U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order to keep Unit 2 of the Centralia Generating Station in Centralia, Washington, operational through the winter months. The unit was originally scheduled for shutdown at the end of 2025, but concerns about grid reliability and the risk of blackouts led to the decision to extend its operation.
The Department of Energy stated that maintaining power from the coal plant is necessary for grid stability in the Northwest. The emergency order aims to minimize both blackout risks and associated costs as temperatures drop.
“The last administration’s energy subtraction policies had the United States on track to experience significantly more blackouts in the coming years — thankfully, President Trump won’t let that happen,” said Energy Secretary Wright. “The Trump administration will continue taking action to keep America’s coal plants running so we can stop the price spikes and ensure we don’t lose critical generation sources. Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to heat their homes all the time, regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.”
A Resource Adequacy Report from DOE indicated that if recent trends continued, blackouts could increase a hundredfold by 2030 due to reductions in reliable power sources during previous administrations.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), in its 2025-2026 Winter Reliability Assessment, identified an elevated risk for electricity supply shortfalls in the WECC Northwest region during periods of severe weather such as extended cold snaps.
The emergency order will remain effective from December 16, 2025, until March 16, 2026.
According to NERC’s assessment, extreme winter conditions across wide areas could lead to electricity supply shortages. Additionally, U.S. peak electricity demand has increased by 2.5% since last winter as overall demand continues rising.
