U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order to address grid reliability concerns in the Midwest as winter approaches. The directive requires the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), working with Consumers Energy, to keep the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan operational through the winter months. The plant had been set for closure on May 31, 2025, well ahead of its intended design lifespan.
Secretary Wright stated, “Because of the last administration’s dangerous energy subtraction policies targeting reliable and affordable energy sources, the United States continues to face an energy emergency. The Trump administration will keep taking action to reverse these energy subtraction policies, lowering energy costs and minimizing the risks of blackouts. Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable and secure energy regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, especially in dangerously cold weather.”
The Department of Energy (DOE) first ordered continued operation of the Campbell plant on May 23, citing its importance during periods of high demand and limited intermittent generation. A follow-up order was issued on August 20, 2025.
According to DOE’s Resource Adequacy Report, if reliable power sources are retired too quickly, power outages could increase by a factor of 100 by 2030. The conditions that prompted earlier orders have not changed.
MISO’s region remains at risk for grid emergencies both now and in coming years. Recent winter reliability assessments from NERC for both 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 have found MISO’s area faces elevated risk due to possible shortages in operating reserves during above-normal conditions.
The new emergency order takes effect November 19, 2025 and will remain in place until February 17, 2026.
Background information shows that MISO’s Planning Resource Auction Results for the upcoming planning year indicated insufficient new capacity additions in northern and central zones—including Michigan—to make up for resource retirements or suspensions.
In response to growing concerns about year-round reliability risks rather than just summer shortages, MISO sought approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in late 2021 to change its system so capacity requirements would be set for each season instead of only annually based on peak summer demand. FERC approved this request in August 2022 after MISO explained that “Reliability risks associated with Resource Adequacy have shifted from ‘Summer only’ to a year-round concern.”
