State regulators have rejected a proposed gas-fired power plant in Posey County.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission unanimously rejected Vectren’s proposal.
The Evansville-based company, which was recently purchased by Texas-based CenterPoint Energy, proposed the natural gas plant in early 2018 to replace its aging, coal-fired facilities.
In a news release, the Commission said Vectren did not convince commissioners that the proposal would allow “flexibility and optionality.”
The commission’s order says the large scale single-resource investment for a utility of Vectren’s size does not reasonably minimize “potential risk to customers.”
The commission said the requested pre-approval would obligate customers for a 30-year period during a time of rapid change in the energy industry.
The Commission told the company to present a “more thorough analysis that fully evaluates all possible options” for reliable, efficient, and economical electric service.
In a news release, the Citizens Action Coalition thanked the IURC for what it called “a lot of courage” to say no to a large utility company.
Wendy Bredhold of the Sierra Club said the proposed gas plant was “too big, expensive, and risky.” She urged Vectren to replace coal with wind and solar.