Keith Kellogg Understood Neither the Role of Energy in Geopolitics Nor the Role of Trading Blocs in Geopolitics.

Energy News Beat

The Role of Trading Blocs in Geopolitics

The specific purpose of moving the EU and NATO Eastward during the late 1990s, despite the promise by the Reagan administration to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989, was to prevent affordable Russian natural gas via pipeline from going to the European market for two essential reasons. I wrote about this topic in the seven “Russian Natural Gas and Geopolitical Realignment” articles published on Energy News Beat.

First, the West wanted to prevent Russia from using the profits of the Gazprom natural gas sales to fund an export-led growth import substitution industrialization investment program that would modernize their economy and military which would make them a regional power once again.

Secondly, and most importantly, an overland logistical supply route of natural gas, oil, and railroad infrastructure would allow Russia to re-emerge as a regional power and build alliances with Central Europe, India, China, South Korea, and Japan to form a super Eurasian Economic Union trading bloc that would rival the current North American, Anglosphere Five Eyes and EU/NATO alliance system.

Under the Wolfowitz plan to prevent any near-peer superpower from emerging, a reemergence of Russo-Sino superpower alignment would likely create the scenario where they make the German-World Industrial Power center a major partner in Western Europe as well as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in the Pacific Island chain would become partners in a greater Eurasian Economic Union trading bloc as well.

The Sea Power Versus Land Power Grand Strategies

In terms of the history of Sea Power Versus Land Power Grand Strategies, such a scenario would become a Friedrich Ratzel, Karl Huashofer, and Aleksandr Dugin overland logistical supply route dream and a Mahan, Mackinder, Sykman, Brzezinski, Wolfowitz nightmare that the RAND 2019 strategic plans were designed to prevent.

The two 2019 RAND articles are titled “Overextending and Unbalancing Russia Assessing the Impact of Cost-Imposing Options” as the short 12-page overview paper that complimented a 354-page detailed strategic plan titled “Extending Russia: Competing from Advantageous Ground.”

These articles are online and can be read by anyone willing to spend the time to investigate the actual US strategic plans as opposed to the cover-for-action rhetoric that “Russia invaded for no reason” and the “Russia is going to invade Europe” trope that is broadcast non-stop by the legacy media and Operation Mockingbird USAID and NED funded alternative media channels on YouTube over the last decade.

Kellogg and the Media Need to Read the Wolfowitz and RAND Articles

One would think that a retired three-star general such as Keith Kellogg would understand the difference between the cover-for-action rhetoric in contradistinction to the actual underlying Grand Strategies, but that was obviously not the case.

So why discuss this further than already discussed in the previous articles in this series? Because the mainstream media and Mockingbird alternative media propaganda are so pervasive that the voting electorate is misled and misinformed on purpose.

Besides the general public, way too many Western leaders are misled and misinformed intentionally by the Wolfowitz and RAND Grand Strategists as well and the Western media “journalists” have become stenographers repeating what they are told with no skepticism whatsoever.

Way too many military officers, politicians, and journalists have fallen into the foreign policy misinformation trap that a democratic system cannot exist under such a propaganda campaign.

For President Trump and DOGE to succeed President Trump needs to remain in office all four years and keep control of the House and the Senate for all four years the propaganda machines of the media need to be neutralized by openly discussing the Wolfowitz and RAND foreign policy strategic plans to the general public. It is now the US that needs a glasnost and perestroika.

A Glasnost and Perestroika of the Wolfowitz Plan and the Eurasian Natural Gas Wars

To achieve this, the actual underlying strategic plans that started the war need to be widely understood and disseminated to as much of the general public as possible to keep President Trump and DOGE in office. It is imperative that Trump and the DOGE tackle the twin current account and massive yearly budget deficits that threaten the financial and economic stability of the United States and the entire Western World.

To achieve this, both the domestic and international problems need to be solved, which means displacing the current neoconservative, neoliberal, and Green New Deal Leftists that form the current WEF Globalist parties throughout the collective West and control the media.

