US renewables developer Invenergy has launched commercial operations of 250MW Fairbanks Solar Energy Centre in Sullivan County, Indiana.
The plant was acquired by Invenergy from Indiana-based electricity distributor Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) and developed and constructed by Invenergy. The project, powering 50,000 homes, created over 275 jobs locally. Additionally, the facility will invest over US$125 million in the local Sullivan County community throughout its lifespan.
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Michael Kaplan, senior vice president of development at Invenergy, said the partnership with NIPSCO and the local community helped bring Fairbanks Solar online – marking the first of several Invenergy projects in Sullivan County.
Fairbanks Solar is Invenergy’s second solar facility in Indiana. In Sullivan County specifically, the company is also developing the Trade Post Solar Energy Center – currently under construction and expected to begin commercial operations in 2026 – as well as the Sycamore Riverside Energy Center, a natural gas project still in the development phase.
Recently, Invenergy began construction on the 240MW Pleasant Prairie Solar Energy Center in Franklin County, Ohio. The project was expected to create up to 300 jobs during development, with construction running through early 2027. Blattner was selected as the EPC contractor.
In June 2025, 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.
Earlier this year, Invenergy began commercial operations at its 300MW Delilah I Solar Energy Center in Texas. Located in Lamar and Red River Counties, the project secured VPPAs with two major automakers.
According to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Indiana’s total installed solar capacity stands at 4.20GW. Over the next five years, the state is projected to grow by an additional 12.43GW. Based on this forecast, the state ranks sixth nationally for solar growth potential among all states.
