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Trump is pumping coal in response to AI Power needs, but every boost can be short-lived

Cheyenne, Wyo. (AP) – The promise of President Donald Trump to respond to fossil fuels includes praise for coal, a reliable but polluting energy source that has long been in disrepair.

This week Trump suggested that coal can help to meet the rising electricity demand of production and the huge data centers needed for artificial intelligence.

“Nothing can destroy coal. Not the weather, not a bomb – nothing, “Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, by Videolink Thursday.” And we have more coal than anyone else. “

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Yet energy experts say that every bump for coal under Trump is probably temporary, because natural gas is cheaper and there is a sustainable market for renewable energy, regardless of who the White House has.

“It has been shown in the last three administrations, even the president of the United States cannot change markets, the trend for coal,” said University of Wyoming Economics Professor Rob Godby. “It can lead to a delay.”

Here is a look at the prospects for coal during Trump’s second term:

AI will need more electricity

Efficiency winnings have been in the US for 15 years, but that changes. More production, more electric vehicles and energy-hungry computer centers that are needed for artificial intelligence are ready to print the system.

The demand for electricity for data centers will only increase by 10-20% per year until 2030, while the production of batteries, solar cells and semiconductors needs extra gigawatt of new power over the next four years, Chris Seiple predicted with analysts Wood Mackenzie.

Although the technical industry is used to turn off new products to meet the changing demand, electric utilities are not. Power plants and transmission lines often require decades of planning.

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“You have to remember that the Trump administration is a four-year administration. It is really difficult for utilities to make investment decisions in four -year windows, “said Godby.

A delay for some old coal plants

This week Trump has issued executive orders, which is called to prioritize energy development, such as by eliminating regulations that impede the development of fossil fuels.

This could lead to the withdrawal of the pollution regulations of President Joe Biden and an end to a policy that supports renewable energy sources.

Environmental activists shrink with the implications for climate change-electricity generation is, according to the EPA, a quarter of the American carbon emissions but miners welcome the shift.

In contrast to solar and wind energy, which are subject to the whims of sunlight and the weather, unless they are accompanied by battery storage, coal-fired electricity can walk around the clock with only periodic downtime for maintenance. Supporters say it is good to meet the around the power needed for technology facilities.

But although technology companies that want to strengthen off-the-grid, can invest in a “dirty cheap” coal-fired power station, Godby said, such plants said time to get on. They are not very good for the type of backup force on the spot Trump to which Trump referred when tackling the Davos conference.

“It is natural gas that will benefit most from rising electricity generation,” said Seiple. “It is very unlikely that we will see new coal -fired power stations because of how expensive they are.”

The increasing demand is expected to make some utilities to postpone plans to retire to retire with coal -fired power plants. That is already happening with plants in Maryland, Indiana and Illinois, Seiple said.

That suggests a delay, not a comeback, for the long term coal.

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Could Trump tap public coal reserves?

The US has some of the largest coal reserves in the world, with sufficient fuel to last more than 400 years at the current mining rates, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The industry is highly dependent on reserves on public countries in the West, in particular the Powder River Basin van Wyoming and Montana.

Those sales have long been politically controversial. In his first term, Trump reversed a moratorium to sell the coal of his predecessor, although few new sales were the result because of the falling demand.

The Biden administration also tried to ban the sale of new coal by issuing new land use plans for the Powder River Basin in the final days of his administration. That ban was expected to lead to my federal coal reserves in 2035 – decades earlier than if leasing continued.

Republicans have sworn to end those restrictions. When Senator Jon Barrasso was under nominated Trump Doug Burgum nominated during his confirmation hearing last week, Burgum replied that he would “absolutely” work with the Wyoming Republican to reverse the movement of the inventory.

Burgum also promised to collaborate with Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines to get ahead in anticipation of the expansion of the coal mine in the state of the legislator.

“We have a shortage of electricity and especially we have a shortage of baseload. We know that we have the technology to deliver clean coal, “said Burgum, referring to a factory of coal-to-gas factory in North Dakota where he served two terms as governor who catches carbon dioxide and imposes it otherwise the planet would heat .

Research has shown that carbon capture is feasible and useful to restore the reduction of production in aging oil fields. But the usability of a commercial scale, permanent sexwestration of carbon dioxide from power plants powered by coal and other fossil fuels has been questioned by scientists.

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American coal export is increasing

The global coal production was expected to be a record high last year and approached 10 billion tonnes (9 billion tons), the International Energy Agency reported last month.

The biggest question comes from Asia, where countries such as China continue to build new coal -fired power plants as their economies expand.

American coal companies have tried to use that growth by exporting more coal, but that is hindered by a lack of access to Haven on the West Coast after the export reached a peak under former President Barack Obama.

To circumvent the opposition against new ports, the Republicans never took into account during Trump’s first term, but they never acted on a plan to use military bases in the west coast or other federal property as export places for fossil fuels.

Last year’s export was expected that it would surpass 100 million tons for the second year in a row, with the majority of that fuel going to India, China, Brazil, Japan and the Netherlands. That has given some lighting to American companies as their domestic market dropped.

“There is a strong worldwide appetite for coal and American producers are ready to answer that need,” said Rich Nolan, the president of the National Mining Association, in an e -mail.

According to the International Energy Agency, the general American coal production will continue to fall until 2027.

“The long -term trend is difficult to get out,” said Godby.

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The climate and environmental cover of the Associated Press receives financial support from several private foundations. AP is only responsible for all content. Find the standards of AP for working with philanthropics, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas on AP.org.

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