Indiana regulators are opening an inquiry into utility affordability, inviting executives from the state’s five investor-owned utilities to a meeting next month to publicly discuss energy demand, rates and steps they’re taking to address rising costs.
The new chair of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, former state Sen. Andy Zay, a Republican, acknowledged at the outset of a news conference on Wednesday that the informal inquiry is an unusually proactive step for a quasi-judicial body that typically speaks through administrative orders.
Zay said the commission is tasked with ensuring there’s balance between affordable and reliable service and having financially healthy utilities. But, he said, “that balance feels dramatically out of whack right now for many, many Hoosiers.”
The unprecedented inquiry is part of a broader nationwide political response to a utility industry dynamic not seen in decades: surging demand growth tied to massive data centers. Forecasts for dramatically higher electricity use is prompting billions of dollars in planned utility spending — and angst over rising utility bills.
