Data Centers Could Lower Indiana Electric Rates

Data points.
Data Centers could in many cases be a downward pressure on rates, as they bring big new revenue on line to help pay for Transmission and infrastructure.
Examples here from Indiana and Arizona.

WPTA Fort Wayne:

Indiana Michigan Power announced Tuesday it will file for regulatory approval to lower base electric rates, which the utility said represent the largest portion of customer bills.

The move is part of I&M’s new Customer Benefits Plan, which must be approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission before taking effect. The utility attributed the proposed rate decrease to increased revenue from large customers, including data centers such as Google’s Fort Wayne site.

The plan also includes a “Benefits Bank” designed to help stabilize customer rates by providing a buffer against future cost increases. I&M said it also wants to make strategic improvements in infrastructure and technology to reduce outages and improve reliability.

The announcement comes as advocates have raised concerns over electric rate increases tied to data center growth. I&M has also filed separately to accelerate new power plant construction, as demand is projected to nearly double between 2025 and 2030.

“Our priority is to keep rates as low as possible while delivering reliable power and growing our communities. We know customers are concerned about affordability and the impact of data-center growth on rates. The fact that we can reduce rates while continuing to invest in the infrastructure and technology that supports reliability, is evidence that growth in I&M’s service territory is benefiting all customers.”
– Steve Baker, I&M’s President and Chief Operating Officer

Google also previously agreed to reduce its data center’s electrical use during times of peak demand.

Below, Arizona Utility CEO tells an interviewer that new Data Centers will have to pay their own way and will not burden ratepayers.

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Michael Mann on Record Nor’Easter

Strong storms getting stronger, while our ability to predict and respond to storms is being systematically dismantled to enrich the Epstein Class.

Brain Poison: PBS Newshour on Trump Gutting Mercury Rules

They want us to be dumber. This is one way to do it. Natural Resources Defense Council responds to EPA gutting of Mercury rules for coal plants, above.

The EPA is promoting the dumb along multiple tracks, however.
One of them is the North Korean style obeisance and adoration for the Great Leader.

EPA.gov:

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin released the following statement on the heels of President Trump’s State of the Union Address:

“Tonight, the American people witnessed a State of the Union that was nothing short of historic. President Trump delivered a powerful vision for America’s future, one centered on lowering costs for families, unleashing American energy, securing our borders, and keeping our communities safe,” said Administrator Lee Zeldin. “One year in, our nation is stronger, safer, and more affordable. America’s golden age is here!”


Another Soviet-worthy headline incorporates mandatory Trump Speak into policy announcements.

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Despite Trump’s Worst Impulses, Coal Losing its Grip

In a payoff to his Coal Baron contributors, Donald Trump has forced obsolete coal plants in several states to stay open, and middle class ratepayers to continue to subsidize the Oligarchs and 1 percent.
But markets are powerful, and renewables are too compelling to stop.

Oil Price:

In 2025, the share of renewables in U.S. electricity generation has surpassed 25 percent.

Over the course of the past 20 years, their share has continuously risen from just 8.6 percent in 2007.

At the same time, as Statista’s Kathraina Buchholz details in the infographic below, coal in electricity generation fell from a share of 49 percent to just 16.4 percent last year.

While Trump administration’s policies regarding renewable energy and greenhouse gases have yet to show their full effect, experts believe that the sector’s strong growth as well as efficiency and cost improvements will cause it to expand further – albeit slower – despite some government funding losses and the end of emission limits.

In 2022, more electricity was generated from renewable sources in the U.S. for the first time over the course of one year than from coal.

That year, renewable energy sources created more than 900 terawatt-hours of electric power in the country compared to a little over 800 that came from coal.

On a global scale, this change happened last year as renewables outweighed coal electricity generation in the second half of 2025.

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Is China’s Transition Moving Fast Enough?

BBC World Service report.

China’s overwhelming dominance in renewables discussed, but can they move away from fossil fuels fast enough to impact climate change?

“At the moment, China’s emissions are flatlining”- but too soon to declare victory.

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Winter is Not What it Used to Be in the Upper Midwest

Even in this relatively cold year, outdoor sports enthusiasts are reminded that climate change is stealing the joy of winters as we remember them.

Epstein Class will not care, but for those of us living on ground level in the real world, it’s a source of real grief.

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Nuclear Projects Underway in US

Best estimates for when nuclear can begin to make a significant contribution to the US grid are still in the mid-2030s.
Nevertheless, there are a number of projects underway, each of which could be a puzzle piece.
The most consequential current developments are the restarts of existing, 50 year old plants, which could begin significant generation near term.
The other builds skew on the “demonstration” and “research” side, and have longer time lines.

There persists this unfounded view, even among some very smart people, that somewhere, an evil cabal of blue haired, green-addled hippies are preventing the massive rollout of the nuclear plants that will save us. The biggest obstacles to nuclear are today what they have always been – financial.
For added context, see my posts here and here.

Nuclear Hazelnut (Jenifer Avellaneda) on X:

Did you know there are actually 5 nuclear reactors under construction in the United States right now?

And that doesn’t even include major reactor restarts… Let’s break them down..
Hermes – @KairosPower

Oak Ridge, Tennessee • 35 MW test reactor • Fluoride salt–cooled high-temp reactor • Uses TRISO fuel • NRC construction permit issued in 2023 • First advanced non-light-water reactor under construction in the U.S. in decades Goal: Demonstrate tech before commercial deployment.
Fun fact: It’s being built near the birthplace of the Manhattan Project.

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