The United Steelworkers union is asking NIPSCO to consider converting the Michigan City Generating Station on the Lake Michigan lakefront to gas or battery to save the jobs as its closure grows imminent.
Merrillville-based NIPSCO has longstanding plans dating back to 2018 to retire the coal-fired plant by 2028 as it phases out coal-fired electricity generation company-wide. Michigan City has been discussing tearing it down to open up more of the lakefront to public use.
The USW hopes to save the 125 union jobs and $5 million in annual tax revenue, noting it helped save the NIPSCO maintenance center in LaPorte from closure in 2002.
The union applauded LaPorte County officials for getting NIPSCO to agree in a rate-case settlement to study turning the plant into a combined cycle gas turbine or gas peaker generating plant as well as to study some other greener power generation project somewhere else in LaPorte County.
NIPSCO should invest in power generation in its own service territory, USW Local 12775 President Ryan Baker said.
"As you invest in new generating capacity, whether it's gas-fired, battery storage, wind or solar, build it and operate that generation in your service territory so that folks here who are paying NIPSCO rates benefit from jobs and tax revenue," he said in a statement.
NIPSCO is committed to the closure, but is studying conversion and other power generation options in LaPorte County, spokeswoman Jessica Cantarelli said.
The environmental group Just Transition NWI calls for the plant's decommissioning but would like to see green power generation added in Michigan City.
"We believe renewable power generation should be built here in LaPorte County to retain the impacted workforce and family-sustaining union jobs to protect our local economy, utilizing local initiatives like the NAACP Michigan City Branch 3061-B’s Soul Power solar jobs training program," Executive Director Ashley Williams said. "We maintain our position that NIPSCO must remain committed to decommissioning the Michigan City Generating Station by 2028 and cleaning up the legacy coal ash waste that remains an ever-present detriment to the community and Lake Michigan."
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