IEA contracted for construction of 300-MW Illinois wind project

Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives, an infrastructure construction company with specialized energy and heavy civil expertise, has been awarded a wind construction contract valued at approximately $100 million. Apex Clean Energy, who develops, constructs, and operates utility-scale wind and solar power facilities across North America, awarded the Lincoln Land project to White Construction, a subsidiary of IEA that manages utility-scale renewable energy and heavy civil infrastructure projects.

The award is for the construction of a 300-MW utility-scale wind farm in Morgan County, Illinois. Construction on the Lincoln Land Wind farm is expected to begin in January 2021, with an anticipated completion date in late 2021. Apex will manage the construction of the project, while IEA will self-perform all of the engineering, procurement and construction needs, including the construction of project roads, the improvement of nearby public roads, the installation of collection systems, foundations and substations for the farm and the erection of 107 GE wind turbine generators on site.

“IEA is proud to support Apex Clean Energy in bringing additional wind energy resources to Illinois,” said JP Roehm, IEA’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are pleased to see that the Lincoln Land Wind project has received strong support from local landowners and the Morgan County community. We look forward to working with Apex on this very important project that will move the state of Illinois closer to achieving its goal of sourcing 25% of all electricity from renewables by 2025.”

Illinois ranks sixth for total installed wind capacity in the United States, according to the American Clean Power Association, with over 5,850 MW of wind online to date. The wind industry has brought $10.9 billion in projects to Illinois, which currently has 56 wind projects and 35 wind-related manufacturing facilities. The Lincoln Land Wind farm will add to that project count and is expected to provide $65.6 million in new tax revenue for Morgan County over the lifetime of the project.

“Apex is pleased to work with IEA, two leading corporate offtakers and Morgan County to advance Lincoln Land Wind, an exceptional project that will generate significant economic and environmental benefits for the local area and state for decades to come,” said Ken Young, Chief Operating Officer of Apex Clean Energy. “We look forward to working with the experienced team at IEA to safely implement Lincoln Land and, beyond that, to operating a world-class wind facility.”

To date, IEA has constructed more than 20 GW of renewable energy projects across North America.

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