I&M’s Twin Branch Solar Power Plant Begins Generating Electricity

The Twin Branch Solar Power Plant in an aerial view.

(Story by Erica Putt)

MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Indiana Michigan Power is now generating energy at its first Michiana-area solar power plant, doubling the company’s solar capacity. The Twin Branch Solar Power Plant went online Aug. 19 following a thorough testing and commissioning process. The facility is generating up to 2.6 megawatts of electricity, and its generation is expected to power the equivalent of about 365 homes annually.

“I&M is very proud to enhance the South Bend area with yet another form of carbon-emission free energy,” said Paul Chodak III, president and chief operating officer of I&M. “Adding energy from the Twin Branch Solar plant to our area distribution system is another step toward boosting I&M’s use of renewables.”

The Twin Branch plant is located just east of Mishawaka, in an industrial area north of the AM General factory.

Twin Branch is the second of four I&M solar power plants plant to generate energy. The 2.5-megawatt Deer Creek plant just outside Marion, Ind., went online late in 2015. Construction is ongoing at two additional Michiana solar plants – near New Carlisle, Ind., and Watervliet, Mich., which will begin generating solar energy later in 2016. Combined, the four solar plants will have a capacity of nearly 15 megawatts and produce enough energy to power 2,000 homes annually.

The four plants are part of I&M’s Clean Energy Solar Pilot Project. “We know our customers want more renewable energy, and this pilot project will be a strong foundation as we plan more large-scale solar power plants,” Chodak said.

In addition to solar, I&M’s generation portfolio also includes nuclear, hydro, coal and, through power purchase agreements, wind. About 60 percent of the energy generated by I&M in 2015 came from non-carbon-emitting sources.