To maintain the property and help local farmers, 2,500 sheep, donkeys, alpacas and Kunekune pigs graze the Mammoth property daily. Photo by Dora Renewables, LLC.

News Release

FRANCESVILLE — Dora Renewables LLC, U.S. partner of Israeli-based Doral Group, has announced the north site of its 12,000-acre Mammoth Solar Farm in Starke County has begun operation, three years after breaking ground.

The $2 billion Mammoth Solar project will be one of the largest solar farms in the U.S. once finished, able to power 250,000 homes and earn millions for Indiana’s communities.

Work began on the site, also known as phase one of the project, in late 2021 with a ceremony featuring figures such as then-governor of Indiana Eric Holcomb and Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S., H.E. Gilad Erdan. While the phase was expected to be completed by mid-2023, the site wasn’t operational until late 2024. Factors such as permits, the weather and supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic hindered the project.

Currently, Mammoth North Solar produces enough energy to power around 75,000 households. The project was named “Mammoth” after ancient mammoth bones were discovered where it would be built and because of project’s growing size and scope.

To maintain the property and help local farmers, 2,500 sheep, donkeys, alpacas and Kunekune pigs graze the Mammoth property daily. Mammoth North’s solar panels are suspended above the ground, allowing animals to graze without fear of damage.

Delays for the 400-megawatt phase one has pushed back phases two and three, which will produce 900 additional megawatts at their Pulaski County locations when completed.

Over the next year, Doral will focus on practices such as water conservation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the company continues to work with area farmers to share the land between solar energy production and farming.