SME Conference: Coal Has a Brighter Future -- Maybe

March 4, 2025--Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The outlook for U.S. coal mining, both thermal and metallurgical (met), has brightened in recent months, coal company officials and those who provide professional services to the industry, told a mining conference last week in Denver, Colorado. That optimism had several drivers, including the election of Donald Trump as president last November; rising demand in Asia for both thermal and met coal; investors' increased willingness to fund coal projects; and the strong growth in electric demand coming from data centers, artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency mining. But the road to a brighter future for the U.S. coal industry is anything but straight and certain. Other companies featured: Westmoreland Mining LLC, A&O Shearman, Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU), Anglo American plc, Capstone Partners and Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)