Indianapolis Power & Light Co. (IPL) recently submitted a plan to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) that will allow it to modernize its electric grid over a seven-year period to continue meeting the energy needs of customers.
Most of the modernization plan, called IPL revAMP, addresses the upgrade and replacement of aging equipment, hardware, and other assets. The remaining IPL revAMP investment allows the IPL to provide its customers with new technology, equipment, and systems, a few of which include:
- A self-healing electric grid, which allows the IPL to isolate problems automatically and re-route power around the problem, reducing the duration of service interruptions to many customers.
- Smart advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meters and other corresponding technology that automatically let the IPL know when the power is out and facilitates customer review of their electric usage online.
- Replacing transformers, breakers, batteries, and other aging equipment at substations to meet local area energy demands.
- A foundation that allows further integration of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and distributed energy resources (DERs) into the IPL’s system.
Once the IPL revAMP modernization is complete, IPL customers will experience:
- Fewer outages and shorter duration of outages.
- Improved reliability.
- A more resilient system to face growing energy needs.
If approved by the IURC, full implementation of IPL revAMP will begin in 2020 and conclude in 2027, with a total investment of US$1.2 billion. If approved, this investment over a seven-year period will support an estimated 880 jobs annually in Marion County worth US$62.2 million in compensation per year.
“Our customers deserve reliable, seamless, and efficient energy services, and the IPL is committed to meeting customer energy needs now and in the future,” said Vincent Parisi, president of U.S. utilities for AES Corporation and president and CEO of the IPL. “To continue meeting customer energy needs for generations to come, it is critical that we upgrade, replace, and modernize the infrastructure, technology, and equipment used to provide electric service.”
The plan filing does not request approval of new customer rates at this time. The IPL plans to file its initial cost recovery request in the second quarter of 2020. If approved by the IURC, this project will not result in an increase in the IPL’s total retail revenues of more than 2% in any year of the project.
Advance work to prepare for construction will begin as early as fall 2019. Customers will be updated and notified of progress throughout the project, as well as impacts to their neighborhoods as they occur.
To learn more about IPL revAMP and the IPL’s electric grid modernization, visit here.
