The Trump administration has allocated over $100 million in federal funding for early feasibility studies on two new coal-fired power plants in West Virginia and Alaska, both equipped with carbon capture technology. It would be the first large coal plants built in the U.S. in over a decade. However, independent analysts estimate construction costs could exceed $10 billion for a 1.6 GW plant, making the electricity far more expensive than gas, solar, or wind power. Carbon capture at coal plants remains largely untested at commercial scale, and experts quoted in the article say the projects will likely never be built. The funding is a fraction of what would be needed, and even with political support from both parties for CCS, the technology faces high costs and uncertain reliability. Meanwhile, gas plants with CCS are already cheaper and account for 40% of the grid. Growing electricity demand from data centers and industry is driving interest in coal, but without major cost reductions in carbon capture, new coal plants remain a long shot. The article underscores the gap between political ambition and economic reality in U.S. energy policy.
