A 1,200-acre solar panel project that could produce up to 100 megawatts of electricity is being planned for the Duff/Patoka Township area.
The Duff Solar Park is being constructed by EDP Renewables North America LLC. Based out of Houston, Texas, the company operates 58 wind farms in the United States, making it the fourth largest wind-power producer in the country. They also operate nine solar parks. According to the company, this equates to powering about 2 million homes.
Between wind and solar, the company has about 3,600 megawatts of production capacity either in operation or under construction in Indiana — mainly in northern Indiana. Company representatives attributed this large footprint to Indiana’s pro-business stance as well as the favorable regulatory structure.
The Duff Solar Park project manager Sara Greenberg discussed the project with the Dubois County Commissioners at the regular meeting held Monday morning.
She explained the current plan is to begin construction on the park in 2023, with it being fully operational by 2024. “With that timeline, we are doing everything we can right now to finish up our design and get everything in order for construction,” Greenberg said.
Currently, the company is conducting studies to assess factors regarding impacts on the environment and wildlife and assessing geotechnical conditions, drainage, and the impact to county roads.
“A lot of different studies to make sure construction is safe, and we have everything in order to make sure we leave a good impact on the county,” Greenberg told commissioners.
EDP Renewables provides electricity to utilities and commercial entities. In Indiana, that includes Hoosier Energy, ComEd, NIPSCO as well as Walmart and Facebook.
“With this project, we are currently bidding our energy to customers, and we’re seeing who is biting,” Greenberg said.
Although the company doesn’t have a contract for the energy yet, Greenberg told commissioners there is some commercial interest. Once EDP Renewables has a contract for power, they will begin the construction process on the Duff Solar Park.
The park is expected to cost about $171 million to construct.
“One of the best parts of bringing in a big capital investment is that tax base increase and also the direct payments to landowners,” Greenberg said about the project.
Greenberg said landowners receive payments for the use of the property every year for the life of the park. A wind-power project the company operates in White County is expected to continue for 30 to 50 years.
“EDP has paid over $83.1 million dollars directly to over 400 local landowners in the State of Indiana,” Greenberg said.
According to Commissioner Chad Blessinger, EDP Renewables will likely seek tax abatement for the Duff Solar Park project.
During the meeting, Greenberg pointed to two counties in which EDP Renewables has helped establish economic development incentives through abated tax dollars.
In White County, the economic development fund created from abated tax dollars for the White County Wind Farm was used to create a $3 million incentive for a buyer to take over the operation of the Indiana Beach Amusement Park. “They were able to find a new buyer with that incentive,” she said. “We’ve been able to pay more than $25.7 million in tax and EDA payments in White County.”
The company also operates the state’s largest solar park in Randolph County. Greenberg said that abatement funding has been used for the county’s schools, sheriff’s department and townships for various projects and expenses. They have also used those payments to create a utility bill assistance program and a community endowment.
Greenberg used these examples to point to how the company wants to be a good addition to Dubois County.
“The goal is for us to really invest in a community and be able to build multiple phases of a project,” Greenberg said. “Right now, we are focusing on this one 100 megawatt solar project, but hopefully, we will be able to build out more solar energy in this county.”
At the first meeting in July, the county commissioners approved an ordinance adopting the standards regarding wind and solar parks that the state legislature passed earlier this year. Senate Bill 411 created standards regarding things like setback requirements, height restrictions, ground cover, fencing, cables, glare, signal interference, sound level limitations, required repairs to drainage related infrastructure and project decommissioning.
