Members of the Plymouth Redevelopment Commission were updated on the new solar project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant on Oakhill Avenue by City Utility Superintendent Donnie Davidson last week. This project is being funded in part by TIF District #3 which is the U.S. 30/Pine Road area.
Davidson said all the framework is completed and the panels are in place except for a few where the H-frames will go where the meter base will be placed. The conduit is all in and it was anticipated that they would begin pulling wire but it’s bee put on hold until after the holidays. There are some tie ins at the transformer that will be coordinated with NIPSCO. Davidson said any time the cabinet it open NIPSCO must be on site.
As for the expected startup, they are trying to coordinate it with the school startups. Donnie said the school’s must be completed when school is not in session so they are looking at Martin Luther King Day or another day in January the school will be out to energize their system and will he wants the city’s project to be right behind that.
He estimated a mid to late January startup for the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Davidson said the quality for the 30% rebate on the million dollar project, and play it safe they won’t start up until after January 15th. That rebate is $300,000. He said while working with Baker Tilly they have discovered the possibility of an additional 10% reimbursement on top of the 30% due to the materials being essentially made in the United States. He said some of the panels were assembled in Canada, but they would qualify for the 10% rebate which would be another $100,000.
Davidson said the rebates won’t materialize until a year after the system has been operational.
