Invenergy and WPPI Energy announced an agreement that will advance plans for constructing the 132-MW Bishop Hill III Wind Energy Center in Henry County, Illinois.

Bishop Hill III Wind Energy Center is scheduled to begin commercial operation by mid-2018. and will create more than 150 jobs during construction.

Bishop Hill III Wind Energy Center is scheduled to begin commercial operation by mid-2018 and will create more than 150 jobs during construction and up to six full-time jobs once operational.

The project will generate more than $10 million in local economic development in its first 10 years of operation through tax payments, lease payments to participating landowners, and wages and benefits for employees.

“We’re pleased to work with WPPI Energy to help them deliver clean, reliable energy to their member utilities and customers,” said Invenergy’s EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Jim Shield. “Utilities like WPPI recognize the economic value renewables bring to their energy portfolio and to local communities.”

WPPI Energy has entered into a power-purchase agreement to buy the electricity from the facility through mid-2040 in order to serve its 51 member-utilities and their customers across Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Iowa.

“This agreement provides WPPI Energy with a highly cost-effective resource that will more than double the amount of wind energy in our power supply portfolio,” said Mike Peters, President and CEO of WPPI Energy. “When the Bishop Hill III project comes online, our power supply will be more than 40% emission-free.”