U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order aimed at minimizing the risk of power outages and addressing grid security issues 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. MISO is also required to take measures to limit costs for consumers.
The Campbell plant was originally scheduled to shut down on May 31, about 15 years before its expected end of life. Since a Department of Energy (DOE) order was first issued on May 23, the plant has played a key role during periods of high energy demand and low intermittent energy production.
“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, power outages could increase significantly—by up to 100 times—by 2030.
The emergency order takes effect August 21, 2025 and remains in place until November 19, 2025.
A recent NERC Summer Reliability Assessment cited NOAA forecasts from April and June indicating that parts of the Midwest face a higher likelihood—rising from a 33%-40% chance in April to a 40%-50% chance in June—of above-normal temperatures this summer (https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-predicts-above-normal-2025-atlantic-hurricane-season). This increased risk places further strain on regional grid reliability.
Resource adequacy challenges for MISO extend beyond just summer months. In 2022, MISO sought approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to revise its resource adequacy framework so that capacity requirements would be set for all four seasons instead of only for peak summer demand (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist?accession_number=20211130-5201&optimized=false). FERC approved this change in August 2022 (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist?accession_number=20220831-3076&optimized=false).
In support of these changes, MISO stated that “Reliability risks associated with Resource Adequacy have shifted from ‘Summer only’ to a year-round concern.”
