Federal Coal Aid Flows to ND Amid Surging Solar, RNG Deals

The Trump administration is channeling $700 million in federal funds to support the U.S. coal industry, with a portion directed to a plant in North Dakota, according to an OilPrice.com report. The funding, announced Thursday, June 5, includes $425 million distributed under the Defense Production Act to 13 existing coal plants. One beneficiary is located in North Dakota, though the specific facility was not named in the source material. Separate Energy Department grants will also support the construction of two new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia.

This policy push for coal comes despite new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission data showing solar energy additions were the single largest form of new energy capacity installations for the 28th straight month, starting in September 2023, OilPrice.com reported. In 2025, renewables represented 88 percent of U.S. energy additions, with utility-scale solar alone accounting for 72.6 percent of electricity additions. FERC projects solar installations will grow by 86 gigawatts over the next three years, surpassing coal to become the second-largest energy source nationally by 2029, behind natural gas.

The administration's support for coal is framed as a national security and grid reliability measure, particularly citing rising electricity demand from the artificial intelligence sector. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has framed winning the AI race as a national security imperative, with coal as essential baseload power. The April 2026 Presidential Determination formally declared coal supply chains and baseload power generation essential to national defense.

Meanwhile, the broader energy landscape continues to diversify. A shortage of gas-fired turbines is slowing gas-fired power additions, "incentivizing investing into renewables and energy storage in its stead," NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum recently told Reuters, according to OilPrice.com. In the renewable natural gas (RNG) sector, OPAL Fuels and GFL Environmental have agreed on two joint projects to enable RNG production at landfills in Alabama and Georgia, Rigzone reported Saturday.

For Bakken operators, the juxtaposition is stark: federal policy is actively supporting coal generation, including in North Dakota, while market forces and technology advancements continue to propel solar and other renewables. The growth in solar capacity and the expansion of RNG projects underscore a continuing shift in the national energy mix, even as the administration seeks to bolster traditional baseload power. The $700 million coal initiative, invoking a Korean War-era statute, represents one of the most direct federal interventions in the power sector in recent years.