That commitment is already taking shape across the country.
On June 4, President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced funding to build, upgrade and modernize coal-powered infrastructure. These actions include a $350 million investment to modernize America’s coal fleet. Four projects, spanning Alaska, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and Maryland, could add or preserve approximately 3,565 megawatts of coal-fired generation capacity—enough electricity to serve roughly three million U.S. households each year.
In addition, up to $500 million in Defense Production Act Title III funds will support 13 American coal-fired power plants and the West Gateway Terminal Project in Oakland, California. Collectively, the investments are expected to extend the operational life of selected coal-fired power plants by over 120 years and support more than 3,000 American jobs.
The terminal will provide critical West Coast export capacity and support energy trade with allied nations, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
But investments are just one part of the story.
Earlier this year, HGEO hosted a series of regional coal workshops across Arizona, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and North Dakota, bringing together over 300 stakeholders to discuss opportunities for extending the life of existing coal assets and advancing next-generation coal technologies. Those conversations helped inform DOE’s strategy for supporting American energy production and expanding U.S. coal exports.
