Oak Creek coal plant retirements delayed to end-2026

The Oak Creek coal plant will continue to operate to the end of 2026, at the very least. We Energies, which owns and operates the Oak Creek coal plant, has stated that the decision to delay the retirement of the plant is aimed at providing reliable backup to the grid in the region. They claim that the decision to delay the retirement was not a direct cause of the Trump administration’s efforts to increase energy production in the United States. The Trump administration has implemented several executive orders that aim to revitalize the energy sector in America and strengthen the US energy independence.

Two units at the Oak Creek power plant will remain operational until 2026

It must be noted that We Energies has stated that the units will not be running 24/7, but instead will be fired up in the event of the grid needing more power during peak hours and troublesome times when the energy grid in the region is under strain. The two aging coal-fired units were first built in the 1960s and have been in operation for many decades, providing reliable energy and job security for the workers in the region.

We Energies has stated that the controversial decision is aimed at increasing energy production during tightening energy supply requirements and in an effort to boost reliability. As several sites nearby are slated to change their energy production focus, like the Elm Road Generating Station, which has been operating since 2010, and will soon transition from a coal plant to a natural gas plant.

“This decision will help us keep the lights on every day and every season. Just this month, national grid experts raised the alarm of elevated risks of power supply shortages and price spikes due to plant closures and increasing energy demand in the Upper Midwest. The intention is not for those to be base load units, so not something that would run all the time. They’re there to help meet the capacity needs.” – We Energies President Mike Hooper

The decision to delay the retirement of the site has not gone down well with environmentalists

The decision not to retire the two units at the Oak Creek coal power plant by We Energies has not gone down well with several environmental groups. While we understand the need to provide reliable power to the grid, especially during peak usage, there are some unforeseen consequences that We Energies will be forced to face by keeping the site online and available.

“We Energies has once again failed to plan for the future, failed to appropriately invest in cheaper clean energy sources, and failed to keep costs down for Wisconsinites. We Energies is going back on promises it made to communities long burdened by toxic air emissions from that plant.” – Environmental nonprofit Clean Wisconsin’s Ciaran Gallagher

The site is not the first to continue operations despite having plans to shut down. The Trump administration has accelerated the production expectations by circumventing traditional regulatory barriers through several executive orders.

The Trump administration has pioneered a new era for the energy sector in the United States

The Donald Trump administration has signed several executive orders that promote more energy production across several key sectors in the energy industry. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” aims at revitalizing the energy sector in the United States and provides companies with a pathway to increase production and bypass the traditional regulatory measures pioneered by the previous administration. The Department of Energy has instructed several sites to continue operations under the new emergency powers that the Trump administration has enacted, despite the US not being in any energy emergency.