NISOURCE INC

This Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("Management’s Discussion") includes management’s analysis of past financial results and certain potential factors that may affect future results, potential future risks and approaches that may be used to manage those risks. See "Note regarding forward-looking statements" at the beginning of this report for a list of factors that may cause results to differ materially.

Management's Discussion is designed to provide an understanding of our operations and financial performance and should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

We are an energy holding company under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005 whose utility subsidiaries are fully regulated natural gas and electric utility companies serving customers in six states. We generate substantially all of our operating income through these rate-regulated businesses, which are summarized for financial reporting purposes into two primary reportable segments: Columbia Operations and NIPSCO Operations. Refer to ''Note 17, "Business Segment Information," for further discussion of our business segments.

Our goal is to develop strategies that benefit all stakeholders as we (i) focus on long-term infrastructure investment and safety programs to better serve our customers, (ii) align our tariff structures with our cost structure, and (iii) address changing customer energy demand. These strategies focus on improving safety and reliability, enhancing customer experience, pursuing regulatory and legislative initiatives to increase accessibility for customers currently not on our gas and electric service, ensuring customer affordability and reducing emissions while generating sustainable returns. The safety of our customers, communities and employees remains our focus. Serving as a guiding practice for our SMS, NiSource is certified in conformance to the American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 1173, which is the foundation to our journey towards operational excellence. We continue to make advancements in key strategic initiatives, described in further detail below.

Energy Transition: We are advancing our energy transition strategy, primarily through the continuation and enhancement of existing programs, such as retiring and replacing remaining coal-fired electric generation by 2028 with a balanced mix of low- or zero-emission electric generation, ongoing pipe replacement and modernization programs, and deployment of advanced leak detection and repair. Our electric generation transition, initiated through the NIPSCO 2018 Integrated Resource Plan ("2018 Plan") is well underway, and we are continually adjusting to the dynamic energy landscape. As of September 30, 2024, we have executed and received IURC approval for BTAs and PPAs for wind, solar and solar plus storage projects, with a combined nameplate capacity of 1,950 MW and 1,400 MW, respectively, under the 2018 Plan. In January 2024, the IURC approved full ownership of the Cavalry and Dunns Bridge II projects. In August 2024 the IURC approved full ownership of the Gibson and Fairbanks projects and modification of the cost of the Fairbanks project as contemplated in the contractual actions. Full ownership of these projects allows NIPSCO to leverage provisions of the IRA, monetize renewable tax credits more effectively, and provide enhanced benefits to customers as compared to the previous tax equity partnership structure approved by the IURC. In May 2024, the Cavalry project was placed in service. We remain on track to retire R.M Schahfer's remaining two coal units by the end of 2025. For additional information, see "Results and Discussion of Segment Operations - NIPSCO Operations," in this Management's Discussion.

In 2021, we announced and filed with the IURC the Preferred Energy Resource Plan associated with our 2021 Integrated Resource Plan ("2021 Plan"). The 2021 Plan affirms plans to retire the coal unit at the Michigan City Generating Station by the end of 2028. The 2021 Plan calls for the replacement of the retiring units with a diverse portfolio of resources including demand side management resources, incremental solar, stand-alone energy storage and upgrades to existing facilities at the Sugar Creek Generating Station, among other steps. In the first half of 2024, Sugar Creek completed an Advanced Gas Path Tech upgrade that enhanced its overall production capabilities by an estimated 68 MW. Additionally, the 2021 Plan calls for a new natural gas peaking facility to replace existing vintage gas peaking facilities at the R.M. Schahfer Generating Station to support system reliability and resiliency, and upgrades to the electric transmission system. In September of 2023, we filed a request for issuance of a certificate of public convenience and necessity for an approximately 400 MW natural gas peaking generation facility with the IURC, which was approved in October of 2024. The planned retirement of the two vintage gas peaking facilities at the R.M. Schahfer Generating Station is also expected to occur by the end of 2028. Final retirement dates for these units, as well as Michigan City, will be subject to MISO approval.

NIPSCO’s 2024 Integrated Resource Plan ("2024 Plan") is currently in-progress and formal stakeholder engagement began in the second quarter. The 2024 Plan will inform future generation investments needed to ensure reliability for NIPSCO’s customers and will incorporate factors such as anticipated load growth from data centers and other economic development opportunities, new EPA emissions rules, and evolving MISO resource accreditation rules. The 2024 Plan will be submitted to the IURC in December 2024 and will include an updated Preferred Energy Resource Plan. We have seen an acceleration of customer interest in our northern Indiana service territory in the form of data center development. We believe data center development can enhance our local tax base, diversify the employment base across the state of Indiana, and provide greater value to existing customers and shareholders. We are evaluating the potential for data center development in our service territory, including ways to effectively manage the potential power demand, generation sources, and transmission capabilities to meet potential load growth from any data center customer, while at the same time focusing on our environmental goals. We expect that management of load growth would require new generation and transmission capabilities. We plan to move as efficiently as possible while maintaining the integrity of our commercial, planning, regulatory, procurement and operational execution processes.

