U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on Feb. 17 renewed an emergency order that directs the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, in coordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Mich., remains available for operation "and to employ economic dispatch to minimize costs for the American people," the Department of Energy said.
The Campbell Plant was originally scheduled to shut down on May 31, 2025 -- 15 years before the end of its scheduled design life.
The Campbell Plant was integral in stabilizing the grid during the recent winter storms, DOE said.
The plant operated at over 650 megawatts every day before and during Winter Storm Fern, January 21-February 1, “proving that allowing it to cease operations would needlessly contribute to grid fragility,” DOE said.
Since the DOE’s original order 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. Subsequent orders were issued on August 20, 2025 and November 18, 2025.
The order is in effect beginning on February 17, 2026, and continuing through May 18, 2026.
