New coal plant to be built in Alaska as part of $700M Trump investment

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - President Donald Trump announced $700 million in investments into coal energy production Thursday, including building a coal plant in Alaska.

The plant will be one of three using $200 million in grant funding from the Department of Energy, which also includes a new plant to be built in West Virginia and an existing plant to be restarted in Maryland, according to information provided by a White House official.

These will be the first new U.S. coal plants since 2013, the White House said. However, there are some that have been made operational as recently as 2025, according to Cleanview.

The companies will match these funds for a total investment of $386 million. Terra Energy Center Corporation in Anchorage will operate the Alaska mine, according to the White House.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump claimed that the plants will use new technology that is “very clean.”

“It’s amazing how that’s come along, it’s all very clean,” Trump said.

The official said its predicted that the coal plants will retain about 12,500 jobs and 42 coal mines, which will remain in operation to support providing coal to these power plants.

The president also announced $425 million to be used to support 13 coal plants across the country and $75 million in Defense Production Act funding to support construction of a coal export terminal in Oakland, Calif.

Rep. Ky Holland, NA-Anchorage, the co-chair of the House Energy Committee, posted on social media that he is paying close attention and looks forward to learning more about the details of this proposal.

“This announcement comes at a time when Alaska is facing important energy decisions. Southcentral utilities continue to raise concerns about future energy supply, while communities across the state are working to balance affordability, reliability, economic development, and environmental stewardship,” Holland wrote.

While he looks forward diversifying energy prospects, he is concerned about the energy infrastructure necessary to meet Alaska’s needs.

“A good engineering team doesn’t solve a problem by endlessly adding options to the whiteboard. Eventually, it has to decide what can realistically move forward and focus on execution,” he stated.

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated with more reaction.

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