IURC Grants Eminent Domain for Boone County LEAP Transmission Lines to Blackstone-Backed Developer

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission granted eminent domain authority to Wabash Valley Transmission for 100 miles of new line into Boone County's LEAP district, over the objection of the state's consumer counselor. The developer behind that line, Viridon Midcontinent, is backed by Blackstone and is fighting a federal case in Wisconsin after missing a certification deadline on three substations there. If your Boone County expansion depends on power from these lines by 2029, that in-service date now rests on a company that could not hold a comparable deadline eleven states away.

IURC Eminent Domain for LEAP Transmission Lines Clears Despite OUCC Objection

The IURC ruling Wednesday gives Wabash Valley Transmission public utility status and the power to condemn Boone County land for two lines feeding the LEAP district in Lebanon, where Eli Lilly plans manufacturing and Meta plans a data center. The commission found Viridon's capital base makes abandonment unlikely. The Office of Utility Consumer Counselor disagreed and is reviewing what happens to Wabash Valley's co-op members if Viridon exits the project the way American Transmission Company is now asking FERC to force in Wisconsin, where Viridon lost certification on a $350 million project in March. The lines are targeted for 2029. If your expansion in Boone County depends on that date, confirm with your serving utility how your service date is tied to these projects, then ask what happens to your interconnection if the corridor slips a year.

Duke Energy's $103 Billion Capital Plan Targets Data Center Load in Indiana

Duke Energy raised its five-year capital plan 18 percent to $103 billion, with another $5 billion to $10 billion earmarked for large loads in Indiana and Florida. Duke already holds 7.8 gigawatts of signed data center agreements and 15.4 gigawatts more in advanced discussion. That spending enters the rate base Indiana commercial and industrial customers pay into, and it lands while Duke is separately asking the IURC to narrow associational standing, the legal basis Citizens Action Coalition uses to intervene on behalf of its members in Duke rate cases. Large load tariffs, like the ones AEP uses, are supposed to make data centers carry their own stranded cost exposure if they leave early. Whether Duke's Indiana terms do the same gets tested in the next rate case, likely in the 2027 to 2029 window. Ask whether your rate class picks up a larger share of cost allocation if those large load contracts carry exit fees that fall short of the full buildout cost.

CAFE Rollback Eases Stellantis Kokomo's Engine Math, Not the Legal Risk

The federal CAFE rollback eases the standards that previously targeted roughly 50 miles per gallon by 2031, and it ends tradeable compliance credits starting with model year 2028. Stellantis is slated to build its new GMET4 EVO four-cylinder engine in Kokomo starting this year, and the rollback reduces the compliance penalty on four-cylinder-heavy fleets. That eases Stellantis's fleet-average math. It does not guarantee order volume through 2031. A Sierra Club challenge to the rollback is pending, and a future administration could reinstate tighter standards. If you supply Kokomo's engine line, tie your capacity commitments to Stellantis volume guarantees. Those hold up longer than a federal rule still in court.

Questions for Your Morning Huddle

Q: How do I find out if my Boone County expansion timeline depends on the LEAP transmission lines? A: Ask your serving utility directly whether your interconnection or service date is tied to the Wabash Valley Transmission corridor, then ask what happens to that date if the project slips past 2029.

Q: Will Duke Energy's capital plan raise my electric bill? A: Duke's $103 billion plan, including $5 billion to $10 billion aimed at data center load, enters the rate base that Indiana commercial and industrial customers pay into, and the next rate case, likely in the 2027 to 2029 window, will determine how much of that cost lands on your rate class versus large load customers.

Q: Should I count on CAFE rollback relief holding through 2031? A: Treat it as current relief, not guaranteed, since a pending Sierra Club challenge and the possibility of a future administration reinstating tighter standards mean the rule could change before 2031. Tie supplier capacity commitments to Stellantis volume guarantees instead of the rule itself.

For more on how utility capital spending on data center load gets allocated back to manufacturers, see our guide to utility cost allocation for data centers. For background on the standards shift behind the Kokomo engine line, see our earlier coverage of the CAFE rollback, Amazon Greenwood, and SK hynix.