Work starting on 13,000-acre solar farm in northern Indiana

KNOX, Ind. (AP) — An Israeli company is starting work to build a solar energy farm that’s planned to cover some 13,000 acres across two northern Indiana counties when completed.

Executives of Doral Renewables took part in a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday with state and local officials for the project that is estimated to cost $1.5 billion to build over the next few years.

The project, dubbed Mammoth Solar, will see solar panels erected in Starke and Pulaski counties, generating electricity that Doral will sell under a long-term agreement to Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power.

The solar farm’s first phase is expected become operational by mid-2023 and will produce enough electricity to power 75,000 households.