April 10, 2026 - Three coal turbines whose retirements were delayed by the Trump administration did not generate electricity in January, one month after the Department of Energy directed the plants to stay open in the name of preventing a grid emergency.

Turbines at Centralia power plant in Washington state, Craig power plant in Colorado and R.M. Schahfer in Indiana did not make power during the first month of the year, according to preliminary U.S. Energy Information Administration data.

DOE ordered all three to stay open past their retirement dates in December, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to aid the coal industry and bolster the electric grid. Altogether, the department has ordered five coal plants, an oil facility and a gas plant to stay open, arguing that they are needed to ensure the reliability of the electric grid in the face of mounting power demand. When DOE ordered two Indiana coal plants to stay online in December, Energy Secretary Chris Wright asserted they had “the potential to save lives.” Environmental groups and state officials in Colorado and Washington have challenged the orders, arguing they are unnecessary and expensive.

Two of the three turbines that did not generate power in January were struggling with maintenance issues at the time they received a DOE order. In Indiana, one of two coal turbines at R.M. Schahfer had been offline since July due to mechanical problems. At Colorado’s Craig station, a valve broke on Unit 1 on Dec. 19 — 11 days before the turbine was slated to shut down for good.