OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — A week before an Ottawa County coal plant was set to close, the federal government is stepping in.
Consumers Energy was set to close the 1,560 megawatt J.H. Campbell plant at the end of the month. On Friday, the Department of Energy issued a 90-day emergency order to keep the lights on.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright says keeping this open is important for grid security.
The DOE explains that the Campbell plant needs to remain available for operation, minimizing any potential generation shortfall that could lead to unnecessary power outages.
“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," 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.”
This is also a hot topic for Ottawa County commissioners who were looking to keep this open for the past several months.
Commissioner Allison Miedema wrote, "this is great news as we will preserve access to baseload power for Michigan."
Commissioner Jacob Bonnema added, "Grid stability is a major priority for our county. Numerous business owners are concerned about this issue."
In 2021, Consumers Energy filed a proposal with the Michigan Public Service Commission, laying out its plan to close the plant in 2025.
It had previously planned on closing a portion of the coal-fired facility in 2031 and completing its decommissioning in 2040.
The new timeline fell in line with the utility company's clean energy goal of eliminating coal use by 2025.
Consumers did send us a statement. They say they'll comply with the 90-day pause from the Department of Energy. The company is also reviewing the executive action and the overall impact on the company.
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