We continue to enhance safety and reduce methane emissions on our gas systems through modernization programs and utilization of advanced leak detection and repair. In addition, we plan to advance other low- or zero-emission energy resources and technologies, such as hydrogen and renewable natural gas.

NIPSCO Minority Interest Transaction: On December 31, 2023, contemporaneously with the closing of the NIPSCO Minority Interest Transaction, Blackstone, NIPSCO Holdings I, NIPSCO Holdings II, and NiSource entered into an Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement (the "LLC Agreement") of NIPSCO Holdings II. On January 31, 2024, BIP transferred a 4.5% equity interest in NIPSCO Holdings II to BIP Blue Buyer VCOC L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company and also an affiliate of Blackstone. Effective upon the closing of this transfer, the members of NIPSCO Holdings II entered into a Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement of NIPSCO Holdings II (the "Amended LLC Agreement"). The two affiliates of Blackstone must vote their equity holdings under the Amended LLC Agreement as one investor. Refer to Note 4, "Noncontrolling Interests," for more information on this transaction.

Transformation: Our enterprise-wide transformation roadmap focuses on operational excellence, safety, operation and maintenance management, and unlocking efficiencies. We are committed to identifying and implementing initiatives that will enable us to streamline work and improve logistics company-wide. These efforts include investments in proven technologies backed with standardized processes that will change the way we plan, schedule, and execute work in the field and how we engage and provide service to our customers. Taken together, all of our optimization initiatives will prioritize safety and continue to optimize our long-term growth profile. We are making progress towards our transformation goals with a successful completion of the first phase of our WAM program, an enterprise resource planning system that will optimize the scheduling, dispatch, and execution of our field operations. This phase of the program implemented the solution within our electric distribution operations, while our second phase for gas distribution operations is anticipated to be completed by the third quarter of 2025.

Economic Environment: We continue to monitor risks related to increasing order and delivery lead times for construction and other materials, potential unavailability of materials due to global shortages in raw materials, and decreased construction labor productivity in the event of disruptions in the availability of materials. We continue to see increasing prices associated with environmental remediation services and certain materials and supplies. To the extent that work delays occur or our costs increase, our business operations, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

We are faced with increased competition for employee and contractor talent in the current labor market which has resulted in increased costs to attract and retain talent. We are ensuring that we use all internal human capital programs (development, leadership enablement programs, succession, performance management) to promote retention of our current employees along with having a competitive and attractive employee value proposition for potential recruits. With a focus on workforce planning we continue to evaluate talent needs and flexible work arrangements where possible to support a broader talent footprint for sourcing needed talent.

We continue to evaluate our financing plan to manage interest expense and exposure to rates. For more information on interest rate risk, see "Market Risk Disclosures".

Summary of Consolidated Financial Results

A summary of our consolidated financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 are presented below:

The majority of the cost of energy in the Columbia Operations and NIPSCO Operations segments are tracked costs that are passed through directly to the customer, resulting in an equal and offsetting amount reflected in operating revenues.

The increase in net income available to common shareholders for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 was primarily due to higher revenues, net of cost of energy, driven by our continued investment in safety, reliability and low or zero emission generation as well as increased AFUDC Equity, reported in Other Deductions, Net, primarily related to the mechanical completion of NIPSCO's Cavalry and Dunns Bridge II projects. Additionally, net income available to common shareholders increased due to the elimination of the preferred stock dividends following the redemption of both the Series A and B preferred stock. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the increase in net income available to common shareholders is primarily offset by higher depreciation expense attributed to our planned capital expenditures and higher interest expense. Increased net income attributable to noncontrolling interest following the consummation of the NIPSCO Minority Interest Transaction reduces net income available to common shareholders for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 . See Note 6, "Equity," in the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) for additional information.

For additional information on operating income variance drivers see "Results and Discussion of Segment Operations" for Columbia Operations and NIPSCO Operations in this Management's Discussion.

Income Taxes

Refer to Note 13, "Income Taxes," in the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) for information on income taxes and the change in the effective tax rates.

We continue to monitor and evaluate the impacts of final or proposed income tax regulations issued on provisions of the IRA including but not limited to renewable energy tax credits.