U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has renewed an emergency order to address ongoing grid reliability challenges in the Midwest, instructing the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and Consumers Energy to keep the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan operational. The plant was previously set to close on May 31, 2025, well before its designed lifespan.
“The energy sources that perform when you need them most are inherently the most valuable—that’s why beautiful, clean coal was the MVP of recent winter storms,” Secretary Wright said. “Hundreds of American lives have likely been saved because of President Trump’s actions saving America’s coal plants, including this Michigan coal plant which ran daily during Winter Storm Fern. This emergency order will mitigate the risk of blackouts and maintain affordable, reliable, and secure electricity access across the region.”
The Campbell Plant played a key role in supporting the electric grid during recent severe winter weather by operating at more than 650 megawatts throughout Winter Storm Fern from January 21 to February 1. The Department of Energy noted that keeping such facilities online is crucial for preventing grid instability. According to DOE reports, over 17 gigawatts of coal-powered generation were preserved nationwide in advance of last winter’s storms.
Since DOE first issued an order on May 23, 2025, followed by renewals in August and November, the Campbell Plant has continued regular operations during periods with high demand or low output from intermittent sources.
DOE’s Resource Adequacy Report warns that if dependable power sources continue to be retired prematurely, outages could become far more frequent by 2030. Recent assessments from NERC highlight persistent risks for MISO’s service area due to increasing reliance on weather-dependent energy resources and declining fuel diversity.
This latest order will remain effective through May 18, 2026.
MISO’s planning documents indicate insufficient new capacity additions for northern and central regions—including Michigan—to offset planned retirements and decreased resource accreditation for the upcoming year.
To address these concerns year-round rather than only during summer peaks, MISO moved in 2021 to establish seasonal capacity requirements—a change approved by federal regulators in August 2022.
While coal remains central to current regional reliability efforts according to federal officials, other initiatives led by the U.S. Department of Energy focus on long-term resilience and cleaner energy transitions. For example:
– In July 2022, DOE announced $225 million under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for states and local governments implementing updated building energy codes aimed at improving efficiency (https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-225-million-program-lower-utility-bills-through-more).
– The agency also committed $96 million toward expanding electric vehicle infrastructure and decarbonizing transportation (https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-96-million-advancing-clean-vehicle-technologies-reduce-carbon-emissions).
– Additionally, DOE supports programs aligned with President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative intended to direct a significant portion of clean energy investments toward disadvantaged communities (https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-more-140-programs-supporting-president-bidens-justice40-initiative).
These efforts run parallel with technology development projects—such as passive groundwater treatment using crushed marble at former coal plants—demonstrating a multi-faceted approach as outlined by senior DOE advisors (https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/srs-tackles-groundwater-issue-using-innovative-passive-energy-process).
