Energy Secretary defends keeping coal plants for grid reliability, backs Trump auction for tech to help pay

Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended keeping U.S. coal-fired power plants operating, saying coal remains "critical to America's electricity grid" and linking plant closures in some states to higher electricity prices.

Wright told an interviewer that although natural gas has surpassed coal as the nation's largest electricity source, coal still matters for "reliability and affordability" and that "the states that have rushed to close their coal plants have also had rapidly escalating electricity prices." He attributed voter dissatisfaction to higher bills.

Asked about President Trump's proposal for an electricity auction that would require technology companies to cover costs of new power plants, Wright said, "Absolutely. In fact, they very much want to." He argued that tech firms, which need large quantities of power for data centers, can be "a key part of the solution" rather than the cause of price increases.

Wright framed the administration's plan as cooperative, saying the president's order aims to work with industry "to stop the rise of electricity prices even in the blue states that have done everything possible to elevate their electricity prices." He did not provide specific details about auction design, compensation mechanics, regulatory changes, or timelines for implementing the proposed auction.

The secretary emphasized that the administration's approach pairs short-term measures to protect grid reliability with longer-term investments in nuclear and other technologies (see separate article on nuclear). He said he will discuss related energy policy items in Davos; no legislative or regulatory actions were specified during the interview.