A significant Indiana utility mentioned it’s making ready to modify its remaining coal-fired energy plant to burn pure gasoline. AES Indiana on March 12 mentioned the 2 coal-burning models at its Petersburg Producing Station, in Pike County in southwestern Indiana about 100 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky, would cease utilizing coal and begin utilizing pure gasoline in 2026.
AES Indiana, previously often known as Indianapolis Energy & Gentle, filed a request for the change with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Fee (IURC). The utility additionally mentioned it desires to triple its use of renewable vitality by 2027.
Officers with the utility mentioned the plan would “ship cleaner, extra environment friendly and cost-effective vitality options,” and would save prospects $280 million over 20 years by avoiding prices associated to upgrading know-how at coal-fired models. The utility mentioned ending using coal at Petersburg would cut back emissions of carbon dioxide by 70% by 2030, in comparison with 2018 ranges.
“Over the previous decade, how we serve our prospects has advanced resulting from components like new know-how, the growing older of our present services, environmental rules and financial circumstances,” mentioned Brandi Davis-Useful, president of AES Indiana, in a information launch. “Repowering our Petersburg Producing Station aligns with our state’s all-of-the-above vitality coverage whereas permitting us to proceed our 50-plus-year dedication to Pike County.”
Aligns with IRP
The utility mentioned that changing Petersburg Items 3 and 4 to burn pure gasoline “aligns with AES Indiana’s 2022 Built-in Useful resource Plan (IRP), which outlines essentially the most dependable and least-cost portfolio for AES Indiana’s prospects.” The corporate mentioned its “least-cost portfolio” technique “contains including roughly 1,300 megawatts (MW) of wind, photo voltaic and battery vitality storage via competitively bid tasks.”
Items 3 and 4, which got here on-line in 1977 and 1986, respectively, every have 670 MW of technology capability. Two different coal-fired models at Petersburg have been retired in 2021 and 2023.
The corporate mentioned the primary new gas-fired unit at Petersburg is predicted to start industrial operation in June 2026. The second would possible begin industrial operation in December 2026.
AES Indiana earlier this month mentioned it had acquired the Hoosier Wind venture, a 106-MW wind farm in Benton County, Indiana. The utility earlier this 12 months obtained IURC approval for a 200-MW, 4-hour standalone battery vitality storage system (BESS). The group mentioned the BESS venture can be the most important thus far within the Midcontinent Impartial System Operator (MISO) area. MISO is the grid operator that serves a lot of the Midwest and in addition components of the U.S. South.
The utility additionally beforehand obtained approval for solar energy tasks in Pike and Clinton counties in Indiana.
The utility in its regulatory submitting mentioned it at the moment generates 31% of its electrical energy from coal, with 51% from pure gasoline. The group mentioned it expects its pure gas-fired technology will embody about 70% of its portfolio after the Petersburg conversion.
The utility in its submitting mentioned Babcock & Wilcox Co. will lead the coal-to-gas conversion venture. A one-mile-long pure gasoline lateral pipeline, to be constructed by Midwestern Fuel Transmission Co., will present feedstock to the brand new models.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior affiliate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).