The Kelly Creek Wind Farm, set to be located in Kankakee and Ford counties, was recently approved by the Kankakee County Board.
The project is set to have 108 turbines, with 33 in Kankakee County and the rest in Ford County. The wind farm will also create 12 permanent maintenance jobs and 120 construction jobs. The Kelly Creek Wind Farm is expected to generate $3 million in new property taxes, with construction set to start in late spring.
This will be the second wind farm in Kankakee County from EDF Renewable Development Inc.; the Pilot Hill Wind Farm provides energy exclusively for Microsoft Corporation and become commercially operational in September. The infrastructure from the Pilot Hill farm will aid in the development of the Kelly Creek farm.
“The Pilot Hill Wind Project was made possible through Microsoft Corporation’s commitment to purchase the clean energy generated by the project on a long-term basis,” an EDF press release states. “Microsoft’s 20-year power purchase agreement for the Pilot Hill Wind Project will power 100 percent of the energy needs of Microsoft’s data center in Illinois.”
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