AES Indiana's industrial customers already negotiated a separate settlement before this rate case closed. Does our facility's contract fall under that protection or the residential rate track?

Check with your AES account representative which settlement track covers your rate class, since the industrial group's deal was struck separately from the residential rehearing now scheduled for March, and residential customers are currently carrying more of the disputed increase.

NIPSCO and CenterPoint are billing ratepayers tens of millions of dollars a quarter to keep retired coal units running under federal must-run orders. How much of that cost recovery lands on our industrial rate class?

NIPSCO alone is seeking $38 million in quarterly recovery tied to its Schahfer units, and these costs typically flow through a rider or tracker line item rather than the base rate, so ask your account representative to identify that specific charge on your bill.

Winnebago is consolidating RV production onto a single Middlebury campus while cross-border tariffs squeeze its input costs. Are we similarly dependent on single-site suppliers who could face the same kind of consolidation pressure?

Review your supplier list for any vendor, such as Lippert Components or Patrick Industries, whose northern Indiana capacity is now tied to one customer's internal brand strategy, and confirm you have a backup source if that customer's production plans change.

Manufacturing News TEG Daily

October 17, 2026 · Marion · Morgan · Lake · NIPSCO · AES INDIANA · DUKE INDIANA

AES Indiana Rate Hike Fight Collides With $737 Million Google Data Center Deal

IURC approved AES Indiana's $737M Google data center deal the same week its $71M rate hike headed back to court. What Indiana manufacturers should watch now.

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Indiana's utility regulator approved a $737 million infrastructure plan for Google's new Monrovia data center on October 7, the same week it was still working through a rehearing on the AES Indiana rate hike that already raised bills for more than 500,000 Indianapolis-area customers. Manufacturers, hospitals, and school systems in AES territory are paying into one case while a hyperscaler locks in contract protections most C&I accounts will never see. Here is what changed this week across five fronts, and what to put in front of your team.

01Marion

AES Indiana Rate Hike Rehearing Set for Early March

AES Indiana, the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, Citizens Action Coalition, the city of Indianapolis, and a group of industrial customers have agreed to a one-day hearing in early March to reconsider the $71 million base rate increase the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved 3-1 in June. Customers are already paying both phases regardless of the outcome: phase one added under $1 a month starting July 27 for a household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours, and phase two, arriving in January, adds roughly $8.50 a month.

For the huddle: If AES's industrial customers already locked in a separate rate settlement before this fight started, do we know whether our own facility is covered by that protection or exposed to the residential rate track instead?

SourcesIndiana challenges AES $71M rate hike as bigger power bills hit before rehearing (thecooldown.com)

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02Morgan

IURC Approves AES-Google $737 Million Monrovia Data Center Plan

The commission unanimously approved AES Indiana's plan to build $737.3 million in solar, battery storage, and transmission infrastructure to serve a 390-megawatt Google data center in Monrovia, Morgan County. This is the first case decided under Indiana's 2025 large-load law, House Enrolled Act 1007, under which large-load customers must bear a minimum of 80% of the costs allocated to them.

For the huddle: Google locked in a 15-year minimum contract with a $300 million fixed-cost floor and 100% cost coverage above the statutory 80% minimum -- could our facility negotiate similar large-load protections under HEA 1007, or are we too small to get AES's attention the way Google did?

SourcesIndiana approves AES plan to power Google data center in Monrovia (wfyi.org)

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03Statewide

Winnebago Cuts 51 More Jobs in Forest City as Middlebury Consolidation Lands in Indiana

Winnebago Industries filed a WARN notice on October 9 for 51 more layoffs at its Forest City, Iowa plant, effective November 9, bringing the plant's 2026 total to 78 cuts and following 311 layoffs tied to last year's closures in Charles City and Waverly. The company cited falling consumer demand and high dealer inventory.

For the huddle: If Winnebago Towables and Grand Design RV are sharing one Middlebury campus as separate brands, are our own supplier contracts with Lippert, Patrick Industries, or similar northern Indiana vendors exposed to a single customer's internal brand conflict?

SourcesMore layoffs hit iconic Iowa manufacturer amid restructuring, tariffs (desmoinesregister.com)

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04Jasper · Warrick

EPA Rolls Back Power Plant Rules While NIPSCO and CenterPoint Keep Coal Running Past Retirement

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin finalized what he called the largest power sector deregulatory action in U.S. history on September 17, repealing most of the Biden-era carbon standards for fossil fuel power plants and claiming $300 billion in national savings. Governor Mike Braun and IDEM Commissioner Clint Woods both called the rollback a positive development for Hoosiers, while the Sierra Club's Indiana chapter called it the removal of essential public health protections, and national environmental groups have already filed suit.

For the huddle: With NIPSCO already billing ratepayers over $100 million a quarter to keep Schahfer's coal units running past retirement under federal must-run orders, how much of that cost recovery is flowing through to our own industrial rate class?

SourcesFeds roll back climate change regulations at Indiana power plants (yahoo.com)

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05Lake

Indiana American Water Finishes $24.5 Million Gary Main Overhaul

Indiana American Water announced October 6 that it has largely finished a $24.5 million Gary initiative that laid roughly 10,000 feet of new water main, enlarging pipe over 70 years old-previously 16 and 20 inches-to sizes ranging from 24 to 36 inches, while also swapping out more than 100 lead service lines. Rex Construction built the project and DLZ handled design and inspection, with only one last connection still remaining at the Borman Park Water Treatment Plant.

For the huddle: With U.S. Steel restarting its Gary Tin Mill and the Borman Park service zone upsizing its mains specifically for flow and fire-protection capacity, have we confirmed our own facility's water and fire-flow needs are reflected in the utility's current planning?

SourcesIndiana American Water Completes $24.5 Million Water Main Infrastructure Project in Northwest Indiana (prnewswire.com)

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Questions for your morning huddle

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