It is these three groups that shifted the regime-change destabilization strategies of Zbigniew Brzezinski and Stanfield Turner Operation Cyclone from the late 1970s forward, to the regime-change nation-building strategy of the Global War on Terror, followed by the Big Tech-inspired color revolutions of the Arab Spring, that led to the return of the regime-change destabilization strategies across Eurasia and North Africa since the regime-change nation-building strategies failed.

It is these groups that back what Mike Benz refers to as the “dial-a-riots” where the financial class flies in and busses in professional protesters to cause street violence to overwhelm local police forces and follows Marcuse’s “repressive tolerance,” Alinky’s identity politics and Jean Sharp’s “non-violent” direct action protest protocols perfected by the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1960s protests in Europe and transferred to the National Endowment for Democracy and USAID after the Church Commission hearings in the late 1970s.

One can see that this form of political action was perfected in the 2020 election cycle George Floyd Antifa-BLM riots used to disrupt Donald Trump’s reelection effort.  A “glasnost and perestroika” effort is needed to explain how these professional protest and color revolution techniques evolved from the Frankfurt School devotees in the 1950s and have been perfected by the union of the intelligence and Big Tech communities to bully local communities that do not submit to the single-party socialist state progressive programs.

The Peaceful Protestors and the Need for a Glasnost and Perestroika in the West

The reason why this glasnost and perestroika are needed is that these professional protest methods are used to advance the “Seven P Plan of the Left” strategies to achieve a single-party bureaucratic state in the United States that also controls the EU and NATO trading bloc and military alliance institutions.

Clearly, the Globalists and Leftists are using the Cloward and Piven Plan to bring about the single-party bureaucratic state by profligate government spending on wasteful government programs that are actually money laundering schemes to fund globalist politicians.

The US federal budget deficit was approximately $5.6 trillion in 2000 after President Clinton left office and approximately doubled to $10 trillion under President G. W. Bush when he left office in 2008. The national debt nearly doubled again under President Obama rising to almost $20 trillion in 2016 after President Obama left office. Since the Trump and Biden four-year terms the national debt has risen to $36 trillion as Trump took office in 2025 for his second term. The question is can Trump and Musk stop the increase and grow the economy to balance the budget over the next four years?

The Cloward and Piven Plan to accelerate spending and significantly expand the bureaucracy to achieve the single-party social state has been accelerating over the past four decades and must be reversed by the extensive cost-cutting and department closures that Elon Musk and DOGE are performing within the first month of Trump taking office.

Taken together, the twin current account and budget deficit problems are being countered by the reciprocal tariff policy of Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE. But only so much can be achieved in four years,  and President Trump needs all four years to make a small dent in the twin problems. Trump and Musk not only need to maintain control of both houses through the 2026 midterms but need to maintain control of all three houses (the White House and both Houses of Congress) throughout the next four-year terms as well.

 

Part 4: Keith Kellogg Had a Layman’s Understanding of the Wolfowitz Proxy War with Russia in Ukraine – All Putin has to do is nothing

Part 3: Understanding the Catastrophic Downside Risk of the Kellogg Plan and Exploring Alternatives

Part 2: Why Keith Kellogg’s Plan is DOA: Shifting the Global Political Center of Gravity Part 2

Part 1: Why Keith Kellogg’s Plan is DOA: Avoiding the Catastrophic Downside Risk of Russo-Ukraine Negotiations

George McMillan Articles and Interviews: https://energynewsbeat.co/george-mcmillian/

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Biofuels: The Green Energy Hoax Driving Environmental Damage And Rising Food Costs

Energy News BeatBiofuels

Biofuels, despite claims of sustainability, cause food inflation, environmental harm, and energy inefficiency, raising concerns over their true impact.

​Biofuels, despite claims of sustainability, cause food inflation, environmental harm, and energy inefficiency, raising concerns over their true impact. 

The post Biofuels: The Green Energy Hoax Driving Environmental Damage And Rising Food Costs appeared first on Energy News Beat.

