Use American Coal to Bring an End to Russia’s War in Ukraine
President Trump continues to zero in on Russian energy to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. The administration has targeted Russian oil and gas giants with new sanctions and placed tariffs on U.S. trading partners buying Russian oil. But if President Trump wants the war in Ukraine to finally come to an end, he needs to target Russian coal.
So far, sanctions against Russian energy sales have not done enough to stop Putin from continuing the brutal war, but a targeted campaign to eliminate the market for Russia’s huge coal exports could make a difference. Russia’s coal industry is already under intense pressure since it lost European buyers, but it has been able to export coal to countries elsewhere in the world, mainly Asia.
Russian coal exports are contributing $31 billion a year to its war budget, primarily from sales to five countries that are either allies or trading partners of the United States — China, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey. Remarkably, Russian coal exports are now more valuable than Russian pipeline oil and natural gas exports.
While convincing China to reduce its import of Russian coal is a tall order, the four other largest buyers are either close allies or major trading partners looking to secure favorable trade deals with the U.S. The Trump administration holds the cards. Lower U.S. tariffs could be negotiated for swapping Russian coal imports with greater imports of U.S. coal. The U.S. coal industry, already a major exporter to all four countries, has the capacity to displace Russian exports.
The logic for zeroing in on coal sales is simple: Not only is it a significant source of foreign currency for the Kremlin, but Russia’s coal industry is on an economic precipice. Cracks are starting to show on Russia’s wartime economy, as sanctions, rising costs and weak energy prices are having deep economic repercussions. Russia’s coal industry employs more than 140,000 people and remains critical in some regions, both as a source of jobs and funding for local budgets.
Historically, unrest in Russia’s coal regions has been calamitous for Moscow. In 1989, large miners’ strikes swept across the Soviet Union, a critical catalyst for the USSR’s final collapse.
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Coal Props Up PJM Reliability as Data Centre Power Demand Drives Up Costs
Surging data centre power demand is pushing up wholesale electricity costs and tightening reliability margins across PJM, according to the market monitor. With coal still accounting for more than one-fifth of installed capacity, these pressures directly shape outcomes in PJM coal power markets, influencing capacity revenues, dispatch signals and the system’s ability to meet peak load.
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$1.44 Billion Investment Announced for Coal-Fired Plants
WV Governor Patrick Morrisey announced a $1.44 billion investment into coal-fired plants in West Virginia.
Six coal-powered facilities will be refurbished with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. The plans come as part of the governor’s 50 by 50 initiative to substantially increase the state’s energy output in the coming decades. Energy professionals have said the plan will build on an already established blueprint for success in the energy sector.
Patrick Morrisey
“The governor said it very well. He wants to be the energy state in the nation,” said Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia Executive Director, Charlie Burd. “To be quite honest with you, we’ve been the energy state in the nation.”
State representatives said they are enthusiastic about the potential impacts of this investment into the future of West Virginia energy. Delegate Eric Brooks with the West Virginia Legislature pointed out that the projects will be significant not just for energy production in the state, but also for job creation for residents in the long and short term.
“Very exciting times here in West Virginia obviously to have these, not only construction jobs, but long-term jobs once the sites are up and running,” said Delegate Brooks. “We’re all for extending the life of these coal-fired power plants by 20 years or more, so that’s good news for our state.”
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Alpha Announces 2026 Domestic Sales Commitments
Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc. (NYSE: AMR), a leading U.S. supplier of metallurgical products for the steel industry, has announced its 2026 domestic sales commitments.
Alpha has committed approximately 3.6 million tons of metallurgical coal to domestic customers at an average price of $136.75 per ton.
"With negotiations now complete, we are pleased to have roughly 3.6 million tons of met coal committed for shipment to domestic customers in the 2026 calendar year," said Andy Eidson, Alpha's chief executive officer. "The total tonnage, at an average pricing of $136.75 per ton, includes a very small amount of carryover tons from 2025. As usual, we remain open to the possibility of contracting additional tons as needed, but we are pleased to have our domestic tonnage finalized for 2026."
About Alpha Metallurgical Resources
Alpha Metallurgical Resources (NYSE: AMR) is a Tennessee-based mining company with operations across Virginia and West Virginia. With customers across the globe, high-quality reserves and significant port capacity, Alpha reliably supplies metallurgical products to the steel industry. For more information, visit www.AlphaMetResources.com.
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Surging Power Demand Adds to Winter Reliability Woes
New analysis sees U.S. peak power demand jumping a stunning 166 gigawatts (GW) in the next five years. The surge in new demand comes overwhelming from data centers. To put this new demand into perspective, the jump is equivalent to 15 times the peak demand of New York City.
The estimate comes from Grid Strategies, a leading energy consultancy, that has now made three such forecasts since 2022. Their latest forecast marks a six-fold increase in projected demand in just the past three years.
This eye-popping demand growth is already showing signs of straining grids across the country. Jim Robb, president of the North American Electricity Reliability Corp. (NERC), the nation’s reliability watchdog, recently called the nation’s grid reliability a “five-alarm fire.” And NERC’s latest winter reliability assessment only adds to the concern.
According to the assessment, large swaths of the country – particularly states where data centers are growing fastest – could face electricity emergencies from severe winter storms.
A Winter Grid Crisis
Peak winter demand across the North American grid has jumped by 20 GWs in just a year, more than double the rate of increase in recent years. The increases “are most concentrated in the U.S., West, Southeast and mid-Atlantic areas … areas where a lot of data center development is occurring,” said Mark Olson, NERC manager of reliability assessments.
While new capacity has been added to grids across the country, what generation grid operators can expect to get from renewables in key regions has actually fallen. Downgrades in potential generation from wind and solar and the likelihood of crippling weather conditions have NERC deeply concerned.
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