Coal Continues to Grow

Report upon report sings praises to energy transition efforts that are leading to record wind and solar generation. Outside the spotlight, however, things are very different. There, coal remains king, and this is not about to change anytime soon. (1)

Coal demand in most advanced economies peaked a few years ago and is falling, although the trajectory can vary depending on the region or country. In Europe and North America, where coal use has dropped over the past decade, the rate of decline is now slowing. Demand for power from the electricity sector could further slow declined in these regions in the years ahead. Even so, by 2025, the coal consumed in the European Union and United States combined will be less than half the amount used in India. ⁽²⁾

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that global coal demand will remain close to the 2024 record high levels over the next three years, in large part fuelled by India and China. ⁽³⁾

Both countries have stated quite plainly that they will not be following the example of the UK and shutting down any coal power plants in the foreseeable future.

China

Coal remains the largest contributor to the country’s power supply despite China being the largest developer of wind and solar capacity in the world, and by a wide margin. The latest demand figures point to an increase in coal in response to growing demand. Coal accounts for 60% of China’s power generation, and this is not about to change soon. ⁽¹

At present, China has a total of 1,142 operating coal-fired plants and is building six times as many coal-fired power plants as the rest of the world combined. China is building the equivalent of two new coal plants every week! ⁽⁴⁾

The world has pledged to wean itself off dirty coal to slow the pace of climate change, so why is China – already the world’s top producer and consumer of coal—upping its output? ⁽⁵⁾

China has said the country will start cutting coal between 2026 and 2030 but is yet to commit to a full phase-out.

In a smart hedge ahead of losing its coal, China has emerged as a global leader in renewable energy—but continues to develop harmful coal-fired power in the interim.

In 2022, Beijing said it would keep building coal-powered plants and approved 106 gigawatts of new coal-fired capacity, the most since 2015 and enough to power all of Britain.

China says it will start phasing down on coal after 2025 but it is unclear whether new plants will still be approved. ⁽⁵⁾

Here’s an odd twist. Jo Nova reports, “In the annual tournament for cash refunds, the UN now enables charity for space-faring nations with slaves. Somehow, the demands for climate reparations were led by nations burning more coal than the rest of the world combined, and no one laughed or wondered whether they should mention it. A group of 77 developing countries, led by China, called for US $1.3 trillion a year in new additional adequate and affordable finance to address mitigation adaptation and loss damage.” ⁽⁶⁾

India

India, with 282 coal-fired plants, had coking coal imports surge to a six year high over the country’s latest fiscal year.

India’s commitment to coal remains stronger than ever, and the government’s latest move to extend the mandate for coal-fired plants to run at full capacity is proof of that. India’s growing population and industrial demand have kept coal firmly in the driver’s seat. In a world where renewables may be slowly gaining ground, coal continues to power over 70% of Indias’s electricity needs. ⁽⁷⁾

United Kingdom

Meanwhile, the UK is preparing scenarios for blackouts because the baseload capacity just got decimated with its shutdown of the country’s last coal power plant. Billions are being slated for investment in things like batteries and flywheels to store energy from wind and solar installations, but the realization that this cannot work without baseload capacity is yet to dawn on the government, as it is on the European authorities that are still pushing for an end to coal. If there is a perfect time to learn something from China and India, that time is right now. ⁽¹⁾

United States

The United States continues to subsidize the development of occasionally generated electricity from weather dependent wind turbines and solar panels to replace coal power with the expectation that America with about 4% of the world’s population, can drastically impact the world’s emissions occurring from the other 96% people on this planet. ⁽⁴⁾

Coal is the world’s most abundant and reliable energy source and the United States has the world’s largest coal reserves. Of the 15 major coal producing states, Montana has the largest coal reserve with 118.4 billion tons.

There are about 200 coal-burning power plants still operating in America, with many concentrated in Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana and the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana, i.e., only 8% of the world’s coal plants. Worldwide there are over 2,400 coal power stations, i.e., the other 92% of the world’s coal plants.

Due to onerous regulations by the Biden Administration and the overreach of his BLM and EPA, approximately 170 of the remaining coal-fired plants in the US are scheduled to be de-commissioned by 2030, and there are no plans to build any new coal-fired plants in the US. Meanwhile China is adding to its inventory of coal-fired power plants at a record rate. ⁽⁴⁾

Hope is on the horizon. The landmark US Supreme Court Chevron case has taken much of the teeth out of overzealous federal bureaucrats. US Senator Steve Daines of Montana has proposed legislation to keep coal mines operational. The victory of the incoming Trump administration including the coal friendly majority in the US Senate and House which are committed to energy independence, will likely reign in bureaucratic red tape, shortsighted energy hysteria from those who Senator Daines refers to as Green ‘Hallucinationists’, and put the American people first with clean, reliable and affordable electricity from hard working coal miners of the good old USA. ⁽⁴⁾

Summary

Most people in the wealthier developed countries are oblivious that about 80 percent of the world’s 8 billion, many of whom are in Africa, Asia and Latin America still live on less than $20 a day, and the billions who still have little or no access to electricity. For others, life is severely complicated and compromised by the hypocritical green agendas of wealthy country elites who have benefitted so tremendously from fossil fuels since the modern industrial era began in the late 1800’s.

Developing countries desperately need dependable, affordable electricity and the products and fuels manufactured from fossil fuels to create jobs, lift families out of poverty, modernize homes, schools, and hospitals, provide clean water, and replace wood and animal dung for cooking and heating. ⁽⁴⁾

Both India and China have officially prioritized energy supply security and affordability over emissions, even as they both pursue a more diverse grid. ⁽¹⁾

There still appears to be some naïve puzzlement that renewable energy is not replacing coal. Folks still have not worked out that countries like China and India know that they cannot run their economies on the vagaries of wind and solar power.

References

1. Irina Slay, “Coal remains on its throne despite transition push,” oilprice.com, October 28, 2024
2. International Energy Agency, “Coal 2024,” December 18, 2024
3. Julianne Geiger, “India keeps coal power at full throttle,” oilprice.com, December 27, 2024
4. Ronald Stein and George Harris, ”Stop the green hallucinationists plan to close all 200 coal power plants,” eurasiareviewe.com, December 10, 2024
5. Beatrice Tridimas, “Why is China upping coal power despite green energy boom?”. sej.org, October 31, 2024
6. Jo Nova, “World’s largest coal user wants $1.3 T from rich nations to save the climate,” joannenova.com.au, November 14, 2024
7. Julianne Geiger, “India keeps coal power at full throttle,” oilprice.com, December 27, 2024