October 3, 2026 · Marion · Johnson · Elkhart · Lake · Porter · St. Joseph · NIPSCO · AES INDIANA · IM AEP

AES Indiana Rate Hike Rehearing Gets a March 2027 Date, Your January Bill Doesn't Wait

AES Indiana's rate hike rehearing finally has a March 2027 hearing date, but the $71 million increase still hits Central Indiana manufacturer bills in January regardless.

Daniel BurkePublished every day

The AES Indiana rate hike rehearing now has a confirmed evidentiary hearing date of March 11, 2027, at the PNC Center in Indianapolis, Marion County. That hearing will not stop the $71 million increase from landing on bills for about 533,000 Central Indiana customers starting in January. If you operate in AES Indiana's territory, budget for phase two now, because no one has asked a regulator to pause it.

01Morgan

The AES Indiana Rate Hike Rehearing Covers Two Issues, Your Bill Covers All of Them

A September 30 order from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission limits the rehearing to two issues: Google's Monrovia data center in Morgan County, and the BlackRock-led purchase of AES's parent company. The evidentiary hearing happens March 11, 2027, in Indianapolis.

For the huddle: Given I&M is proposing a rate cut from the same data-center load growth AES cites to justify a rate hike, are we certain which utility territory and rate trajectory our own facilities actually sit in?

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02Johnson

Amazon's $100 Million Greenwood Robotics Plant Opens a Supplier Question

Amazon is putting more than $100 million into a 585,000 square foot robotics plant in Greenwood, Johnson County, at 1175 Collins Road. That brings about 300 skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs averaging almost $100,000 a year.

For the huddle: If Amazon does start selling robotics components externally the way Jassy has hinted, could Greenwood become a customer for our metals and coatings supply rather than just a competitor for our welding and CNC talent?

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03Elkhart

Supersede's Bristol Plant Bets Marine Plywood Prices Have Pushed RV Makers to Switch

Supersede opened its 100,000 square foot plant in Bristol, Elkhart County, with 65 first-phase jobs, and it is now shipping product. The plant makes Marine Board, a recycled polypropylene panel designed to replace plywood or OSB one for one.

For the huddle: With marine plywood prices up roughly 50% and NGO sourcing pressure building on wood suppliers, where in our own bill of materials could a recycled-composite substitute like Supersede's Marine Board cut both cost volatility and sourcing risk?

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04Lake · Porter

Cleveland-Cliffs: Fatality, Ontario Idling, and Indiana Workers Left on Contract Extensions

After 30-day contract extensions expired Oct. 1, tens of thousands of USW-represented steelworkers at US Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs, including those at Cliffs' Burns Harbor Works in Indiana, remain on rolling 48-hour extensions that let management terminate the agreement with two days' notice.

For the huddle: With Cliffs' balance sheet strained and Fort Wayne-based Steel Dynamics positioned to gain share, have we stress-tested our steel sourcing contracts for a scenario where a Cliffs facility goes down on 48 hours' notice?

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05St. Joseph

Studebaker Museum's 'Motor City, Indiana' Exhibit Reclaims Northern Indiana's Auto Legacy

The Studebaker National Museum in South Bend opened 'Motor City, Indiana' on Aug. 7, running through Jan.

For the huddle: Now that New Carlisle's battery plant has pivoted from EV cells to grid storage, are we positioned to supply Samsung SDI's energy-storage production line the way we'd have supplied an EV gigafactory, or do we need a different sales pitch entirely?

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Questions for Your Morning Huddle

Q: When will the AES Indiana rate hike rehearing be decided? A: The evidentiary hearing is scheduled for March 11, 2027, in Indianapolis, and that hearing is where evidence gets presented, not where a ruling comes down. The IURC's order will come sometime after that hearing, and the current $71 million increase keeps applying to your bill the entire time.

Q: Why is my AES Indiana electric bill going up in January? A: AES Indiana's phase two rate increase takes effect in January regardless of how the rehearing turns out, because the Consumer Counselor never requested a stay on the increase. Rates stay subject to refund if a court later overturns the order, but how much comes back to your rate class, if anything, is still unresolved.

Q: Is there a cheaper alternative to marine plywood for RV floors? A: Supersede's Marine Board, a recycled polypropylene panel made in Bristol, Indiana, is marketed as a one-for-one replacement for plywood and OSB, with CEO Sean Petterson pointing to marine plywood prices up about 50% as the reason to switch. If plywood sits in your bill of materials, request a qualification sample and compare installed cost, not just panel price, before you decide.

If you want a closer look at what it actually costs to intervene in a case like this one, and what intervention delivers for a facility in your position, read our breakdown of utility rate case intervention for commercial and industrial operators. For the earlier chapter on the FERC side of the AES ownership question, see our coverage of the AES Indiana BlackRock buyout reaching FERC.

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