Coal Power to Increase for First Time Since 2014, US Says -

"The amount of electricity produced by coal plants is expected to tick up 22% in 2021, reversing coal’s six-year downward trend."

Why this is important: For the first time in seven years, U.S. coal-fired electrical generation has increased. This year, coal will produce 22 percent of U.S. electrical power -- ahead of natural gas for the first time since 2016. The driver of the change has been natural gas prices, which have risen from $2 to $4.93 per BTU in one year. The same thing is happening in Europe where coal plants are restarting as natural gas is relied upon heavily to support renewables. The U.S. rise may not be long lived however, depending on export demand. The total U.S. coal-fired electrical generation has decreased from 300 GW to 200 GW. But currently in the U.S., $4.8 billion investments in 15 new coal mine projects are under development.