Jack Alvey, senior vice president of generation for Indiana Municipal Power Agency, answers questions from Erskine Elementary School fourth-graders while giving them a tour of the new Anderson 1 Solar Park in this 2017 file photo. IMPA solar parks around Anderson provide 10% of the electricity used by the city utility. Staff file photo
ANDERSON — Sometime in the near future, almost 8% of Anderson’s electrical needs will be provided by energy from the sun.
The Anderson City Council on Thursday approved a resolution to provide a 10-year tax abatement to the Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA) for three new solar parks.
The public hearing on the IMPA request will take place on April 14 at 7 p.m.
Jack Alvey with IMPA said the three solar parks are an investment of $33.7 million and will generate 23.7 megawatts of electricity.
The requested tax abatement is on the equipment, and Alvey said IMPA will make a payment in lieu of property taxes to local units of government.
Currently, IMPA is constructing a fourth new solar park on property within Madison County that is in close proximity to the three planned for the city’s east side.
The solar park on Madison Avenue, north of Cross Street, is also located in Anderson and Madison County.
Alvey said IMPA has agreed to a voluntary annexation of both facilities into the city of Anderson.
Solar Park 3 will be at 2930 E. 38th St., with an investment of $13.4 million, and will generate 8.7 megawatts of electricity.
Solar Park 4 will be at 3205 S. Rangeline Road and will produce 7.8 megawatts of electricity, at a cost of $10.7 million.
Solar Park 6 will be at 3040 Layton Road, at a cost of $9.5 million, and will produce 6 megawatts of power.
Alvey said the three solar parks will provide enough power for 3,500 homes.
He said, once completed, 7.6% of Anderson’s electricity will be produced by solar energy.
Anderson’s power utility is a founding member of IMPA.
IMPA already has two solar parks in the city.
The first was opened on Park Road in 2015 and generates 5 megawatts of electricity; the second was opened in 2017 on Madison Avenue, generating 8 megawatts of electricity.
IMPA has a 2-megawatt solar park in Pendleton and a 1-megawatt facility in Frankton.
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