WASHINGTON— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order today to minimize the risk of blackouts and address critical grid security issues in the Midwestern region of the United States ahead of the high electricity demand expected this summer. Secretary Wright’s order directs the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), in coordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the 1,560 megawatt (MW) J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan remains available for operation, minimizing any potential capacity shortfall that could lead to unnecessary power outages. The Campbell Plant was scheduled to shut down on May 31, which is 15 years before the end of its scheduled design life.
“Today’s emergency order ensures that Michiganders and the greater Midwest region do not lose critical power generation capability as summer begins and electricity demand regularly reach high levels,” Secretary Wright said. “This administration will not sit back and allow dangerous energy subtraction policies threaten the resiliency of our grid and raise electricity prices on American families. With President Trump’s leadership, the Energy Department is hard at work securing the American people access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy that powers their lives regardless of whether the wind is blowing, or the sun is shining.”
The emergency order, which is issued by the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), is authorized by Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and is in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order: Declaring a National Energy Emergency. It will ensure the power generation availability in the region does not dip below 2024 capacity levels.
BACKGROUND:
Heading into the summer months, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has warned the region served by MISO “is at elevated risk of operating reserve shortfalls during periods of high demand,” particularly during the summer months. Upcoming planned thermal generation retirements remain a primary contributing factor to these tight reserve margins, the report notes, as well as the risk of “supply shortfalls” during the late summer months when “solar output diminishes earlier in the day.”
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