UNITED STATES

The United States holds the world’s biggest coal reserves and has the world’s third-biggest capacity of operating coal plants behind China and India. Although the number of US coal mines shrank by half from 2008 to 2019, the country remains within the world’s top five biggest producers and consumers of coal. In April 2021, President Biden announced that the United States was committing to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions over the next eight years to 50-52% of what they were in 2005, a commitment formalized under the Paris Agreement. The Biden Administration has also pledged to create a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and a net zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.

The country’s coal capacity peaked at approximately 340,000 megawatts (MW) in 2011 and has been declining since. Many plants retired or switched to other fuels and new coal plants are no longer being commissioned because of the declining economics of coal power plants due to the decreasing costs of low-carbon alternatives and implementation of environmental regulations. Coal plant utilization rates in the country have also significantly decreased. Despite the record pace of retirements, the US remains among the OECD countries with the largest projected coal power capacity in 2030 and more than 100,000 MW still lacking clear retirement dates.