CS PowerTech opened the first phase of America's first HJT solar cell plant in Jeffersonville on July 24, and Governor Braun ordered an Indiana coal plant review the same week — one tightens the Clark County wage floor, the other decides how much additional MISO cost lands on your electricity bill. Nearly $1 billion, 1,200 jobs, and Phase 2 construction starting before December 31 in Clark County. Three developments from July 30 that hit Indiana C&I labor costs, power costs, and supplier qualification timelines.

CS PowerTech Opens First U.S. HJT Cell Plant at River Ridge

CS PowerTech, the U.S. subsidiary of Canadian Solar, opened 750,000 square feet at River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville. Phase 1 is running at 2.1 gigawatts against a full buildout target above 6 gigawatts annually. President Rusty Schmit called the site a cornerstone of building one of North America's most advanced energy manufacturing supply chains.

The underreported piece is the patent position. Every other domestic cell manufacturer — Qcells, ES Foundry, Suniva — runs TOPCon or PERC designs named in First Solar's active ITC infringement complaint, Investigation No. 337-TA-1494, instituted March 30, 2026. Jeffersonville's HJT output sits outside that proceeding entirely, which is a real competitive position on this specific dispute.

For operators in the corridor, watch the labor number. River Ridge is also absorbing CTDI's concurrent 400-job expansion, against a Clark County wage baseline that already moved to $27.25 an hour this year. Phase 2 breaks ground before year-end.

Braun Orders Indiana Coal Plant Review as MISO Costs Already Run

Governor Braun directed Indiana's Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources to identify opportunities to reopen retired coal plants or delay retirement of existing units, citing AI data center load growth. Keep two legal frameworks separate: the federal DOE Section 202(c) emergency orders currently keeping Schahfer and Culley online rest on a reliability-emergency rationale, while the state Indiana coal plant review rests on projected load growth.

The reliability argument runs into MISO's own data. Schahfer Units 17 and 18 ran at a 17% capacity factor in Q1 2026, below their pre-retirement average of 24%, and both were projected unavailable for the entirety of the next 90-day emergency order period due to repairs. MISO approved Culley Unit 2's retirement. NERC rated MISO's 2026 energy risk as normal.

The cost mechanism is running regardless of how the review lands. Sierra Club's tracker puts Schahfer's emergency-order compliance at roughly $174,000 per day in net consumer costs — costs FERC has approved passing through to ratepayers across all 11 MISO-footprint states. Separately, Earthjustice's federal appeals challenge to DOE's Section 202(c) authority could invalidate the federal mechanism before the Secretary's state review is finished.

Purdue–GeChi Silicon Carbide MOU Opens an 18-Month Supplier Window

The July 29 Taiwan delegation visit generated the headlines, but the substantive event happened May 27, when Purdue Research Foundation and GeChi Compound Semiconductor signed a formal five-year MOU targeting scale-up of silicon carbide substrates to 8- and 12-inch wafers.

SEMI and industry qualification benchmarks for compound semiconductor supply chains typically run 18 to 36 months. If GeChi or a Taiwanese partner announces an Indiana site in 2027, precision machining, specialty gas, and chemicals suppliers who have not started SPC documentation, cleanliness certification, or ISO 9001 gap analysis will be roughly 18 months behind on day one.

Questions for Your Morning Huddle

Q: How much additional electricity cost could the Indiana coal plant review put on my bill?
A: No number is set yet, but the existing federal emergency orders already run about $174,000 per day at Schahfer, spread across MISO ratepayers in 11 states. Model your annual electricity spend against a further life-extension order now, before the Secretary's review produces a recommendation.

Q: Should I re-baseline my Clark County compensation before Phase 2 breaks ground?
A: Yes. CS PowerTech's 1,200 jobs and CTDI's 400-job expansion pull from the same labor pool against a $27.25 baseline. Run your benchmarks against a $30-an-hour scenario and decide whether you adjust ahead of the hiring wave or after it.

Q: The Fed held rates — does that change how I finance a capex project this quarter?
A: The 9-3 hold leaves a September increase priced at roughly 57 to 60%. For any project you finance in the next 90 days, confirm whether you are on a fixed or variable structure before you sign, because a variable rate reprices into that meeting.

The coal review and the MISO pass-through behind it land on line items you are already paying. If you have never audited them, start with fuel adjustment charges on your electric bill and the IURC investigation into Indiana utility tracker charges. When you are ready to run a specific decision — a capex project, a new load, a supply offer someone is pitching you — the TEG Energy Decision Blueprint works through your actual bill and tariff.