The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Mar. 23 that it has issued emergency orders to keep two Indiana coal-fired power plants operating, aiming to ensure affordable and reliable electricity for the Midwest region. The directive, signed by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, requires Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), CenterPoint Energy, and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) to maintain specified generation units at the R.M. Schahfer and F.B. Culley generating stations.
The decision is intended to minimize electricity costs and reduce blackout risks as certain units were previously scheduled for shutdown at the end of 2025. Wright said, “The last administration’s energy subtraction policies had the United States on track to likely experience significantly more blackouts in the coming years—thankfully, President Trump won’t let that happen.” He continued, “The Trump Administration will continue taking action to keep America’s coal plants running to ensure we don’t lose critical generation sources. Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power their homes all the time, regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.”
Recent extreme winter weather highlighted these plants’ role in grid stability; between January 23 and February 1 Schahfer generated over 285 megawatts daily while Culley provided about 30 megawatts almost every day. Since emergency orders were first issued on December 23, 2025, both facilities have supported MISO operations during high demand periods when intermittent energy production was low.
According to DOE’s Resource Adequacy Report cited in the release, if reliable power sources are retired too quickly outages could increase by a factor of one hundred by 2030. NERC also warned in its latest long-term assessment that increasing reliance on weather-dependent resources raises winter supply shortfall risks.
Meanwhile,the Department of Energy announced a $225 million program funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in July 2022 aimed at supporting resilient building energy codes implementation nationwide.Secretary Jennifer Granholm has encouraged international cooperation towards clean energy transitions through forums such as GCEAF.DOE officials have also highlighted technology development for environmental cleanup missions before Congress.At Savannah River Site, an innovative passive process using crushed marble helps address groundwater issues from former coal plant operations.In transportation decarbonization efforts, DOE announced $96 million in funding opportunities for cleaner vehicle technologies.Additionally, DOE supports over a hundred programs under President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative targeting clean energy investments for disadvantaged communities.
The emergency orders affecting Indiana’s coal facilities will remain effective from March 24 through June 21.
