The world isn’t close to breaking free from coal — in some countries, demand for it is surging
Piles of coal waiting to be transported at Guoyuan Port container terminal in Chongqing, China.
Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty Images
The world won’t be able to release its grip on coal anytime soon.
“Nothing can destroy coal,” U.S. President Donald Trump said at the recent World Economic Forum. “Not the weather, not a bomb.”
U.S. exports of coal have been rising steadily to satisfy growing global demand for the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel, even though its domestic consumption has decreased.
On top of that, the world’s coal capacity reached a new record high of nearly 2,175 gigawatts in 2024, data from Global Energy Monitor showed on Feb. 6. Coal capacity is the overall power output that can be generated from coal-fired power plants.
“The global shift away from coal remains challenging, largely driven by rising demand in Asia, even as Europe and the U.S. see significant declines in coal consumption,” said Dorothy Mei, project manager for Global Energy Monitor’s Global Coal Mine Tracker.
Global coal demand is also expected to have breached another fresh record high of 8.77 billion tonnes in 2024, and will remain at similar levels until 2027, the International Energy Agency predicted.
The main culprits?
China recently reported that its coal imports surged 14.4% to a record high in 2024, amounting to 542.7 million metric tons compared with 474.42 million tons the year before.
The world’s second largest economy is also the largest coal consumer globally, accounting for more than 56% of global demand in 2023, latest figures by IEA showed.
China’s record-high coal stockpiling strategy is largely geared toward preparing the country for potential power shortages caused by extreme weather events, said Mei.
There is little focus on using energy efficiently, when coal is so cheap.
Dave Jones
Ember Energy
Hydropower, wind and solar energy made up almost 30% of China’s electricity mix in 2023, data from energy think tank Ember Energy showed. When hydropower output drops as a result of insufficient rainfall, the Chinese government often relies on coal power to ensure energy security, Mei added.
“Additionally, another major barrier is not the availability of renewable energy infrastructure, but the difficulty of transmitting solar and wind power across provinces,” she said, adding that coal will continue to be a “critical energy backbone” in China until grid integration and management is fully developed across the entire country.
In India, climate-induced extreme heat has led to soaring energy demand for cooling, and clean energy sources are not built fast enough to meet the country’s growing power demand, said Mei.
India’s focus on economic and infrastructure development has also boosted the consumption of cement and steel, industries that are heavily reliant on coal, according to analysts CNBC spoke to.
The South Asian nation’s demand for steel is set to grow by 8-9% in 2025, outpacing that of other economies, owing to a pickup in steel-intensive construction in the infrastructure and residential sectors, data from consulting firm Crisil showed.
As recently as last December, India extended its directive for imported coal-based power plants to run at full capacity until Feb. 28.
But that’s not to say that India has been neglecting its renewable energy targets. The country has set an ambitious goal of fulfilling 50% of its electricity needs through renewable energy by 2030. And it has made progress. And as of last October, renewables account for more than 46.3% of the country’s electricity generation capacity, according to India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Beyond China and India
Outside of India and China, other top countries building new coal plants are Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam, Global Energy Monitor noted.
Vietnam is expected to have surpassed Taiwan as the world’s fifth largest importer of coal, after the country’s coal imports reached a record high in more than a decade last year.
Indonesia’s coal production rose to around 831 million tons to notch a fresh high last year, data from the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources showed.
And the share of coal in Philippines’ electricity mix surpassed that of China in 2023, becoming Southeast Asia’s most coal-dependent country, Ember Energy reported.
“There is little focus on using energy efficiently, when coal is so cheap,” said Dave Jones, an electricity analyst at energy think tank Ember Energy.
Strong coal demand in Asia across the board is also partly a consequence of the surge in gas prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, given that a number of major thermal coal importers like China, India and Vietnam had scaled back plans for gas-based power buildouts following the high gas prices that ensued, said Ian Roper, commodity strategist at Astris Advisory Japan KK.
The AI factor
Global electricity consumption is expected to keep rising in 2025, the IEA said.
“The world needs more energy, and it needs it now,” said Rob Thummel, senior portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital. “For the global economy to grow, it needs efficient, cost-effective, and reliable energy supply sources,” he told CNBC.
Artificial intelligence has also accelerated the world’s need for energy. Reports have shown that power needs driven by data centers around the world will also prolong the demand for coal.
