Global demand for coal will hit a fresh record in 2025, despite a pullback from the world’s top consumer China.

That’s according to the latest figures from the International Energy Agency, which also revised 2024 demand to an all-time high. The drop in Chinese consumption this year will be offset by rising coal needs in other countries, including the US, where President Donald Trump has championed the fuel as electricity demand booms.

Despite efforts to curtail use of the dirtiest fossil fuel in order to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, demand continues to rise. The IEA has repeatedly had to revise up its consumption forecasts for the fuel as overall power needs grow faster than expansion of wind farms and solar parks.

In the US, coal usage surged by 12% in the first half of the year, driven by rising electricity needs, the IEA found. Demand also rose in Europe, where wind production has been well below average so far this year. India will likely see an increase of 1.3% for the year, helping to to offset an expected 0.5% decline in China.

Overall, coal demand rose by 1.5% to a record 8.79 billion metric tons last year, the IEA said, up from a previous estimate of 8.77 billion tons.

The organization now expects coal demand will decline in 2026, after finding in December that it would continue to set records in every year until at least 2027. However, whether that happens will depend in large part on what happens in China, by far the world’s biggest consumer.