September 19, 2026 · Tippecanoe · Kosciusko · Marion · Vermillion · Martin
AES Indiana Rate Hike, Duke Supreme Court Case & Crane Nuclear: What Indiana Manufacturers Need to Know, TEG Daily September 19, 2026
AES Indiana's Phase 2 rate increase hits January 2027. Here's what Indiana manufacturers need to know about the rehearing, the Duke Supreme Court case, and three…
AES Indiana's Phase 2 rate increase is hitting your January 2027 bill regardless of the rehearing outcome, and a pending Indiana Supreme Court ruling could significantly restrict your trade association's ability to fight that increase or any future one. Five stories converged on September 19th across Marion, Kosciusko, Tippecanoe, Martin, and Vermillion counties, and three of them are about power. Here is what your team needs to act on before the end of the week.
01Statewide
AES Indiana Rate Rehearing (Cause No. 46258): The January Increase Is Locked
The rehearing on AES Indiana's $71 million base rate increase (IURC Cause No. 46258) now has a procedural schedule.
02Vermillion
Duke Energy Indiana Supreme Court Case: Your Trade Association's Standing May Be Narrowing
On September 18th, the Indiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a Duke Energy case out of Vermillion County that could significantly restrict how Indiana trade associations intervene in IURC proceedings and state agency dockets on your behalf.
03Martin
NWS Crane Nuclear Microreactor (Martin County): Indiana's First Power-Producing Reactor by September 2028
The Navy is targeting installation of a shore-based nuclear microreactor at Naval Weapons Station Crane (in Martin County) by September 2028. The system is 20 megawatts or less, licensed under Army authority rather than the standard NRC civilian process.
04Kosciusko
Slate Auto Warsaw Factory (Kosciusko County): First Deliveries Targeted Q4 2026, With Material Caveats
The Warsaw factory (1.4 million square feet in a former R.R. Donnelley printing complex that went dark in 2023) is targeting first customer deliveries of the Blank Slate truck in Q4 2026. The demand picture is real: more than 180,000 reservations against a 150,000-vehicle annual capacity target.
05Tippecanoe
Saab T-7A West Lafayette Plant (Tippecanoe County): Full-Rate Production Pushed to 2029
The public narrative around Saab's West Lafayette facility (aft fuselages for the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk, 350 aircraft, more than 1,000 Air Force pilots trained annually) is not wrong. It is incomplete.
Questions for Your Morning Huddle
Q: When does the AES Indiana Phase 2 rate increase take effect, and can it be stopped before then?
A: Phase 2 takes effect in January 2027. The OUCC did not request a stay, and IURC spokesman Ben Gavelek has confirmed that reversal is not guaranteed even if the rehearing produces a new order. The evidentiary hearing is set for early March 2027, meaning any revised IURC ruling comes at the earliest in mid-2027, well after the January increase hits your bill.
Q: What does the Indiana Supreme Court Duke Energy case mean for trade associations fighting utility rate hikes?
A: The case asks whether organizations like Citizens Action Coalition can intervene in state proceedings without naming an individually injured member as a plaintiff. A ruling against associational standing would likely force Indiana trade associations to restructure how they intervene in IURC dockets, potentially requiring named member companies as co-plaintiffs before they can formally oppose a rate case.
Q: What is the nuclear microreactor planned for NWS Crane, and who will build it?
A: The Navy is targeting a shore-based microreactor of 20 megawatts or less at Naval Weapons Station Crane in Martin County by September 2028, licensed under Army authority rather than NRC civilian process. Five vendors hold contracts under the Janus vehicle; the specific builder for the Crane installation has not been announced.
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