U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order aimed at addressing grid reliability concerns in the Midwest as winter approaches. The order 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. This plant had been scheduled for shutdown on May 31, 2025, which is 15 years before its designed end of life.
“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,” said Energy Secretary Wright. “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.”
Since a previous Department of Energy (DOE) order was issued on May 23, the Campbell plant has played a key role in MISO’s operations by providing power during times of high demand and when other sources were less available. Another order followed on August 20, 2025.
According to DOE’s Resource Adequacy Report, if reliable power continues to be removed from service, power outages could increase by up to 100 times by 2030. The conditions that led to these emergency orders are ongoing.
Recent assessments from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) for winter periods have found that MISO’s region remains at elevated risk for insufficient operating reserves under above-normal conditions.
The current emergency order takes effect November 19, 2025 and will remain in place until February 17, 2026.
MISO’s Planning Resource Auction Results for the upcoming planning year highlighted that new capacity additions in northern and central zones—including Michigan—have not been enough to balance losses from decreased accreditation and retirements.
In response to resource adequacy challenges throughout all seasons—not just summer—MISO requested approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2022 to revise its resource adequacy system so that capacity requirements are set seasonally rather than annually based only on peak summer demand. FERC approved this change later that year. MISO stated that “Reliability risks associated with Resource Adequacy have shifted from ‘Summer only’ to a year-round concern.”
