US coal generation during Winter Storm Fern revealed critical insights about America’s electricity infrastructure vulnerabilities during extreme weather events. The operational response demonstrated coal’s unique position within America’s generation portfolio. …
News Category: Article
Winter storm tests US electric grid as outages spread
A severe winter storm pushed the U.S. power grid to its limits as outages spread and demand surged. During peak conditions, natural gas, nuclear, and coal supplied nearly 90% of PJM’s electricity, while wind contributed less than 5%. The event highlighted the grid’s continued reliance on dependable, dispatchable power during extreme weather. …
Global Coal Demand to Reach a New Record High this Year
Global coal demand is projected to reach a new record high this year as rising power needs from AI, manufacturing, and electrification accelerate worldwide. In the U.S., policy shifts keeping coal plants online and easing regulatory pressure could support higher utilization. At the same time, countries such as India and China continue to expand coal …
Coal tailings could solve United States’ need for rare earth elements
New research out of Northeastern University published in Environmental Science & Technology has discovered a new way to extract rare earth elements out of coal tailings. Using a chemical treatment and a specially designed microwave reactor to control the temperature, the researchers have doubled the extraction levels previously possible. …
Affordability Crisis: Gavin Newsom’s California Energy Disaster
At COP30, the United Nations Climate Conference, Gov. Gavin Newsom praised California’s use of renewable energy and attacked the energy policies of the Trump administration. But from high prices to failing renewable systems, California is an energy affordability disaster. …
Reusing coal mine transformers for resilient rural power
Today’s rural grid reliability is looking toward legacy equipment. Utilising repurposed coal mine transformers unlocks tremendous economic value and pays respect to the mining industry’s foundational contributions. Adapting these mighty systems for cleaner purposes demonstrates innovative adaptation and and carves a path toward reliable electricity generation. …
The Cost of the Energy Transition
Investments in reducing the share of natural gas, oil, and coal in the world’s energy supply have not had a substantial impact, only reducing their share by three percentage points. This failure reflects the reality that the energy transition is too often attempting to replace energy-dense fuels deeply ingrained in our economies with less competitive …
Europe’s Electricity Prices Are Far Higher than Prices in the United States
In Europe, electricity prices are two to four times higher than in the United States, with the U.K.’s industrial electricity price 4.2 times higher and Germany’s residential electricity price 2.6 times higher. Business executives and some economists say much of the increase is due to the shift to intermittent renewables like wind and solar, which …
High and rising natural gas costs may spur fresh climb in US coal use
Early-year cold snaps and strong LNG exports pushed gas prices up, prompting utilities to shift to cheaper coal. A similar trend is emerging as 2025 closes, with coal-fired generation rising and gas output easing as gas prices hit three-year highs. …
How AI Is Breathing New Life into Aging Coal-Fired Power Assets
Coal is finding its way back into the energy conversation—not as a nostalgic nod to the past, but as a pragmatic response to a very modern challenge: the insatiable energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI). As AI data centers proliferate, their need for reliable, around-the-clock electricity is forcing utilities and policymakers to rethink the importance …
