The parent of electric utility AES Indiana announced Friday morning it plans to give up coal as a fuel source, a move likely to lead to the early shutdown of coal-fired units at its massive Petersburg Generating Station.
Plants in four states, including Indiana, will have to close the coal ash ponds months or years ahead of schedule, the EPA said Tuesday, citing deficiencies with groundwater monitoring, cleanup or other problems.
The state’s largest electric utility wants to retire much of its coal-fired generating fleet by 2035, but critics say Duke Energy lags all other Indiana utilities in the green-energy transition.
The utility’s R. Gallagher power plant, which boasts twin smokestacks that have long towered over the Ohio River city of New Albany, was scheduled to be retired in 2022, but will now close much earlier.
Coal is rebranding itself from a dirty, low-tech fuel into a reliable source of energy. And it might have powerful friends in the Indiana General Assembly in that effort.
The first mine in Warrick County—in the heart of Indiana’s coal country—opened on Pigeon Creek in 1818. By the end of that century, the Pigeon Creek area had some 97 active mines.
The 21st Century Energy Policy Development Task Force, which was set up to guide lawmakers in crafting a long-term energy plan, voted 11-4 on a series of findings and non-binding recommendations.
A state energy task force is considering a sweeping array of measures that seem to favor existing large-scale utilities, many of which still burn coal, over providers of renewable energy.
The Indianapolis-based utility said it also will spend $5 million to mitigate what critics say has been harm to the environment caused by the plant’s excess emissions over the years.
The federal rescue measure was designed for companies with fewer than 500 workers, but Small Business Administration guidelines allow some bituminous coal mining firms with up to 1,500 employees to qualify for the loans.
The legislation, House Bill 1414, comes as large utilities across Indiana have announced plans to shut down thousands of megawatts of coal-fired generating capacity in favor of cheaper fuel sources.
The legislation to slow down the exodus from coal comes as large utilities across Indiana have announced plans to shut down thousands of megawatts of coal-fire generating capacity in favor of cheaper fuel sources, such as natural gas, solar and wind.
This week, the Indianapolis City-County Council passed a special resolution that calls on Indianapolis Power & Light to shut down its largest generating station 14 years sooner than currently planned.
An energy cooperative announced Tuesday it will close a southwestern Indiana power plant in 2023, affecting 185 workers.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, comes as several large Indiana utilities are planning to shut down thousands of megawatts of coal-fired generating capacity in coming years in favor of cleaner or cheaper fuel sources.
The Petersburg Generating Station, about 120 miles southwest of Indianapolis, has been called a “super polluter” by environmental groups, with violations for excess sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide particulate matter and sulfuric mist.
Monday’s change would loosen some of the requirements for cleaning up the waste streams from coal-fired power plants and give utilities another two years to comply with some of the rules.
The company said it’s working with the affected employees “to identify comparable employment opportunities at four locations in Indiana and Illinois.
The groups say they’re concerned about potentially “dangerous air pollution” being released by Riverview Energy’s planned $2.5 billion project in southern Indiana.
The utility says it wants to keep most of its coal-fired plants in Indiana running through much of the next decade, while gradually investing in wind, solar and other renewable energy sources.
