U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the “Coal Champions” event at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2026.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered the Pentagon to buy electricity from coal-fired power plants, his latest effort to revive an industry struggling to compete with cheaper energy resources.
President Trump signed the executive order at a White House event attended by: peabody energy CEO James Grech. The order directs the Department of Defense to secure long-term power purchase contracts with coal-fired power plants for military installations.
“We’re going to buy a lot of coal through the military,” Trump said. Peabody stock rose 4% in after-hours trading.
The president also said he has directed the Department of Energy to issue funding to keep coal-fired power plants open in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and Kentucky.
President Trump declared coal essential to America’s national and economic security last April. At the time, he issued several executive orders aimed at increasing coal production.
The coal industry has been in decline for years, struggling to compete with natural gas and renewable energy. About 16% of U.S. electricity generation in 2023 will come from burning coal, down from 51% in 2001, according to the Energy Information Administration.
