Indiana energy demand in focus at Ag Policy Summit

COLUMBUS, Ind. — When the audience at the Ag Policy Summit was asked to describe Indiana’s energy future in one word — the answers weren’t glowing.

“Expensive” was the most popular response, with others like “uncertain,” “complex” and even “corrupt” popping up.

Energy costs weigh heavily on the minds of farmers and homeowners across the board. At the summit, presented by the Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Indiana Soybean Alliance Membership & Policy Committee, there was a timely discussion about the challenges ahead.

Increased demand from data centers, expanding manufacturing and higher customer usage is pulling more power from the electrical grid. But in spite of the challenges leaders say there are opportunities for Indiana to grow.

Officials mentioned laws like House Bill 1007, which requires incoming data center developments to pay for 80% of their new energy capacity costs, as potential opportunities.

Indiana Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources Suzanne Jaworowski and Indiana Utility Regulatory Commissioner Bob Deig sat down with Courtney Kingery, CEO of ISA, ICGA and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, to talk energy at the event.

“The infrastructure is aging — gas lines, transmission lines for electric substations, poles — all of that costs money,” Deig said.

“That’s brought a lot of the capital improvements and the cost increases to the rates. We need to find a way to make it more affordable and more reasonable for the consumer.

“I hope people understand they have control over the power they use. They have options to contact utilities and their co-ops to try to help them with peak demands and time of use for their grain storage, grain fans, their irrigation systems and just make sure they can contact utilities and talk to them.”

Jaworowski added that Indiana may have opportunities for improvements as power companies consider expansion.

“Right now, Indiana has one of the most important opportunities to develop additional generation and transmission by growth and that could help us to lower our cost of electricity,” she said.

“We have a unique moment in time where there are companies willing and, by law, committed to helping build and pay for our new generation. It’s an opportunity for us to take advantage of that third-party investment in Indiana.”

According to Jaworowski, Indiana is powered by 39% coal, 34% natural gas, 12% nuclear, 7% wind and 2% solar, as well as a small percentage of other sources.

Also speaking at the event, state Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said that small modular nuclear reactors are a consideration going forward.

“Energy is important to farmers, but it’s important to the whole state and we want affordable energy and we want reliable energy,” he said.

“I think the biggest thing I want Hoosiers to know is that we are working to make sure we have that reliability, and we’ve taken the lead on the push for the small modular nuclear. I think we’ll see Indiana being one of the first states to get those small modular nuclear reactors.”