Coal’s prospects are turning brighter Image By EPN Staff Key Points U.S. coal plants had 124 million short tons of coal on-site as of June 2025—about 93 days of fuel. The EIA projects “days of burn” will remain between 90–120 days through 2026, which is higher than pre-pandemic averages. After years of decline, coal consumption rose 18% in early 2025 compared to early 2024, driven by higher electricity demand and costlier natural gas. Coal’s share of U.S. generation is expected to climb slightly from 16% (2024) to 17% (2025), then fall to 15% in 2026 as plant retirements continue. Although coal retirements are planned, President Trump’s administration has ordered delays, citing rising demand as a national emergency. Analysts expect further interventions, which could keep coal plants running longer than previously scheduled. Domestic coal-fired plants should remain “relatively well-stocked through the end of next year,” the U.S. Energy Information Administration said recently. “We estimate power plants in the United States had 124 million short tons of coal on-site at the end of June for them to consume that coal at a rate of about 1.3 million short tons per day, meaning they had about 93 days’ worth of fuel on-site,” EIA analysts said. The administration forecasts the “days of burn” on hand for coal plants will hover between 90 and 120 days between now and the end of 2026, which would be about a month’s worth more coal on hand than plants had between 2019 and 2022. Why it matters “Days of burn” is one of the limiting factors for coal plants, which can produce reliable 24-hour-a-day electricity if they have coal and the plant is operational. Coal-usage has been falling in the U.S. as natural gas supplants it as the dominant method for generating electricity and renewable energy grows. That decrease will likely reverse this year – temporarily, the EIA predicts – primarily due to rising electricity demand. Coal is also more cost competitive right now because natural gas prices have come up from last year’s historic lows, the EIA said. “As natural gas prices increased in the first quarter of 2025… U.S. coal consumption in the first quarter of 2025 was 18% more than in the first quarter of 2024,” the EIA said. The boost will be a small one, relative to the country’s total energy production, raising coal’s share of generation from 16% in 2024 to 17% in 2025, then decreasing to 15% in 2026, the EIA said. That 2026 decrease depends in part on planned coal plant retirements, though, which may be in question. President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered delays for some planned closings, arguing that rising electricity demand constitutes a national emergency. More such orders may be on the way, Politico reported recently. “My very educated guess is they’re not going to allow a single coal-fired power plant to retire during Trump’s term here,” Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program at the watchdog group Public Citizen, told the outlet. The bigger picture U.S. coal stockpiles have been higher in recent years – both pre and post pandemic – but the consumption rate has been falling slowly but steadily, leaving inventories in a healthy space, the EIA said. More than two-thirds of the coal shipped to U.S. power plants travels completely or partly by rail, according to the EIA. The rest moves by river barge, truck or other methods, the EIA has said. “River barges are limited to the relatively few coal-fired power plants located on suitable rivers,” the EIA said in 2021. “Shipping by truck is only cost-effective for short-haul distances, and most coal mines are located far away from power plants and consumers.” Nearly all this coal comes from four regions, according to the EIA: The Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana The Illinois Basin in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky Central Appalachia in Kentucky and West Virginia Northern Appalachia in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia Additional details Trump’s Department of Energy showered coal with praise at the end of July, sharing a picture of a coal rock in a social media post and saying: She’s an icon She’s a legend And she is the moment
