The project is expected to encompass approximately 1,530 acres in south-central Pulaski County, in land parcels located largely in Beaver Township between SR 39 and SR 119.
Project officials expect the venture to be a $223 million project investment which will produce an estimated $20.5 million in tax revenue over the first 30 years of operation. It will also produce approximately 300 construction jobs to build the project. The solar farm will utilize photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays capable of generating up to 200 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy.
Company representatives report that when looking for a site to build a renewable energy project, they seek a location with good wind or solar resources, landowners who are interested in hosting the equipment, and proximity to transmission lines.
Moss Creek Solar will be a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which is “the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and the sun,” according to the company’s website.
NextEra Energy Resources' subsidiaries operate solar projects in 27 states (and one in Spain), including four small- and large-scale solar projects in Indiana.
Subject to local and state approvals, the project is scheduled to begin operations as early as December 2023.
Company representatives met recently with Pulaski County Community Development Commission officials to discuss plans for the proposed project. CDC executive director Nathan Origer reports that he expects hearings for the project will begin this summer. He noted he has fielded inquiries from several interested solar companies in the past year, adding that Moss Creek has now reached the point of identifying and securing land for the project and has begun to be a presence on local social media announcing its plans.
Origer also pointed out that the Moss Creek project will not be as large as the Mammoth Solar Project, now in an advanced stage of the lengthy approval process, which will contract almost 4,700 acres in Pulaski County, as well as additional acreage in Starke County.
