By THE ALASKA STORY
March 19, 2026 – The Trump Administration has moved to keep a major coal-fired power plant in Washington state operating past its planned shutdown, citing growing concerns about grid reliability across the Pacific Northwest.
On Tuesday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency order directing TransAlta to maintain operational readiness of Unit 2 at the Centralia Generating Station. The unit, capable of producing roughly 729.9 megawatts of electricity, had been scheduled to shut down at the end of 2025.
The order, which took effect March 17, 2026, will remain in place through June 14, 2026.
Federal officials say the move is aimed at preventing potential power shortages as the region transitions away from baseload energy sources like coal. The Centralia facility has long been a cornerstone of the Northwest’s power supply, providing consistent electricity regardless of weather conditions.
“The last administration’s energy subtraction policies had the United States on track to likely experience significantly more blackouts in the coming years — thankfully, President Trump won’t let that happen,” Wright said in a statement. “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.”
The Department of Energy pointed to its Resource Adequacy Report, which warned that blackout risks could increase dramatically by 2030 if dispatchable energy sources continue to retire faster than they are replaced.
Meanwhile, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Democrat-led legislation last month targeting Centralia, the last coal-fired power plant in the Pacific Northwest.
But if the coal tax and a related climate pollution fee work as the Legislature intended, the state treasury will actually never collect a dime under the new law. According to The Washington Standard, that is because the law makes the idled Centralia generating plant uneconomical to restart burning coal if it is shuttered.
The Washington Legislature, governor and attorney general — all Democrats — have been trying to stop the Trump administration from keeping coal as a viable energy alternative, and the Centralia facility is at the center of the dispute.
“Washington is not going backward on clean energy,” Ferguson said at the bill signing ceremony. “(This) keeps the state on track to phase out coal power as we have been planning to do so for the last 15 years.”
Federal officials emphasized that the emergency order is temporary and narrowly focused on maintaining grid stability during periods of heightened risk.
The Pacific Northwest faces increasing pressure on its electrical system in recent years, driven by population growth, electrification, and variability in hydropower and renewable generation.
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