U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order directing the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, in coordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan, remains available this summer.
This order is in effect beginning on May 19, 2026, through August 16, 2026.
"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, proving that allowing it to cease operations would needlessly contribute to grid fragility," DOE said on May 18.
Since the DOE's original order issued on May 23, 2025, 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 throughout 2025 and in early 2026.
