Governor Eric Holcomb breaks ground on United States' largest solar farm

 

KNOX, Ind. -- Governor Eric Holcomb announced the groundbreaking of a brand new solar farm in Michiana that will cover 13,000 acres and aims to remove 40,000 tons of greenhouse emissions from the atmosphere. 

This solar farm will be the largest solar farm in the United States, and it's going to be built in Starke County. 

“We like to fancy ourselves, or pride ourselves on being innovators," said Holcomb, at the groundbreaking. "We’ve been doing that for centuries.”

The solar farm, called the Mammoth North project, will cover 13,000 acres in Starke and Pulaski counties, and is being constructed by Doral LLC, and it is a joint partnership between the state of Indiana and Israel. The site will create 500 new jobs over the next three years, with 50 permanent jobs at the solar farm. 

The farm will provide 1.6 Gigawatts of green power through Northern Indiana-- and will power nearly a quarter of a million homes. 

Doral is investing $475 million into the first phase of the project-- which is expected to be complete in mid-2023. 

Israel's Ambassador to the United States and their Consul General attended the groundbreaking ceremony. Gov. Holcomb has said this is a big step in growing Indiana-Israeli relations. Holcomb also said that the power generated from this solar farm is not just sustainable, but that it will allow Hoosier communities to thrive.

“We are able to provide reliable, affordable, sustainable sources of energy for our private sector, which is so important for our communities to grow," he said. "If we have strong communities, that helps us build strong families, and that’s what it’s about at the end of the day.”

Construction won't begin for another 18 months for the first phase of the project. Phases two and three are expected to begin construction in 2022.