Northern Indiana Public Service Co. LLC (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., has opened its next round of request for proposals (RFP) to consider a combination of potential resources to meet the future electric needs of its customers. The RFP is open until June 30.
The RFP is part of the company’s 2021 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) – a regulatory process used in Indiana and other states to thoroughly analyze and outline how electric utilities plan to serve customers’ energy needs in the future. The process includes a public forum involving participation and input from customers, consumer representatives, environmental organizations and other stakeholders that will extend through October when the plan will be submitted to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC).
NiSource’s previously announced, customer-centric “Your Energy, Your Future” initiative, which includes the generation transition plan at NIPSCO was a result of NIPSCO’s 2018 IRP. NIPSCO plans to be coal-free by 2028 by adding cleaner energy sources to its existing portfolio of natural gas and hydroelectric generation. NIPSCO says its generation transition will deliver a more affordable, reliable and sustainable energy mix for NIPSCO customers for years to come – saving customers $4 billion over the long term.
“While working toward our “Your Energy, Your Future” generation transition, it’s important for us to consider all energy source options as we look to fulfill our energy needs in 2028 and beyond – this RFP helps us learn what that future will look like,” says Mike Hooper, president of NIPSCO. “Following the same process we underwent in 2018, the concrete data and understanding the landscape of actionable projects we gather through the RFP, along with a diverse set of stakeholder voices engaged throughout the IRP process, will ensure NIPSCO delivers the best plan for our customers and the communities we serve.”
NIPSCO is considering all sources in the RFP process to satisfy its capacity needs beginning in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Dispatchable and semi-dispatchable generation, renewables, storage, emerging technologies and other capacity resources – as well as contractual arrangements – will be considered.
Specifically, NIPSCO is requesting proposals in three target areas:
- Wind resources and wind+storage
- Solar resources and solar+storage
- Thermal, standalone storage, emerging technologies and other capacity resources
The anticipated range across all target areas is 400 to 650 MW of unforced capacity (UCAP). NIPSCO reserves the right to transact more or less than the referenced target.
NIPSCO’s current energy mix includes generation from natural gas and coal, hydroelectric generation, wind generation, customer-owned renewable generation, demand response, energy efficiency and other purchased power – along with 12 additional renewable projects that are all expected to be operational by 2023.
For more information on NIPSCO’s recently issued RFP, click here.
