Manufacturing News
June 15, 2026
June 15, 2026 · Statewide · Story 3 of 3
Kentucky's Data Center Warning Reads Directly as Indiana Exposure
On June 4, Kentucky's Energy Planning and Inventory Commission released a 20-page policy report on data centers and ratepayer protection. Kentucky currently has as many as 30 potential data center projects under consideration. The report cites the Virginia precedent: residential electricity rates there are projected to rise $14 to $37 per month by 2040 under Dominion Energy, the result of approving major data center infrastructure before protective tariff rules were in place.
Indiana is already further into this than Kentucky. NIPSCO has publicly disclosed hyperscale data center load growth in northwestern Indiana as a driver of new capacity procurement, and the Hallador deal fits that pattern. The specific question for your team: does your Indiana utility have a finalized large-load tariff with take-or-pay floors for hyperscale customers, or are you in the same pre-guardrail position Kentucky is now scrambling to exit?
Merrell Bros. Kokomo: 35 Positions Entering the Howard County Labor Pool
Merrell Bros. is expanding its Kokomo facility by 40,000 square feet with a $16.5 million investment, adding 35 fabricator and engineer positions. If you recruit skilled trades from Howard County, those openings are competing directly with yours right now.
For your morning huddle
- Q
Does Indiana have data center ratepayer protections in place for hyperscale customers?
Indiana has not publicly finalized a large-load tariff with take-or-pay floors for hyperscale data center customers. NIPSCO has disclosed data center load growth as a driver of new capacity procurement, and the Hallador deal fits that pattern. Indiana C&I operators should ask their utility specifically whether a finalized cost-protection mechanism exists before new large-load capacity costs reach the rate base.
From the brief, June 15, 2026
- Hallador Merom: What the DOE Award Actually Is, and the NIPSCO-Hallador Capacity Deal That Isn't
- R&D Expensing: What the July 4, 2026 Deadline Actually Requires Before You File
- Kentucky's Data Center Warning Reads Directly as Indiana Exposure
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