 

US discussing ‘grand bargain’ with Russia’s closest ally – NYT

Energy News Beat

[[{“value”:”

The Belarusian president has met with a senior American diplomat for the first time in five years, the news outlet reports

US discussing ‘grand bargain’ with Russia’s closest ally – NYTUS discussing ‘grand bargain’ with Russia’s closest ally – NYT

A US senior diplomat has held a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the New York Times reported on Saturday, adding that the talks could point to better bilateral relations between Washington and Minsk.

On Wednesday, Lukashenko reportedly met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher W. Smith, who visited the Belarusian capital along with two other US officials to secure the release of three people, including an American citizen, from prison in the post-Soviet state.

It was the first meeting of the Belarusian leader with a senior State Department official in five years, the newspaper noted.

Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the release of one American and two other individuals from Belarus to reporters: Journalist Andrey Kuznechyk and activist Alena Maushuk along with a US citizen who wished to remain anonymous were transferred to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

Speaking with Western diplomats on Thursday at the US Embassy in Lithuania, Smith said that the next step would be a “grand bargain,” under which Minsk is expected to release a substantial number of political prisoners, people who attended the gathering told the NYT. In return, Washington is reportedly planning to relax sanctions imposed on Belarusian banks and sales of potash, the country’s main export product, which is used as a key ingredient in fertilizer.

The White House sanctioned Minsk in 2020, alleging election irregularities and a crackdown in response to mass protests against the election results. Washington later went on to close its embassy in the country after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022.


READ MORE:
Belarus releases US citizen

US diplomats last visited Minsk prior to a high-profile prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow, and a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, Washington released Russian crypto businessman and computer programmer Aleksandr Vinnik, a day after school teacher and former diplomat Marc Fogel, jailed in Russia on drug trafficking charges, returned to American soil.

“}]] 

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The End of Coal Is Nowhere In Sight

Energy News Beat

  • Retirement of coal-fired power plants in the West has done nothing to reverse global coal demand.
  • Global coal consumption is set to remain at these high levels—or even hit new all-time highs—for a few more years.
  • Global operating coal power capacity has increased by 13% since 2015, data from Global Energy Monitor shows.

Developed economies have been reducing their use of coal in recent years, but the world isn’t ready to kick its coal addiction, not yet. Developing markets in Asia are boosting their coal-fired power generation to meet surging electricity demand.

Despite continued retirements of coal-fired power in the U.S., lower coal demand in Europe, and the end of the 142-year coal electricity in the UK, global coal demand hit another record high last year. And consumption is set to remain at these high levels—or even hit new all-time highs—for a few more years.

Emerging Asian economies, led by China and India, have been sustaining global coal demand growth this decade. They plan additional coal-fired capacity to support their respective renewables booms with 24/7 baseload power and avoid power crunches or blackouts like the ones they suffered in the early 2020s.

Global Coal Demand At Record High

Global operating coal power capacity has increased by 13% since 2015, data from Global Energy Monitor (GEM) shows. Since 2015, when the countries reached a deal on the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world has added 259 GW of operating coal power capacity. As of the end of 2024, total operating coal power capacity hit a record high of 2,175 gigawatts (GW), while another 611 GW of capacity was under development, according to GEM’s Global Coal Plant Tracker.

Global Energy Monitor - Coal Power plants
Global Energy Monitor – Coal Power plants

Global coal demand surged to another record high in 2024, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in December, expecting the world’s coal consumption to level off through 2027.

The previous record was from a year earlier. In 2023, demand hit the then-record, and the IEA then predicted flat consumption in 2024. They were wrong—demand increased last year, their own analysis showed.

Despite forecasts of plateauing, global coal consumption could continue to rise this year and the next few years, too, depending on how China’s economy and energy security policies evolve in the coming months.

A plateau in global coal demand will largely depend on China, the IEA noted in December.

“Weather factors – particularly in China, the world’s largest coal consumer – will have a major impact on short-term trends for coal demand. The speed at which electricity demand grows will also be very important over the medium term,” said IEA Director of Energy Markets and Security Keisuke Sadamori.

