Bad news for coal country. : Bad news for coal country. Power companies plan on closing a near-record amount of coal-fired capacity this year, according to federal government energy data. While coal mining saw a slight uptick in 2017 due to growing international demand for coal used in steel production, the power companies still have plan to shutter coal-fired power plants around the country. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data shows nearly 15 gigawatts of generation capacity is slated for closure in 2018, mostly from coal.