Six Indiana counties selected for Duke Energy's 2019 Site Readiness Program that spurs economic development and jobs

PLAINFIELD, Ind., May 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Developing and promoting the economic and social growth of a community, state or region is rewarding, long-term work. That's why Duke Energy and its predecessor companies in Indiana have been front and center in helping grow the communities we serve.

That vital work continues in 2019 as Duke Energy has selected six locations in Indiana to participate in the company's Site Readiness Program, which identifies, evaluates and improves sites in the company's 69-county Indiana service territory for potential industrial development.

The locations include:

• The Kokomo Industrial Park, located at the intersection of County 50 East and County Road 300 North (Howard County)
• A 186-acre parcel in the north portion of the South Madison tax-increment financing, or TIF, district in Fortville (Hancock County)
• A 100-plus acre parcel located at 29579 State Road 1 in West Harrison (Dearborn County)
• The Northpoint Business Park (Hamilton County), which is bordered by East 196^th Street to the south, Grassy Branch Road to the east, 202^nd/203^rd Street to the north and U.S. Hwy. 31 to the west
• The North Manchester Industrial Complex (Wabash County) at County Road 1100 North and Taylor Drive in North Manchester
• The North Warrick Industrial Park (Warrick County) at 9988 North State Road 57 in Elberfeld

"Those of us who perform economic development work as a career know that our labor does not produce instant results," said Erin Schneider, Indiana director of economic development for Duke Energy. "It is an honor to join forces with these hard-working economic development groups to help bring lasting change and improvement to their communities."

Three site development companies and one engineering company will evaluate the sites and make specific recommendations for attracting large companies to build their facilities there.

Duke Energy will present its findings for each site – including a detailed report and conceptual drawings – to local economic development officials when the studies are completed later this year. Economic development organizations in Hancock, Hamilton, Dearborn and Wabash counties will also receive a check for $10,000 from Duke Energy to help implement the recommendations.

After each site's state of readiness has advanced, Duke Energy's business development team will strategically market those sites nationwide to companies looking to expand or relocate their operations.

Ideal properties for Duke Energy's Site Readiness Program are typically 40 acres or larger, served 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 a community.

Duke Energy's overall economic development program has been consistently named by Site Selection magazine as one of the nation's "Top 10 Utility Economic Development Programs." Since 2008, the company has participated in the creation of nearly 20,000 jobs with a total capital investment of approximately $4.5 billion.

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

About Duke Energy

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 125 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 is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.

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.    

CONTACT: Lew Middleton
Office: 317.838.1505 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853

SOURCE Duke Energy

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