Officials in Pike County have approved a $128 million solar energy project.
Capital Dynamics of Switzerland is partnering with Nebraska-based Tenaska to build a 150-megawatt solar field on 1,200 acres near Petersburg.
Inside Indiana Business reports the project will create 350 construction jobs and four permanent maintenance positions.
Pike County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Ashley Polen Willis says the project creates a "tremendous opportunity."
She said it will pump nearly $1 million a year into the county’s GDP for the next 35 years.
The solar field is expected to start operating in 2023 and have a 35-year life.
The approval came just days after a wind energy project was dropped in Gibson and Posey counties.
Developers plan to break ground on the Pike County solar project next summer.