IEA: U.S. Coal Use to Rise in 2025, China Use to Drop Slightly

August 1, 2025--Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. coal industry got a bit of good news recently when the International Energy Agency (IEA) (Paris, France) released its mid-year update on the global coal industry. In contrast to several regions around the world that experienced slowing growth or a decline in demand, U.S. coal demand grew by an estimated 12% for the first half of 2025. European coal use also rose during the first half of this year, IEA said. That good news is expected to last throughout the rest of this year. The IEA report, "Coal Mid-Year Update 2025," released July 24, said that while U.S. demand growth is expected to slow in the second half of this year, full-year demand for the Black Rock is forecast to grow 7%. That would follow last year's 4% reduction, about 14 million tonnes.