PORT SHELDON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A resolution passed by the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners will not delay the planned closure of the J.H. Campbell power plant, the last coal-fired facility owned and operated by Consumers Energy.
In a near unanimous vote at a commission meeting in February, the board approved the resolution, which requested the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) postpone the plant's retirement to "address concerns" that the closure "will not have an adverse effect on the reliable delivery of electricity to our respective communities."
The 1,450-megawatt plant, located on the lakeshore in Port Sheldon Township, currently provides power to around 1 million people.
"I'll be the first to tell you: I'm no expert in this in any way, shape or form," said Jim Barry, an Ottawa County commissioner representing Park, Port Sheldon and Olive townships who voted in favor of the resolution. "But I've read a few things that make me ask questions."
"It will probably be okay, but again, I'm just asking the questions to make sure somebody is taking an educated look at this," he said.
The resolution specifically points to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) recently giving a "high-risk" label to MISO, the grid operator for Michigan, 14 other U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. Nearly 3,000 generating units are connected to its grid, according to a 2024 release.
"I understand the state is anxious to go to a green energy footprint in the state of Michigan," Barry said. "I hope they are maintaining reliability as a primary consideration in making their decisions."
READ MORE: Consumers Energy offers rare look inside Campbell power plant before decommissioning
In an interview with FOX 17 on Tuesday, a representative for Consumers Energy said the utility company would not delay the closure of the plant, which is currently scheduled for May 31.
"We want them to know that we take reliability concerns extremely seriously," said Trisha Bloembergen, the West Michigan Media Relations Specialist for Consumers Energy and CMS Energy.
"While we're disappointed in Ottawa County commissioners' decision to support the request of the postponement of the Campbell retirement, it doesn't change our plan," she said.
In 2021, Consumers Energy filed a proposal with the MPSC, laying out its plan to close the plant in 2025. It had previously planned on closing a portion of the coal-fired facility in 2031 and completing its decommissioning in 2040. The new timeline fell in line with the utility company's clean energy goal of eliminating coal use by 2025.
In 2022, the MPSC approved the plan as part of a settlement between Consumers Energy, customer groups, environmental organizations, energy industry representatives and more.
While a competitor of Consumers, Wolverine Power Cooperative, appealed the approval, the Michigan Court of Appeals reaffirmed the MPSC's decision.
Bloembergen says purchase power agreements and a recently bought natural gas plant in Covert Township will offset the loss of the Campbell.
"Closing Campbell remains the right decision to ensure affordable, safe, clean and reliable energy for our customers, and that includes our customers in Ottawa County," Bloembergen said. "It's not that we aren't willing to listen or hear what [Ottawa County's] input is. It's just, unfortunately, it's too late for this iteration of the plan."
While Barry understands the board's resolution comes only months before the plant's closure, he still would like Consumers and state regulators to take one more look at the reliability of Michigan's power supply.
"We just have concerns," he said. "[We're] just looking for some assurance that this is going to be fine."
For more on the retirement of the J.H. Campbell power plant, click here.
