Crossvine Solar/Battery Storage project roughly 35% complete, AES says

Construction on the Crossvine Solar + Storage project is approximately 35% complete as of late August, according to a project update from AES.

The 85-megawatt solar and 85-megawatt battery energy storage system is expected to reach substantial completion and begin operations by summer 2027, following a testing phase planned for spring 2027.

Battery deliveries to the site have concluded, and solar panel deliveries are now underway, with panel installation activities beginning this fall. Substation work is ongoing, and the substation’s foundation has been completed ahead of transformer delivery. AES said most civil work is expected to wrap up in September, though related activity will continue as needed through the rest of construction.

The temporary closure of County Road South 500 West has been lifted, and AES said no additional full road closures are currently anticipated. Road repair work that began in mid-August was expected to continue through the end of the month, with AES and its contractors coordinating with local officials on road conditions and restoration.

Construction traffic is expected to continue through September as equipment and panel-installation deliveries progress.

With the start of the school year, AES said it has been in contact with the local school district’s transportation manager to identify bus routes and schedules that may overlap with construction traffic, and has directed contractors to remain alert for buses and yield right-of-way accordingly.

Assembly of the project’s permanent fire water tank began in August and is continuing as construction progresses; the Huntingburg Fire Department, the project’s Authority Having Jurisdiction, inspected and approved the temporary water tank currently on-site.

The temporary tank holds 18,000 gallons of water, according to Huntingburg Fire Chief Don Heim. He explained the tank saves response time if there were an incident at the site, though standard operating procedure for a fire is to allow the affected battery to burn while taking containment measures.

Heim said this would involve operations that included using the department’s drone to measure the temperature of the surrounding battery storage units while monitoring air quality and keeping the fire from spreading.

He added that once the 25,000-gallon permanent tank is completed, AES has offered it as a filling station for tankers from fire departments in the area to be used for responses outside the solar project area. Heim said it could be used to refill a tanker for a house fire response in an area without hydrant service.

AES said the battery units on-site are being stored in accordance with manufacturer requirements communicated through Fluence, kept below 30% state of charge, and are not yet interconnected within their enclosures. During site inspections, DHS verified that the enclosures insulate against external temperatures and that current conditions remain within the manufacturer’s storage requirements.

Heim confirmed that the department has inspected the site alongside the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and verified compliance with battery storage requirements, with no findings identified during those inspections.