Senate panel waters down coal-gas measure
A Senate committee is leaving a contentious battle over a proposed $3 billion coal-gasification plant in the Indiana Supreme Court’s hands for now.
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Indiana town takes unusual step to gain control of utility
Mooresville’s bid to purchase water operations likely will be decided in court.
Indiana coal industry scrambling to save its future
Options include increasing exports as opposition to coal-fired electricity generation heats up at both national and local levels.
Bill eases path for utilities to boost rates
An 11-page utility bill in the Indiana Senate that a consumer group likens to “a money grab” would hasten and expand a utility’s ability to recover additional costs from customers.
Bill could be hurdle for proposed $2.8B synthetic gas plant
Under the legislation, state utility regulators could order Indiana Gasification LLC to make refunds to gas customers every three years if the price of synthetic gas it produces from coal is greater than the market price of natural gas over the period.
Vectren digs in to fight gas plant
A synthetic natural gas plant proposed downstate need only tweak its contract with would-be gas purchaser Indiana Finance Authority to comply with an October court ruling and to proceed with the project, Indiana Gasification said in a recent filing with the Indiana Court of Appeals. But opponents of the plant, led by Evansville-based gas and electric utility Vectren, immediately objected.
Court rules Duke must cover ice storm costs
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld state regulators’ rejection of Duke Energy’s bid to pass $11 million in costs it incurred during a 2009 ice storm onto its customers.
Water utility eyes rate hikes to promote conservation
Citizens Water is considering changes in the way it bills customers to conserve water during future droughts. Among the changes could be periodic rate hikes to discourage heavy usage on peak days.
$14M legal tab touches off new skirmish in Duke case
Citizens Action Coalition, Sierra Club, Save the Valley and Valley Watch are hoping questions over legal fees the utility agreed to pay attorneys for industrial customers scuttle a deal over cost overruns at the $3.3 billion Edwardsport coal gasification plant.
Duke Energy profit falls on Indiana plant settlement
Duke Energy Corp. said first-quarter profit fell 42 percent after a regulatory settlement in Indiana increased costs and mild weather reduced heating demand.
Indiana announces proposed Duke Energy settlement
Duke Energy Corp. has agreed to cap the cost of its troubled coal-gasification plant in southwestern Indiana at $2.6 billion, or about $700 million less than the expected cost of construction, as part of a proposed settlement announced Monday.
Citizens Energy projects greater, faster savings from deal
Citizens Energy Group says savings from combining the city’s water and sewer utilities will be 13 percent higher than expected and come two years sooner than previously predicted.
Electric-grid facility in Carmel suffers $11M in damages
In a filing earlier this month, the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc. told federal regulators that a mechanical failure in September contaminated the data center.
Utility exec: Coal-gas plant’s ‘time has passed’
A utility executive told a legislative committee Tuesday that a drop in natural gas prices as a result of the nation's shale-gas boom have made a proposed southern Indiana coal-gasification plant a project "whose time has passed."
Midwest ISO announces $6.5B in electric grid improvements
The Carmel-based not-for-profit’s long-term plan recommends 215 new transmission infrastructure projects to improve reliability of its electric grid.
Gas utilities expect heating bills similar to last year
Citizens Gas says that if winter temperatures are normal, Marion County customers will pay just a few dollars more on their heating bills this winter, compared to last year.
Critics seek conditions on Progress-Duke Energy merger
Charlotte-based Duke Energy and Raleigh-based Progress Energy want to combine into one company with more than 7 million customers in the Carolinas, Florida, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.
States cut programs to help poor cool their homes
Many states hit hardest by this week's searing heat wave have drastically cut or entirely eliminated programs that help poor people pay their electric bills, forcing thousands to go without air conditioning when they need it most.
Agency: Duke customers shouldn’t pay $530M in overruns
The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor has filed a blistering rebuke of Duke Energy Corp. for the high cost of its Edwardsport coal-gasification plant and has asked regulators to deny Duke’s request to charge ratepayers $530 million for cost overruns.
Controversial utility bill heads to governor
Opponents say the legislation shifts clean-energy risks to ratepayers and protects utility shareholders. Utilities say they need the legislation to help them comply with federal pollution mandates.