During the February 25, 2025, Ottawa County Board of Commissioner (OCBOC) meeting, the board passed a resolution to delay the decommission of the J.H. Campbell, Consumers Energy coal fired power plant. Although the Campbell plant was designed to operate until the year 2040, it is scheduled to be taken offline in May 2025. This is deeply concerning to many residents.
Americans are facing rapidly rising energy costs and decreased energy reliability. This is due to the combination of coal generating facilities across the country being decommissioned, a lack of investment in reliable sources of energy, a dependency on inadequate solar and wind power generation coupled with government policies and regulations that incentivize green energy, and the increase in demand for electricity, largely due to the popularity of electric vehicles and data centers.
The Campbell plant has a power generation capacity of 1,450 megawatts. According to America’s Power, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) power generating capacity is currently 202,000 megawatts, and the power generating members have plans to add an additional 163,000 megawatts of generating capacity over the next 20 years. However, the 2024 MISO Regional Resource Assessment forecasts that demand will increase by 343,000 megawatts over the next 20 years, indicating a shortfall of roughly 180,000 megawatts.
Campbell Plant Capacity - 1,450 megawatts
MISO Capacity - 202,000 megawatts
MISO Projected Capacity in 20 years - 365,000 megawatts
Projected demand in 20 years - 545,000 megawatts
To put this shortfall in perspective, an 85-megawatt generating solar farm, requires roughly one square mile of solar panels. This alone would require over 2000 square miles of solar panels, easily covering the entirety of Ottawa County which is 1,631 square miles in size. Covering only the current power generation capacity of Consumers would take roughly 16 square miles of solar panels. Experts at MISO and NERC [North American Electric Reliability Corporation] have been issuing warnings about potential power shortfalls.
Local resident and leader of the Save the Campbell effort, Joseph Parnell McCarter, gave public comment during the February 25, 2025 OCBOC meeting. According to McCarter, “Consumers Energy is violating Michigan law with its plan, because Michigan law implies that no electric public utility should move forward with a plan which endangers the grid like NERC and MISO are warning.”
McCarter then explained that in addition to transitioning to wind and solar, the plan for providing residents with sufficient power after the closure of the Campbell includes reopening the Palisades nuclear plant. McCarter also mentioned actions being taken by the Trump Administration that are likely to have local impacts. “The Trump Administration has frozen payments for Michigan solar and wind projects, which place all Campbell alternatives in even deeper jeopardy.” “Consumers’ 2025 Campbell closure is also in violation of the Trump Administration’s National Energy Emergency executive order, which calls for stopping such closures, because our lack of electric generation ‘constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to our Nation’s economy, national security, and foreign policy.’ It calls for co-locating AI data centers next to plants like the Campbell. If this executive order route is followed, it is a way to significantly reduce electric rates for Ottawa County citizens. The high charges to the AI data center can subsidize lower rates for county rate payers. Remember, Consumers Energy customers pay 58% higher rates than Zeeland customers on municipalized electric. This outrageous rate difference is another reason the County Board needs to intervene, along with preventing huge rate increases as reliable electric generating capacity becomes more scarce.“
At least seven municipalities, including Polktown Township, Jamestown Township, Blendon Township, Zeeland Township, George Township, Grand Haven Township, Chester Township, and Ottawa County have passed resolutions in favor of delaying the closure of the Campbell plant.
During the OCBOC meeting, Commissioner Joe Moss (45:30) stated, “One public commenter said, ‘Consumers plan is unrealistic,’ while I agree with that, I would go a little further and say, it is ideological, and they are pushing, whether it is public or not, the climate crisis, green energy agenda in their war on affordable fossil fuels.”
Commissioner Jacob Bonnema (46:20) stated, “Power is essential to business being able to grow and thrive here, and of course our community members need that every day. So demand is going up, not down. So the idea of removing power from the grid just doesn’t make sense before we are truly assured that a one-for-one replacement of the power that is being turned off is in place.”
Commissioner Josh Brugger (51:30) stated, “I do believe in climate change. [] I do believe that coal has a negative impact on our environment, and I am thrilled with the closure of coal plants. I do believe we need a diverse source of energy, excluding coal. I’ve had the opportunity to vote to close one coal plant as a city councilman in the City of Grand Haven. [] The second part of that decision was whether to bring in a new energy source into the City of Grand Haven, and I voted no on that.” He then referred to the NERC study published in December 2024. “These people are not coal people, but they are warning us that there is a concern with the MISO grid. That concern is that renewables and other sources are not coming online fast enough to offset the shuttering of other plants.”
All three of these commissioners along with the others excepting Sylvia Rhodea, who was not present, and Doug Zylstra who voted no, voted yes on the resolution.
As Americans, we are accustomed to having reliable electricity. The only times we seem to go without electricity are during recreational wilderness camping excursions or when wind storms cause trees to fall on power lines. We have never experienced living without home electricity for prolonged periods of time. We have never had to keep food cold without electricity. We depend on electricity to prepare our meals, heat our homes, power our entertainment systems and provide general lighting. We do not even consider the possibility of going without electricity. Unfortunately, we are unwittingly heading in that direction, because this is where decommissioning reliable coal energy producing plants and switching to unreliable green energy leads!!!
It is not too late to reverse this decision.
Ottawa County Board of Commission Resolution to Delay the Closure of J.H. Campbell Plant, February 25, 2025
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy (hereafter “Consumers”) operates the J.H. Campbell Plant (hereafter “Campbell Plant”) located in Port Sheldon Township, Ottawa County, Michigan; and,
WHEREAS, the Campbell Plant delivers electricity to Ottawa County, the State of Michigan, and throughout central portions of the United States as an integrated member of the electrical grid system called the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, INC (hereafter “MISO”); and,
WHEREAS, the Michigan Public Service Commission (hereafter “MPSC”) has statutory authority to regulate the Campbell Plant (MCL 460.6); and, WHEREAS, in 2022, Consumers received approval from the MPSC to cease producing electricity at the Campbell Plant beginning April 1, 2025; and,
WHEREAS, the MPSC decision was based on projected increases in energy production from diverse sources that would offset lost production from the closure of the Campbell Plant; and,
WHEREAS, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (hereafter “NERC”) indicated in its December, 2024 report that out of eleven North American grid networks extending from the Canadian Arctic to the Gulf, the only network receiving a “High Risk” warning for shortfalls in electricity supplies is the MISO grid (NERC, 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, December 2024); and,
WHEREAS, the NERC report further indicates that the reason for the High-Risk warning is that “resource additions are not keeping up with generator retirements and demand growth.”; and,
WHEREAS, Consumers representatives reported to members of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners at the February 11, 2025, Ottawa County Planning and Policy Committee meeting that closure of the Campbell Plant was not originally slated to take place until after the year, 2030; and,
WHEREAS, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners has the authority to “enter or to intervene in any action or certificate proceeding involving the services, charges or rates of any privately owned public utility furnishing services or commodities to rate payers within the County.” (Article VII, Section 15 of the Constitution of the State of Michigan, 1964, as amended);
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners requests that the MPSC consider this resolution as a formal appeal of its decision dated June 22, 2022, authorizing the Campbell Plant to close on May 31, 2025; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in light of the concerns described herein, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners requests that the MPSC postpone this closure until such time as a new hearing can be held before the MPSC to address these concerns and to provide assurances to the citizens of Ottawa County, the State of Michigan, and all members of the MISO grid that based on currently available energy sources, the closure of the Campbell Plant will not have an adverse effect on the reliable delivery of electricity to our respective communities.