Duke Energy gets green light to build 17-MW solar power plant at Crane naval station

More clean, renewable solar energy will soon flow to Duke Energy Indiana customers with the construction of a new 17-megawatt solar power plant at Naval Support Activity Crane, also known as the Crane naval station, located about 40 miles southwest of Bloomington, Ind.

•    Will be company’s second major solar power plant in partnership with Department of the Navy
•    Customers benefit from additional clean energy source
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has approved a settlement agreement between the company and the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor to build the solar plant, which will sit on roughly 145 acres in the southeast portion of the naval base. It will be the second-largest solar power plant in the state, and the largest on the Duke Energy Indiana system.
“This helps provide our customers with a more balanced energy mix using both traditional fuel sources and renewable energy sources,” said Melody Birmingham-Byrd, president of Duke Energy Indiana. “We are pleased to partner with the Navy on a project that will deliver clean energy to Indiana customers, and improved energy security for the Navy.”
Construction activity will begin this month, with installation of approximately 76,000 solar panels. The power plant is expected to start sending solar energy to the grid by early 2017.
The project marks the second major solar project that Duke Energy is building in partnership with the Department of the Navy. The company announced in 2015 a 13-megawatt solar plant at Camp Lejeune in Eastern North Carolina, which is now operational.
Duke Energy is a leader in renewable energy with more than 2,000 megawatts of wind and solar facilities in 12 states.
More information about Duke Energy’s overall solar program can be found here:http://www.duke-energy.com/solar
Images and video can be found on Duke Energy’s News Center: http://news.duke-energy.com/
About Duke Energy
Duke Energy Indiana’s operations provide about 7,100 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 810,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it the state’s largest electric supplier.
Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.3 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest, representing a population of approximately 23 million people. Its Commercial Portfolio and International business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
Contact: Lew Middleton
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