International Energy Agency (IEA)

26Aug

The Electricity Demand Story Everyone Is Missing

The world is using more electricity than ever. Global power demand reached a record high in 2025, growing at more than twice the rate of overall energy demand. But the single largest driver of that growth isn’t artificial intelligence, data centers or electric vehicles. It’s air conditioning. Speaking at an oil and gas conference in […]
12Aug

Coal to the Rescue: Geopolitics and Rising Electricity Demand Require American Coal 

Surging electricity demand and the reprioritization of energy security are reconfirming coal’s irreplaceable role in the global economy.   Global electricity demand is soaring from industrial expansion, electric vehicle deployment, rapid uptake of air conditioning and data center rollouts, among other factors. And as demand soars, so does the need for secure, reliable energy, with the Iran conflict continuing to disrupt global energy markets.   According to […]
08Jul

Use U.S. Coal to End Russia’s War in Ukraine

As President Trump sat with President Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit earlier today, it was clear the U.S. is engaged in the pursuit of peace between Russia and Ukraine, and willing to offer its assistance. While President Trump suggested new support in terms of air defense missiles may be on the table, […]
17Jun

Global Coal Investment is Rising and a New Energy Security Playbook is Emerging

Has the Iran energy crisis driven new demand for coal? Certainly. But as the International Energy Agency (IEA) reveals in a new report on global energy investment, coal was already very much in demand. The war with Iran and its energy disruptions have only supercharged it. According to the IEA, investments in coal have reached […]
03Jun

Surging AI Power Demand is Here, Like It or Not

Artificial intelligence promises economy-wide transformation and a pace of innovation we may have never seen before. But the impact of AI on the electricity grid and the public’s concern over data center development and rising power prices are rapidly becoming significant barriers to the AI revolution. According to the International Energy Agency, global electricity consumption […]
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 […]
11Mar

Another Global Pivot to Coal?

War in the Middle East is continuing to upend energy markets. With natural gas supply dramatically reduced with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and natural gas prices soaring globally, the pivot to coal has begun. Buyers from Europe to Asia are scrambling for natural gas substitutes. Rising prices for thermal coal – still […]
08Jan

A New Record

Despite years of forecasts of imminent decline, coal demand keeps growing. While the final numbers aren’t in, the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently found global coal demand was on track to rise by 0.5% in 2025, reaching a record 8.85 billion tonnes. With energy affordability and security globally paramount, the irreplaceability of coal shouldn’t be that surprising. […]
03Dec

Europe’s Green Pivot is Proving an Affordability Catastrophe

Rising electricity prices in the United States – up about 32% on average over the past five years – have become an important issue for voters. Now imagine if prices had doubled. That’s the incredible reality facing Europe. As The Wall Street Journal reports, European politicians told voters the pivot to renewables would be a win-win, slashing emissions and […]
23Apr

Yes, it is an Energy Supply Emergency

With so much understandable focus on meeting soaring new power demand from the AI revolution and hyperscale data centers, it’s easy to forget the nation entered this moment already facing a grid reliability crisis. The reshoring of industry, electrification and the rapid loss of dispatchable power were already enough to push grid operators to warn […]