The Post & Email by Tom Harris 5/14/2026
Environmentalists would have us believe that coal is a dying energy source. But, thankfully for American coal states such as West Virginia and Canadian provinces Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, all of which use millions of tonnes of coal every year to generate electricity, that is not even remotely true. The Kobeissi Letter, an industry-leading commentary on global capital markets, writes that the world is burning more coal now than ever, reaching a record 8.85 billion metric tonnes annual consumption by the end of 2025. Since 2020, annual coal consumption has increased by 1.40 billion tonnes.
Most of this has come from China, of course, which makes up about 55% of global coal consumption (the US makes up about 5% of global consumption). Although the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts a decline in demand over the next five years, The Kobeissi Letter more realistically predicts that demand will continue to rise, and points out that “past forecasts of peak coal demand have repeatedly proven wrong.”
Regardless, they write that increased demand for renewables is the primary cause for the estimated decline in coal consumption, and that “Global coal demand is expected to effectively plateau over the coming years, showing a very gradual decline through to 2030.” However, they also write that coal use is expected to increase in India by about 3% per year and in Southeast Asia by about 4% per year up to 2030.
As The Kobeissi Letter writes, coal remains in high demand, and the pipe dream of climate activists to kill coal doesn’t account for the security and convenience this energy supply affords us. Like nuclear electricity, another power source that is vital to providing electricity for large portions of the world, the fuel for coal-fired power generation can be stored right on a power plant’s site for long periods of time, providing stable energy for society. We especially need coal during deep freezes because natural gas can falter in extreme cold due to “just-in-time” pipeline delivery. Gas flows can slow or freeze entirely, as seen in Winter Storms Uri (2021) and Elliott (2022), leaving grids vulnerable. And, not surprisingly, in each of these storms, wind and solar delivered very little, and sometimes no power at all, causing millions to lose electricity and causing hundreds of deaths from the cold.
More:
https://www.thepostemail.com/2026/05/14/international-energy-agency-wrong-to-forecast-coals-demise/
