DOE is exceeding its authority by using Federal Power Act Section 202(c) to keep the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan running under several consecutive “emergency” orders, opponents argued in recent court filings with the D.C. Circuit.

MISO officials clarified the J.H. Campbell coal plant — kept online and in retirement limbo by the Department of Energy’s series of emergency orders — is not eligible for the RTO’s capacity market and is not receiving special treatment for dispatch.

The U.S. Department of Energy has reupped a coal-fired power plant in Michigan for another 90-day operations period, preventing its planned retirement for a third time.

The Michigan Public Service Commission has approved tailored rate provisions between Consumers Energy and energy-intensive load customers.

The J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan has racked up $80 million in net costs since late May to stay online per emergency orders from the Department of Energy.

After years of looking for a buyer, Consumers Energy announced it struck a $13 deal to sell its fleet of 13 hydroelectric dams in Michigan to a Bethesda, Md., private equity firm.

FERC said MISO should spread the costs of keeping a Michigan coal plant running past its retirement date over the RTO’s entire Midwest region.

A Grid Strategies report concludes that if the Department of Energy continues to supersede retirement decisions for fossil-fueled power plants, it could cost consumers an extra $3 billion annually in a little more than three years.

The Michigan coal plant kept online by an emergency order from the U.S. Department of Energy cost $29 million to run in a little over a month.