Honeysuckle solar project between South Bend and New Carlisle finally gets the green light

Council voted 8-0 on Tuesday night in favor of an agreement that basically outlines the responsibilities of the county as well as the developer, Lightsource BP, extending from the construction of the project through its decommissioning. 

Lightsource BP is proposing to spend $164.7 million on the solar farm, which has been dubbed Honeysuckle. It would be built on leased farmland bounded roughly by U.S. 20 and Spruce, Tamarack and Darden roads. 

The project is expected to create three to five permanent jobs and 150 megawatts of clean power — enough for about 24,500 homes — by early 2024.

But perhaps the biggest benefit will come from the additional $27.4 million in real and property taxes it will generate for local taxing authorities while passing back $37 million to the developer in the first 25 years of its existence.