“The U.S., China and the world are in a race for AI superiority,” said Tim Winter, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds. AI data centers are huge power users, making it harder to retire a reliable and affordable energy source such as coal, he explained.
By 2030, electricity demand from data centers could exceed 35 GW, more than double the 17 GW recorded in 2022, a report by Moody’s Ratings showed.
Is the energy transition still possible?
With global electricity demand rising faster, other industry watchers are beginning to echo IEA’s forecasts of coal demand remaining at all-time highs.
“There can be no transition when the demand for oil, for natural gas, for coal, continues to hit record highs,” said Eric Nuttall, senior portfolio manager at Ninepoint Partners.
Governments agreed in the 2015 Paris climate accord to limit global heating to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius, it is estimated that emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
Others are less pessimistic, though they recognized the challenge of reaching those targets in time.
An ongoing pledge toward renewables, alongside a looming surge in global LNG supply may ensure that coal imports continue to weaken in some coal-importing markets, said Roper, who noted that coal consumption has been falling in Europe and Northeast Asia in recent years.
Additionally, if countries commit to its promises of tripling renewables by 2030, coal could start to see a meaningful decline in this decade, said Ember Energy’s Jones.
Members of the US energy industry has committed to investing $100 billion over the next five years to build and buy American-made batteries for large, utility-scale deployments of battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Executives from the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and several utility company representatives said Tuesday that they were committed to a fivefold increase in active investments that could, according to the Association, lead to 100% American-made BESS projects – but that vision depends on both a streamlined permitting environment and predictable tax and trade policy, the ACP said.
This commitments “demonstrate what success can look like,” said ACP CEO Jason Grumet, adding that many industry players have been waiting in a sort of holding pattern until some long-term clarity develops around Trump’s tariff and trade policies. “There is a remarkable tension right now between probably the best fundamentals for investment in the energy sector that we’ve seen in a generation and the greatest amount of uncertainty that we’ve seen in a generation.”
Those fundamentals involve rapidly dropping battery costs with increasing density – and that efficiency improvement is coming with reliability, too, Hyundai joining Tesla (and others) in delivering batteries good for hundreds of thousands of miles of driving. The tension, of course, comes from the fact that most batteries, today, are made in Asia.
Form Energy CEO Mateo Jaramillo says his company sources more than 80% of its battery content in the US and much of the rest from Europe and “non-China Asia.” And, while they’re working to re-shore even more, they remain exposed to heavily tariffed Chinese-made inputs.
Form eventually hopes to source raw iron from US mines in Michigan and Minnesota – and they’re not alone. Executives from other companies spoke up as well:
COVID-era disruptions across the global battery supply chain convinced Fluence that an energy storage market as robust as the United States’ needed a stronger domestic manufacturing base, Fluence Americas President John Zurancik said in the press briefing. The company’s U.S. investments are now bearing fruit as it expects to deliver its first U.S.-made lithium-iron-phosphate, or LFP, batteries this week for deployment later this year, he said.
Like Fluence, LG Energy Solution Vertech expects to significantly expand its U.S. manufacturing operations in 2025 and 2026. The South Korean battery powerhouse will adapt existing production lines at its Holland, Michigan, factory to deliver 16.5 GWh of stationary storage batteries this year and add 11 GWh of new capacity in 2026, its CEO said in a statement provided by ACP.
Even industry stalwarts like Wärtsilä have begun sourcing components for the container-based Quantum 3 BESS system we covered last summer from a geographically diverse set of suppliers, with manufacturing capacity across different regions of North America, Asia, and Europe. This should enable the company’s customers to take advantage of any local tax incentives while avoiding the kind of tariffs impacting global battery markets.
The ACP’s announcement adds about $85 billion to a set of “active investments” worth $10 billion to $15 billion, executives with the trade group said in a press briefing.
Electrek’s Take
Battery energy storage just makes sense – and it’s being leveraged in smart ways by companies like Zenobē, who are using smart BESS deployments to help hold down ratepayer costs while improving grid resilience and reliability. Volvo, too, is working to develop rapidly deployable BESS solutions that can support temporary job sites and disaster relief efforts.
Then there’s the rich people. Located in Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest storage project will feature a 5.2 GW solar PV plant coupled with a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) BESS. You can check that out here, then let us know what you think of all these projects in the comments.
