Duke Energy Indiana — deep review (Plainfield, Hendricks County, IN)
TL;DR
- Duke Energy Indiana serves about 870,000 customers across 69 of Indiana’s 92 counties, headquartered in Plainfield.
- The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) approved a multi-step rate increase in Cause No. 45253 (2020) and again in Cause No. 45990 (2024) — with the 2024 case alone authorizing roughly $492 million in additional annual revenue, equating to a ~$23/month bill increase phased in for residential customers.
- Customer complaints to the IURC are dominated by rate increases, reliability/outage events (especially the June 2023 derecho), and disputes over coal-ash cleanup costs being passed to ratepayers (Edwardsport IGCC plant).
1. What they do
Duke Energy Indiana, LLC is a regulated investor-owned electric utility and a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK). Generation mix (2024 IRP): coal ~38%, gas ~24%, nuclear (purchased) ~6%, wind/solar/hydro ~9%, market purchases ~23%. Major Indiana plants: Gibson (coal, the second-largest in the U.S.), Cayuga (coal), Edwardsport (IGCC), Madison Gas (CCGT).
2. What customers actually report
- Rate-case complaints — the IURC’s 2024 approval of $492M in new revenue (Cause 45990) drew thousands of consumer comments objecting to the bill impact. Indiana utility advocacy groups (Citizens Action Coalition, Office of Utility Consumer Counselor) opposed major elements of the request.
- Edwardsport IGCC — the integrated gasification combined-cycle plant, originally projected at ~$1.985B and ultimately completed at ~$3.5B+, is one of the most expensive coal plants in U.S. history and remains a target of consumer-advocate complaints about cost recovery.
- June 2023 derecho — multi-day outages affected hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers across central and southern Indiana. Restoration time and food-spoilage / hotel-cost reimbursement disputes generated a complaint surge to the IURC.
- Tree-trimming and easement disputes — documented in IURC consumer affairs filings; not industry-unusual for an electric utility.
3. What the data shows
- IURC Order — Cause No. 45990 (2024): ~$492M annual revenue increase phased in.
- Duke Energy Corp 2024 10-K: consolidated revenue ~$30B; Indiana segment is a meaningful contributor.
- SAIDI/SAIFI reliability metrics reported via Duke Energy Indiana’s annual IURC filings: typical for a Midwest utility of similar density; major-event days (storms) drive the average sharply.
- Edwardsport coal-ash litigation: IDEM consent decrees and EPA CCR rule compliance documented at IURC and federal level.
4. How they handle complaints
Duke Energy Indiana customers can file complaints through Duke directly, through the IURC’s Consumer Affairs Division, and through the OUCC. The IURC publishes its complaint index annually. Resolution times for billing disputes are usually within 30 days; outage-reimbursement claims are typically denied except for narrowly defined utility-fault events — this is regulator-allowed but a common consumer frustration.
5. IBE Score: 4/10 — reasoning
Reliable institutional infrastructure; offset by sustained rate increases, the Edwardsport cost-overrun history, and post-storm restoration complaints. The 2024 rate case is the most recent specific consumer-facing event; 4/10 reflects a regulated monopoly where consumers have limited exit options and rate-case outcomes have consistently leaned toward the utility.
6. Verified public sources
- IURC Cause No. 45990 (Duke Energy Indiana 2023–24 rate case)
- Duke Energy 2024 Annual Report (10-K)
- Citizens Action Coalition — Duke Indiana rate case testimony
- Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) filings
- BBB profile — Duke Energy Indiana
7. What this review is, and what it isn’t
- Independent. No payment, sponsorship, or advertising relationship between IBE and the reviewed business.
- Public-record only. Every claim above traces to a source listed in section 6. Where data couldn’t be verified, the review either omits the claim or labels it as a pattern reported by customers (not a finding).
- Not legal or medical advice. If a specific transaction went wrong, document it in writing, escalate to the company first, then to the relevant regulator (Indiana AG, IDOI, IURC, CFPB, FDA, NHTSA, etc.) as appropriate.
- Updated as evidence comes in. If you have a primary-source document that changes any claim above — a court filing, a regulatory order, a settlement agreement — submit it via the tip form. Reviews are revised when verifiable evidence warrants.
This review reflects publicly available information as of the review date listed above. IBE has no commercial relationship with Duke Energy Indiana or its parent entities.