Solar Farm a ‘Go’ in Kokomo

Inovateus Solar has completed multiple projects throughout the state

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A solar park at a former steel plant is moving forward. The Kokomo Tribune reports the city’s plan commission has approved the development plan for the $10 million 26-acre project at the old Continental Steel site.

Plans from South Bend-based Inovateus Solar call for a 21,000-panel array that could produce 7 megawatts of power. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has already approved Duke Energy Indiana’s purchase-power agreement.

The publication reports the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has invested over $40 million into cleaning up the 183-acre property, which was contaminated by years of heavy industrial activity. Continental Steel closed down in Kokomo in 1986, following bankruptcy. The site has been vacant for years, pending remediation efforts. The publication says the site was featured by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as one of the country’s most dangerous sites.

Officials expect the solar project to be complete in the fall.