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EDF breaks ground at Pilot Hill Wind Project for Illinois
 


By JO ANN HUSTIS
Illinois Correspondent

HERSCHER, Ill. — The slow flap, flap, flap of activated wind turbine blades is expected early next year across the flat prairies that constitute Kankakee and Iroquois counties, about 60 miles south of Chicago and adjacent to the state’s border with western Indiana.
Groundbreaking was conducted by EDF Renewable Energy of San Diego, Calif., in early October at the site of the 175-megawatt (MW) Pilot Hill Wind Project in the two counties, with actual construction to get under way this month. More than 100 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase of the electrical generator project. Pilot Hill is expected to trigger significant economic development through the creation of approximately 150 local craft labor positions during the peak of construction, and long-term operations and maintenance opportunities.
Also, expectations are that tens of millions of dollars over the life of the project will be provided in the form of lease payments to landowners and property taxes.
In a news release by EDF Renewable Energy, the company announced in July it had acquired 96 percent of the former K4 wind project from Orion Energy Group LC, and Vision Energy LLC, plus benefits from a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Microsoft Corp.
The Microsoft-PPA agreement played a key role in moving the project forward by providing long-term revenue  “certainly needed” to get Pilot Hill off the ground and into construction, EDF noted in a separate news release. The 1.7-MW wind turbines will be supplied by General Electric and Vestas. The project is situated on the same electric grid that powers Microsoft’s Chicago area datacenter, according to the release.
Briefly, EDF Renewable Energy is the developer, owner and operator of Pilot Hill. Vestas and GE are the turbine manufacturers. The project capacity is 175 MW. Microsoft is the power purchaser. “The Pilot Hill Wind Project is important to Microsoft because it helps solidify our commitment to taking significant action to shape our energy future by developing low-cost sources to meet our energy needs,” Microsoft spokesman Brian Janous noted.
Participation of companies such as Microsoft in renewable energy generation projects indicates a growing trend of organizations directly procuring clean energy, according to Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EDF Renewable Energy.
“Companies are (starting to) understand that setting renewable energy, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitments can deliver attractive cost savings benefits, while locking in long-term energy price stability,” he said. “We are grateful for the sustained efforts of Vision Energy and Orion Energy who shepherded this project through the origination and development phases, and to the landowners who have patiently waited for this day to come.”
One of the top-ranking renewable energy training programs in the nation is at Kankakee Community College in Kankakee, leading local officials to hope the Pilot Hill project will prompt more investment in renewable energy in the area, the EDF release stated. KCC President Dr. John Avendano was quoted in it as saying renewable energy is key to the nation’s future.
“(We) are excited about the jobs and training opportunities this project brings to our community,” he noted. “KCC is proud to be training skilled wind technicians as part of one of the most recognized renewable energy programs in the country.”
According to EDF Renewable Energy, the company is among the largest renewable energy developers in North America, with 5.7 gigawatts of wind, solar, biomass and biogas projects developed throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
10/16/2014