PLAINFIELD, Ind., March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In testimony filed with Indiana state utility regulators Thursday, Duke Energy Indiana proposed significant customer protections associated with the construction of its Edwardsport coal gasification plant near Vincennes, Ind.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20040414/DUKEENERGYLOGO )
The company is proposing to cap the project's construction costs to be passed along to customers at $2.72 billion, excluding financing costs on that amount. Duke Energy also is proposing rate-related adjustments that will lower the overall customer rate increase related to the project from an average of about 19 percent to about 16 percent. The average residential, homeowner impact would be about 14 percent.
The proposal is subject to Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approval.
"The effect of these proposals would be to bring the project's near-term rate impact to approximately the same level it would have been under the currently approved, $2.35 billion cost estimate," said Duke Energy Indiana President Doug Esamann. "We believe this approach balances four important objectives: the continuing need for new power generation; modernizing Indiana's aging power system, reducing the customer rate impact; and giving shareholders a reasonable return on their investment."
Specifically, Duke is proposing:
-- a hard cost cap commitment of $2.72 billion, plus financing costs on
that amount;
-- waiver of the deferred tax financial incentive authorized by the
commission in 2007 for this project; and
-- a reduction in depreciation expense charged to customers.
In addition, Indiana customers will see the benefits of "bonus depreciation." Bonus depreciation is a federal tax incentive provided for major projects such as the Edwardsport plant as part of the Tax Relief Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010.
Last April, the company announced that the Edwardsport project's scale and complexity would add approximately $530 million to the previously approved $2.35 billion estimate. That brought the total estimated cost of the plant to $2.88 billion, or $2.72 billion, not including financing costs.
The company's proposal filed today is part of Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission proceedings to review the cost increase request. Commission hearings are scheduled to begin Aug. 22.
If approved by regulators, the rate increase will not come at once; already approved costs began phasing into rates in January 2009 and will increase gradually through 2013. This "pay as you go" approach benefits customers by lowering total financing costs and spreading the rate increase over time.
Background on the Edwardsport Project
The Edwardsport coal gasification plant is under construction in southwest Indiana. The total project, factoring in aspects such as engineering, construction and purchasing, is more than 80 percent complete. Actual construction is about 70 percent done. It is scheduled to be operating in the fall of 2012.
The plant will use state-of-the-art technology to gasify coal, strip out pollutants, and then burn that cleaner gas to produce electricity. This advanced, integrated gasification combined cycle technology significantly improves plant efficiency and reduces carbon emissions per megawatt-hour by nearly half.
Regulators granted the company permission in 2007 to construct the technologically advanced clean coal power plant in Edwardsport, Ind. It is the first time a plant this size using this advanced clean coal technology has been built anywhere in the world.
The approximately 618-megawatt plant is a critical part of Duke Energy Indiana's efforts to modernize its generation fleet and an initial step toward replacing between approximately 540 and 1,100 megawatts of older, coal-fired generation expected to be retired in the future due to pending EPA regulations. The Edwardsport plant will:
-- Produce 10 times as much power as the existing plant at Edwardsport, yet
with significantly less environmental impact than the much smaller plant
it replaces.
-- Be the first major new coal-fired power plant built in Indiana in more
than two decades. The plant is a key step in modernizing the state's
aging electric system.
-- Generate marketable byproducts. This plant will produce sulfur and slag
for agricultural and construction materials. Any revenues from
marketable byproducts will go to customers.
-- Use dramatically less water. The IGCC plant will need less than
one-tenth the amount of water per day compared to the current plant.
-- Replace the existing 160-megawatt, 60-plus-year-old power plant with
state-of-the art efficiency. Because it is so efficient, Edwardsport
will be one of the first plants called on when power is needed, which
reduces the need to run older, less efficient units.
-- One of the largest construction projects ever undertaken in Indiana.
About 3,000 construction workers and other professionals are currently
working on site. The plant will employ about 110-120 full-time workers.
In addition, the 1.7 million to 1.9 million tons of coal the plant will
use each year will support an estimated 170 mining jobs.
Duke Energy Indiana's operations provide approximately 6,800 megawatts of electricity capacity to approximately 780,000 customers, making it the state's largest electric supplier.
Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 4 million customers located in five states in the Southeast and Midwest, representing a population of approximately 11 million people. Its commercial power and international business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com. To learn more and contribute to the discussion about the energy issues of today and the possibilities of tomorrow see www.sheddingalight.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Angeline Protogere Phone: 317-838-1338 Cell: 317-431-1910 ANALYST CONTACT Bill Currens Phone: 704-382-1603
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Duke Energy
CONTACT: Media Contact - Angeline Protogere, +1-317-838-1338, or cell
+1-317-431-1910, or Analyst Contact - Bill Currens, +1-704-382-1603
Web site: http://www.duke-energy.com/
