US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order to minimise the risk of blackouts, and address critical grid security issues, in the Midwestern region of the United States ahead of the high electricity demand expected this summer.
The order directs the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), in co-ordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the 1560 MW Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan remains available for operation, to minimise any potential capacity shortfall that could lead to unnecessary power outages. The plant had been scheduled to shut down on 31 May, 15 years before the end of its scheduled design life.
“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,” Secretary Wright said. “This administration will not sit back and allow dangerous energy subtraction policies to threaten the resiliency of our grid and raise electricity prices on American families.”
The emergency order, which is issued by the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), is authorised by Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and is in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order declaring a national energy emergency. It is intended to ensure that the power generation availability in the region does not dip below 2024 capacity levels.
Elevated risk
Heading into the summer months, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has warned that the region served by MISO “is at elevated risk of operating reserve shortfalls during periods of high demand.” Upcoming planned thermal generation retirements remain a primary contributing factor to these tight reserve margins, NERC notes, as well as the risk of supply shortfalls during the late summer months when solar output diminishes earlier in the day.
