EDP Renewables and Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and a Build & Transfer Agreement (BTA) for two renewable energy projects in Indiana.
The BTA will allow construction of the 200 MW Indiana Crossroads Solar Park in White County, roughly halfway between Indianapolis and Chicago, which is anticipated to become operational in 2022. NIPSCO will enter into a joint venture once construction is complete.
The PPA will enable construction of the 204 MW Indiana Crossroads II Wind Farm, also in White County. That capacity is expected to become operational in 2023, and NIPSCO will buy the project’s full capacity.
NIPSCO has been increasing its commitment to renewables over the past year, having announced or contracted for hundreds of megawatts of new capacity, a shift in a state that has less than 500 MW of active solar thus far.
Project lineup
Last July, the utility announced two new projects totaling 300 MW that are set to come online by 2023: the 200 MW Brickyard Solar project and the 100 MW Greensboro Solar project. The Greensboro project will also include 30 MW of battery storage. Both projects will be developed, constructed, owned, and operated by a unit of NextEra Energy Resources; NIPSCO will buy the power through 20-year PPAs.
In October, the utility said it would bring 900 MW of renewable capacity on-line by the end of 2023, across three projects: the Dunns Bridge I, Dunns Bridge II, and Cavalry Solar Energy Centers. Cavalry Solar will be a 200 MW installation coupled with 60 MW of battery storage. It will be located in White County and is expected to be operational in late 2023.
In December, NIPSCO signed a long-term PPA for 280 MW generated by a greenfield solar project called Gibson Solar. The project is being developed by Capital Dynamic’s Clean Energy Investment unit in Gibson County, in the state’s southwest corner. Arevon Energy Management and Tenaska are co-developing the project.
Underlying this development spurt is NIPSCO’s plan to become coal-free by 2028 by adding cleaner energy sources to its existing portfolio of natural gas and hydroelectric generation.
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Wow, thanks to NIPSCO, Indiana is exploding past the 1GW solar capacity line.