Electricity demand globally is set to jump in the coming years with AI advancements and data center investments.

Growth in power demand in 2024 and 2025 is forecast to be among the highest levels in the past two decades, the IEA said in the middle of 2024.

The surge in electricity consumption could slow coal retirements in developed economies and further raise coal demand in emerging markets in Asia, especially if the growth in renewable energy capacity is not enough to meet the rise in power demand.

Two Worlds of Coal Consumption

While solar power will continue to drive the growth of U.S. power generation over the next two years, coal power output will remain unchanged at around 640 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2025 and 2026, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said last month. America’s coal electricity generation was 647 billion kWh in 2024.

U.S. coal retirements are set to accelerate this year, removing 6%, or 11 GW, of coal-generating capacity from the U.S. electricity sector. Another 2%, or 4 GW, of coal capacity would be removed in 2026, the EIA forecasts. Last year, coal retirements represented about 3 GW of electric power capacity removed from the power system, which was the lowest annual amount of coal capacity retired since 2011.

Across the Atlantic, last year saw a monumental moment in Britain’s electricity system with the switching-off of the last remaining coal power plant in the country. The plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar was shut at the end of September, ending 142 years of coal-fired electricity generation in the UK and making Britain the first G7 country to phase out coal.

In the European Union, solar power overtook coal generation in 2024, with solar accounting for 11% of EU electricity and coal falling below 10% for the first time ever, data from clean energy think tank Ember showed.

But in China and India, the world’s biggest and second-biggest coal users, respectively, coal is still king despite the surge in renewable power installations.

China’s thermal power generation, which is overwhelmingly dominated by coal, rose by 1.5% in 2024 from a year earlier to a record high of 6.34 trillion kWh, as coal consumption in the electricity sector continues to grow, and so are China’s production and imports.

This year, China’s coal demand and production are expected to continue rising, and the fuel is set to remain the backbone of the country’s energy system, according to China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association.

In India, coal use is also rising — demand increased in 2024 by more than 5% to hit 1.3 billion tons—a level that only China has reached previously, per IEA data.

India has reduced coal imports, but that’s only because it aims to hike domestic output to source more coal at home. With industry expected to expand and power demand to soar, India is set to use more of its lower-quality domestic coal to meet its consumption needs.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Tanker Market Turns Red Hot as Dark Fleet Gets Squeezed

Energy News Beat

  • U.S. and EU sanctions on Russia’s dark fleet and Iran are removing tankers from circulation, driving up VLCC demand.
  • Jefferies: sanctions sideline about 15% of the global fleet.
  • ADNOC L&S is aggressively expanding, recently acquiring 32 tankers and planning further VLCC acquisitions.

While the world watches the unhinged actions of the new Trump administration—playing Geopolitics 101 for Dummies—leaving Europe’s security in shambles and pushing risks and fear back into the market, oil and gas analysts are more concerned about oil prices. Current sentiment suggests lower oil prices as part of an expected peace dividend from a potential U.S.-Russia Ukraine deal. However, this expectation is not based on fundamentals or geopolitical-military assessments from experts.

Meanwhile, those inside the global crude oil markets anticipate a completely different scenario. Norway’s Domestic Wealth Fund, one of the country’s sovereign wealth funds, and Abu Dhabi-based ADNOC L&S have already seen positive developments in the VLCC market, with significant investments underway or planned for the near future.

U.S.-based investment bank Jefferies foresees a robust bull market developing in the VLCC sector. In a new report, Jefferies noted that the impact of U.S. sanctions on Russia is increasing weekly, removing a substantial number of VLCCs from the market. At the same time, Jefferies pointed out that overall demand for VLCCs remains strong, as oil markets continue an upward demand cycle. Sanctioned volumes—particularly from Russia’s dark fleet and Iran—are being removed from circulation, leaving other producers scrambling for additional transportation capacity. The investment bank also expects non-sanctioned producers, especially non-OPEC, to increase production volumes. In the coming months, if OPEC statements hold true, additional volumes from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Gulf producers are also expected to enter the market. Spare production capacity is expected to be utilized soon.

