China

27May

Coal’s Global Staying Power

Evidence is continuing to mount that we’re in an era of global energy addition—not transition. While wind, solar and grid-scale battery capacity continue to grow, so too is coal capacity. Nations are adding new energy resources while retaining — and in many cases expanding — coal generation to meet rising demand, support industrial growth and […]
20May

Coal’s New Role in the Global Energy Security Era

The Iran war is reshaping global energy markets and accelerating a trend many analysts underestimated: coal’s resurgence as a strategic alternative not just to natural gas but increasingly to oil itself. As conflict in the Middle East threatens shipping routes and injects fresh volatility into LNG and petroleum markets, countries across Asia are pivoting to […]
08Apr

China’s Coal Playbook Is Winning

As the world grapples with yet another global energy shock, one reality is becoming increasingly clear: China prepared for this moment and is emerging as a winner. China has prioritized energy security, anchoring its economy in abundant domestic coal while simultaneously investing in electrification and renewables. Today, that approach is paying dividends. China’s resilience offers […]
25Mar

The Global Pivot to Coal Is About More Than Electricity

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is not only reshaping energy trade flows today but it’s also beginning to transform the marketplace for years to come.  Qatar, the world’s second largest exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG), is saying damage done to its LNG facilities means it could be five years before its exports […]
04Feb

Reinforcing Winter Grid Reliability

The weather predicting skills of a certain groundhog remain up for debate, but Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this week and, sure enough, the brutal cold is sticking around.   Eastern states are likely to face frigid temperatures for much of February as the polar vortex pushes arctic air south. The forecasters at AccuWeather say to […]
17Sep

Can West Virginia Come to the Rescue?

“We must become the indispensable battery of the nation,” West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said last week when he announced a plan to expand the state’s generating capacity to 50 gigawatts (GW) by 2050 from roughly 15 GW today. Morrisey’s plan, called “50 by 50,” envisions not just an effort to maintain West Virginia’s existing […]
27Aug

China’s Abundance Agenda

China continues to chart its own energy path, positioning the industrial giant remarkably well for the age of electrification and the voracious energy appetite of AI. While the West was tearing down baseload generation in favor of the promise of renewable energy – leading to mounting reliability concerns and a European energy crisis following Russia’s […]
08Jul

A Novel Idea: Fact-based Energy Policy

The Department of Energy (DOE) is finally doing something almost unheard of in government in recent years: policymaking based on reality and facts. This week, DOE released a new “Resource Adequacy Report,” evaluating the reliability and security of the U.S. grid. The report is a direct response to President Trump’s Executive Order, “Strengthening the Reliability […]
18Jun

Global Context Matters

When it comes to energy, coal production and use, China is in a league of its own. China generated over 10,000 terawatt hours of electricity in 2024. That’s more than the combined output of the U.S., E.U. and India—the next three biggest producers. China’s electricity production has skyrocketed. Remarkably, as recently as 2010, the U.S. […]
31Jul

Pssst: Global Coal Use Hit Another Record in 2023

Where is the U.S. failing miserably in the climate fight? Look no further than the development and bungled deployment of advanced coal technology, namely carbon capture and storage (CCS). Why is coal technology so important? Simply, coal remains the world’s leading fuel for electricity generation and the world has never used more. Global coal use […]