Recommended Reading

Electricity is a key component of the fabric of modern society and the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) Enterprise serves to strengthen that fabric. The vision for the ERO Enterprise, which is comprised of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the six Regional Entities, is a highly reliable and secure North American bulk power system (BPS). Our mission is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid.

Climate activists and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investors to block investment in oil and gas production by Western companies appeared to have received a seal of approval from the International Energy Agency (IEA), when it published its Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector in May 2021. The Energy Policy Research Foundation's analysis conclusively demonstrates that the IEA's assumptions are unrealistic and internally inconsistent.

Today's U.S. electricity system is a complex network of power plants, transmission and distribution wires, and end-users of electricity. Today, most Americans receive their electricity from centralized power plants that use a wide variety of energy resources to produce electricity, such as coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, or renewable resources such as water, wind, or solar energy.

The Annual Coal Report (ACR) provides annual data on U.S. coal production, number of mines, productive capacity, recoverable reserves, employment, productivity, consumption, stocks, and prices. All data for 2021 and previous years are final.

Coal 2022 offers a thorough analysis of recent trends in coal demand, supply, trade, costs and prices against a backdrop of rising concern about energy security and geopolitical tensions. It also provides forecasts to 2025 for demand, supply and trade – by region and by coal grade. The report contains a deep analysis of China, whose influence on the coal market is unparalleled by any other country and in any other fuel.

Coal is the most abundant source of electricity worldwide, currently providing more than 36% of global electricity. Coal-fueled power plants account for nearly one-quarter of the electricity in the United States.

A dozen U.S. states, from California to New York, have joined dozens of countries, from Ireland to Spain, with plans to ban the sale of new cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE), many prohibitions taking effect within a decade. Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in a feat of regulatory legerdemain, has proposed tailpipe emissions rules that would effectively force automakers to shift to producing mainly electric vehicles (EVs) by 2032.

The United States uses many different energy sources and technologies to generate electricity. The sources and technologies have changed over time, and some are used more than others. The three major categories of energy for electricity generation are fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), nuclear energy, and renewable energy sources.

Fossil fuels—including coal, oil, and natural gas—have been powering economies for over 150 years, and currently supply about 80 percent of the world's energy. Fossil fuels formed millions of years ago from the carbon-rich remains of animals and plants, as they decomposed and were compressed and heated underground.

Industrial products and carbon-based materials such as basic chemicals, plastics and fibers are currently derived mostly from petroleum and natural gas. Materials and chemicals from coal are recognized as an important, practical and profitable source, especially in countries with large coal reserves.