The volume of coal burned in the USA will increase this year

The volume of coal burned in the USA will increase by 22 percent year-on-year this year, the local Energy Information Office estimates. This reverses the six-year trend of energy companies trying to get rid of coal. They are now in a tight spot due to the sharp rise in natural gas prices, which is plaguing Europe as well. For the United States, coal has long been the main source of energy, but since 2014 its consumption has been steadily declining, not only because of climate goals, but also because of the very cheap natural gas that replaced coal. Now the trend has reversed, CNN reports. The price of natural gas in the United States has risen by 180 percent in twelve months. So not as dramatically as in Europe, yet it is a leap forward. Coal prices, on the other hand, are stable. Energy companies are therefore returning to the most polluting source of energy. Along with more expensive natural gas, the reason for this step is the vision of the coming winter. In recent years, some areas of the United States have experienced severe frosts, for example, in February of this year, Texas was hit by a winter storm, which left many households without electricity. If this winter is similarly harsh, energy companies will have to stock up enough to meet demand to prevent possible further outages. The US Energy Information Administration does not anticipate that US coal consumption will continue to rise. According to officials, in 2022 the volume of electricity produced from coal should fall by 5 percent. Natural gas prices are expected to calm down next year. In addition, due to climate goals, coal-fired power generation already has its limits. Since 2010, US energy companies have shut down nearly a third of their coal-fired generation capacity. It would be difficult to engage reverse.