WASHINGTON, D.C. (Michigan News Source) – A West Michigan coal plant slated for a shut down last year will keep generating electricity under a new emergency order from the Trump administration.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued the order Friday, August 14, directing the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), working with Consumers Energy, to keep the 1,420-megawatt J.H. Campbell Generating Plant in West Olive available for operation.

MORE NEWS: Poll: Voters Balk at Higher Spending as ‘Tax the Rich’ Candidate El-Sayed Lands in Michigan’s Top 1%

The latest order takes effect Aug. 17 and runs through Nov. 14.

The Campbell plant had been scheduled to close May 31, 2025 – roughly 15 years before the end of its originally anticipated operating life. The Department of Energy (DOE) first intervened in May 2025 and has issued subsequent orders keeping the plant available.

Reliability concerns keep Campbell running.

DOE says Campbell has been called upon during periods of high electricity demand and when intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar were producing less power. “Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining,” Wright said.

The administration pointed to a North American Electric Reliability Corporation assessment warning that the MISO region faces a high risk of energy shortfalls over the next five years as electricity demand grows and power plants retire faster than replacement generation comes online.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is once again challenging the Trump administration’s effort to keep the J.H. Campbell plant running. On Monday, Nessel announced she will seek a rehearing of the DOE’s latest emergency order which she calls “fabricated.” Nessel, who has already challenged five previous DOE orders, argues the federal government has failed to demonstrate an actual energy emergency and says continued operation is piling unnecessary costs onto ratepayers.

In addition, Nessel has taken the fight to federal court and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, challenging both DOE’s authority to keep the plant operating and efforts to spread its costs among customers throughout the MISO region.