WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a $625 million investment to expand and reinvigorate America’s coal industry, aiming to boost energy production and support coal communities nationwide. The funding announcements are issued in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Orders, “Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry,” and “Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid.”
“Beautiful, clean coal will be essential to powering America’s reindustrialization and winning the AI race,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said. “These funds will help keep our nation’s coal plants operating and will be vital to keeping electricity prices low and the lights on without interruption. Coal built the greatest industrial engine the world has ever known, and with President Trump’s leadership, it will help do so again.”
DOE has committed to providing $625 million in funding for:
- $350M for Coal Recommissioning, and Retrofit: for projects to demonstrate readiness to recommission or modernize coal power units and provide near-term electric power reliability and capacity.
- $175M for Rural Capacity and Energy Affordability Projects: for coal power projects that provide direct benefits of energy affordability, reliability, and resiliency in rural communities.
- $50M to support the Development and Implementation of Advanced Wastewater Management Systems: to demonstrate scalable, cost-effective wastewater management systems that enables coal plants to extend their service life, reduce operational costs, and enhance commercial byproduct recovery.
- $25M for Engineering and Implementation of Dual Firing Retrofits: to enable coal power plants to seamlessly switch between fuels, achieve full steam capacity, and economic flexibility to extend plant lifespans.
- $25M for Development and Testing of Natural Gas Cofiring Systems: to support investments that will maintain boiler efficiency and reliability when utilizing 100% natural gas.
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