Following a year-long process, Hoosier Energy today announced that its Board of Directors approved a new long-range resource plan. The current plan is designed to provide its 18 member cooperatives with reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy while saving members an estimated $700 million over the next two decades.
Hoosier Energy expects to retire its coal-fired Merom Generating Station in 2023 and transition to a more diverse generation mix that includes a combination of low-cost wind, solar, natural gas and storage. This plan provides a foundation for supply cost stability and predictability while reducing the company’s carbon footprint by nearly 80%.
Approximately 185 cooperative employees currently support operations of the 1,070-megawatt Merom Station, which is in Sullivan, IN, and went online in 1982. Hoosier Energy President & CEO Donna Walker said, “We sincerely value our dedicated employees and will help those impacted during this transition by working with the IBEW to offer assistance such as retraining, reassignment and professional outplacement, along with retirement options.”
There are several possibilities regarding the future of the site. Hoosier Energy will work with state and local economic development officials to market portions of the Merom property for industrial development. The company will also consider renewable energy generation at the location or pursue a sale of the plant.