Ports of Indiana eyes possible fourth port

Indiana Michigan Power has agreed to sell its recently retired Tanner’s Creek coal plant in Lawrenceville, Ind. to a brownfield redevelopment company that is working with the Ports of Indiana to evaluate the site for use as the state’s fourth port.

   Indiana Michigan Power has agreed to sell its recently retired Tanner’s Creek coal plant in Lawrenceville, Ind. to a brownfield redevelopment company that is working with the Ports of Indiana to evaluate the site for use as the state’s fourth port, the Ports of Indiana said.
   “Infrastructure critical to our state’s economy includes more than just roads,” said Governor Mike Pence. “Indiana’s ports and waterways have been tremendous catalysts for economic growth in this state for decades, and there is great potential here in southeast Indiana to develop a fourth port that will further energize our economy. In my State of the State address last January, I called upon the Ports of Indiana to vigorously explore the building of a fourth port in the southeastern part of our state, and I’m thankful for their continued progress as we work to make this fourth port a reality.”
   Ports of Indiana currently has facilities in Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan, 18 miles from Chicago; Jeffersonville on the north bank of the Ohio River across from Louisville, Ky.; and in Mount Vernon, in the Southwest corner of the state, downriver from Louisville and Evansville, Ind. and close to the Illinois border. The Tanner’s Creek generating station is also located on the Ohio River, but close to the Ohio border.
   St. Louis-based Commercial Development Company, Inc. (CDC) and its affiliates will work with the Ports of Indiana to determine if approximately 700 acres of property in Lawrenceburg can be developed as the state’s fourth port. CDC and its affiliates, Environmental Liability Transfer Inc. and EnviroAnalytics Group, specialize in brownfield remediation, environmental liability management, and redevelopment of formerly distressed sites throughout North America.
   The Tanner’s Creek coal electric generation facility closed last year after 64 years of operation.
   “There is no question the Lawrenceburg site and its existing infrastructure would have value in a port development project,” Ports of Indiana CEO Rich Cooper said.  “It’s too early to say for sure what can be developed here, but it certainly warrants further investigation. Indiana’s last port was built 30 years ago, and port property in the U.S. is extremely limited; once it’s gone – it’s ‘game over’ for future port development. We will be evaluating this site’s viability for attracting new business to the Cincinnati metro area and to spur further economic development in the Tri-State region. Extensive analysis went into identifying the Tanner’s Creek facility and the next steps will be to determine how much land is developable and the costs associated with making the land useful.”