DOE emergency order keeps Michigan coal plant online through November

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order directing the Midwest Independent System Operator, in coordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the 1,420-megawatt J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan remains available to operate and to employ economic dispatch to minimize costs. The order is effective beginning on August 17, 2026, through November 14, 2026.

The Campbell Plant was originally scheduled to shut down on May 31, 2025, fifteen years before the end of its scheduled design life. DOE's original order, issued on May 23, 2205, identified the plant as critical to MISO's operations, and subsequent orders were issued throughout 2025 and 2026. Since that original order, the plant has operated regularly during periods of high energy demand and low intermittent generation.

In January 2026, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation released its 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, finding the MISO region at high risk of energy shortfalls over the next five years. The 2026 State of Reliability, released on June 4, 2026, noted that "shoulder reasons have become increasingly challenging for bulk power system operators to manage, resulting in several recent instances of pre-contingent load shedding."

DOE's Resource Adequacy Report warned that, prior to President Trump's election, the United States was on track to experience 100 times more blackouts in 2030 due to premature shutdowns of reliable generation and rising demand. The report credited the administration's leadership with reversing premature coal-plant retirements, noting that more than 17 gigawatts of coal-powered electricity generation were saved from going offline in 2025.