Duke Energy has selected two sites in Connersville and Westfield, Indiana, for its 2025 Site Readiness Program. The program is designed to prepare promising business and industrial locations for economic development and promote them to companies seeking new locations.
Stan Pinegar, president of Duke Energy Indiana, said, “Our economic development efforts have long been a key component of our work to power the vitality of our customers and communities. For more than a decade, we have partnered with local economic development organizations through our Site Readiness Program to help them stay competitive and market their sites and communities to prospective companies. It’s been a collaborative effort and instrumental tool to bring major economic development wins to the communities we serve – resulting in job creation, new tax dollars and investment.”
Since 2013, Duke Energy has prepared 51 properties through this program, leading to 30 significant projects that brought over 10,000 jobs and $14.7 billion in capital investment to Indiana.
The company collaborates with Banning Engineering and Site Selection Group to assess sites before working with local partners on strategies for site preparation. Each selected site receives $10,000 from Duke Energy to support readiness activities.
In Connersville, the chosen property is a 104-acre area north of the former Visteon manufacturing plant. The location has available utilities and access to rail service. Brad Colter, CEO/President of the Economic Development Group of Fayette County, stated, “This partnership will allow us to take a key step forward in preparing and marketing the site for future industrial use. We appreciate Duke Energy’s investment in our region and the proactive approach the company is taking to help ensure the communities it serves are positioned for long-term economic success.”
In Westfield, NorthPoint II is a greenfield site covering more than 169 acres next to NorthPoint Business Park. Jenell Fairman, economic development director for Westfield, said: ”NorthPoint II is an opportunity for companies to establish themselves within one of the region’s fastest-growing communities. The state-of-the-art industrial park sits directly east of the U.S. 31 corridor and offers seamless access to I-465.
From assisting in site development to aiding in the recruitment of new investment projects, we’re grateful for Duke Energy’s support and collaboration to attract businesses to NorthPoint II and the city of Westfield.”
Duke Energy’s economic development work was recognized by Site Selection magazine as one of the top utilities in economic development nearly every year over two decades. In 2024 alone, these efforts contributed $7 billion in capital investment supporting more than 2,800 jobs in Indiana.
Duke Energy Indiana supplies about 6,300 megawatts of electricity across a 23,000-square-mile area serving around 920,000 customers.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, provides electric service to approximately 8.6 million customers across six states and owns over 55 gigawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve another 1.7 million customers across five states.
The company continues investing in grid upgrades and cleaner energy sources such as natural gas, nuclear power, renewables and energy storage as part of its transition strategy.
More information can be found at duke-energy.com or through their official social media channels.