SOURCE: Utility Dive; featured image via Wärtsilä.
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Ava Community Energy just rolled out a new program in California that pays EV and plug-in hybrid drivers for charging their cars when electricity on the grid is cleaner and cheaper.
The new Ava SmartHome Charging program, launched in partnership with home energy analytics platform Optiwatt, offers up to $100 in incentives in the first year. And because the program helps shift home charging to lower-cost hours, Ava says drivers could save around $140 a year on their energy bills.
EV and PHEV owners who are Ava customers can download the Optiwatt app for free, connect their vehicle, and let the app handle the rest. The app uses an algorithm to automatically schedule charging when demand is low and more renewable energy is available, typically overnight or during off-peak hours.
“Ava is on a mission to provide 100% clean energy to our customers by 2030,” said CEO Howard Chang. “This new program helps us get there by giving people an easy way to charge on more renewable energy while simultaneously saving money.”
Drivers who enroll get a $75 bonus for joining, and can earn an extra $25 per year if they stay enrolled. Optiwatt shifts charging to off-peak times, and it takes into account the customer’s individual schedules and preferences.
Casey Donahue, who founded Optiwatt, says this program is a win for everyone. “We can move a lot of energy use to cleaner, more affordable times by using smart algorithms and the growing EV base,” he said. “That benefits every Ava customer.”
The program is available to most EVs and plug-in hybrids. All it takes is signing up through the Optiwatt app (iOS, Android, or web) and completing a quick verification process. Savings and rewards start right away.
The Oakland-based not-for-profit public power provider aims to enroll at least 5,000 vehicles by the end of 2025. The company says this program is the first step in a broader virtual power plant (VPP) strategy. It’s powered by Lunar Energy’s Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) platform, Gridshare, which will help Ava coordinate energy from EVs, home batteries, and more.
Ava Community Energy was founded in 2018 and now serves 2 million people in Alameda County, California, and the cities of Tracy, Stockton, and Lathrop.
Read more: California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles
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Environment
Jeep is teasing the new Grand Cherokee, but where’s the EV version of its best-selling SUV?
The Grand Cherokee is due for a refresh, and we just got our first look at it. Jeep claimed “the next chapter in the story of America’s best-selling full-size SUV begins” after releasing the first official images of the updated model. When will we see the Jeep Grand Cherokee as an EV?
2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee first look
Days after revealing the new Compass, Jeep is teasing another refreshed model, its best-selling Grand Cherokee.
Although it was the best-selling full-size SUV in the US last year, the Grand Cherokee is due for an update. The latest model was launched in 2021, but Jeep added a two-row version in 2022.
It remained Jeep’s top seller in the US last year with over 216,000 models sold, but sales were down 12% compared to 2023. It was also one of the best-selling plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles, with over 27,500 4xe models
Jeep is giving us our first official look at the updated 2026 Grand Cherokee, inside and out. The first image previews the front end, which features new LED headlights and a revamped seven-slot grille, similar to the new Compass.
The interior is restyled with a simplified setup and other minor infotainment and climate control display adjustments. The preview also shows an added passenger screen.
When will Jeep launch the Grand Cherokee EV?
Jeep will continue to assemble the updated SUV in Detroit. The new 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be available as a two-row, three-row L, and a plug-in hybrid 4xe, but when will we see an EV version? The outgoing 4xe model is already one of the top three selling PHEVs in the US, so a fully electric version would make sense.
As part of its 2023 agreement with the UAW, Jeep revealed plans to launch the Grand Cherokee EV in 2027. It was scheduled to be built at the Detroit Assembly Complex, but plans have likely changed since then.
Jeep’s new Compass will be available as an EV, but only in Europe. At least for now. Stellantis halted operations at its Brampton Assembly plant earlier this year, where the Compass is built, as it “reassesses its product strategy in North America.”
For those in the US, Jeep currently offers one EV. The Wagoneer S (pictured on the left above), Jeep’s first global electric SUV, starts at $65,200 and has a range of up to 294 miles.
Later this year, Jeep is expected to launch the Recon EV (pictured on the right above), a rugged electric SUV like a Wrangler.
Jeep is currently offering employee pricing plus an extra $1,500 cash allowance on top of the $7,500 EV tax credit on 2025 Wagoneer S models. If you’re looking to snag some savings, you can use our link to find Jeep Wagoneer S models in your area today.
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