U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on May 23 issued an emergency order directing the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, in coordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the 1,560 megawatt, J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Mich., remains available for operation, “minimizing any potential capacity shortfall that could lead to unnecessary power outages,” DOE said.
The Campbell Plant was scheduled to shut down on May 31, which is 15 years before the end of its scheduled design life.
The emergency order, which is issued by the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, 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, DOE said.
It noted that heading into the summer months, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation 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," DOE said.
