Yes it is, and higher efficiency as well (combined cycle gas turbine/steam turbine).
"Why do you think the European countries that have abandoned nuke power are switching to coal?"
Uh, perhaps because they HAVE domestic sources of coal but IMPORT natural gas (from the Russki's). And because they are behind the curve on horizontal drilling and fracking.
What European countries have domestic hard coal sources out of the ones that have turned against nuclear? Germany has a lot of lignite (soft coal), which is not very efficient; it imports the higher-BTU hard coal that it intends to use.
Combined cycle plants have more moving parts. Thermodynamics can’t be evaded. Storage of gas under pressure is still a larger problem than storing coal.