I was recently invited by the Economist to participate in a panel discussion that focused on the challenges and opportunities utility companies encounter while supporting the transition to new sources of renewable energy.
As the representative of a public utility that is pursuing one of the fastest and deepest decarbonization plans in the United States, I was gratified to find that there was fundamental agreement across the panel on two points that are at the heart of NiSource’s own Integrated Resource Plan.
The first is that people must be at the center of any effort aimed at shifting to a greener, more sustainable energy supply.
That understanding serves as the foundation of NiSource’s Your Energy, Your Future program, and ensures that the work we do to satisfy future energy needs provides financial, economic, social, and environmental benefits to all stakeholders—including our employees, customers and communities. It also means making sure that economically vulnerable customers are not left behind, and that they share in the benefits of the new energy paradigm.
The second key point of agreement on the panel was that the incredibly complex shift to renewable sources must balance multiple factors—including reliability, affordability, resilience and environmental impact.
That means that as solar, wind and other sources are brought online to reduce the environmental impact of energy production and supply, we must continue to deliver customers access to a reliable, resilient supply of energy at an affordable cost.
These are just several reasons in which natural gas remains an important part of the energy mix. It not only supports the transition by serving as a feedstock to help satisfy demand during the transition to new energy technologies, but also provides the infrastructure for other fuels such as hydrogen, renewable natural gas and/or greener fuels to be blended with natural gas—further utilizing a natural resource bountiful across the United States.
Balancing these factors also enhances diversification of energy sources — meaning it keeps our options open as we move forward and while we remain vigilant to develop new opportunities to provide a dependable, affordable and sustainable energy system which advances our commitment to economic growth, and environmental stewardship.
Our company maintains a strong focus on sustainability in order to protect our planet for future generations.
We continually make investments across our footprint to improve safety, reliability, and environmental performance. ;In fact, these investments will help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 90 percent by 2030 (direct emissions).
Overall, the discussion was a promising conversation about our community’s energy needs. At NiSource, we are committed to continuing these discussions to ensure we reach a sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy system of the future which means the needs of our stakeholders. And, I am confident that—with the input and assistance of all our stakeholders—NiSource will continue to move confidently into our shared energy future.
Joe Hamrock
President and Chief Executive Officer, NiSource