A west Michigan coal power plant will remain open for another three months under a new order from the Trump administration.
The U.S. Department of Energy argues parts of the Midwest are facing an energy emergency, and that the J.H. Campbell coal-fired plant’s power would help keep costs low.
Consumers Energy, which operates the plant, had planned to shut it down in May — an early decommissioning the company said was aimed at reducing costs for customers, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and moving toward natural gas and renewable energy sources.
In a press release, Energy Secretary Chris Wright alleged work taken to shut down coal-burning plants in favor of natural gas and renewable power created an energy shortage.
“The Trump administration will keep taking action to reverse these energy subtraction policies, lowering energy costs and minimizing the risks of blackouts. Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable and secure energy regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, especially in dangerously cold weather,” Wright said in the statement.
This is now the third time Wright ordered the Campbell plant to stay open.
The last two orders also claimed emergency conditions required the plant to stay open. The most recent one would have expired on Wednesday.
Environmental groups and Michigan's state utility regulator have pushed back against the Trump administration’s reasoning to keep the plant open longer.
Michigan League of Conservation Voters spokesperson Nick Dodge said Campbell’s closure doesn’t create any emergency.
“It’s unnecessary, and there have already been plans and additional generation put in place through renewables and in natural gas to fulfill all the energy needs that Campbell provides,” Dodge said.
He also raised concerns about threats to the environment along the Lake Michigan shoreline where the coal-burning plant sits. Regarding the reasoning that Wednesday’s order was a cost-saving measure, Dodge said it would have been cheaper to let the plant close.
“It was supposed to save us $600 million … through 2040. And that was due to the plant being so inefficient and expensive to operate. So, all of that is out the window now with the plant being forced to stay open,” Dodge said.
Consumers Energy, Michigan’s second-largest utility, announced plans to close the Campbell plant back in 2021. The Michigan Public Service Commission approved the plan in 2022.
A webpage detailing steps in the closure said it would make Consumers, “a cleaner, leaner and flexible energy company.”
Company spokesperson Katie Carey provided the following statement responding to Thursday’s order to keep the plant open.
“Consumers Energy is prepared to continue operating the Campbell plant as required by the U.S. Department of Energy. Consistent with a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) order, the costs to operate the Campbell plant will be shared by customers across the Midwest electric grid region – not solely by Consumers Energy customers. We are planning to submit a cost recovery filing to FERC later this year outlining net costs to operate the plant during the first 90 days.”
Michigan shares a power grid with all or part of 14 other states and one Canadian province. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc., or MISO, oversees that regional system.
In a written statement, MISO said it will work with Consumers Energy to ensure order compliance.
“MISO remains focused on reliably operating the grid using the resources our members provide, while working closely with stakeholders and regulatory partners,” the statement from MISO media relations advisor McKenzie Barbknecht read.
Michigan energy policies passed in 2023 require the state to rely solely on “clean energy” by 2040.
Despite that, it’s possible the Trump Administration could continue keeping the Campbell plant running after February 17, when the current order expires. But it would likely face continued pushback from both environmental groups and the state attorney general’s office, which sued over the matter in June.
