Duke Energy secures approval to build 17MW solar plant in Indiana

Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has granted approval to Duke Energy for the construction of a new 17MW solar power plant at Naval Support Activity Crane, which is also called Crane naval station.

Crane naval station is situated about 40 miles southwest of Bloomington in Indiana.

The commission has granted approval to a settlement agreement between the company and the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor to construct the solar plant.

This plant will be located on around 145 acres in the southeast portion of the naval base.

It will not only be the second-largest solar power plant in the state, but also the largest on the Duke Energy Indiana system.

Duke Energy Indiana president Melody Birmingham-Byrd said: "This helps provide our customers with a more balanced energy mix using both traditional fuel sources and renewable energy sources.

"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 of the plant will begin this month.

The plant will see installation of approximately 76,000 solar panels.

It is expected to begin providing solar energy to the grid by early 2017.

This is the second major solar project of Duke Energy with the Department of the Navy.

Last year, the company announced a 13MW solar plant at Camp Lejeune in Eastern North Carolina, which has now become operational.

Duke Energy has over 2,000MW of wind and solar facilities in 12 states in the US.