Michigan City Council says ‘No’ to NIPSCO

The Michigan City Council has voted unanimously against NIPSCO’s proposed 16.5% increase in electric rates, according to our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana. The Merrillville-based utility, a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) is asking the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to approve the increase that would go in effect in September.

The utility says costs to provide electric service to its 483,000 customers across northern Indiana have increased. The company has also announced $840 million in renewable energy projects and $700 million in transmission and distribution systems.

The publication says the proposed increase would include having NIPSCO customers foot the bill for retiring the coal-fired Michigan City Generating Station.

“The electric rates of NIPSCO are already among the highest,” said Council Vice President Don Przybylinski, D-at large, who added residents are already hard-pressed to pay their bills. “To me, that’s a big hike to us.”

The Times reports the city budgeted for a 10% to 15% increase in utility costs this year, but that isn’t just for electricity.

Councilman Bryant Dabney urged ratepayers to reach out to the board of directors. “Those are the people who make these financial decisions when it comes to these companies,” he said.

The initial increase would be implemented in September with the remaining changes applied in March 2024, and again in July 2024.

Click here to access the report from Doug Ross and The Times of Northwest Indiana.