AES Indiana to repower coal units to natural gas, add solar and storage

The utility aims to be the first in Indiana to exit coal.

AES Indiana to repower coal units to natural gas, add solar and storage
(The Petersburg Generating Station. Source: AES Indiana.)

AES Indiana plans to repower two coal units to natural gas while adding solar and battery storage projects.

The total $1.1 billion investment in Indiana’s Pike County would take place from 2024 to 2026.

Petersburg Generating Station Units 3 and 4 would be repowered from coal to natural gas by the end of 2026. AES Indiana anticipates being the first utility in Indiana out of coal, pending approval of the project from state regulators.

The Petersburg Energy Center would add 250 MW of solar and 180 MWh of battery storage to AES Indiana’s portfolio. The project is currently under construction and expected to be operational by the end of 2025.

AES Indiana’s 2022 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) includes transitioning coal-powered units to natural gas and adding wind, solar and battery storage capacity over the next five years.

Recently, AES Indiana acquired 100 percent interest in Hoosier Wind, a 106 MW wind project in Benton County and announced the commercial operation of the Hardy Hills 195 MW solar project in Clinton County.