Currently, the global VLCC market consists of approximately 906 ships, 18 of which are already being used for floating storage. This leaves an available fleet of 888 VLCCs, of which 95 are under sanctions. Another 45 have been identified as having transported Iranian barrels, making them subject to sanctions as well. The former Biden administration had already placed 39 VLCCs on the OFAC list between October 2024 and January 2025. The current Trump administration is expected to impose additional or even maximum pressure sanctions on Iran and Russia in the coming months.

The global seaborne crude oil trade is approximately 40 million bpd, with VLCCs handling 22 million bpd. The dark fleet is believed to transport around 2 million bpd of these volumes. Jefferies predicts that overall VLCC fleet utilization will reach around 90% in 2025, with roughly 10% of ships sanctioned. If all OFAC measures are implemented, this figure could rise to 15%, removing an additional 45 VLCCs from the market.

Given this outlook, recent statements from ADNOC Logistics & Services (L&S) CFO Nick Gleeson come as no surprise. Gleeson stated that VLCCs currently represent an extremely attractive investment opportunity. ADNOC L&S has been building a strong position in the maritime logistics sector within the GCC, with ambitions to become a true global player. Over the past few months, the Abu Dhabi giant has expanded its fleet with 32 tankers following the acquisition of Navig8, a deal finalized last month. Since its listing in 2023, ADNOC L&S has launched an aggressive $6 billion expansion drive. Gleeson also stated that post-IPO spending is just the beginning. With backing from ADNOC and other key stakeholders, the company is poised to expand globally, with further acquisitions in the VLCC market expected.

In its FY2024 financial report last week, ADNOC L&S reaffirmed its capital expenditure guidance, reflecting its commitment to long-term growth and strategic expansion. The company anticipates an additional $3 billion+ in value-accretive organic investment by 2029, beyond already announced projects, applying the same investment return criteria.

At the same time, Norway’s Domestic Wealth Fund has also been highly active. Reports indicate that the smaller Norwegian SWF, which holds $36 billion, increased its shares in Frontline and Hafnia, two major tanker companies, in the second half of 2024. Folketrygdfondet, the fund manager, raised its stake in Frontline to 5.9%, up from 4.9% in June 2024. The stake is now valued at NOK 2 billion, or approximately 13 million Frontline shares.

A Bullish VLCC Market – But With Risks Ahead

The VLCC market is fundamentally bullish, driven by U.S. and EU sanctions on Russia’s dark fleet and Iran. Meanwhile, total crude oil demand remains strong, so removing sanctioned VLCCs from circulation will push freight rates even higher.

However, a black swan looms on the horizon. With around 80 new VLCCs currently on order, price pressures could emerge. The impact of these additions will depend on broader geopolitics—particularly U.S.-Russia-China dynamics—and the fact that nearly 100 VLCCs will reach 20+ years of age soon. While scrapping these aging vessels is likely, economic factors could influence the decision to keep them operational.

Given the prudent strategies of major players—especially Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia—significant shifts are expected in the market. A surge of Arab investments in VLCCs is clearly on the horizon. For other market players, the time to act is now if they want to maintain their share. Geopolitical factors must also be considered, as vessel ownership will increasingly influence which routes crude oil flows through worldwide.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

 

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Trump envoy sets timeline for Ukraine peace plan

Energy News Beat

[[{“value”:”

Trump envoy sets timeline for Ukraine peace planTrump envoy sets timeline for Ukraine peace plan

A US peace plan for Moscow and Kiev could come within days or weeks, President Donald Trump’s special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

In January, the WSJ reported that Trump had tasked Kellogg with outlining a settlement to the Ukraine conflict within 100 days. At the same time, the US president warned of new sanctions if Moscow refused an unspecified plan, but emphasized that he was “not looking to hurt Russia.”

“You got to give us a bit of breathing space and time, but when I say that, I’m not talking six months, I’m talking days and weeks,” Kellogg projected, adding that he was “on Trump time.”

