Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., announced plans to retire two coal-fired units representing half of its R.M. Schahfer Generating Station capacity in Wheatfield, Ind. by the end of 2021.
The retirements are part of NIPSCO’s broader, long-term electric generation strategy and
customer-centric plan referred to as “Your Energy, Your Future.” The strategy outlines the
company’s plans to become 100 percent coal-free by 2028, while transitioning to reliable,
lower-cost and more sustainable energy options. NIPSCO projects the transition will result in an
estimated $4 billion in cost savings over the long term.
The Schahfer Generating Station coal-fired units 14 and 15, designated for retirement this year,
are among the oldest in NIPSCO’s fleet having been in service since 1976 and 1979 respectively.
NIPSCO’s remaining coal-fired units are currently on track to be retired as previously
announced, with the Schahfer Generating Station retiring by May 2023 and the Michigan City
Generating Station by the end of 2028.
To deliver on its promise of service reliability for its customers, NIPSCO has secured the needed
lower-cost capacity from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) market – the
regional entity responsible for ensuring reliability across the broader electric grid – along with
additional upgrades to its transmission system to reliably retire units 14 and 15.
NIPSCO is also bringing online new lower-cost generating resources from solar, wind and battery technology to meet its customers’ future energy needs.