The United States generated more electricity from coal between January and April 2025 than it did during the same period in 2024, when the Biden administration was waging its assault on the energy resource, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Coal power generation climbed nearly 25% in early 2025 compared to the same window in 2024, fueled by deregulation, surging electricity demand and elevated natural gas prices, according to EIA data and expert analysis shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. Though former President Joe Biden cracked down on the coal industry with stringent regulation, President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders to boost the coal industry, and his administration has targeted harsh Biden-era rules on coal plants to secure the power grid.
“The increase in coal generation reflects the reality that we need much more electricity and burning more coal is the cheapest, fastest and most reliable way to produce it,” Senior Policy Fellow at the Energy and Environmental Legal Institute Steve Milloy told the DCNF. “The growth in electricity demand comes after about 15 years of flat demand. But with AI and the re-industrialization of America, demand is back and so is coal.”
Electricity consumption is projected to hit a record high in the next several years, with demand expected to increase in the commercial sector by 8% over 2025 and 2026, according to EIA data. Power demand will surge by up to 25% by 2030, according to a recent ICF International report.
America’s skyrocketing power demand presents an “urgent need” for electricity resources, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a major grid watchdog.
Trump declared a national energy emergency on his first day back in the Oval Office, and demand for electricity has surged as energy infrastructure ages and is phased out, all while the expectancy of power-hungry data centers grows as the tech sector races to expand the technology.
Though former Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry claimed in November 2021 that the United States would completely phase out coal power as an energy source by 2030, several coal plants have delayed retirement so far in 2025 in order to help meet America’s energy needs.
“What we’re seeing is a return to common sense. American businesses and grid operators are realizing that affordable, reliable energy, not virtue signaling about so-called ‘green energy,’ is the foundation of economic prosperity,” Founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute Jason Isaac told the DCNF. “The uptick in coal generation reflects an urgent need to keep the grid stable and costs manageable for working families.”
Mitch Rolling, research director at Always On Energy Research, agreed that the increased dependence on coal demonstrates the advantage of keeping it in the energy mix. The climb in coal generation coincides with a spike in natural gas costs brought about by surging demand for the resource, Rolling noted.
Natural gas has been replacing coal, though coal remains a resilient and reliable resource that the U.S. can call on “despite the crusade against it,” Rolling said. The retirement of coal plants means that the U.S. is “losing out” on an abundant, stable and affordable energy source, he noted.
“We’re jumping off a cliff with no parachute,” Rolling warned, arguing that the phaseout of coal plants and the transition to green energy sources like wind and solar will strain the grid and render it incapable of meeting American’s power needs.
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