DOE Orders Indiana Coal Plants to Delay Retirements

The U.S. Department of Energy issued emergency orders on December 23 requiring Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and CenterPoint Energy to maintain operations at three coal-fired power units in Indiana. These units, providing more than 950 MW of capacity, were scheduled for retirement on December 31 but must now remain active until at least March 23.

The agency invoked Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to address tightening supply conditions and increasing demand within the Midcontinent Independent System Operator region. The DOE has applied similar emergency measures to plants in Washington, Pennsylvania, and Michigan to prevent energy shortages resulting from the accelerated retirement of generation facilities.

Opponents of the order, including the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, warned that keeping these expensive units operational would raise electricity bills for consumers. Additionally, similar DOE orders regarding the Campbell power plant in Michigan are currently being challenged in federal appeals court by environmental groups and several states.