Listen Live

 

INDIANAPOLIS- Indianapolis Power & Light Co. announced plans to retire two of its four coal-fired units. Those two units are at the Petersburg Generating Station in Pike County. 

The plan will be filed with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission next week as a part of the utility’s integrated resource plan (IRP.) The IURC requires all utilities to conduct an IRP planning process every three years. 

The utility told Inside Indiana Business, “Based on extensive modeling, IPL has determined that the cost of operating Petersburg Units 1 and 2 exceeds the value customers receive compared to alternative resources. Retirement of these units allows the company to cost-effectively diversify the portfolio and transition to cleaner, more affordable resources while maintaining a reliable system.” 

IPL says they are hiring a third party to issue a request for proposals to find a replacement for the space, possibly a combination of wind, solar, and storage resources. 

The retirement of both plants is set a few years apart. The first coal-fired unit will retire in 2021. The second will retire in 2023.  

(Photo Credit: IPL)