Energy Secretary Supports Trump’s Coal Plant Initiative as Electricity Prices Surge
Energy Secretary Chris Wright joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss the administration’s effort to keep coal plants operational, the move to make tech companies pay for power costs, and the selling of Venezuelan oil.
Energy Secretary Christopher Wright has reaffirmed the Trump administration’s commitment to maintaining U.S. coal-fired power plants. This initiative comes in response to rising electricity prices and growing concerns about grid reliability as demand increases.
“It’s crucial to the reliability and affordability of electricity in the U.S.,” Wright stated during an interview with FOX Business on Monday.
He pointed out that states that have hastily closed their coal plants have experienced rapidly escalating electricity prices, which is not well-received by Americans. “President Trump doesn’t like it,” he added.
TRUMP ADMIN PAUSING ALL OFF SHORE WIND PROJECT CONSTRUCTION DUE TO NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS
A mixture of steam and pollutants are emitted from the Naughton coal-fired power plant on Nov. 22, 2022, in Kemmerer, Wyo. (Natalie Behring / Getty Images)
Recently, White House officials reiterated their commitment to delaying the retirement of certain coal-fired power plants that were scheduled for closure. This decision has garnered support from coal industry advocates but has faced criticism from environmental groups.
The Trump administration has also reinstated the National Coal Council, a federal advisory committee to the Energy Department that had expired in 2021 under the Biden administration but was revived in 2025.
WHITE HOUSE ‘LASER FOCUSED’ ON AFFORDABILITY AS TRUMP SOFTENS TARIFF STRATEGY
Chris Wright, US energy secretary, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Wright told Stuart Varney that coal-fired plants targeted for closure in some states are essential for maintaining grid reliability. This assertion comes as electricity demand continues to rise, driven in part by the expansion of data centers linked to artificial intelligence and other energy-intensive industries.
The administration has proposed that major technology companies, particularly those operating data centers, should shoulder more of the costs associated with new power generation needed to meet this surging demand.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told ‘Varney & Co.’ that America must embrace coal to restore energy dominance, slash prices, and end wasteful green subsidies.
“[Tech companies] need a lot more electricity in the United States, and they don’t want to drive up electricity prices,” Wright emphasized. He criticized the narrative that tech companies are the cause of rising electricity prices, stating, “It’s a great way to escape blame. They’re not the cause of the rising electricity price. In effect, they can be a key part of the solution, and that’s what President Trump’s order is trying to do.”
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss the administration’s effort to keep coal plants operational, the move to make tech companies pay for power costs, and the selling of Venezuelan oil.
Energy Secretary Christopher Wright has reaffirmed the Trump administration’s commitment to maintaining U.S. coal-fired power plants. This initiative comes in response to rising electricity prices and growing concerns about grid reliability as demand increases.
“It’s crucial to the reliability and affordability of electricity in the U.S.,” Wright stated during an interview with FOX Business on Monday.
He pointed out that states that have hastily closed their coal plants have experienced rapidly escalating electricity prices, which is not well-received by Americans. “President Trump doesn’t like it,” he added.
TRUMP ADMIN PAUSING ALL OFF SHORE WIND PROJECT CONSTRUCTION DUE TO NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS
A mixture of steam and pollutants are emitted from the Naughton coal-fired power plant on Nov. 22, 2022, in Kemmerer, Wyo. (Natalie Behring / Getty Images)
Recently, White House officials reiterated their commitment to delaying the retirement of certain coal-fired power plants that were scheduled for closure. This decision has garnered support from coal industry advocates but has faced criticism from environmental groups.
The Trump administration has also reinstated the National Coal Council, a federal advisory committee to the Energy Department that had expired in 2021 under the Biden administration but was revived in 2025.
WHITE HOUSE ‘LASER FOCUSED’ ON AFFORDABILITY AS TRUMP SOFTENS TARIFF STRATEGY
Chris Wright, US energy secretary, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Wright told Stuart Varney that coal-fired plants targeted for closure in some states are essential for maintaining grid reliability. This assertion comes as electricity demand continues to rise, driven in part by the expansion of data centers linked to artificial intelligence and other energy-intensive industries.
The administration has proposed that major technology companies, particularly those operating data centers, should shoulder more of the costs associated with new power generation needed to meet this surging demand.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told ‘Varney & Co.’ that America must embrace coal to restore energy dominance, slash prices, and end wasteful green subsidies.
“[Tech companies] need a lot more electricity in the United States, and they don’t want to drive up electricity prices,” Wright emphasized. He criticized the narrative that tech companies are the cause of rising electricity prices, stating, “It’s a great way to escape blame. They’re not the cause of the rising electricity price. In effect, they can be a key part of the solution, and that’s what President Trump’s order is trying to do.”
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
