Indiana URC
Sarah Freeman is a Commissioner at the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
In discussions with ten Commissioners from every end of the country, PUF's Paul Kjellander in late July asked about what's driving the energy transition in their states, their state's policies, barriers for the transition to overcome, and risks, also the role of consumer-owned energy.
PUF's Paul Kjellander: What do you see are the primary drivers for the energy transition for utilities that operate in the State of Indiana?
Commissioner Sarah Freeman: In Indiana, it's the economics that drive the transition, with renewable resources typically coming in at lower cost than do traditional fossil fuels. Indiana does not have a renewable portfolio standard that dictates any type of portfolio on behalf of our utilities, so it's all about the economics.
The transition really took off in Indiana in 2019 when NIPSCO issued its first all-source RFP, and that came back with an all-renewable portfolio, which lined up nicely with their goal of being coal free by 2028. We still see this transition continuing today, because NIPSCO recently took another step down that path.
NIPSCO filed with us a petition for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for a two-hundred-megawatt solar project that it anticipates will qualify for the federal Bonus Energy Community Tax incentive.