MERRILLVILLE – Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) has announced the opening of its next round of “request for proposals” to consider a combination of potential resources to meet the future electric needs of its customers.

This RFP will satisfy a 2023 capacity need following the release of NIPSCO’s 2018 Integrated Resource Plan where the company announced its plans to retire all of its remaining coal-fired generation by 2028, and replace it with lower-cost, cleaner options. NIPSCO is considering all sources in the RFP process. Dispatchable and semi-dispatchable generation, renewables, demand response resources and contractual arrangements will be considered, as well as emerging technologies such as storage.

“As we continue to further our Your Energy, Your Future, customer-focused plan, it’s important to consider all energy source options that balance the needs of our customers and communities,” said Violet Sistovaris, NIPSCO president. “This effort is consistent with our goal to focus on providing affordable, reliable energy while maintaining flexibility for future technology and market changes.”

Specifically, NIPSCO is requesting proposals in three target areas:

• Wind – Targeting 300 megawatt of installed capacity of wind and wind paired with storage

• Solar – Targeting 2,300 megawatt of solar and solar paired with storage

• Thermal and other – Targeting economic opportunities for thermal and other capacity resources

NIPSCO’s current energy mix includes generation from natural gas and coal, hydroelectric generation, purchased wind power, customer-owned renewable generation, demand response, energy efficiency and other purchased power. 

The RFP will close Nov. 20. More information can be found at nipsco-rfp.com/.