AES Indiana plans to add solar + storage at a plant cited for Clean Air Act violations

The 250 MW solar + 180 MWh storage project in southwest Indiana will be connected to the utility’s existing Petersburg Generating Station.

August 2, 2021 David Wagman

Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/alexeatswhales

AES Indiana said it plans to acquire a 250 MW solar + 180 MWh energy storage facility in Pike County, Indiana.

The project in southwest Indiana would be connected to the utility’s existing coal-fired Petersburg Generating Station. AES Indiana will acquire the project from a unit of NextEra Energy Resources, which will develop and build the Petersburg solar project.

Indiana regulators must approve the project, which could enter service by May 1, 2024.

The utility is retiring two coal-fired units at the Petersburg plant in 2023, affecting around 630 MW of capacity. Last August, it reached a settlement agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations at the power plant.

Under the settlement, the utility agreed to spend $5 million on a non-emitting generation source to support the Petersburg plant’s auxiliary load requirements and partially offset emissions.

In June, AES Indiana received regulatory approval to acquire the Hardy Hills 195 MW solar project in Clinton County, northwest of Indianapolis. Construction on the Hardy Hills project is expected to begin in the fall and reach commercial operation in 2023. Invenergy will develop the project and manage construction.

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