NIPSCO, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company, announces this Monday it has broken grounds on two massive solar projects in the state. Those projects are the Indiana Crossroads Solar and Dunns Bridge Solar I. The company expects to have them operational by 2022.
Firstly, these projects are part of a broader effort from the company to advance clean energy solutions. They are part of NIPSCO’s “Your Energy, Your Future” electric generation strategy that ultimately intends to make the company carbon-free by 2028.
Currently, the portfolio of the company includes coal, natural gas, wind, and hydroelectric. The strategy would displace coal with solar and wind energy projects; the transition would help the company to deliver affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy and help customers save $ billion over the long term.
The first solar project is the Dunns Bridge Solar I. It is a 365-megawatts facility located in Jasper County, Indiana; will feature 900,000 solar panels and generate enough energy to meet the needs of 79,500 state homes. It will be operational by 2022.
Moreover, the second phase of the project will be even bigger, with 435MW capacity. The project will include a million and a half solar panels and will be operational by 2023. In addition, it will also have 75MW of energy storage capacity. According to the statement, NextEra Energy Resources is building the projects and will sell them to NIPSCO once completed.
Also recommended for you: Avanti Energy starts drilling for helium in Montana. Click here to read.
NIPSCO advancing a broader decarbonization strategy
On the other hand, Dunns Bridge Solar I & II will generate $59 million in additional tax revenue for Jasper County over the life of the projects and approximately 300 jobs during construction.
The second project is the Indiana Crossroads Solar; a 200MW solar farm located in White County. EDP Renewables North America is developing and constructing solar farms. In fact, it will be a joint venture between EDPR and NIPSCO. It will disburse more than $1 million each year to landowners and more than $40 million in local government payments over the project’s life.
Furthermore, with these two solar projects, two completed wind farms and 10 more renewable projects planned or under construction, NIPSCO will have a total of 14 completed renewable projects by the end of 2023.
Finally, about the matter, Mike Hooper, NIPSCO President said. “We’re proud to be investing in our state and local economies with these two Indiana projects designed to generate lower-cost, sustainable energy.”
