U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order to address 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 was previously scheduled for closure on May 31, 2025, which is 15 years ahead of its planned 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 originally issued an order on May 23 regarding the Campbell plant. Since then, it has played a significant role in supporting MISO operations during times of high demand and low output from intermittent sources. 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 rise significantly by 2030. The current conditions that prompted previous orders remain present.
Recent studies by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) have highlighted ongoing risks for MISO’s service area during winter months. Both the 2024–2025 and 2023–2024 NERC Winter Reliability Assessments found that there is a potential for insufficient operating reserves under above-normal conditions.
The new emergency order will be effective from November 19, 2025 until February 17, 2026.
MISO’s Planning Resource Auction Results for the upcoming planning year showed that new capacity additions in northern and central zones—including Michigan—were not enough to counterbalance losses from decreased accreditation and resource retirements.
In response to evolving risks across all seasons—not just summer—MISO revised its resource adequacy approach with approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in August 2022. The revision now sets capacity requirements for each season rather than only based on peak summer demand.
MISO explained this change by stating that reliability risks related to resource adequacy are now a concern throughout the entire year.
