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An Indiana electric utility has announced a $ 1.1 billion investment in that state that includes switching coal-fired units to run on natural gas, along with new solar power and battery […]
The post AES Indiana Switching Last Coal Units to Gas, Adding Solar and Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO), which is phasing out coal-fired power as part of its “Your Energy, Your Future” plan announced late last year, on Feb. 1 said it will develop three new wind farm projects in the state that will add about 800 MW of renewable power generation capacity to its portfolio.
The Merrillville, Ind.-based utility on Friday said the wind farms will be sited in Benton, Montgomery, and White counties. NIPSCO said the projects are partnerships between the utility and private companies, and were chosen after NIPSCO last year issued a request for proposals (RFP) for alternative energy generation.
Violet Sistovaris, NIPSCO’s president, in a statement said, “We’re excited for the opportunity to add more home-grown renewable energy in Indiana. In addition to the economic benefits that projects like these add, the transition we’re making in our electric generation equates to an estimated $ 4 billion in cost-savings for customers over the long-term.”
The utility said it received 90 proposals for energy projects, including 70 sited within the state.…
An Indiana consumer protection agency has told state regulators they should reject Vectren Corp.’s plan to build a new natural gas-fired power plant in the state. Vectren wants the plant to replace four of the utility’s retiring coal-fired units.
Indiana’s Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) on August 13 said it completed a five-month legal and technical review of Vectren’s request. In a news release, the OUCC’s Bill Fine said, “Any electric utility that seeks to overhaul its generation fleet today must evaluate all possible options. It must also carefully examine the ways the options would impact its customers in terms of both money and electric reliability. In this case, Vectren has not evaluated all options or shown that it is proceeding in the most prudent manner.”
Evansville-based Vectren in a statement in response said it feels confident “that our generation plan is the best option for our electric customers in southwestern Indiana. The new natural gas plant will provide reliable, cleaner energy in addition to local jobs in Posey County.”…
An Indiana utility has confirmed it will close three coal-fired power units, replacing that generation with a proposed natural gas-fired facility along with additional solar power.
Evansville, Indiana-based Vectren Corp., a holding company whose assets include Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana-South, on February 20 released its Smart Energy Future strategic plan, designed to reduce Vectren’s carbon emissions by at least 60% from 2005 levels to comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
Vectren first talked about retiring coal-fired units in late 2016, a surprising move in a state that has long relied on coal for the bulk of its power generation, ranking second behind Texas in total coal consumption as recently as 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). However, EIA notes how coal’s share of the state’s total electric power generation has fallen in recent years, and after decades of receiving more than 90% of its power from coal—as much as 98% in 1998—Indiana now receives about 71% of its electricity from coal, according to EIA data from 2016.…
In an effort to become a fully regulated power company, American Electric Power (AEP) has agreed to sell four Midwestern power plants—representing a total of 5.2 GW—to a newly formed joint venture of Blackstone and ArcLight Capital Partners for about $ 2.17 billion.
AEP will sell:
All generating capacity is located in the region served by PJM Interconnection.
The sale is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, but it is subject to regulatory approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, and federal clearance pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, AEP said.
Moving on Out
Efforts to formalize a power purchase agreement that would have supported continued operation of AEP and FirstEnergy generation capacity in Ohio were punctured by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on April 27, though the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) had blessed the deal just a month before.…