Washington: President Donald Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright said coal, natural gas, and nuclear power protected the US electricity grid during a severe cold snap, while criticising wind and solar generation.
Wright told a Cabinet meeting, “Your energy dominance agenda is firing on all cylinders.” He said, “The United States oil production today is greater than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined.”
Wright said coal played a critical role during peak demand. “This beautiful, clean coal was the MVP of the huge cold snap we’re in right now,” he said. “Coal over the last few days… has delivered 20 times more electricity than solar and batteries.”
Trump echoed the criticism of renewables. “The windmills, by the way, are all frozen, you know that, right?” he said. “They don’t turn.”
Wright said renewable output was minimal when demand surged. “In New England with somewhat European energy policies… wind, solar and batteries… delivered less than 3 per cent of the electricity needed at peak demand time,” he said.
He warned of consequences. “If electricity goes out when it’s very cold, people die,” Wright said.
He compared the current storm with a previous one. “Over 200 people died in a smaller cold snap during the Biden administration,” he said.
Wright said coal output surged to meet needs. “Coal just stepped up here to 25 per cent of our electricity during this high demand time,” he said.
He said the administration halted plant closures. “17 gigawatts of coal generation plants were slated to close last year that were stopped from being closured by this administration,” Wright said.
Trump said those plants were essential. He said without them, “we would be really tight on energy.”
Trump also described changes in how large projects are powered. He said some facilities are so large “the grid would never be able to hold it.” He said developers can now build their own generation using “nuclear… oil and gas… coal… whatever they want.”
The administration has argued that energy reliability and lower prices are central to economic growth and national security.
Energy policy remains a sharp political divide, especially during extreme weather events that stress power systems and expose vulnerabilities in generation and transmission.
(IANS)
