MERRILLVILLE, Ind., May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern Indiana Public Service Company, LLC (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), has announced the opening of its next round of request for proposals (RFP) to consider a combination of potential resources to meet the future electric needs of its customers. The RFP is open from May 20 – June 30, 2021.

The RFP is part of the company's 2021 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) – a regulatory process used in Indiana and other states to thoroughly analyze and outline how electric utilities plan to serve customers' energy needs in the future. The process includes a public forum involving participation and input from customers, consumer representatives, environmental organizations and other stakeholders that will extend through October, when the plan will be submitted to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC).

NiSource's previously announced, customer-centric "Your Energy, Your Future" initiative, which includes the generation transition plan at NIPSCO was a result of NIPSCO's 2018 IRP. NIPSCO plans to be coal-free by 2028 by adding cleaner energy sources to its existing portfolio of natural gas and hydroelectric generation. NIPSCO's industry-leading generation transition will deliver a more affordable, reliable and sustainable energy mix for NIPSCO customers for years to come – saving customers $4 billion over the long term.

"While working toward our Your Energy, Your Future generation transition, it's important for us to consider all energy source options, as we look to fulfill our energy needs in 2028 and beyond – this RFP helps us learn what that future will look like," said Mike Hooper, NIPSCO president. "Following the same process we underwent in 2018, the concrete data and understanding the landscape of actionable projects we gather through the RFP, along with a diverse set of stakeholder voices engaged throughout the IRP process, will ensure NIPSCO delivers the best plan for our customers and the communities we serve."

NIPSCO is considering all sources in the RFP process to satisfy its capacity needs beginning in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Dispatchable and semi-dispatchable generation, renewables, storage, emerging technologies and other capacity resources, as well as contractual arrangements will be considered. This effort is consistent with NIPSCO's goal to focus on providing affordable, reliable energy while maintaining flexibility for future technology and market changes.

Specifically, NIPSCO is requesting proposals in three target areas:

  • Wind resources and wind paired with storage
  • Solar resources and solar paired with storage
  • Thermal, standalone storage, emerging technologies and other capacity resources

The anticipated range across all target areas is 400 to 650 megawatts (MW) of unforced capacity, or UCAP. NIPSCO reserves the right to transact more or less than the referenced target.

NIPSCO's current energy mix includes generation from natural gas and coal, hydroelectric generation, wind generation, customer-owned renewable generation, demand response, energy efficiency and other purchased power, along with 12 additional renewable projects that are all expected to be operational by 2023.

More RFP information may be found at http://www.nipsco-rfp.com. CRA International is the independent RFP manager.

About NIPSCO

Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO), with headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana, has proudly served the energy needs of northern Indiana for more than 100 years. As Indiana's largest natural gas distribution company and the second-largest electric distribution company, NIPSCO serves approximately 820,000 natural gas and 470,000 electric customers across 32 counties. NIPSCO is part of NiSource's (NYSE: NI) six regulated utility companies. NiSource is one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.7 million natural gas and electric customers through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. More information about NIPSCO and NiSource is available at NIPSCO.com and NiSource.com.

About NiSource

NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) is one of the largest fully-regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.2 million natural gas customers and 470,000 electric customers across six states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. Based in Merrillville, Indiana, NiSource's approximately 7,500 employees are focused on safely delivering reliable and affordable energy to our customers and communities we serve. NiSource is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability - North America Index and the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and has been named by Forbes magazine among America's Best Large Employers since 2016. Additional information about NiSource, its investments in modern infrastructure and systems, its commitments and its local brands can be found at www.nisource.com. Follow us at www.facebook.com/nisource, www.linkedin.com/company/nisource or www.twitter.com/nisourceinc. NI-F

Forward-Looking Statements

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Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations discussed in this press release include, among other things, our ability to execute our business plan or growth strategy, including utility infrastructure investments; potential incidents and other operating risks associated with our business; our ability to adapt to, and manage costs related to, advances in technology; impacts related to our aging infrastructure; our ability to obtain sufficient insurance coverage and whether such coverage will protect us against significant losses; the success of our electric generation strategy; construction risks and natural gas costs and supply risks; fluctuations in demand from residential and commercial customers; fluctuations in the price of energy commodities and related transportation costs or an inability to obtain an adequate, reliable and cost-effective fuel supply to meet customer demands; the attraction and retention of a qualified workforce and ability to maintain good labor relations; our ability to manage new initiatives and organizational changes; the performance of third-party suppliers and service providers; potential cyber-attacks; any damage to our reputation; any remaining liabilities or impact related to the sale of Massachusetts Business; the impacts of natural disasters, potential terrorist attacks or other catastrophic events; the impacts of climate change and extreme weather conditions; our debt obligations; any changes to our credit rating or the credit rating of certain of our subsidiaries; any adverse effects related to our equity units; adverse economic and capital market conditions or increases in interest rates; economic regulation and the impact of regulatory rate reviews; our ability to obtain expected financial or regulatory outcomes; continuing and potential future impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic; economic conditions in certain industries; the reliability of customers and suppliers to fulfill their payment and contractual obligations; the ability of our subsidiaries to generate cash; pension funding obligations; potential impairments of goodwill; changes in the method for determining LIBOR and the potential replacement of the LIBOR benchmark interest rate; the outcome of legal and regulatory proceedings, investigations, incidents, claims and litigation; potential remaining liabilities related to the Greater Lawrence Incident; compliance with the agreements entered into with the U.S. Attorney's Office to settle the U.S. Attorney's Office's investigation relating to the Greater Lawrence Incident; compliance with applicable laws, regulations and tariffs; compliance with environmental laws and the costs of associated liabilities; changes in taxation; and other matters set forth in Item 1, "Business," Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and Part II. Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," of the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020; and item 1A, "Risk Factors," of the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, some of which risks are beyond our control. In addition, the relative contributions to profitability by each business segment, and the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements relating thereto, may change overtime.

All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. We undertake no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any such obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or changes to the future results over time or otherwise, except as required by law.

 

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SOURCE NiSource Inc.