“He’ll ask you to do this job today and he’ll want to know tomorrow why it isn’t solved,” Kellogg emphasized.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with his US counterpart, marking their first known high-level direct contact between Moscow and Washington since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.


READ MORE:
No place for EU in Ukraine talks – Trump envoy

According to the Kremlin, the US leader expressed support for the swift cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution, while Putin mentioned the necessity of addressing the root causes of the conflict, but that a long-term settlement could be achieved through negotiations. Following the conversation, Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social that Washington and Moscow were immediately beginning discussions to resolve the conflict.

Trump also said that American and Russian officials might meet during the conference in Munich, adding that Ukraine was also invited to participate. However, no such meeting was reported by the conference organizers or news outlets.

“}]] 

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EU will discuss ‘anything’ to avoid Trump tariffs, says Commission trade chief

Energy News Beat

[[{“value”:”

Brussels is ready to discuss “anything” to avoid Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on European exports, EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič said ahead of his visit to Washington next week.

“I’m asking my American partners, why do we have to go through this pain?” Šefčovič told attendees at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. “If there are other issues on the table, let’s sit together, let’s resolve it.”

The Commission’s Slovak stalwart suggested that Brussels is willing to reduce its substantial surplus in goods and services with the US, which reached €50 billion last year and has been repeatedly criticised by Trump.

Šefčovič also signalled that the EU is ready to reduce its 10% tariff rate on cars, which is four times higher than the US rate.

Echoing previous Commission proposals, he also indicated that the bloc could boost purchases of US goods such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and soybeans.

“If the €50 billion is a problem, if the cars are the problem, if the soybeans are the problem, if the LNG is the problem – anything you want to discuss, we are ready to discuss it,” he said.

Šefčovič’s remarks came just hours after EU officials confirmed that the he will travel to Washington on Monday to hold talks with senior Trump administration officials, including Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick, trade representative nominee Jamieson Greer, and National Economic Council chief Kevin Hassett.

Last week, Trump announced 25% duties on all US imports of steel and aluminium as well as “reciprocal tariffs” aimed at matching levies imposed by other countries.

The former tariffs are set to enter into force by March 12, while the latter could be introduced as early as April 2, according to the White House.

Analysts and European industry groups have warned that the duties are likely to exacerbate the bloc’s economic malaise and could lead to US-bound Chinese exports being re-directed and “dumped” on European markets.

Šefčovič’s desperate plea to avoid the tariffs contrasted starkly with the more pugnacious stance taken by Mélanie Joly, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs.

Speaking on the same panel as Šefčovič, Joly argued that only Ottawa’s threat of retaliatory duties on $155 billion worth of US goods persuaded Trump to reverse his pledge to impose a blanket 25% levy on Canadian goods earlier this month.

“What President Trump respects is strength,” she said, adding that Brussels and Ottawa should “work together” to address Trump’s protectionist policies.

“We’re the canary in the coal mine. If the US administration is doing that to Canada, you’re next. And we need to work together on this,” she said.

[OM]

“}]] 

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Coal Consumption Remains High in the United States

Energy News BeatCoal Demand

  • The United States remains a major consumer and producer of coal, even with the growth of renewable energy sources.
  • Coal consumption and production have decreased in recent years, but coal still plays a significant role in U.S. electricity generation.
  • Changes in political administration and international energy demand could influence the future of coal in the United States.

While many countries worldwide are moving away from a dependence on coal, the U.S. still relies heavily on the dirtiest fossil fuel for its power. The U.S. has experienced an accelerated green transition since the introduction of the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, which has spurred a massive increase in the country’s renewable energy capacity and attracted billions in private funding.

However, this shift has not stopped the U.S. reliance on coal, as the third-largest consumer of coal in the world after China and India. The U.S. continues to be the fourth-largest producer of coal, after China, India and Indonesia, and it has more coal reserves than any other country. The U.S. had 206 active coal plants remaining in 2023. Around a quarter of domestic coal generation is expected to be retired by 2040 but the pace of planned retirements slowed last year as energy demand increased.

