Correction: Indiana Michigan Power story
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - In a story Feb. 5 about a solar energy project for Indiana Michigan Power, The Associated Press erroneously reported the number of homes that the project will power. It will power about 2,000 homes, not about 32,000.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Indiana Michigan Power building 5 solar energy facilities
Indiana Michigan Power building 5 solar energy facilities in the 2 states, serving 32K homes
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - State regulators have given Indiana Michigan Power approval to build five solar energy facilities that are expected to generate enough electricity to power about 2,000 homes, the company announced Thursday.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved the Fort Wayne-based utility's $38 million plan to build the five facilities in the two states that will generate nearly 16 megawatts of electricity. That's enough to power about 2,000 homes, utility spokesman Tracy Warner said.
Two of the facilities will be in the South Bend area, one will be in Marion, and a fourth will be near Watervliet, Michigan, the company said. The fifth location has not been determined.
Paul Chodak III, the utility's president and chief operating officer, said the solar facilities will further diversify its generating sources. Indiana Michigan Power currently has the capacity to generate 6,000 megawatts, mostly from coal-fired and nuclear power plants, Warner said.
"I&M will own and operate these facilities and gain firsthand experience in the design and construction of utility-scale solar projects as well as integrating solar energy reliably into the grid," Chodak said in a news release. "This knowledge will be of great value to I&M and its customers as I&M moves toward adding more solar resources in coming years."
Indiana Michigan Power expects it will additional generating capacity from solar energy in the future, Warner said.
One consumer advocate was not impressed by the utility's announcement. Kerwin Olson, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition, said Indiana Michigan Power was "pretending to embrace solar power" while at the same time it's among utilities trying to effectively end customers' ability to develop solar energy of their own with rooftop panels. Those utilities are backing legislation in the General Assembly that would reduce the credits they pay customers for excess power they generate and send back into the electric grid.
"If you want to put it on the roof of your house or the roof of your business, good luck," Olson said.
The impact of the solar project's costs on customer rates hasn't been determined yet.