The Duke Energy Division is planning a $180 Million Solar Farm in Indiana

TERRE HAUTE, A renewable energy project of Duke Energy expects to build a $180 million solar farm in western Indiana that will generate enough electricity to power 35,000 households.

The Hoosier Jack Solar farm, proposed by Duke Energy Renewables Solar LLC, a Duke Energy division that is not regulated by the state, will be based in southern Vigo and northern Sullivan counties.

According to Tyler Coon, business development manager for Duke Energy Renewables Solar, the proposed 175-megawatt solar farm will generate enough electricity to power 35,000 households.

The project would span 1,500 acres on leased land, with 896 acres in Vigo County and 604 acres in Sullivan County, and would be built on a former coal strip mine that is currently being used for crops.

According to the Tribune-Star, the site is connected to a 138-kilovolt Duke Energy Indiana transmission line via a utility-owned interconnection switching station near Farmersburg.

Construction is expected to begin in 2023, with a total of 200 construction jobs created over a 12- to 18-month period. By the middle of 2024, the power supply will be up and running.

On Tuesday, representatives of Duke Energy Renewables Solar appeared before the Vigo County Council to seek a $100 million tax abatement on land and personal property for the part of the farm that will be in Vigo County.