AES Indiana
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Predecessor | Indianapolis Power & Light Company |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Fate | Renamed from Indianapolis Power & Light Company to AES Indiana in 2021 |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis , United States |
Area served | Metropolitan Indianapolis region |
| Products | Electricity |
| Owner | AES Corporation |
| Parent | AES Corporation |
AES Indiana, previously known as Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL or IPALCO), is an energy provider serving the metropolitan Indianapolis region. It represents the largest utility subsidiary under AES Corporation, which acquired the company in 2001. AES Indiana delivers electricity to more than 500,000 customers within its service area.
On February 24, 2021, IPL officially changed its name to AES Indiana.
History
The origins of AES Indiana trace back to October 1926 when Indianapolis Power and Light Company was formed through the merger of Indianapolis Light and Heat Company and Merchant's Heat and Light Company, both of which had been supplying electrical service since the 1880s. At the time of this consolidation, IPL served approximately 105,000 customers. By 1937, IPL had extended its rural electrification efforts beyond Marion County.
In 1935, the company established its current headquarters located on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. The Electric Building, initially constructed in 1924 for Continental Bank, underwent a renovation in 1968 that included modernized lighting features.
During the late 1980s, IPL was a party to a significant tax case titled Commissioner v. Indianapolis Power & Light Co., culminating in a 1990 Supreme Court decision that ruled customer deposits from clients with poor credit did not constitute taxable income.
In 2008, IPL pioneered the deployment of the first grid-scale lithium-ion battery energy storage system worldwide, offering four megawatts of capacity dedicated to frequency regulation.
Following its acquisition by AES Corporation in 2001, IPL expanded its customer base to exceed half a million users by the time it rebranded as AES Indiana in 2021.
In April 2021, AES Indiana encountered operational difficulties when the Toshiba steam turbine at Eagle Valley Generating Station failed to resynchronize after maintenance due to a disconnected wire producing erroneous control signals. The repair process was prolonged because of inaccurate wiring schematics and extended until November 2021. Simultaneous maintenance at Petersburg Generating Station necessitated AES purchasing an additional $1 million worth of electricity to compensate for capacity shortages.
Generating plants
AES Indiana manages a portfolio comprising three coal-fired power plants, one combustion turbine facility, and a wind farm, collectively providing a total generating capacity of 3,513 MW.
- Eagle Valley Generating Station located in Martinsville, Indiana has an output capacity of 341 MW.
- Harding Street Station situated in southwest Indianapolis delivers 1,196 MW.
- Petersburg Generating Station near Petersburg, Indiana produces 1,760 MW.
- Georgetown Gas Turbine Power Plant, serving as a peaking facility northwest of Indianapolis, offers 158 MW capacity.
- Hoosier Wind Farm, operated as a partnership between AES Indiana and , contributes 106 MW through wind energy generation.