July 17, 2026 · LaGrange · Boone
Postle Aluminum Expands in LaGrange County While a $6.3B PJM Cost Hit Raises Indiana Manufacturing Electricity Costs
Postle Aluminum expands in LaGrange County as a $6.3B PJM data-center cost pushes Indiana manufacturing electricity costs higher heading into 2028 and beyond.
Postle Aluminum will add 230,000 square feet of extrusion capacity in Howe, LaGrange County, while a separate PJM capacity auction just placed $6.3 billion in data-center-driven costs onto every plant in the grid's footprint, two developments that pull Indiana C&I in opposite directions on the same planning horizon. One is an Indiana employer investing ahead of demand; the other is a grid-wide increase in Indiana manufacturing electricity costs that operators here did not create. Both land before 2028, and both belong on your radar now.
01Statewide
Postle Aluminum Adds Hard-Alloy Capacity in Howe
Postle Aluminum, the Elkhart-based extrusion subsidiary of Thor Industries, announced July 15 that it will install a 10-inch press and a 7-inch press inside a new 230,000-square-foot facility in Howe. Equipment deliveries start this summer, initial production targets early fall, and full rate is expected by year-end.
02Statewide
Indiana Launches a Nuclear Siting Program With a Design Gap
On July 15, Governor Braun launched the Indiana Advanced Nuclear Ready Community program at Union Station in Indianapolis. It creates a three-tier county designation framework, administered by the Office of Energy Development, that pre-qualifies counties as candidate sites for small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear facilities.
03Statewide
PJM's $6.3B Data Center Cost Raises Indiana Manufacturing Electricity Costs
PJM's 2028/29 capacity auction cleared 138,317 megawatts at the capped price of $325 per megawatt-day, $16.4 billion in total capacity payments for the 12 months starting June 1, 2028. PJM's independent market monitor attributed $6.3 billion of that to planned data centers inside the footprint, a cost spread across all customers rather than paid by the data centers themselves.
04Boone · LaGrange
Labor Competition Tightens in LaGrange and Boone Counties
Eli Lilly's Lebanon site in Boone County added $4.5 billion in new investment, now $21 billion total since 2020, backed by a $1.7 billion IEDC package, and its construction phase peaks with several thousand trades workers on site at once. Stack Postle's LaGrange County buildout on top, and skilled-trades competition tightens across northern and central Indiana.
Questions for Your Morning Huddle
Q: Does the Postle expansion change who we can source aluminum extrusions from?
A: Yes, Postle's new Howe facility adds 6061 hard-alloy capability, so if your current extrusion supplier only runs soft alloys, you now have a Northern Indiana option for structural profiles. Qualify whether your existing supplier has a capability gap before your next sourcing cycle.
Q: How does the PJM capacity auction affect our Indiana manufacturing electricity costs?
A: The $325 per megawatt-day clearing price drives $16.4 billion in capacity payments starting June 2028, and if you are on an RTO pass-through contract those costs reach you as a low-double-digit share of wholesale power. Model that increase against your all-in cost per kilowatt-hour now, before it locks into your 2028 contract structure.
Q: Should we worry about skilled-trades labor competition from the Lilly and Postle buildouts?
A: If you hire in Boone or LaGrange County, yes, Lilly's Lebanon construction peaks with several thousand trades workers on site and Postle is staffing a new facility, both pulling from the same pool. Benchmark your wage offer and map open roles against registered apprenticeship eligibility before postings go live.
This brief
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