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News
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LCG, December 24, 2025--The U.S. Secretary of Energy today issued emergency orders to keep two Indiana coal plants operational, with the stated goal to ensure Americans in the Midwest region of the United States have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity heading into the winter months. The orders direct CenterPoint Energy, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO) to take all measures necessary to ensure specified generation units at both the F.B. Culley and R.M. Schahfer generating stations in Indiana are available to operate.
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LCG, December 18, 2025--RWE and Indiana Michigan Power Company (I&M), an American Electric Power (AEP) company, today announced their partnering to provide new wind power generation capacity online to meet Indiana’s growing electricity demand. The companies signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the total output from RWE’s 200 MW Prairie Creek wind project in Blackford County, Indiana. I&M will purchase electricity from the wind project, which will further diversify its portfolio and be consistent with its all-of-the-above strategy to secure generation for its rapidly growing electricity demand.
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Industry News
Energy Secretary Issues Emergency Orders to Ensure Indiana Coal-fired Facilities Remain Open to Prevent Midwest Blackouts
LCG, December 24, 2025--The U.S. Secretary of Energy today issued emergency orders to keep two Indiana coal plants operational, with the stated goal to ensure Americans in the Midwest region of the United States have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity heading into the winter months. The orders direct CenterPoint Energy, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO) to take all measures necessary to ensure specified generation units at both the F.B. Culley and R.M. Schahfer generating stations in Indiana are available to operate.
The specific coal-fired generation units located in Indiana, the 90-MW F.B. Culley 2 (CenterPoint Energy) and the 772-MW R.M. Schahfer power station (Northern Indiana Public Service Co.) had previously been scheduled to shut down at the end of 2025. However, the Secretary of Energy has concluded that the reliable supply of power from these coal plants is essential for keeping the region’s electric grid stable. The orders prioritize minimizing electricity costs for the American people and minimizing the risk and costs of blackouts. The orders are in effect beginning on December 23, 2025, and continuing until March 23, 2026.
The Secretary of Energy stated, "The Trump Administration remains committed to swiftly deploying all available tools and authorities to safeguard the reliability, affordability, and security of the nation’s energy system. Keeping these coal plants online has the potential to save lives and is just common sense. Americans deserve reliable power regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining during extreme winter conditions."
As outlined in the Department of Energy's (DOE’s) Resource Adequacy Report, power outages could increase by 100 times in 2030 if the U.S. continues to take reliable power offline.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and MISO have highlighted reliability risks facing the region. In NERC's 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment (LTRA), NERC cautioned that the MISO region is at an "elevated risk" and is "facing capacity shortfalls in the next five years." NERC stressed that "[t]he departure of MISO’s coal fleet has continued with a reduction in capacity of around 6 GW in the past year, and a projected reduction of a further 12 GW over the next five years.” Not preventing this planned reduction in generation would further exacerbate the current energy crisis. Furthermore, in MISO’s 2024 Reliability Imperative Report, its Chief Executive Officer warned that there are "immediate and serious challenges to the reliability of our region’s electric grid."
NIPSCO announced today that it has received the federal order requiring the continued operation of R.M. Schahfer Generating Station beyond its previously scheduled retirement date of Dec. 31, 2025 and that the order is in effect for 90 days.
"We are reviewing the overall impact to our customers and company and will comply with this order, and any subsequent orders, if received,” said NIPSCO's President and Chief Operating Officer. "We recognize the importance of both reliability and cost management for our customers, and we will continue to engage with federal, state and local stakeholders as we adapt to evolving regulatory requirements."
Recently, the DOE issued similar emergency orders for coal-fired units that were scheduled to close by year-end to remain in operation to prevent regional energy emergencies. For example, on December 16 TransAlta was directed by the DOE to keep the 730-MW, coal-fired Centralia Unit 2 in Washington online. In some instances, there is push back from environmentalists and others that deny any regional energy emergency exists to justify extending operations for some of the coal-fired units.
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