Emergency order minimizes the risk of power outages and addresses critical grid security issues in the Midwestern region of the United States.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order to minimize the risk of power outages and address critical grid security issues in the Midwestern region of the United States. Secretary Wright’s order directs the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), in coordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan remains available for operation. Additionally, MISO is directed to take every step to minimize cost to the American people.
Since DOE’s original order was issued on May 23, the Campbell plant has proven critical to MISO’s operations, operating regularly during periods of high energy demand and low levels of intermittent energy production. The Campbell Plant was scheduled to shut down on May 31, which is 15 years before the end of its scheduled design 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.”
As outlined in DOE’s Grid Reliability Evaluation, power outages could increase by 100 times in 2030 if the U.S. continues to take reliable power offline. The emergency conditions that led to the issuance of the original order persist.
This order is in effect beginning on August 21, 2025, and continuing until November 19, 2025.
BACKGROUND:
The May 2025 NERC Summer Reliability Assessment referenced a Seasonal Outlook issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on April 17, 2025, which estimated that portions of the Midwest had a 33%-40% chance to experience above-normal temperatures this summer. The Seasonal Outlook released by NOAA on June 19, 2025 increased that estimate to a 40%-50% chance.
MISO’s resource adequacy problems are not limited to the summer months. In 2022, MISO filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for approval to revise its resource adequacy construct (including the Planning Resource Auction or PRA) to establish capacity requirements for each of the four seasons of the year rather than require capacity on an annual basis determined by peak summer demand. [1]
MISO justified this revision by explaining that “Reliability risks associated with Resource Adequacy have shifted from ‘Summer only’ to a year-round concern.”[2]
[1] Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., FERC Docket No. ER22-495-000 (Nov. 30, 2021). This request was approved by FERC on August 31, 2022. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., 180 FERC ¶ 61,141 (2022).
[2] MISO Transmittal Letter at 3, FERC Docket No. ER22-495-000 (Nov. 30, 2021).
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