(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — Electricity demand for a controversial Indiana economic development project has doubled, according to a recent filing with the transmission operator serving most of the Midwest.
The Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace (LEAP) Research and Innovation District, le
d by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC), is among the costliest economic development projects the state has attempted. Land buys and water supply struggles have dominated LEAP discussions, but electricity supply is quickly rising to the forefront.
Wabash Valley Power Alliance filed an “expedited project review request” earlier this month with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, writing that “additional load has committed” to the district.
“The total demand in the district is estimated to be 1200 (megawatts). This represents a 600 (megawatt) increase to a prior approved submission,” the power alliance continued.
Eli Lilly & Co. is LEAP’s sole confirmed tenant. The homegrown pharmaceutical giant plans to invest $13 billion into a research and medicine-manufacturing facility, creating an estimated 1,300 jobs.
It may get company at LEAP. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, struck a “tentative deal” with the city of Lebanon in November for an initial $800 million investment.
IEDC spokeswoman Erin Sweitzer said the additional load is what’s needed to build out the Eli Lilly and Meta projects. No other tenants have been added at this point.
To meet the need, the power alliance plans to connect into existing lines in Whitestown. It described plans to construct more than 30 miles of new line, two circuit-breaker configurations, a new substation and a station. There was no estimated cost on the project, which has a projected in-service date of June 2029.
The expedited request was required to make that deadline, according to the filing. Waiting for a 2026 approval “does not allow enough time to get the network infrastructure in service by the requested date,” the power alliance wrote.
An initial request last year for 600 megawatts was expected to cost $222 million and be in service by the end of 2026.
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