Huntingburg council hears about Lightsource BP solar project
The Huntingburg Council received information about a solar power project that will be constructed on leased property south of the city.
Lightsource BP, the renewable energy division of British Petroleum, is constructing the Crossvine Solar project. This is the second planned solar park in Dubois County, the other being Duff Solar Park.
During the meeting, Darrin Jacobs, development director for Lightsource BP, described the project and timeline. Additionally, Mr. Jacobs was seeking approval for the project since a portion would be in the city’s extra-territorial jurisdiction, which means it falls under the city’s zoning ordinance.
Crossvine Solar is located west of the Huntingburg Regional Airport and will encompass about 1,600 acres under lease, with about 650 acres used for the panels. The solar park will produce 100 megawatts of power with panels designed to rotate to face the sun during the day. The project will also include 100 megawatts of battery storage.
Jacobs said the project constitutes a $251 million capital investment in the area, 200 construction jobs and a few permanent positions. Over the life of the 25-year lease, he estimated it would generate about $17.9 million in property taxes. He added that the company has an option to extend that lease for 10 years.
Of the 1,600 acres, about 260 are within the city’s extra-territorial jurisdiction. Of that, Jacobs said about 165 will be used for the solar project.
While the panels are in place, the company will plant pollinator-friendly flowers and plants that rejuvenate the soil. Jacobs mentioned the company’s Bellflower Solar Project in Rush and Henry counties east of Indianapolis has bees to produce honey and has sheep grazing on it.
This type of dual usage is called agrivoltaics. “The industry as a whole is looking at ways to be more dual use,” Jacobs said. “The best way to do that is sheep grazing because they can take care of the vegetative management.”
He added that this is doubly beneficial because the sheep maintain the fields, and local farmers benefit from the use of their sheep.
The project is expected to be operational in early 2027.
With the overlap into the city’s extra-territorial jurisdiction, Jacobs was there to seek approval for a decommissioning agreement with the city. The County has already approved the decommissioning agreement.
The agreement requires the project to have a bond in place to cover the cost of decommissioning the equipment if it is closed.
According to City Attorney Phil Schneider, the company must post a bond to cover the cost of decommissioning the project 60 days before proceeding. An independent licensed engineer will determine the bond amount, which will be updated every five years while the project is in operation.
The council expressed some concern about decommissioning the project if it failed and whether the bond amount would be sufficient. Jacobs pointed out that BP is a reputable company with adequate resources to decommission the project properly.
Schneider told the council that the agreement presented by Lightsource BP meets the Unified Development Ordinance but must be approved by the council.
The council agreed to table the decision for the next council meeting to give them time to review the agreement.
