The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy is convening a series of four regional workshops to chart the future of American coal as a reliable, dispatchable energy source. As the coal industry navigates evolving market conditions and regulatory landscapes, these workshops will bring together key stakeholders to identify the most impactful research and development priorities for strengthening the competitiveness and extending the operational life of coal-fueled power and industrial facilities. 

These interactive sessions will focus on critical technology advancement areas, from cost-effective wastewater management and zero liquid discharge systems to AI-driven predictive maintenance, flexible operations, and value-added byproduct recovery. We'll explore how digital tools, advanced materials, and innovative control strategies can reduce costs, improve reliability, and enable coal plants to provide essential grid services in an increasingly dynamic energy market. Discussions will also address practical barriers such as supply chain constraints, regulatory uncertainty, and the demonstration scales needed to make emerging technologies bankable for implementation.

Whether you're grappling with equipment reliability, exploring new revenue streams from ash or CO2, or seeking solutions to reduce maintenance costs and unplanned outages, this is your opportunity to help shape a research agenda that delivers tangible value to your operations. We invite you to join us for this important conversation about the technologies and strategies that will define coal energy's path forward.