Officials say keeping coal plant online prevented near-blackout, cite need to build replacement capacity

Asked about a decision to keep a coal-fired plant running, Secretary Wright said his action prevented a near-blackout and underlined the trade-offs officials face when retiring older generation before replacements are operational.

"I took heat for keeping the Campbell coal plant open. Two days later, we almost had a blackout. If that Campbell plant had not been running, we would have had a blackout in Michigan two days after I issued that order," the secretary said, adding that the plant ran at over 650 megawatts for 10 days during a recent winter storm.

Officials framed the choice as one of balancing reliability and the eventual transition to newer resources. "Eventually, you retire older energy sources, but you got to build new energy sources first," the secretary said. Lawmakers and local leaders at the event emphasized the importance of keeping manufacturing and households powered while replacement capacity is developed.

Why it matters: Grid reliability decisions can have immediate public‑safety and economic consequences; officials said a continuing supply gap remains until new generation and grid upgrades come online. The transcript records claims about avoided blackouts and multi‑day heavy operation of the coal plant; independent grid operator and plant-operation records were not presented at the event.

Next steps and oversight: Speakers urged development of new generation, grid capacity expansion and permitting reform to accelerate replacements. The event did not include a formal vote or regulatory filing that would codify the plant’s status.