July 28, 2026 · Wayne · Bartholomew · Lake

Braun's Coal Orders Add $195,000 a Day to Indiana Industrial Electricity Costs

Braun's coal orders push Indiana industrial electricity costs higher through 2029. Plus Richmond's truck cab line, Grillo's Taylorsville plant, and Gary Works.

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Governor Braun signed three executive orders directing state regulators to review every coal plant in Indiana for life extension, and advocates put the current ratepayer cost of keeping just two of those plants running at roughly $195,000 per day. If you operate a plant in this state, that order is a direct input into your Indiana industrial electricity costs for 2027 through 2029. Four other developments this week touch labor competition in Bartholomew County, vocational truck fabrication in Wayne County, steel certification risk in Lake County, and what national construction data actually says about where capital is moving.

01Statewide

Braun's Coal and Nuclear Orders Push Indiana Industrial Electricity Costs Higher Through 2029

Braun signed three executive orders: one directing state regulators to review every Indiana coal plant for potential life extension, one creating a Nuclear Indiana Coalition focused on small modular reactors, and one prohibiting state agencies from factoring the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions into decisions. Sierra Club, an advocacy group opposed to the extensions, estimates NIPSCO's Schahfer plant at about $174,000 per day in net ratepayer cost, with CenterPoint's Culley adding roughly $21,000 per day.

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02Wayne

Richmond's J.M. Hutton Adds a Truck Cab Line With a 2027 Regulatory Cliff

J.M. Hutton & Company in Richmond, now operating as National Stamping and Fabrications under Troy, Michigan-based National Manufacturing Group, will invest more than $6.25 million to establish a truck cab production line at its 275,000-square-foot South Eighth Street facility, creating 37 jobs by the end of 2029 and retaining 50. Wages start at $27.20 an hour and scale to $31.14 by 2029, supported by up to $300,000 in IEDC performance-based credits, a $73,000 Wayne County EDIT grant pending approval, and a City of Richmond abatement under consideration.

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03Statewide

Grillo's Pickles Opens $54M Taylorsville Plant, Phase 1 of a Larger Campus

Grillo's Pickles opened its $54 million, 155,000-square-foot cold-pickle facility in Taylorsville on July 27, with up to 150 jobs expected by 2028 and additional production lines rolling out over the next 12 to 18 months. Parent company Irresistible Foods Group also purchased an 88-acre site adjacent to a $175 million King's Hawaiian bakery targeting another 150 jobs later in 2026, with two more IFG brands not yet broken ground.

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04Statewide

Gary Works Locks In 20 More Years of Blast Furnace Steel

The Gary Common Council unanimously passed a symbolic resolution July 21 urging U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel to redirect investment toward a direct reduction iron facility at Gary Works. That resolution is working against a decision already made: U.S. Steel's board approved the full $350 million BF #14 reline in December 2025, extending that furnace's life by up to 20 years.

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Questions for Your Morning Huddle

Q: What should I assume about electricity costs in my 2027-2029 budget?
A: Assume upward pressure, not relief. Braun's coal life-extension review adds a state-level cost-recovery layer on top of the federal emergency order already keeping Schahfer and Culley online, and advocates estimate the current ratepayer cost of those two plants at roughly $195,000 per day.

Q: Do I need to know where my steel comes from right now?
A: Yes, if your customers are moving toward low-carbon steel certification in Scope 3 reporting. Gary Works just locked in 20 more years of blast furnace production, and that output will carry a certification disadvantage relative to Nippon's Arkansas DRI facility, so identify your Gary Works exposure and your lead time to alternates before requirements land.

Q: Is the 22% national drop in factory construction a reason to pull back on capital plans?
A: Not on its own. Census data shows non-electronics manufacturing construction up 5.6% year over year, with the headline decline driven by the semiconductor buildout normalizing rather than a broad manufacturing pullback.

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