Duke Energy presents site development recommendations to Hancock County economic development group

PLAINFIELD, Ind. – Duke Energy is presenting site readiness recommendations to Hancock County economic development officials for a 67-acre parcel near the intersection of State Road 67 and U.S. 36 in Fortville, Ind.

A check for $10,000 from Duke Energy has been presented to the economic development officials to help implement the recommendations.

“We are grateful for the professional commitment to economic development by Hancock County Economic Development Council,” said Erin Schneider, Indiana director of economic development for Duke Energy. “We admire their tireless dedication as they strive to improve their local and regional economies, and we are honored to play our part in their efforts.”

“We are certainly fortunate to have a corporate partner like Duke Energy in our community,” said Randy Sorrell, executive director of the Hancock County Economic Development Council. “Their site readiness grant program provides our community access to top-notch professionals who can guide us on how best to develop and market our commercial and industrial sites.”

Banning Engineering of Plainfield, Ind., has produced conceptual drawings, engineering recommendations and site plans for the Hancock County location.

“We are proud to partner with Duke Energy on this valuable program,” said Jeff Banning, president of Banning Engineering. “We appreciate the opportunity to share our site and economic development expertise to advance communities across Indiana.”

Ideal properties for Duke Energy’s Site Readiness program are typically 40 acres or larger, serviced by the utility, or a vacant industrial building of at least 20,000 square feet identified to support renewed industrial growth and sustainable development in the community.

In 2018 in its seven-state service territory, Duke Energy helped to attract $5.3 billion in capital investment, helping create 14,000 jobs. For the 15th consecutive year, the company was named to Site Selection magazine’s annual list of Top 10 Utilities in Economic Development.

For more information about Duke Energy Indiana’s economic development programs, visit locationindiana.com.

Duke Energy Indiana

Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,600 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 840,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana’s largest electric supplier.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2019 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, and Forbes’ 2019 “America’s Best Employers” list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.