(The Center Square) – Lawmakers are calling the decision to keep a western Michigan coal-fired power plant open for 90 days crucial to the power supply.
Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, said the decision is critical to the entire Midwest as summer temperatures and the increase in power needs are expected to rise.
“This facility is a regional asset, not just to Michigan, but to the entire Midwest,” Prestin said. “Its importance cannot be understated. If J.H. Campbell goes down, we enter into dangerous territory, where one bad day for any generation asset – whether it be baseload, wind, or solar – could mean widespread outages.”
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order that directed Midcontinent Independent System Operator, in combination with Consumers Energy, to keep the J.H. Campbell coal-fired plant open in West Olive.
The plant had been scheduled to close Saturday. Wright said the closure would have led to 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.”
The plant began operating in 1962 and was originally scheduled for retirement in 2040 before Consumers Energy moved up the date as part of its plan to phase out coal.
Wright’s emergency order delays the shutdown by 90 days.
Consumers Energy, in a statement, said, “Consumers Energy plans to comply with the Department of Energy order. We are pausing decommissioning activities at the Campbell plant and will operate it in compliance with the order, working in conjunction with MISO. The company is actively working to determine appropriate cost recovery consistent with applicable law and the federal order.”
