Today at 6-8 pm, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) is holding a virtual public forum on Indiana Michigan Power Co.’s integrated resource plan (IRP), giving customers of the utility the chance to voice their thoughts on Indiana Michigan Power’s plan that outlines from where it will obtain power over the next 20 years.
Go here for information on how to join the forum online or via phone.
The Citizens Utility Board of Michigan is intervening in this case to ensure that Indiana Michigan Power customers are served by the most economic mix of power possible to keep bills affordable.
Some of CUB’s concerns with the IRP revolve around what Indiana Michigan Power is doing to replace the Rockport coal-fired power plant, which retires in 2028. While on paper the plan calls for a large increase in renewable energy (as well as natural gas generation) to replace Rockport, Indiana Michigan Power may be overlooking opportunities to make its plan more affordable by investing in renewables more aggressively and also providing more energy efficiency for customers.
Indiana Michigan Power plans to procure for approximately 800 MW of wind generation and approximately 500 MW of solar generation over the next three to four years. Then, by 2028, the utility says it will procure another 800 MW of solar, 60 MW of battery storage and 1,000 MW from natural gas-fired peaking plants. But the modeling used in the IRP suggests that these solar and storage procurements should be done even sooner.
Other groups intervening in the case include the Michigan Department of the Attorney General, the Sierra Club, the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association and the Association for Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity.