Invenergy Starts Building 240-MW Pleasant Prairie Solar Project in Ohio

• Invenergy breaks ground on the 240-MW Pleasant Prairie Solar Energy Center in Franklin County, Ohio, investing USD 230 m and creating 300 construction jobs.

Invenergy LLC has officially put shovels in the ground for the Pleasant Prairie Solar Energy Center, a 240-megawatt project rising on farmland outside Galloway in Franklin County, Ohio. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on 10 June, turning months of permitting and community outreach into physical progress on a site that ultimately aims to power tens of thousands of Midwestern homes.

Backed by an estimated USD 230 million investment, Pleasant Prairie is designed to be a long-term economic engine as well as a clean-power plant. Invenergy expects up to 300 trade and craft jobs at peak construction and three full-time positions during operations, while local governments will share in fresh tax revenue and landowners receive steady lease income. Commercial operation is targeted for early 2027, giving crews roughly 20 months to drive posts, wire inverters, and commission the array.

Blattner has been tapped as engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, and the modules themselves will be sourced from Illuminate USA—a Pataskala-based manufacturer majority-owned by Invenergy. Using Ohio-made panels helps the developer lock in domestic-content tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act while reinforcing the state’s budding solar supply chain.

Pleasant Prairie broadens Invenergy’s Buckeye-State portfolio to more than 1 gigawatt of solar capacity—enough electricity for roughly 200,000 homes—and lifts the company’s annual economic contribution across Ohio above USD 17.5 million. The developer’s regional track record already includes the operating Hardin III Solar project and the in-construction Cadence Solar facility, creating a cluster of utility-scale plants that feed the PJM grid.

“Pleasant Prairie represents our commitment, along with landowners and local officials, to meet rising demand with reliable domestic energy while strengthening U.S. energy independence,” said Invenergy chief development officer Mick Baird at the ceremony. He noted that partnering with Ohio State University’s Battelle Center will also give engineering students a living laboratory on the rapidly evolving solar industry.

With construction now under way, Invenergy plans regular community briefings as work progresses through foundation piling, tracker installation, wiring, and ultimately grid interconnection. If milestones stay on schedule, the project will begin feeding carbon-free power into Columbus-area substations in about 18 months—another marker in Ohio’s gradual but accelerating shift from fossil fuels to renewables.