Utility regulator staffer leaving to work as industry lobbyist
Ryan Heater has served as the IURC’s staff chief since 2019, but he’ll soon head to Indiana Electric Cooperatives to be the group’s vice president of government relations.
Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
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AES Indiana gets green light to convert Petersburg power plant from coal to natural gas
Indiana utility regulators on Wednesday approved a sweeping plan by AES Indiana to stop burning coal at its massive Petersburg Generating Station, despite opposition from the coal industry and some elected officials.
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Westfield seeks role in fighting Duke Energy Indiana’s proposed 16% rate increase
Westfield has asked the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to become a party to the case, which would allow the city to submit evidence and testimony and cross-examine the state’s largest electric utility about its rate increase request.
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AES Indiana says state storm outage investigation not warranted
State and not-for-profit utility consumer advocates filed a joint petition on July 11 asking the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to investigate the utility’s “practices and procedures for storm outage restoration.”
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Consumer advocates seek probe into long AES power outages after storm
State and not-for-profit utility consumer advocates have asked state regulators to investigate the utlity after a recent storm left some customers without power for nearly a week.
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Articles
AES Indiana agrees to chop cost to customers of plant outages by $57M
Indianapolis-based utility AES Indiana has agreed to reduce the amount it will charge customers for costs related to the breakdown of its newest power plant from $71 million to $13.7 million under a settlement agreement approved Wednesday by state regulators.
AES Indiana, customers at odds over $41M in costs incurred while power plant was down
The utility is asking for permission to pass on the cost of power it had to purchase from the grid during the outage, but customers are objecting.
Indiana utility seeking 16.5% electric rate increase
Merrillville, Indiana-based Northern Indiana Public Service Co. asked the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission this week to approve the rate increase over two years for its 470,000 customers across 32 northern Indiana counties.
Veleta appointed to Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
David Veleta succeeds David Ober, who resigned as commissioner in June after being named vice president of taxation and public finance for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
Ober to step down as utility regulator, take lobbying job with Indiana Chamber
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce said David Ober will start his new position as vice president of taxation and public finance in late June.
Citizens Energy Group proposes acquisition of Ben Davis Conservancy District
Citizens Energy Group announced Wednesday that it wants to acquire a small, little-known political subdivision in Marion County that was months away from starting construction of its own wastewater treatment plant to avoid Citizens’ rate hikes.
Court: Duke can’t make customers pay coal-ash cleanup costs
Duke Energy won’t be allowed to make its customers pay the more than $210 million needed to recoup coal-ash cleanup costs after the utility failed to follow the proper steps to recover those expenses, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled.
Indiana regulators approve settlement cutting I&M electric rates
State regulators have approved a settlement with Indiana Michigan Power under which the utility will cut its Indiana residential customers’ base electric rates nearly 6% by next year.
Duke Energy’s $2B deal with Singapore raises eyebrows
The huge investment by a foreign government is unprecedented for Indiana utilities, which typically raise capital through more traditional routes, such as selling debt through investment banks.
State slaps NIPSCO with record-breaking $1.1 million safety fine
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission cited the utility for instances of failing to locate or mark underground pipelines within two days of a request being made, as is required in advance of any excavation work.
Indiana regulators cut Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike by 60%
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission ruled Monday that Duke Energy, the state’s largest electricity provider, could collect an additional $146 million a year from customers. That’s down sharply from Duke Energy’s original request.
Indiana regulators rule utilities can’t charge consumers for lost revenue during pandemic
Monday’s ruling followed a huge uproar from ratepayers and elected officials, who widely criticized utilities for their request to charge customers for electricity they didn’t use when demand slowed down during health crisis lockdowns.
Utilities face major pushback over pandemic-relief request
More than 2,300 people have complained by email to the Indiana Utility Consumer Counselor, which is on track to become the largest number of complaints for any single case in at least a decade.
Fishers mayor criticizes utilities, IURC over pandemic-related rate-hike request
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness isn’t the first person to bash the utilities and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission over the matter. Thousands of consumers have written letters and emails protesting the request.
Indiana regulators agree to hear utility request to raise rates in wake of pandemic losses
Two weeks after 10 Indiana utilities asked state regulators for permission to charge ratepayers for millions of dollars in revenue the utilities stand to lose because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state has agreed to consider the matter.
IPL gets OK to spend $1.2B on grid upgrade, setting stage for seven years of rate increases
IPL said a typical household customer would likely pay an extra $1.50 a month in the first year. That monthly amount would increase by $1.50 each year, or by a total of $10.50 a month by the seventh year.
Duke Energy’s rates should be cut, not raised, Indiana agency says
It’s an unusual rebuke from the Utility Consumer Counselor Bill Fine, who often recommends that state regulators cut a utility’s proposed rate increase, but rarely says the entire hike should be denied.
Indiana regulators side with Duke Energy on rate-hike paperwork case
The ruling is a setback for consumer activists and customer groups, who say Duke Energy’s application to raise electricity rates by an average of 15% is incomplete and confusing.
Duke Energy facing rate-hike pushback
Key parties in the case have asked state regulators to order Duke to refile all its work papers and exhibits, with formulas and linked spreadsheets.