Gov. Holcomb attends groundbreaking ceremony for phase 2 of Mammoth Solar project
FRANCESVILLE, Ind. -- Governor Eric Holcomb, Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers and executives of Doral Renewables celebrated a ribbon cutting for Mammoth South, the second of a three phase, 13,000 acre solar farm project in Starke and Pulaski counties.
The second phase will be a ground-mounted single axis PV system across 3,500 acres in Pulaski County that will produce 300 megawatts of energy. It is expected to be operational in 2024.
“The geography is perfect for this kind of project, there’s two markets that converge here in Indiana, two of the biggest electricity markets in the country and the farms are flat as far as the eye can see which is a perfect place to put solar," said Nick Cohen, President and C.E.O of Doral Renewables.
The first phase, Mammoth North, is already under construction and is expected to be operational in 2023.
The governor said the solar project is helping Indiana progress towards its sustainable and clean energy future, as well as making the state overall stronger.
“It’s exciting to see the ingenuity and the innovation that continues to come from a project this big. It’s going to end up ultimately powering, this 1.3 gigawatts, will end up having the ability to power about 275,000 homes. And for that, it just makes our state stronger," Governor Holcomb said.
The project is also strengthening the relationship between Indiana and Israel, the other half of the joint partnership.
“They’ve put so much effort into relationship-building and doing it the right way, and so it’s exciting to see the ingenuity and the innovation that continues to come from a project this big," Gov. Holcomb said.
Project leaders say not only will the project heavily boost the local economy by bringing in $40 million to Pulaski County over 20 years but the solar farms will also provide more room for agricultural advancement for the future.
The third phase of the project, Mammoth Central, is in the early stages of development.