DOE issues order to keep Michigan coal-fired power plant operating  

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order Monday to address critical grid reliability issues in the Midwest heading into the summer months.  

The emergency order directs the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), in coordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan take all steps necessary to remain available to operate and to minimize costs.  

The Campbell Plant was originally scheduled to shut down on May 31, 2025—15 years before the end of its scheduled design life. The plant was integral in stabilizing the grid during the recent winter storms, indicating that allowing it to cease operations would contribute to grid fragility.  

Since the Department of Energy’s (DOE) original order issued on May 23, 2025, the Campbell Plant has proven critical to MISO’s operations, operating regularly during periods of high energy demand and low levels of intermittent energy production. Subsequent orders were issued throughout 2025 and in early 2026. 

Coal plants across the country are reversing plans to shut down. In 2025, more than 17 gigawatts of coal-powered electricity generation were saved from going offline. 

“The energy sources that perform when you need them most are inherently the most valuable—that’s why beautiful, clean coal was the MVP during peak capacity events this past year,” Secretary Wright said in a news release. 

 “This emergency order will mitigate the risk of blackouts and maintain affordable, reliable, and secure electricity access across the region this summer.” 

As outlined in DOE’s Resource Adequacy Report, power outages could increase by 100 times in 2030 if the US continues to take reliable power offline. The emergency conditions that led to the issuance of the original orders persist.  

In January 2026, NERC released its 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment. NERC assessed that the MISO region is at high risk of energy shortfalls over the next five years, stating that it faces significant reliability challenges as “projected resource additions do not keep pace with escalating demand forecasts and announced generator retirements.”  

The order is in effect beginning on May 19, through August 16, 2026.