NEW Sierra Club Report: All Indiana Utilities Backsliding on Clean Energy Transition

Indianapolis, Ind- None of Indiana's five monopoly electric utilities improved its score in the Sierra Club's annual Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledgesreport, which is an apples-to-apples comparison of utility energy plans throughout the country. The report grades 75 utilities across the country on their plans to retire coal plants by 2030, not build new gas plants through 2035, and transition to clean energy through 2035. The average score across the country was 15 out of 100.

The updated report comes out after a year of massive giveaways to the coal industry by Governor Braunand President Trump, while the federal government has ramped up attacks on affordable and easily deployable renewable energy resources, like wind and solar, which Indiana severely lacks.

Utility scores below

Duke Indianaearned a 0% (F) for the second year in a row. Since the previous report, Duke had its latest rate caseapproved by state regulators, locking in customers to higher monthly utility bills than if it were to stop burning coal at Edwardsport, based on the utility's own financial data. Comparing Duke's 2021 energy plan to its 2024 energy plan, the utility slashed 3,798 megawatts of clean energy investments and delayed a company-wide exit from coal from 2035 to 2038 by extending the life of its Gibson coal plant in southwest Indiana.

Duke's 2021 energy plan proposed shutting down unit 5 at the Gibson coal plant by 2025 and units 3 and 4 by 2029. Additionally, Duke's 2021 energy plan proposed 4,697 megawatts of wind, solar, and storage by 2035. In Duke's new plan, between now and 2035, the utility will only install 499 megawatts of solar and 400 megawatts of battery storage, for a combined total of 899 megawatts of new clean energy. Duke will go from a meager 100 megawatts of wind energy to none by the end of the decade when it lets a power purchase agreement expire, and the utility has no plan to bring new wind energy online between now and 2035.

CenterPoint Energyearned a 33% (D), 25% lower than its score last year. The utility is in the midst of writing its next long-term energy plan, which has a large impact on the evaluation of scores in the Dirty Truth report. CenterPoint was going to retire all coal by 2023 with a resource mix of primarily solar (54%) and wind (27%) according to its previous energy plan. In its current plan, CenterPoint cancelled 285 megawatts of clean energy contracts and is modeling keeping coal online past 2030. While CenterPoint is much smaller than Duke, it has still invested more in renewable energy and is closing coal plants.

The Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO)saw its score decrease the most, earning a 57% (B), after earning an 80% (A) last year, its previous lowest score. The score lowered because of planned new gas plants due to growing demand driven by data centers, but the score remains higher than most utilities because it is closing coal plants.

Indiana Michigan Powersaw the second largest dip in scores, earning 48% (C) this year after earning 66% (B) last year. I&M's lower score comes on the heels of parent company AEP's request to Indiana regulators to shift all costs for the uneconomic OVEC coal plants from being shared between its Michigan and Indiana customers to only Indiana customers. In 2025 alone, Ohio ended all subsidies to the OVEC coal plants and Michigan limited cost recovery, making the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission's actions stand out.

AES Indiana saw its score remain unchanged from last year, earning it another 57% (B) in this year's report. However, in May 2025, AES issued a request for proposal to build two new gas-burning power plants, up to 1,600 megawatts total, to power large load users like data centers, a move that would cause greenhouse gas emissions to skyrocket.

Statement from Megan Anderson, Senior Beyond Coal Campaign Organizer in Indiana:

"Governor Braun, monopoly utilities, and tech companies are driving up monthly utility bills for Hoosier families by straddling us with expensive coal and gas costs to feed power-hungry data centers. Braun's executive orders and new laws aimed at bailing out uneconomic coal plants are forcing Hoosiers to subsidize electric infrastructure for data centers, hurting our economy and our health. I hope Gov. Braun is serious about decreasing rates, but it feels disingenuous based on his actions.

"Duke Indiana is not only failing compared to its monopoly utility peers in Indiana, it is also among the worst when compared to utilities across the nation. Duke's failing strategy was approved by state regulators under Gov. Braun's watch earlier this year, who granted the monopoly utility a massive rate hike that pumps hundreds of millions into its coal plants, including the economic clunker Edwardsport plant. There's no better example of Duke's renewable energy failure than the fact it will not have any wind energy resources after a power purchase agreement expires in a few years."

Statement from Nicole Chandler, Beyond Coal Campaign Organizer in southwest Indiana:

"CenterPoint's backsliding on renewable energy commitments is a step in the wrong direction for southwest Indiana and Hoosiers. CenterPoint is drafting its next long range energy plan right now, giving its VP Shane Bradford the opportunity to do what is right by Hoosiers and retire its costly and polluting FB Culley coal-burning power plant and commit to investing in more affordable, renewable energy."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.