EDF-RE Reaches Commercial Operation at Kelly Creek Wind Farm

KANKAKEE COUNTY, Ill. — EDF Renewable Energy (EDF-RE) announced Dec. 27 that the 184-megawatt (MW) Kelly Creek Wind Project has started operating 92 Vestas V100 wind turbines at its facility located in Kankakee County.

Construction on the project began in April 2016 and the facility will generate enough electricity to power around 78,000 homes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That’s the equivalent of eliminating more than 474,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually. Power generated from the project will be sold into the PJM wholesale market on a merchant basis, according to a statement from EDF-RE. Clinton, Ind.-based White Construction worked as the general contractor.

“EDF Renewable Energy is pleased to announce commercial operation of the Kelly Creek Wind Project, which is now supplying cost-competitive, fixed-priced, clean energy to the PJM Energy Market,” said Ryan Pfaff, vice president for development at EDF-RE in a statement.

In addition to the benefits that wind power will bring to the community, approximately 100 construction jobs were created during this project as well as 10 long-term, full-time operations jobs, long-term lease payments to landowners, and recurring tax payments to local municipalities, according a statement from EDF-RE.

Wind-supported jobs grew by 20 percent in 2015 alone, according to a study from the American Wind Energy Association. In the United States there are currently 88,000 positions throughout the country and over 380,000 jobs that will be created by 2030.

“The [Kankakee] community will also benefit through property tax payments to the county and public infrastructure investments,” said Hilde Bauman, the communications coordinator at EDF-RE.

One of the biggest challenges that occurred during construction of the wind farm was observing the 80,000-pound weight restriction that was put in place by Ford County to protect county and township roads. The 80,000-pound weight restriction was eventually lifted and increased to 15 tons, which allowed construction crews to transport the wind turbines and the materials needed to complete the project.

Over the past 10 years, wind power capacity in the United States has increased an average of 30 percent each year, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. It also acts as a renewable fuel source that does not pollute their air like coal or natural gas.

The Kelly Creek Wind Farm is expected to produce energy for the next 25 to 30 years. At that point the project will be decommissioned and all turbines will be removed or replaced with updated technology.