June 16, 2026 · Kosciusko · Monroe · Vanderburgh

Chore-Time Breaks Ground in Kosciusko County as Electricity Capacity Charges Climb for Indiana Manufacturers

Indiana manufacturers face surging electricity capacity charges across PJM and MISO, a second-place rank in workforce quits, and a new Kosciusko County expansion dead

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Indiana manufacturers are absorbing three simultaneous pressures this week. Electricity capacity charges across both PJM and MISO are rising at rates that existing tariff structures don't fully address. Indiana's workforce resignation rate is second-highest in the country, with the largest single-month quits increase of any state recorded in December 2025. And Chore-Time's 79,000-square-foot expansion in Milford just broke ground, with a Q1 2027 operational target that sets a hard vendor-positioning deadline for anyone in the agricultural equipment supply chain. Here's what each development means for your operation.

01Kosciusko

Chore-Time / CTB Breaks Ground on 79,000-Square-Foot Milford Expansion

CTB, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, held its ceremonial groundbreaking June 10 for a 79,000-square-foot manufacturing addition at Chore-Time's Milford headquarters in Kosciusko County. Physical construction began in April; the target operational date is Q1 2027.

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02Statewide

PECO-Amazon Transmission Deal Exposes the Electricity Capacity Charge Gap Indiana Manufacturers Are Carrying

FERC approved a transmission security agreement between PECO Energy and Amazon Data Services in November 2025 for a two-million-square-foot hyperscale campus in Falls Township, Pennsylvania. These agreements function as take-or-pay contracts, data centers post a 10-year letter of credit covering transmission upgrade costs.

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03Statewide

Indiana Posts Second-Highest Workforce Quit Rate in the Country

Indiana ranked second in the nation for job resignations during September through December 2025, averaging 91,500 quits per month at a 2.8% resignation rate, trailing only Alaska. The BLS State JOLTS release for December 2025 confirmed Indiana posted the largest single-month increase in quits of any state, up 20,000 month-over-month, and the largest increase in total separations, up 24,000.

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Questions for Your Morning Huddle

Q: What percentage of my Indiana electricity bill is the capacity charge?
A: On a typical Indiana commercial or industrial bill, supply and capacity costs together account for roughly half of the total. The capacity charge is a distinct line item, pull your most recent bill, identify it specifically, and establish that number as a baseline before your next conversation with an energy advisor. That's the figure you need to stress-test against further increases.

Q: How do PJM and MISO capacity cost increases affect Indiana manufacturers differently?
A: I&M customers in PJM are directly exposed to the 262% year-over-year capacity cost increase that PJM's independent market monitor attributed to data center load growth in 2025. NIPSCO customers in MISO face a separate but equally significant exposure, MISO capacity prices hit $666 per megawatt-day in the 2025/26 auction. The mechanism is different by grid; the cost pressure is not.

Q: What should I do right now about Indiana's workforce resignation rate?
A: Audit your voluntary turnover rate against what Georgia and Tennessee manufacturers are offering in wage structure and scheduling, and identify the single highest-leverage retention change you can make before SK Hynix begins competing for the same workers in the West Lafayette market by late 2028. Monthly churn at Indiana's current scale is a quantifiable P&L line, treat it as one.

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