Indiana Senate panel advances bill allowing small nuclear reactors
The vote represents a major shift for Indiana, which has never had commercial nuclear power and has long relied on coal to power homes and factories.
Utilities
Articles
Majority of states pursue nuclear power for emission cuts
As climate change pushes states in the U.S. to dramatically cut their use of fossil fuels, many are coming to the conclusion that solar, wind and other renewable power sources might not be enough to keep the lights on.
EPA moves to crack down on dangerous coal ash storage ponds
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.
Carmel-based company bringing ‘floatovoltaics’ to Midwest
Solential Energy Solutions LLC is partnering with France-based Ciel & Terre to secure solar arrays engineered to float on the surface of reservoirs and treatment lagoons.
Critics urge Duke Energy to green up more quickly
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.
UPDATE: About 3,500 AES Indiana customers remain without power Sunday morning following 2 weather events
The company said it expects the restoration of electric service to be “substantially complete” by late Monday evening.
Carmel-based power grid manager faces challenge of keeping up with electricity demand
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, is the organization responsible for managing the power grid across Indiana, 14 other states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
Consumer advocate recommends denial of Indiana utility’s rate-hike request
Bill Fine, the Indiana Utility Consumer Counselor, wrote in a filing that “after receiving base rate increases in 2018 and 2020, I&M has not made the case for this increase at this time.”
Power plant problems lead AES to seek more cash from customers
AES Indiana’s Eagle Valley natural gas power plant, located near Martinsville and capable of powering about a half-million houses, conked out in April, due to problems with breakers and relays. Six months later, it is still offline while technicians try to repair a wide range of damage to critical parts.
Work starting on 13,000-acre solar farm in two Indiana counties
The $1.5 billion solar farm’s first phase is expected become operational by mid-2023 and will produce 400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 75,000 households, according to the company.
Citizens projects ‘small increase’ in winter heatings bills; CenterPoint sees much bigger hike
Citizens Energy Group said it would use various measure to keep prices down even though the market price for natural gas is about double the level of last fall.
Fishers plans to buy portion of Hamilton Southeastern Utilities for $90M
While many cities are selling their wastewater systems to utility companies, the city of Fishers is bucking the trend.
Duke Energy under pressure to break into 3 pieces
Activist investor Paul Singer says the huge utility has been underperforming its peers and argues that Duke’s customers would be better served by locally managed utilities.
After cyberattack, pipeline operator promises return by week’s end
The attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned.
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.
HG Ventures only investor outside Europe chosen to participate in UK initiative
HG Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Indianapolis-based The Heritage Group, announced on Thursday a partnership with Innovate UK to leverage HG Ventures investments in environmentally sustainable innovation in the United Kingdom. HG Ventures joins a handful of other venture groups in the program following a competitive selection process
Indiana utility fined record $1.1M for pipeline safety violations
The fine represents the third time since 2017 that NIPSCO has received a substantial fine for similar violations. The money the utility will pay for the fine will go into Indiana’s general fund.
IPL places big bet on a name change
One of Indianapolis’ oldest companies, Indianapolis Power & Light Co., is testing whether putting on a whole new look will help it get more recognition and affection than utilities’ normally see.
Texas power outages below 500,000, but water woes persist
Authorities ordered 7 million people—a quarter of the population of the nation’s second-largest state—to boil tap water before drinking it, following record low temperatures that damaged infrastructure and pipes.
Indiana should see some economic recovery this year, economist says
Indiana’s economy should start to recover this year from the damage of COVID-19, but the economy likely won’t fully rebound until late 2022 or early 2023, a Ball State University economist says.