Development News From Southwest Indiana

Duke Energy & Hoosier Energy Named 1 & 5 Top Utilities by Site Selection Magazine
About Duke Energy (formerly Cinergy) , Plainfield, Indiana , www.duke-energy.com
When Duke Energy of North Carolina merged with Cinergy Corp. in April, two electric utility juggernauts became one. But that didn't detract from Cinergy's outstanding 2005 performance, which merited it a return trip to the podium as a top utility.

Still operating as an independent utility last year, Cinergy racked up 7,979 new jobs and US$975 million in capital investment from firms the utility helped grow. The largest project serviced by Cinergy was Caterpillar's $170- million engine plant in Lafayette, Ind., creating 52 jobs in Tippecanoe County.

Other major projects facilitated by Cinergy included Fidelity Investments' $115 million, 1,500- job financial services complex in Covington, Ky.; Cincinnati Financial Corp.'s $100- million, 505- job headquarters in Fairfield, Ohio; and DADC's $50- million, 60- job manufacturing plant in Terre Haute, Ind.

Among the programs that fueled Cinergy's success were the Indiana Properties Sites and Buildings Database, Community Growth Partnership Program, Permits to Projects (a virtual building site program), Gold Star Marketing Assistance and the Life Sciences Map.

About Hoosier Energy, Bloomington, Indiana, www.hepn.com
Indiana received international headlines this year when Honda selected the Hoosier State for a major manufacturing plant, but Hoosier Energy had already been doing its part to make Indiana a breeding ground for factory growth.

In 2005, the utility facilitated the creation of 1,810 jobs and the investment of $400 million into corporate facilities. Five Star Mines led the way with a $125- million investment in Knox County, where the company is adding 425 workers. Rush Renewable Energy LLC is investing $82 million in Rushville, while Aisin Takaoka Tell City announced a $35- million expansion in Tell City.

Other big investments came from Natural Pork Production in Wayne County ($18 million), MedVenture in Jeffersonville ($17.8 million) and Sunrise Coal Mine in Howesville ($16 million).

"Energy, ethanol, bio- fuel and especially coal projects dominated most of our time, but also generated some of the biggest numbers," said Peter Lieber, economic development coordinator for Hoosier Energy.

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