JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense to purchase energy from coal-fired power plants, in an effort to support a sluggish industry.
The order "directs the Department of War to work directly with coal plants in new power purchase agreements, ensuring we have a more reliable supply of electricity as well as a stronger and more resilient power grid," Trump said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Thursday, February 12.
"We're going to buy a lot of coal through the military now, and it's going to be cheaper, and actually a lot more effective than what we've been using for years, and again, with the environmental advances that have been made on coal, it's going to be just as clean," he said.
Trump said under his leadership, the United States would become a massive energy exporter.
Trump has long sought to prop up America's coal industry, but the sector continues to decline as other energy sources increasingly increase their market share in electricity production.
Data from the US Energy Information Agency predicts a 2 percent decline in coal-based electricity production this winter compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, production from solar and hydro power is expected to increase drastically by 14 percent, and wind power is projected to rise by 4 percent.
Overall, the federal agency estimates a 7 percent decline in coal-based electricity production compared to the previous year.
Amid the gloomy projections, Trump directed the Department of Energy to direct funding to coal plants in West Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina "to keep them operating and keep those plants open."
It is unclear in what form Trump directed the Energy Department to make the payment, but he insisted "the coal industry doesn't need subsidies, because you make money with coal."
"Coal is one of the lowest-priced energy sources, and probably considered by almost everyone as reliable," he added.
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