillions of dollars globally into renewable energy efforts, the world has realized only a 3.8% reduction in fossil fuel use, from approximately 86% in 1995 to 82% in 2022. [45] Over this same period, the global demand for energy has increased significantly.
2b
If wind turbines were to supply half the world’s electricity, it would take nearly 2 billion tons of coal for the concrete and steel, plus 1.5 billion barrels of oil for the blades. Renewables don’t replace fossil fuels — they consume them. [46]
47M
By 2050, the global wind industry is projected to generate 47 million tons of blade waste, with the U.S. responsible for about 20%. Solar panels aren’t any better—by 2035, discarded panels could outweigh new sales by 2.5 times. [46]
Wind and solar units are marketed as lasting 25 years, but many are repowered after just 10. Fossil fuel and nuclear plants, by comparison, run for 40–60 years. Factoring in waste and replacement, renewables cost far more than advertised. [46]
78%
Spain’s national grid collapsed in April 2025 after losing 60% of electricity supply—78% of the system relied on renewables, with solar alone at 60%. [47]
Sources
- IEA: Coal Mid-Year Update 2025
- PA Coal Facts: Pennsylvania’s Bituminous Coal Industry
- Minerals Education Coalition: Mineral Usage Statistics
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy 2023. Based on data provided for consumption of Coal, Oil, Natural Gas.
- World Resources Institute: Cities
- Energy Central: Can You Make a Wind Turbine Without Fossil Fuels?
- U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Renewable Energy Materials Properties Database: Summary (August 2023) (Figure 3, page 8. Steel is 9% of material for 1 MW of land based wind, or 108 metric tonnes. Concrete is 34% of material for 1 MW, or 408 metric tonnes)
- Gulhan Ozbayoglu: Comprehensive Energy Systems, Energy Production From Coal (Chapter 3.19.1.1.2, page 791. 0.77 tonne of coal per tonne of steel translates to 83 tonnes of coal in steel per MW of onshore wind capacity. Chapter 3.19.1.1.3, page 792. 0.2 – 0.45 tonne of coal per tonne of cement translates to 82 – 184 tonnes of coal per MW of onshore wind capacity. Total tonnes of coal per MW of onshore wind capacity = 165-266 tonnes of coal)
- World Coal Association: Coal & Steel
- Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration: Coal’s Importance to the World
- IEA, Steel Industry Overview (July 11, 2023).
- World Steel Association, 2024, World Steel in Figures 2024
- Schumacher, G. and L. Juniper. “Coal Utilization in the Cement and Concrete Industries,” The Coal Handbook, Second Edition, Volume 2 (2023).
- IEA (2023), Global steel production in the Net Zero Scenario, 2010-2030
- Congressional Research Service. “Cement: Background and Low-Carbon Production.” (November 3, 2023).
- World Coal Association: Other Uses of Coal
- Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration: Coal’s Importance to the World
- IER: Coal is Still King—Globally
- See Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy: Energy Transitions in U.S. History, 1800-2019 (Page 5, lines 125 – 130)
- PBS Learning Media: Coal, Steam, and the Industrial Revolution | Crash Course World History.
- United Nations: Coal- Energy for Sustainable Development
- Scott Foster, David Elzinga: The Role of Fossil Fuels in a Sustainable Energy System
- IEA: World Energy Outlook 2023
- America’s Power: America’s Power Statement on MISO Auction
- Reuters: Biggest US power grid auction prices rise by 22% to new heights
- National Mining Association: Reclamation
- Samantha Gross: Brookings Institute, Renewables, Land Use, and Local Opposition in the United States (Page 3)
- IEA: The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions, 3.0 Mineral requirements for clean energy transitions
- Center for Strategic & International Studies: Building Larger and More Diverse Supply Chains for Energy Minerals (Page 1)
- U.S. Department of Energy: Solar Photovoltaics – Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment (97% of world’s production of silicon wafers occurs in China, a country with documented human rights violations and an unpredictable trade relationship with the United States. See pages iii and iv)
- U.S. Department of Energy: Wind Energy – Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment (See Figure 4 on page 15 – U.S. imports of Wind Specific Equipment).
- IEA: Energy Technology Perspectives 2023 (Page 107 – Figure 2.10, negative trade balances for U.S., page 82 – U.S. imports 2/3 of its PV modules, page 108 – U.S. is a major net importer of refined minerals and aluminum….by contrast, U.S. is a net exporter of fossil fuels, other similar references throughout report.)
- Katie Sweeney, National Mining Association, Congressional Testimony: Unleashing American Energy, Lowering Energy Costs, and Strengthening Supply Chains
- US EIA: Monthly Energy Review (Sept. 2023, Released January 2024), Tables 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4a, 1.4b, 1.4c, 2.1a, and 2.1b.
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy 2023 (Supporting data: Total Proved Coal Reserves at End 2020)
- See World Coal Association: Coal–Energy for Sustainable Development
- United Nations: Human Development Reports: Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022: Unpacking Deprivation Bundles to Reduce Multidimensional Poverty (Pages 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 23)
- U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Renewable Electricity Futures Study, Renewable Electricity Generation and Storage Technology Volume 2/4 (Pages 225, 279, 331)
- Dave Merrill, Bloomberg.com: The U.S. Will Need a Lot of Land for a Zero-Carbon Economy
- North American Electric Reliability Corporation: 2022 Long-Term Reliability Assessment. (Page 9)
- NREL: How Do We Inventory the Materials Needed To Build Wind and Solar Farms?
- IER: Poll Shows That Americans Want Energy Abundance, Not Climate Catastrophism
- Michael Shellenberger, Forbes.com: Renewable Energy Boom Risks More Blackouts Without Adequate Investment In Grid Reliability
- NMPP Energy: Understanding The Term ‘Dispatchable’ Regarding Electricity Generation
- Mark P. Mills Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute: The “Energy Transition” Delusion: A Reality Reset
- IER: Media Misleads the Public on Wind and Solar Power’s Cost and Environmental Impacts
- Baker Institute: The Iberian Peninsula Blackout—Causes, Consequences, and Challenges Ahead
