By Jo Nova
Coal is not and never was a stranded asset
Such is the demand for electricity, Donald Trump wants every reliable generator he can get.
One coal plant in Colorado was a week away from closure on Dec 31, when Donald Trump pulled it back from the brink:
Colorado’s coal plant closures and clean air policies go too far, Trump’s EPA says while rejecting plans
In December, President Donald Trump’s Department of Energy issued an emergency order demanding that Tri-State Generation’s Craig Unit 1 coal plant stay open past the long-planned Dec. 31 shuttering date. Tri-State is now fixing broken parts at the plant, which it had previously not planned to do given the closure, and will bring it back online. The co-op generator says it has not heard any plan on who will pay the up to $80 million annual cost of running the plant in 2026.
The EPA on Friday cited the Department of Energy’s emergency action in calling out Colorado. “These plants are vital to delivering reliable and affordable energy to Colorado families and meeting the surging national energy demand,” the EPA announcement said.
The Colorado governor was not happy. And nor were The Blob NGOs — one spokesman at Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office accused Trump, of all things, of being ‘ideological’.
The pace of ’emergency coal rescues’ is quickening:
By November, Chris Wright, the US Secretary of Energy, had stepped in three times to keep coal plants running, but in December, the pace quickened. Wright not only saved the Colorado plant, but also ordered a coal plant in Washington, and two plants in Indiana to keep running.
Trump Keeps Several U.S. Coal Plants Running, Defying ‘End of Coal’ Predictions
By Kevin Killough, ClimateChangeDespatch
Under federal law, the Energy Secretary has the authority when an emergency exists, including a shortage of electricity, to make temporary orders regarding electricity infrastructure to address the emergency.
On Dec. 17, Wright ordered the last coal power plant in Washington to remain operational. It was slated for retirement at the end of last month.
On Christmas Eve, Wright also blocked the closure of two coal-fired power plants in Indiana, which were to be shuttered the following week.
Even DeSmog has noticed
Joe Fassler at DeSmog had already tallied up 15 coal plants whose lives had been extended in the USA since Donald Trump was elected, though he admits this was also driven by AI, and data centre demand.
Trump made a promise to revive the US Coal industry and to End the War on Coal.
“Keeping this coal plant online will ensure Americans maintain an affordable, reliable, and secure supply of electricity. The Trump administration is committed to lowering energy costs and keeping American families safe,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.
If only the Australian government could say the same…
Photo: Dave Johnson
