U.S. officials say Michigan coal plant must stay open
State planned closing as part of transition to cleaner energy.
PREVIOUS IMAGE
NEXT IMAGE
DETROIT — The U.S. Department of Energy has ordered a Michigan coal-fired power plant to remain open, at least until late August, citing possible electricity shortfalls in the central United States.
State regulators immediately fired back, saying it is unnecessary to keep Consumers Energy’s J.H. Campbell plant open. It is supposed to close Saturday.
“We currently produce more energy in Michigan than needed. As a result, there is no existing energy emergency in either Michigan or MISO,” said Dan Scripps, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission.
MISO stands for Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which manages the flow of electricity in 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
MISO’s forecast says there should be enough electricity in the region this summer, though “there is the potential for elevated risk during extreme weather.”
Consumers Energy is planning to close Campbell as part of a transition to cleaner energy. The power plant opened in 1962 in western Michigan’s Ottawa County, near Lake Michigan. It can generate up to 1,450 megawatts of electricity to serve up to 1 million people, the utility said.
“MISO and Consumers Energy shall take all measures necessary to ensure that the Campbell Plant is available to operate,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Friday.
The utility said it will comply with the order, which expires on Aug. 21.
“Yes, the plant will stay on and produce electricity,” spokesperson Brian Wheeler said Tuesday.
An environmental group, the Sierra Club, panned the government order.
“Coal is expensive, outdated and deadly. ... Consumers Energy is right to finally retire this hugely expensive plant that is costing Michiganders their lives,” attorney Greg Wannier said, referring to the health effects of coal emissions.
Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed executive orders intended to quadruple domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, a goal experts say the United States is highly unlikely to reach.
To speed up the development of nuclear power, the orders grant the U.S. energy secretary authority to approve some advanced reactor designs and projects, taking authority away from the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades.
The order comes as demand for electricity surges amid a boom in energy-hungry data centers and artificial intelligence. Tech companies, venture capitalists, states and others are competing for electricity and straining the nation’s electric grid.
State regulators immediately fired back, saying it is unnecessary to keep Consumers Energy’s J.H. Campbell plant open. It is supposed to close Saturday.
“We currently produce more energy in Michigan than needed. As a result, there is no existing energy emergency in either Michigan or MISO,” said Dan Scripps, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission.
MISO stands for Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which manages the flow of electricity in 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
MISO’s forecast says there should be enough electricity in the region this summer, though “there is the potential for elevated risk during extreme weather.”
Consumers Energy is planning to close Campbell as part of a transition to cleaner energy. The power plant opened in 1962 in western Michigan’s Ottawa County, near Lake Michigan. It can generate up to 1,450 megawatts of electricity to serve up to 1 million people, the utility said.
“MISO and Consumers Energy shall take all measures necessary to ensure that the Campbell Plant is available to operate,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Friday.
The utility said it will comply with the order, which expires on Aug. 21.
“Yes, the plant will stay on and produce electricity,” spokesperson Brian Wheeler said Tuesday.
An environmental group, the Sierra Club, panned the government order.
“Coal is expensive, outdated and deadly. ... Consumers Energy is right to finally retire this hugely expensive plant that is costing Michiganders their lives,” attorney Greg Wannier said, referring to the health effects of coal emissions.
Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed executive orders intended to quadruple domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, a goal experts say the United States is highly unlikely to reach.
To speed up the development of nuclear power, the orders grant the U.S. energy secretary authority to approve some advanced reactor designs and projects, taking authority away from the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades.
The order comes as demand for electricity surges amid a boom in energy-hungry data centers and artificial intelligence. Tech companies, venture capitalists, states and others are competing for electricity and straining the nation’s electric grid.