09/19/2026
UPDATE 10:00 a.m. - Power has been restored to most of campus. The heating and cooling system will take additional time to be fully restored, impacting hot water to residence halls, educational buildings and dining facilities. Steam service will take time to bring back online. Crews are working around the clock to restore services and assess campus conditions.
UPDATE 3:00 a.m. - Power has been restored to the majority of campus. Crews continue working to bring the remaining buildings fully online.
UPDATE 10:30 p.m. - Crews at the Power Plant are working to bring power back online. This will be done in stages across campus. We are optimistic that power will be restored by the morning.
UPDATE 8:30 p.m. - Power on campus remains out. The cause has been identified. Internet and cell service is impacted as a result of the power outage. The university is communicating with cellular providers to try to alleviate the issue. At this time, there is not an estimated time for power to be restored. Regular updates are being posted on the website at https://ipf.msu.edu/notices/power-outage-east-lansing-campus
[FINAL UPDATE]
For the latest information on hot water and campus operations, visit: www.msu.edu/emergency.
[UPDATE: 09-20-26 at 10:07 a.m.]
Due to the ongoing impacts of a significant power outage and the resulting loss of steam and hot water service affecting portions of our campus, Michigan State University will transition to online instruction and remote work, where possible, through Monday evening. These transitions will start today at 9 a.m., and go through Monday evening at 11 p.m. and are limited to the East Lansing campus only. This choice has been made to reduce the impact to our systems during this temporary impact to service. Please find the full message from President Guskiewicz here: https://president.msu.edu/communications/2026/09/2026_09_20_campusupdate
Events and activities happening across campus may also be impacted and are being handled on a case-by-case basis. Employees with questions about their job responsibilities should contact their supervisor.
For those living on campus in our residence halls, we understand this will cause inconveniences. We are adapting our dining operations to continue providing services throughout this temporary period.
The safety and wellbeing of our community continues to be our top priority, and we want to sincerely thank our MSU community for their patience and cooperation.
[UPDATE: 09-20-26 at 2:52 a.m.]
Michigan State University has restored power to the majority of campus following the outage at the T.B. Simon Power Plant. Crews continue working to bring the remaining buildings fully online and additional updates will be provided.
Thank you for your patience as this work continues.
[UPDATE: 09-19-26 at 11:24 p.m.]
Power is beginning to come back online in some areas of campus, and crews are continuing their work to restore full service. Complete restoration will take additional time. Thank you for your patience as this work continues.
[UPDATE: 09-19-26 at 10:37 p.m.]
Michigan State University has experienced a failure at the T.B. Simon Power Plant that supplies power to campus. The source of the failure has been identified, and crews are diligently working to repair the issue.
The T.B. Simon Power Plant produces electricity and steam power for campus. Once the power plant comes back online, power is methodically restored to all the buildings and campus facilities over a period of time. The university is optimistic that power will be restored by the morning.
University staff are located at residence halls to assist students in entering buildings should they experience access issues. Students should enter buildings through main entrances.
As a result of the power outage, those on campus may be experiencing an impact to cellular service across all carriers. The university is actively communicating with cellular providers to alleviate the issue, including Verizon Wireless that has delivered mobile units to campus to help improve service.
Patrol officers with MSU Department of Police and Public Safety are available throughout campus and are connecting with campus neighborhood staff for support. Light towers are in place at intersections on campus; please use caution when driving.
The campus community should be aware that MSU DPPS Green Light phones may not be working; please call or text 911 in the event of an emergency.
[UPDATE: 09-19-26 at 7:58 p.m.]
Michigan State University has identified the cause of the power outage affecting campus and is actively working to restore power.
The university does not yet have an estimated time for power to be restored and anticipates it may still be hours until campus is fully restored. As a result of the power outage, those on campus may be experiencing an impact to cellular service across all carriers. The university is actively communicating with cellular providers to alleviate the issue, including Verizon Wireless that is working to bring mobile units to campus to improve service.
Patrol officers with the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety are available throughout campus and are connecting with campus neighborhood staff for support. Light towers are being placed at intersections on campus, please use caution when driving.
In order to conserve generator resources, the MSU Union will close at 8:00 p.m.
The campus community should be aware that MSU DPPS Green Light phones may not be working. Please call or text 911 in the event of an emergency.
[ORIGINAL POST: 09-19-26 at 5:15 p.m.]
We have experienced a widespread power outage on campus. The MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities Team is currently working to quickly identify and diagnose the issue. Besides the power outage itself, there is no threat to campus.
Please call or text 911 to report any emergencies, or call 517-355-2221 to report any non-emergency related issues.
