U.S. Secretary of Energy Issues Emergency Orders to Keep Indiana Coal Plants Open for Reliable Power in the Midwest

The U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued emergency orders to keep two Indiana coal plants operational for continued access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity in the Midwest region of the United States, effective March 24, 2026 through June 21, 2026.

The orders have instructed the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), CenterPoint Energy, and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) to take all measures necessary to ensure specified generation units at both the R.M. Schahfer and F.B. Culley generating stations in Indiana are available to operate. While certain generation units at the coal plants were scheduled to shut down at the end of 2025, the orders prioritized minimizing electricity costs for the American people and minimizing the risk and costs of blackouts.

“The Trump Administration will continue taking action to keep America’s coal plants running to ensure we don’t lose critical generation sources,” said Energy Secretary, Wright. “Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power their homes all the time, regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.”

During recent extreme winter weather, from January 23–February 1, Schahfer operated at over 285 MW every day and Culley operated at approximately 30 MW almost every day. The operations served as a reminder that allowing reliable generation to go offline will contribute to grid reliability risks.

The coal plants are critical to MISO’s operations, operating during periods of high energy demand and low levels of intermittent energy production. As outlined in DOE’s Resource Adequacy Report, power outages are expected to increase by 100 times in 2030 if the U.S. continues to take reliable power offline. The emergency conditions that led to the issuance of the original orders persist.

MISO’s service area will continue to face emergency conditions both in the near and long term. NERC warned in its 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment that the continuing shift in the resource mix toward weather-dependent resources and less fuel diversity will increase risks of supply shortfalls during winter months.