An Arizona-headquartered company is investing millions of dollars in Indiana with construction of a series of solar power projects in the Hoosier state.
Arevon Energy, a Scottsdale-based renewable energy developer, owner, and operator, on August 21 celebrated the groundbreaking for the 192-MW Ratts 1 Solar Project near Petersburg in Pike County. Arevon also recently began construction of the nearby 73-MW Heirloom Solar Project in Pike County. The company on August 26 said it also will announce construction of another utility-scale solar power project in the state in the near future.
Arevon officials said the two Pike County projects represent an investment of about $400 million, along with creating about 200 construction jobs. Local government leaders, along with landowners, partners, and stakeholders attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ratts installation.
‘Significant Addition’ to Midwest Portfolio
“Ratts 1 Solar is a significant addition to Arevon’s growing portfolio of Midwest projects and an important step forward for a cleaner future for Indiana,” said Tommy Greer, chief commercial officer at Arevon. “We are proud to host this groundbreaking and to celebrate the advancement of solar energy in Pike County.”
Arevon has nearly 3.8 GW of solar power and energy storage facilities either operating or under construction. The company has nearly 5 GW of solar and storage projects under development across the U.S.
Kyle Brouillette, senior vice president, Market Operations and Planning at Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA), a not-for-profit electric power group headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, near Indianapolis, at the groundbreaking ceremony said, “This project is an important part of our overall power supply portfolio. It is an Indiana resource and will aid IMPA in achieving our mission of bringing a low cost, reliable, and environmentally responsible power supply to our 61 member communities.”
Ashley Willis, executive director at the Pike County Economic Development Corp., said, “We are excited about the economic prosperity that Ratts 1 Solar will bring to our community. We have already seen the significant impact that this project has contributed through new jobs and increased local spending, and we look forward to seeing how it transforms Pike County over the next several decades.”
Renewable Energy in Former Coal Country
Pike County is a mostly rural and agricultural area in southwest Indiana, near Evansville and west of Louisville, Kentucky.
“The conversion of some of our fields from growing traditional crops to also housing solar panels is an exciting opportunity for our community,” said Dr. Suzanne Blake, a participating landowner in the Ratts 1 project.
Arevon in addition to the Ratts 1 and Heirloom projects also recently announced a $352 million financing package and start of construction for the 228-MW Posey Solar Project in Posey County, Indiana. The project could be operational in the first quarter of next year.
Most of southern Indiana has relied on coal-fired power for decades, and coal mining has long been an economic driver in the region. More renewable energy projects are taking shape in the area, though; AES Indiana, a subsidiary of AES Corp., recently announced it would invest $1.1 billion in the state and retire the utility’s last coal-fired units at its Petersburg facility in Pike County. AES said its investment would include new solar power and battery energy storage projects.
—Darrell Proctor is senior editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
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- Source: https://www.powermag.com/arevon-energy-investing-millions-to-build-indiana-solar-projects/