Coal production in the U.S. has fallen in recent years, as oil and gas production increased, and the country expanded its renewable energy capacity. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. coal production decreased 2.7 percent year over year from 2022 to 2023, to 577.9 million short tons (MMst). Meanwhile, U.S. coal consumption fell by 17.4 percent in this period, from 515.5 MMst to 425.9 MMst, and the electric power sector contributed 387.2 MMst (90.9 percent) of total U.S. coal consumption in 2023.

The EIA forecast that coal’s share of U.S. electricity generation would fall to a record low of 16.1 percent in 2024, as several coal mines were retired and alternative energy capacity increased. Non-coal power generation was expected to be sourced from natural gas, 41.6 percent; nuclear, 19 percent; and renewable energy sources, 22.8 percent. The EIA expected coal production in 2024 to total 499 MMst, marking a decrease of 14.2 percent from 2023, and fall by a further 5 percent in 2025, to 474 MMst. It forecast that the electricity power sector would consume 384 MMst in 2024, around 1 percent less than in 2023, and an additional 2 percent less in 2025.

However, as coal production begins to decrease faster than consumption, it will likely lead to a reliance on existing inventories, until the alternative energy capacity increases. Coal inventories stood at 120 MMst by the end of July last year and are expected to fall to around 84 MMst by the end of 2025.

In terms of exports, the EIA expected coal exports to total 103 MMst in 2024, marking a 3 percent increase on 2023. This figure is expected to climb by an additional 0.8 percent in 2025, to 103.8 MMst. The EIA stated, “Although coal exports in our forecast remain robust, ongoing declines in coal production are the result of less coal being used to generate electric power domestically due to relatively low natural gas prices and 12 GW of coal-fired electricity generating capacity going into retirement.”

In addition to heavy domestic reliance on coal, an increase in coal consumption in Asia could drive growth in the U.S. coal export market. In 2024, India’s thermal coal imports rose by around 12 percent, while China’s rose by 8 percent, a trend which is expected to continue for several years. The IEA predicted in 2024 that by 2035, global electricity demand would be 6 percent higher than it had previously predicted, leading to a prolonged reliance on coal to meet this demand.

While U.S. domestic coal use and production has fallen in recent years, under the new President Donald Trump administration, we could see this downward trend shift in a different direction. On his first day in office, Trump declared a national energy emergency, followed shortly after by the announcement that coal could be a fuel source for new electric generating plants. During a virtual appearance at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump stated, “They can fuel it with anything they want, and they may have coal as a backup — good, clean coal.” He added, “We have more coal than anybody.” Following Trump’s comments, U.S. coal producers’ shares climbed. The largest U.S. coal miner, Peabody Energy Corp., saw its shares increase by around 7.6 percent.

Despite Trump’s support for coal as a ‘backup’ energy source, U.S. efforts to ramp up oil and gas output mean that natural gas is now cheaper, and coal is no longer economically viable in comparison. While coal might be phased out at a slower pace under Trump, most experts agree that coal is simply too expensive to make a meaningful comeback. While the increasing power demand will drive energy production, this demand will likely be met with higher gas output, as well as through the expansion of the country’s renewable energy capacity.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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Trump Unleashes LNG and Drilling Free-for-All

Energy News BeatUS LNG

President Donald Trump wasted no time flexing his pro-fossil fuel stance, approving the first LNG export permit since Biden’s controversial pause last year and creating a new energy council to expand U.S. oil and gas production. The move is a sharp policy reversal and seeks to reinforce America’s position as the world’s top hydrocarbon producer.

Commonwealth LNG, the long-waiting recipient of this permit, can now proceed with its 9.5 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) export facility in Louisiana, targeting markets in Asia and Europe. The approval effectively ends the uncertainty caused by Biden’s freeze on new LNG export authorizations—a pause that the administration initially framed as temporary but dragged on into perpetuity.

