Indiana Order Directs State to Keep Coal Plants Running for Data Centers

Governor Braun's executive order seeks to reopen or preserve coal plants as AI data centers expand in Indiana.

Indiana Governor Braun issued an executive order aimed at extending the life of coal plants in the state. It directs the state's Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources to seek opportunities to reopen retired coal plants or prevent scheduled retirements. The move comes as several large technology companies have proposed new AI data center projects in Indiana.

The order follows federal action a month earlier, when the Trump Administration renewed emergency orders to keep the Culley and Schahfer coal plants open. The economics undercut the strategy: both Schahfer units were reported as broken, and CenterPoint, which owns the Culley plant, asked the Department of Energy not to reissue the emergency order, calling the plant inefficient and unreliable.

This is a setback for abundant, cheap power. Coal generation is expensive to run and maintain relative to newer sources, and keeping failing plants online to serve data center load props up a costlier, dirtier energy base rather than expanding capacity that lowers prices over time. The gated resource here is clean, affordable electricity for the broader grid.

The brief originates from the Sierra Club and reflects an advocacy viewpoint. The link between the coal extensions and data centers is framed by critics — including Hoosier Chapter Director Robyn Skuya-Boss, who questioned who requested it — rather than stated explicitly in the order. Watch whether the plants named actually come back online, and at what cost to ratepayers, given that even their owners describe them as unreliable.

Source: CleanTechnica