NIPSCO Unveils Move to Renewable Energy, Retiring All Coal

FAIR OAKS, IN -- Yesterday, NIPSCO unveiled a plan to retire its last remaining coal-burning power plants within 10 years and replace them with renewable energy in Northwest Indiana. At the company’s 20-year planning meeting, community members shared a video montage of NIPSCO customer concerns -- which still must be addressed in the company’s transition plan.

NIPSCO revealed that, based on their modeling, the most-viable option for serving electric customers would be to retire the Schahfer Super Polluter coal-burning power plant by 2023 and the Michigan City coal plant in 2028, noting that it is less expensive than keeping those plants running -- saving customers $4.3 billion over running those plants through 2035.

Steve Francis, chairperson of the energy committee for the Sierra Club’s Hoosier Chapter said, “The retirement of all of NIPSCO’s coal-fired power plants by 2028 and replacement of all capacity with renewables, energy efficiency and demand management is an unprecedented commitment in Indiana to a forward-looking plan that benefits ratepayers, reduces carbon emissions, and improves the long term health of the region. In recognizing the need to address pollution concerns in the next decade, we will continue to engage thoroughly in this process.”

Their modeling also determined that renewable energy and energy efficiency are the best option to replace fossil fuels in all their retirement scenarios. The modeling also tentatively projected for 1,500 MW of solar and solar + storage, 150 MW of wind, 125 MW of DSM (efficiency and demand-side management) and 50 MW of market purchases as their “most viable” option. NIPSCO officials indicated they also plan to keep their existing gas power plant in West Terre Haute for at least 20 years.

La’Tonya Troutman, local volunteer for the Sierra Club’s Northwest Indiana Beyond Coal Campaign, said, “NIPSCO’s announcement to retire coal is an important first step towards environmental justice; however, we must ensure NIPSCO meets all the demands of the communities they serve, and are not making profit a priority over the people. Through a series of ‘community conversations’ and associated events that reimagine the industrial corridor, we gathered public opinion about NIPSCO and renewable energy -- including our youth, who created a large scale collaborative mural entitled “Our Ecopolis.”

“Responses included calls for replacing coal with renewables, addressing projected job losses and cleaning up coal ash pits at NIPSCO’s existing and decommissioned coal plant sites. So while the modeling presentation shows us NIPSCO’s viable plan, they must also work on steps needed to aid communities impacted by years of degradation.”

 The campaign is asking NIPSCO to:

1. Create a process that is participatory, inclusive and justice driven while implementing their plan. This must involve public meetings that are led by and within the communities most impacted by NIPSCO’s pollution, particularly low-income communities and urban communities.
2. Prepare a cleanup and recovery plan for communities that establishes a course for the safe, steadfast and equitable decommissioning of NIPSCO’s coal ash ponds as well as reclamation of coal plant and lakefront property for other uses as determined by the community.
3. Prepare a Just Transition for the impacted workers that includes comprehensive job training opportunities in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. These jobs and the renewable energy generated should be locally sourced.

Troutman concluded by stating, “We will continue to advocate for communities all around the region who have expressed serious concerns with NIPSCO’s two coal-burning power plants. We will work to ensure that NIPSCO will do the hard work of planning these retirements in a way that listens to public concerns, helps transition workers, and cleans up and restores communities negatively impacted by their historic pollution.”