US renewables developer Invenergy has started construction of a 240MW solar PV plant in Franklin County, Ohio, US.
The Pleasant Prairie Solar Energy Centre, the company expects to generate up to 300 jobs during its development phase, with construction continuing through early 2027. Commercial operations are slated to begin shortly thereafter.
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The Illinois-headquartered company has selected Blattner to handle engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) for the Pleasant Prairie Solar project.
Over its lifetime, the project will bring in a total investment of around $230 million to Franklin County. It will be powered by US-made solar panels manufactured by Invenergy’s subsidiary Illuminate USA. These panels are also being used in other Invenergy projects across Ohio, including the recently operational 250MW Hardin III Solar project and the under-construction 240MW Cadence Solar project, which is forecast to begin operations in 2026.
Mick Baird, chief development officer at Invenergy, said the project is a partnership between the company, local landowners, Franklin County, the Pleasant and Prairie Townships, Illuminate USA, and Blattner to help meet rising energy demand with domestically produced power.
Pleasant Prairie Solar is part of Invenergy’s expanding solar portfolio in Ohio. So far, the company has 1GW capacity in Ohio across three operational solar plants with one under construction.
Recently, the firm commissioned the 250MW Hardin III Solar Energy Centre in Ohio. The electricity generated, along with the associated renewable energy credits (RECs), is being sold to Microsoft under a power purchase agreement (PPA). This follows the earlier commissioning of the 150MW Hardin I and II projects in the same county, which began operations earlier this year and supply power to Meta under a separate PPA.
In 2023, Invenergy partnered with Chinese solar module manufacturer LONGi to build a 5GW solar module assembly plant in Pataskala, Ohio, under a new joint venture called Illuminate USA. Invenergy committed over US$600 million to the project, including US$220 million for a 1.1 million square-foot facility. This marked as the first manufacturing investment in the US by LONGi.
According to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Ohio’s total installed solar capacity stands at 5.6GW, with 2.4GW added in 2024 alone. Over the next five years, the state is projected to grow by an additional 8.9GW. Based on this forecast, the state ranks 9th nationally for solar growth potential among all states.
