U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order to address power grid reliability in the Midwest. The directive instructs 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. The order also tells MISO to take steps to reduce costs for consumers.
The Department of Energy (DOE) had previously issued a similar order on May 23, citing the importance of the Campbell plant during periods of high electricity demand and low output from other energy sources. The plant was originally set to close on May 31, about 15 years before its planned end of life.
“The United States continues to face an energy emergency, with some regions experiencing more capacity constraints than others. With electricity demand increasing, we must put an end to the dangerous energy subtraction policies embraced by politicians for too long,” said U.S.Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “This order will help ensure millions of Americans can continue to access affordable, reliable, and secure baseload power regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.”
According to DOE’s Grid Reliability Evaluation, if reliable power sources are removed from service at current rates, outages could be up to 100 times more frequent by 2030.
The new emergency order takes effect August 21 and will remain in place until November 19.
Recent assessments highlight ongoing concerns about grid stability in the region. In May 2025, NERC’s Summer Reliability Assessment cited NOAA’s April outlook that parts of the Midwest had a one-in-three chance or higher for above-normal summer temperatures; NOAA increased this probability in June to as much as a one-in-two chance (https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-predicts-hot-summer-for-most-of-us).
Resource adequacy issues are not confined only to summer months. In 2022, MISO requested and received approval from FERC for year-round capacity requirements instead of focusing solely on peak summer needs (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist?accession_number=20220831-3077&optimized=false). MISO explained that reliability risks now extend throughout all seasons.
“Reliability risks associated with Resource Adequacy have shifted from ‘Summer only’ to a year-round concern,” according to MISO’s filing with FERC.
