Local utility seals development of 800 MW wind projects in Indiana

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Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO) has announced that it has signed development agreements for three wind projects in Indiana, a state located in the Midwestern region of the USA, with a combined installed capacity of 800 MW.

The utility has signed power purchase agreements (PPA) for two projects - the 400 MW 160-turbine Jordan Creek wind project, to be located in Benton and Warren counties and developed and constructed by NextEra Energy Resources, and the 300 MW 107-turbine Roaming Bison wind project, located in Montgomery County and developed and constructed by Apex Clean Energy.

NIPSCO has also signed a Build & Transfer Agreement with EDP Renewables (EDPR) for the 102 MW 25-turbine Rosewater wind project, located in White County, whereby ownership of the project will be transferred to NIPSCO after the wind farm comes online. EDPR will develop and construct the wind farm.

The three projects were selected following a comprehensive review of bids submitted through the all source Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation that NIPSCO ran as part of its 2018 Integrated Resource Plan process – which concluded that wind and solar resources were shown to be lower cost options for customers compared to other energy resource options.

NIPSCO has requested the addition of these new projects in filings with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Assuming the projects are approved, the new wind capacity is expected to be in operation by late 2020.

The agreements are part of the company's plans to be coal-free by 2028, through replacing its coal-fired generation with a combination of wind, solar and battery storage technology.