Western Railroad Discussion > No more Powder River coal to pass through Superior WI port

Effective June 30, 2026 Superior WI's Midwest Energy Resources Coal terminal, built 50 years ago specifically to facilitate transloading Powder River coal to 1,000 ft lakers from unit trains, has closed and low sulphur Powder RIver coal will no longer be transloaded from train to ship bound for Michigan area power plants.

MERC Coal Terminal Closure

According to Google AI, the final vessel to load coal at the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal (SMET) in Superior, Wisconsin, was the Hon James L Oberstar on June 18, 2026. 

This follows the loss of lake traffic caused by the shutdown of the CHS Superior grain terminal in 2025 due to changes in the flow of US grain. Fewer grain handling vessels are arriving at the Twin Ports to be loaded with export grain given there are fewer imported products being shipped to these ports.
 

What used to be imported there?

timz Wrote:
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> What used to be imported there?

The ships bearing European imports called on various Great Lakes ports prior to heading to the Twin Ports for grain loading. It's apparently not economically viable for ships that would haul export grain to Europe to travel empty one way. And imports to the Great Lakes are down significantly over the past few years.

I know the odd lot of rails for BN from Germany used to arrive in the twin ports.

JPB Wrote:
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> Effective June 30, 2026 Superior WI's Midwest
> Energy Resources Coal terminal, built 50 years ago
> specifically to facilitate transloading Powder
> River coal to 1,000 ft lakers from unit trains,
> has closed and low sulphur Powder RIver coal will
> no longer be transloaded from train to ship bound
> for Michigan area power plants.
>
> MERC Coal Terminal Closure
>
> According to Google AI, the final vessel to load
> coal at the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal
> (SMET) in Superior, Wisconsin, was the Hon James L
> Oberstar on June 18, 2026. 
>
> This follows the loss of lake traffic caused by
> the shutdown of the CHS Superior grain terminal in
> 2025 due to changes in the flow of US grain. Fewer
> grain handling vessels are arriving at the Twin
> Ports to be loaded with export grain given there
> are fewer imported products being shipped to these
> ports.
>  


Yep, actions have consequences. i.e. tariffs.

Will the Michigan plants receive coal via all rail routes, or is the coal burning being phased out ( I believe some plants have been scheduled for closure).

Probably the end of traffic on the Lakes or Brainerd Subs for BNSF.

Posted from Android

ts1457 Wrote:
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> Will the Michigan plants receive coal via all rail
> routes, or is the coal burning being phased out (
> I believe some plants have been scheduled for
> closure).

Several Michigan electric plants are operating under emergency executive orders. Whether these orders will be extended is not clear.

Posted from Android

PHall Wrote:

> Yep, actions have consequences. i.e. tariffs.

The Trump tariffs are only retaliatory against countries that have had grossly unreasonable tariffs against various US products for decades, and sometimes for generations.  Why is it OK for other countries to have tariffs against the US, but many people scream when we correctly impose retaliatory tariffs against those countries?  All they have to do is remove their tariffs against US goods.  We would then drop our tariffs, and it would be a level playing field.

Any coal for those Detroit Edison plants that went through Superior  and MERC, will be all rail via BN, BNSF's Central Corridor, Via
Galesburg  and Chicago, Illinois.

PWM

CubsFanJohn Wrote:
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> Probably the end of traffic on the Lakes or
> Brainerd Subs for BNSF.
>
> Posted from Android
Not necessarily, I can see it being open for grain trains to/from Duluth/Superior, manifest traffic, and the occasional detour. I believe there's still a local out of Superior that goes as far as Aitkin, with occasional deliveries to the BNSF machine shop in Brainerd.

Mark Kennebeck
Saint Paul, MN

Quakerengr Wrote:
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> Any coal for those Detroit Edison plants that went
> through Superior  and MERC, will be all rail via
> BN, BNSF's Central Corridor, Via
> Galesburg  and Chicago, Illinois.
>
> PWM

According to a list of NS train symbols at railroadfan.com, the four coal fired generating units at the DTE plant at Monroe MI receive coal from BNSF at Cicero IL on trains 880 and 882, as needed, and from UP at Proviso IL on train 884. And there's also an as needed Shire Oaks PA to Monroe NS coal train 584. Apparently 2 of the 4 generating units at Monroe are to be shut down in 2028 and the remaing two are to be shut down in 2032, 

The Belle River plant's 2 coal fired units, formerly served by CSX coal trains, has partly converted to natural gas with completion expected this year. The only two surviving coal fired plants, Filer City (very small) and JH Campbell, receive coal by rail I believe. Consumer Energy's Campbell was to shut down in 2025 but Trump administration continues to issue 90 day emergency orders to keep it running.