Trump orders the Energy Department to support keeping coal-fired power plants running

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered the Energy Department to set aside funds to keep six US coal-fired power plants operating. He is also asking the Department of Defense to purchase electricity from coal-fired sources for an unspecified amount. Reuters reports. US utilities are gradually retiring coal-fired power plants because they are major sources of carbon emissions associated with climate change. Trump, however, has called climate change a hoax and is working to support the coal industry.

The Energy Department will provide six coal-fired power plants in the US states of Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia with $175 million (CZK 3.6 billion) for upgrades, the president announced. He added that the Tennessee Valley Authority, the country's largest public power utility, plans to delay the closure of two of its older coal-fired power plants in Tennessee.

Trump is also promising to accelerate the construction of energy infrastructure to meet rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers. He therefore declared an energy emergency to justify measures to keep aging coal-fired power plants operating, even though they were scheduled to close. He has also secured exemptions from key air quality regulations for aging coal-fired power plants, Reuters reports.

The president has also scrapped tax incentives for wind and solar projects. US authorities have slowed the issuance of permits for renewable energy projects on federal, private and state-owned land.