Coal

Trump Administration weighs COP30 Participation Energy Secretary indicates he's open to going Conservative groups oppose U.S. attending global climate meeting By David Sherfinski The global COP30 Summit, which will take place in Brazil's Amazonian City of Belem next month, is expected to bring together representatives of almost every country in the world to discuss their efforts to combat climate change. There are many countries that must make major decisions about how to keep greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, which Trump has said the U.S. will abandon. The White House is yet to publicly disclose whether or...

A spokesperson for the Interior Department said that, two days after a disappointing Montana auction, the Trump administration had postponed an auction of coal leases scheduled to take place on federal land in Wyoming. According to contingency plan published last week, the Bureau of Land Management (a division of Interior) was expected to continue processing permits and leasings for oil and gas operations and coal during the shutdown. Wednesday morning, a sale of 3,508 acres federal coal reserves located in Wyoming's Campbell County and Converse county was scheduled. The lease area has 365,000,000 tons of recoverable coking coal. Interior announced...

Anglo American's CEO Duncan Wanblad stated on Wednesday that the company still views Africa as a part of its future because of its vital mineral resources. This is despite recent restructurings and asset sales in Africa. Anglo American is exiting its platinum and coal operations in South Africa where it was founded more than a century earlier. It will sell diamond miner De Beers and shift its focus on copper, an essential metal for the clean energy transformation. Kumba Iron Ore is the only major asset of South Africa. Wanblad, despite these exits, said Anglo intended to use South Africa's...

According to the Interior Department's contingency plan published on Wednesday, some government employees will remain on duty during the shutdown to process oil, gas, and coal leases on public lands. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management posted a plan that stated the goal of maintaining workers in these areas was to address the national energy crisis declared by President Donald Trump when he assumed office in January. BLM's shutdown plan for 2023 did not exclude energy leasing or permitting. The plan stated that "in order to protect life and property of the federal government and to address the National Energy...

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Monday that it will open up 13.1 million acres (53,013.8 square kilometers), of federal land to the public. The Trump administration is trying to reverse the decline in coal use. In April, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to increase coal production. This was one of many actions he took that ran counter to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), coal-burning power plants will generate about 15% of U.S. electricty in 2024. This is down from 50% in 2000. Fracking and other drilling techniques have...

Type One Energy CEO Christofer Mowry announced on Friday that the Tennessee Valley Authority, a government-owned utility in the United States, plans to use the technology of Type One Energy at the retired coal fired Bull Run plant. This plant will become the site for a commercial fusion facility. After decades of stagnation in the U.S., nuclear power is making a comeback. This is due to the record demand for electricity from AI data centres as well as electrifications of industries like transportation and manufacturing. Type One Energy announced that it would provide stellarator technology. This is an advanced version...

The Globe and Mail, citing sources familiar with this matter, reported that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had told Anglo American it would have to move its headquarters from the United States to Canada if its proposed acquisition by Teck Resources was to be approved. Anglo American, based in London, and Teck, based in Canada, announced last week a merger worth $53 billion. This is the second largest M&A transaction in the mining sector. The merged entity will be headquartered in Canada, with a primary listing in London. The Globe and Mail reported that Carney had made it clear in...

A government document published on Wednesday showed that Russia was considering a moratorium for bankruptcies within the metals sector. This is a sign of increasing concern over a struggling industry battling with falling demand and high interest rates, as well as a strong rouble. In the document, which was a protocol of the meeting held by the Financial Stability Commission on August 28, the ministry of economy and the ministry for industry were asked to submit proposals on October 28 regarding the feasibility of a ban on bankruptcy in the sector. Kommersant was the first to report on this news....

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday plans for competitive coal leasing sales in Alabama, Montana and Utah this year as part of an overall government effort to boost domestic coal production. Why it's Important The sales are part President Donald Trump’s effort to revitalize U.S. Coal Mining despite global efforts for a transition to cleaner energy sources in order to reduce planet-warming CO2 emissions. KEY QUOTE In a press release, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that coal has been the foundation of America's industrial and energy strength for many years. By moving forward with lease sales, "we are creating good...

Mechel, a Russian mining company, reported Thursday that its losses had worsened and that it had suspended production at one of their mines. This is a sign of the deep crisis in Russia's coal sector. Sector is facing a number of challenges, including the low price of coal, international sanctions, and the strength in the rouble which make its exports less attractive. About 30 companies, which produce a total of 30 million metric tonnes a year are said to be at risk of going bankrupt. In May, the government approved a series of measures to support this sector. This included...

This year, the pace of adding new solar, wind, and battery capacity in the U.S. has slowed down nationally and in some key states, which is hurting sentiment for clean energy. Climate trackers should take heart in the fact that growth has continued outside of Texas and California. According to data collected by the energy data platform Cleanview by mid-2025, combined installations of solar and wind power systems, as well as battery storage, are expected to increase by around 7% from the previous year in 2025. This would be the smallest percentage increase in these energy technologies over the past...

A U.S. Judge on Friday rejected in large part a request from top asset managers, including BlackRock, to dismiss a suit filed by Texas and twelve other Republican-led States that claimed the companies had violated antitrust laws through climate activism which reduced coal production and increased energy prices. U.S. district judge Jeremy Kernodle, in Tyler, Texas, agreed to dismiss only three of the 21 count in the states' suit, which also names institutional investors State Street, Vanguard, and others. This is one of the most high-profile lawsuits aimed at promoting environmental, social, and governance goals. Requests for comment from the...

