September 15, 2026 · Jasper · Gibson · Martin · DUKE INDIANA
HEA 1002 Rate Framework Hits Indiana Manufacturers | TEG Daily September 15, 2026
HEA 1002 forces Duke Energy Indiana to file a multi-year rate plan by December 2026. Here's what Indiana manufacturers need to track before that deadline.
Indiana manufacturers are absorbing cost decisions made in Washington, in utility boardrooms, and in federal courtrooms simultaneously, and the window to position ahead of those outcomes is open right now, not after Duke Energy Indiana's December HEA 1002 filing closes the template.
Four stories are converging this week: the HEA 1002 multi-year rate framework and Duke's December deadline, a unanimous federal appeals court ruling that directly undermines the legal authority behind NIPSCO's two forced-operation coal orders, the EPA's finalized repeal of Biden-era greenhouse gas limits for power plants, and Indiana's first nuclear reactor targeting a 2028 deployment at NWS Crane.
01Statewide
HEA 1002 Multi-Year Rate Framework: Duke Files by December, and Tracker Consolidation Is the Entire Ballgame
House Enrolled Act 1002 (signed by Governor Braun in March) replaces Indiana's old rate case system with a three-year rate cycle, plus performance penalties tied to affordability and outage restoration. Duke Energy Indiana files first, by mid-December 2026.
02Statewide
D.C. Circuit Campbell Ruling: What It Means for NIPSCO Schahfer Costs
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled unanimously Friday that the Department of Energy exceeded its authority under the Federal Power Act when it forced Consumers Energy's J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan to stay open past its scheduled May 2025 retirement. The court found, in Judge Cornelia Pillard's words, "no emergency within the meaning" of the statute.
03Statewide
EPA Greenhouse Gas Repeal: Does Coal Extension Lower Indiana Electricity Prices?
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin finalized the repeal of the Biden administration's requirement that existing coal plants and new natural gas plants control 90% of their carbon dioxide emissions. The announcement was made Monday at the G20 energy ministers meeting in Houston: against the backdrop of Indiana's Gibson Generating Station in Princeton, Duke Energy Indiana's 3,132-megawatt facility, which had already proposed extending its operating life to 2038.
04Martin
NWS Crane Microreactor: Indiana's First Nuclear Reactor and Supply Chain Timing
Indiana's first nuclear reactor is targeting a September 2028 deployment at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane in Martin County, and Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks in Indianapolis is already in the supply chain for the Janus Program vendor slate.
Questions for Your Morning Huddle
Q: What does HEA 1002 actually change about how Duke Energy Indiana sets my rate, and when will I see it?
A: HEA 1002 moves Duke to a three-year rate cycle with performance penalties tied to affordability and outage restoration. Duke files its first multi-year plan by mid-December 2026. Whether your bill actually changes depends on how much tracker cost Duke proposes to consolidate into base rates: the filing is the first real signal, and you should be watching for it.
Q: NIPSCO has been recovering Schahfer forced-operation costs through my bill. Does the D.C. Circuit Campbell ruling stop that?
A: The Campbell ruling removes the primary legal authority DOE cited to order Schahfer to stay open, but cost recovery for amounts already incurred is a separate proceeding at FERC and the IURC. Map your fuel adjustment clause tracker now so you know your exposure before a retroactive proceeding prices it for you.
Q: Duke is extending Gibson coal to 2038 while NIPSCO exits coal by 2028. Does that mean Duke customers pay more long-term?
A: EIA delivered-fuel data currently shows coal generation costs running above combined-cycle gas in the MISO footprint, so extending coal on cost grounds is not straightforward. Duke's bet is that extended coal capital flows through future rate cases. NIPSCO's exit carries its own transition costs. Which trajectory is worse for your bill depends on how each utility structures its HEA 1002 filing, there is no clean answer yet.
Q: My facility does precision machining. Is the NWS Crane microreactor project a realistic supply chain opportunity?
A: Potentially, yes, but the window is narrow. Nuclear supply-chain qualification runs 18 to 36 months, and with a 2028 target deployment at Crane, critical-component vendor slates tend to lock in well before that date. Engage the primes now if this is on your radar; waiting until the project is public knowledge typically means the roster is already set.
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