Trump lifted that freeze the moment he stepped back into office.

Beyond LNG, Trump has reopened over 600 million acres of offshore federal waters for oil and gas development, reversing restrictions imposed during Biden’s tenure. The newly formed energy council, led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, is set to drive policy aimed at maximizing domestic energy output.

Industry players are already moving fast. Cheniere Energy (LNG) and Energy Transfer have signaled plans to accelerate their LNG export projects, while offshore drillers are eyeing fresh opportunities in newly opened federal waters.

Trump’s latest moves are sure to inflame environmental opposition, but legal hurdles are unlikely to slow things down much. A federal judge recently blocked Biden’s LNG moratorium, ruling the pause unjustified. With regulatory roadblocks disappearing and demand for U.S. LNG soaring—especially in Europe, which remains eager to replace Russian gas—the American LNG boom is back in full swing.

The question now isn’t whether U.S. energy dominance will continue, but just how much Trump is willing to push the envelope. And if history is any guide, he won’t be playing it safe.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Gold Bars Found! EPA Chief Exposes Biden’s Unprecedented $20B Climate Scheme

Energy News Beat

EPA has uncovered a Biden-era $20B scheme funneling tax dollars to NGOs with little oversight, raising concerns over waste, fraud, and favoritism.

gold bars Titanic deck
Between DOGE, O’Keefe Media, and Project Veritas, the Deep State just keeps exposing how corrupt they are and where the bodies are buried. [emphasis, links added]

In a three-minute video, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin explained how they found those “gold bars” that the Biden EPA had tossed “off the Titanic” in the waning days of the administration when they were attempting to gum up the works for incoming President Donald Trump while still funneling money to their left-wing causes to avoid discovery.

Oops.

The information was not only detailed but had lots of meat to chew on.

Zeldin began:

One of my very top priorities at EPA is to be an excellent steward of your hard-earned tax dollars. There will be zero tolerance of any waste and abuse.

An extremely disturbing video circulated two months ago, featuring a Biden EPA political appointee, talking about how they were tossing gold bars off the Titantic. Rushing to get billions of your tax dollars out the door before inauguration day.

The “gold bars” were tax dollars, and tossing them off the Titantic meant the Biden administration knew they were wasting it. Following this revelation, during my meetings with members of Congress, I made a very important commitment to them and to the American people, which I reiterated at my confirmation hearing. That if confirmed, I would immediately get a full accounting. Fortunately, my awesome team at EPA has found the gold bars.

Shockingly, roughly 20 billion of your tax dollars were parked at an outside financial institution by the Biden EPA. This scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history, and it was purposely designed to obligate all of the money in a rush job with reduced oversight. Even further, this pot of 20 billion dollars was awarded to just eight entities that were then responsible for doling out your money to NGOs and others at their discretion with far less transparency. Just under 7 billion dollars was sent to one entity, called “The Climate United Fund.”

The Biden-Harris administration paid POLITICO for subscriptions, and the outlet performed its propaganda PR work well, proudly announcing this $20 billion Biden-Harris EPA partnership in April 2024.

The Biden administration announced recipients of the climate law’s biggest grant program Thursday, kicking off a $20 billion effort to transform community lending and green the U.S. economy.

EPA will award eight initial grants under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, ranging in size from $400 million to almost $7 billion. The largest award will go to Climate United, a partnership that includes a nonprofit impact investment firm and two affordable housing lenders.

A senior administration official told reporters Wednesday that the EPA finance program would “create a first-of-its-kind national network of clean technology financing institutions that will finance tens of thousands of climate and clean energy projects in the years to come.”

Can you say “money laundering,” boys and girls? Because that essentially is all these green climate scams turn out to be.

We learned nothing during the Obama-Biden administration about the dangers of these boondoggles except how they could hide the money better.

Any time you use the terms “low-income” and “underserved populations,” you know to check your purse to ensure your wallet hasn’t been pinched.

With great potential for fraud is the greater potential that these populations they claim to serve will be screwed over after things go south.

Read rest at RedState

 

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