Open Interest (ROI), your indispensable source of global financial commentary, is Open Interest. The prices of seaborne thermal coal have been recovering modestly from their four-year lows in Asia, but this is at the cost of volume as major importers reduce demand. According to analysts DBX Commodities, China, India and South Korea are on course for lower coal arrivals in September than October. The prices of the main Australian and Indonesian grades have been rising since early June after a downward trend that began in October 2023. The lower prices in July and August did increase import demand, but the...

The Chinese-led expansion in Indonesia of aluminium production is expected to lead the global market in excess next year. This will result in lower prices for the metal used widely in the transportation industry. Three new smelters backed by China are close to completion, including Xinfa-Tsingshan Juwan in Weda Bay, Taijing at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park and the Adaro-Lygend Kaltara Project in North Kalimantan. Indonesia exported 325.293 metric tonnes of aluminium from January to August of this year. This is up 67% compared to the same period last year. Ross Strachan is an analyst with consultancy CRU. He said,...

Industry and government sources claim that India's private power producers are urging the government to allow the importation of equipment from China. They say the domestic resources available in the country are not enough and expensive, and the country is looking to increase its coal-based generation. India's Ministry of Power, as part of its "Make in India", mandated that homemade equipment be used in 2021. The initiative was designed to boost local manufacturing. This programme was also launched at a time of high diplomatic tensions between China and India. According to a letter that was reviewed by, the Association of...

BHP announced on Wednesday that it would suspend operations and eliminate 750 jobs in a Queensland coal mine, which it shares with an affiliate of Mitsubishi. It blamed low prices and high royalties from the state government for its poor returns. BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), Saraji South, a part of the Saraji Mine Complex will enter a care and maintenance period from November 2025. BHP and Mitsubishi Development, an arm of Mitsubishi Corp., jointly own the mine. The Saraji Complex produced 8,2 million metric tonnes of coking coal during the year ending June 2025. BHP, Mitsubishi Development and BMA Asset...

Customs data released on Monday showed that China's coal exports reached an eight-month peak in August. This was largely due to higher prices at home, but volumes were still below those seen a year ago. According to the General Administration of Customs, the country imported 42.74 millions metric tons of coke last month. This was the highest since December but down around 7% compared to August 2024. Toby Hassall is the lead analyst of LSEG's coal market. He said that "the rise in imports reflected a widened arbitrage as China’s domestic prices climbed following a reduction in coal production locally...

According to an official from a major mining company and analysts, China has curbed coal production after an unexpected increase in supply during the first half of this year, which weighed down on prices. In July, China's production fell to its lowest level for over a month. In the first half of this year, it had increased by more than 5%. Prices in some areas of the country fell nearly 30%. Analysts say that the country increased inspections in July, to ensure that plants maintained their approved production capacity. An official of China Coal Energy, China's largest coal miner, said...

A new report released on Monday found that China built 21 gigawatts of coal power plants in the first half 2025. This is the highest amount since 2016, even though the country continues to build record amounts of renewable energy. The authors of a report from the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, CREA, wrote: "The commissioning surge of 2025 is a delayed reaction to the permit surge of 2022-2023." This surge was in response to the power shortages and blackouts of 2021 and 2022. Supply disruptions, higher coal prices and tighter emission standards all collided at...

In August, China's seaborne thermal coal imports are expected to reach their highest level this year while India, the second largest buyer of seaborne coal, will see theirs fall to a three-and-a half-year low. The two largest importers of this fuel, which is primarily used to generate electricity, have divergent trends. This is largely due to the interaction between coal production on their home markets and the increasing use of renewable energy. According to commodity analysts Kpler, China's seaborne thermal coal imports are expected to reach 25,63 million metric tonnes in August. This is up from 22,77 million in July,...

Energy Department announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration will propose funding of nearly $1 billion to accelerate the development and production of critical minerals and materials in the United States, which are used in everything from electric vehicles batteries to semiconductors. The statement stated that the department will offer funding for the advancement and scaling up of mining, processing, and manufacturing technologies within the vital minerals and materials supply chain sectors, which have traditionally been dominated China and other countries. Chris Wright, Energy Secretary, said that the United States had relied too much on foreign actors for the supply...

Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that China's coal imports in July fell by 23% compared to a year ago, due to a limited demand for imports. The imports of coal in July were 35.61 millions metric tons. Although down on the previous year, this was a rebound from June's two-year-low as the hotter weather prompted higher air conditioning demands, which supported electricity consumption. The market will be watching to see if China takes concrete steps in the future to reduce production and curb oversupply at home. The National Energy Administration issued a document on July 20 calling...

Iron ore is the best performing commodity this year, with a price of over $100 per metric ton. This is despite signs that China's steel industry has been slowing down. The Singapore Exchange's most traded iron ore contract ended Wednesday at $101.71 per ton, down from $102.74 at its previous close. The rolling front-month contracts have traded within a narrow range this year. A high of $107.81 per ton was reached on February 12, and a low $93.35 per ton was achieved on July 1. This stability is due to the fact that China imports 75% of all seaborne volumes....

The Indonesian coal producers find themselves in a difficult situation, as their exports are falling and the demand for fuel from nickel smelters is at an all-time high. This creates a conundrum of growth. Indonesia's largest export is coal, which will generate $30.49 billion by 2024. A decline in revenues would have an adverse effect on Southeast Asia's largest economy, which is heavily dependent on commodities. Lower profit margins and falling share prices point to coal's future woes, which include a reduction in workforce, a slowdown in production, and less money going into government coffers, at a time that President...