Enel Green Power North America announced Friday that the Alta Farms II wind farm project, currently under construction in Central Illinois, will bring the nearby community significant economic and environmental impact. Thus, the $345M wind energy project will look forward to creating several hundred jobs and contributing to DeWitt County’s sustainability efforts.
Read more of our news content, here; Pittsburgh leading Energy Efficiency out of 22 North American cities – 2030 Districts
Enel bringing economic benefits to Illinois
According to an official with Enel Green Power NA, bringing a $345 million wind farm project to Central Illinois will bring significant economic and environmental returns to the region.
In fact, the project locates just west of Clinton and Wapella, where Enel expects the farm to start providing power in late 2022. Moreover, it will contain 50 wind turbines generating 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
Accordingly, Tom Swerczewski, the regional lead for development for Enel Green Power North America, commented, “Alta Farms Two is going to be able to power approximately 57,000 average U.S. households every year. Indeed, we are talking about 470,000 tons of CO2 annually avoided.”
On the economic impact’s side, Enel commented that building Alta Farms II will create several hundred construction jobs. Moreover, the Project is expected to generate a dozen permanent jobs.
Besides, after the company completes all the construction work, the cluster of turbines will generate $40M in property taxes, said Enel. Particularly for schools, infrastructure, and other local necessities in DeWitt County.
About the project’s differentiators
Alta Farms II will be more efficient than other wind farms in central Illinois, said the company. For instance, the project’s turbines will produce twice as much electricity as farms like Whitney Hill near Mt. Pulaski in Logan County.
Worth noting, state policymakers are in the midst of a wide-ranging discussion, including competing energy plans. Thus, multiple stakeholders are assessing instruments such as the Clean Energy Jobs Act.
Accordingly, Swerczewski said, “Enel is excited about the discussion. In fact, we have big plans for the state of Illinois. Besides, renewable energy is an economic engine. It is a jobs creator for rural Illinois.”
Finally, Mr. Swerczewski said that the political landscape in Washington, D.C., in this regard, is “very bright.”
“Renewable energy is proven to make some solid gains regardless of whoever is in the White House. Thus, we think the Biden Administration is just going to help things even further,” concluded Swerczewski.
