Dive Brief:

• Duke Energy Indiana has proposed a $1.9 billion infrastructure improvement plan aimed at modernizing its aging distribution grid.
• The plan calls for a combination of advanced technology and infrastructure upgrades to improve service.
• If approved, customers would see a rate increase of about 1% annually between 2016 and 2022.

Dive Insight:

Duke Energy Indiana has proposed a significant package of improvements to its system — including smart meters, technology allowing a distribution grid to "self-heal" in event of an outage and grid upgrades the utility believes will optimize voltage and reduce overall power consumption by about 1% on upgraded power lines.

The utility said customers would see fewer estimated bills because of automated meter reading and quicker service because connections and disconnections could be performed remotely through the new meters. The new meters would also allow faster outage identifications and better information for customers to manage their own energy use.

"Today we still deliver power much like we did a century ago, but there's technology now that can help utilities reduce power outages. With advanced systems, we can pinpoint problems faster and get the lights on sooner while providing customers with better information," said Duke Energy Indiana President Doug Esamann.

Duke estimated the modernization work would generate or support more than 5,000 Indiana jobs over the seven-year period. The utility said a decision is expected from regulators by next spring.