Located 60 miles southwest of Chicago in Ford and Kankakee counties, the wind farm features 92 Vestas V100 wind turbines.
The project is designed to generate clean electricity required to power the equivalent of 78,000 average Illinois homes, according to US Energy Information Administration.
Power generated from the project will sold into the PJM wholesale market on a merchant basis.
EDF RE development executive vice-president Ryan Pfaff said: “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.
“EDF RE is also proud of Kelly Creek’s positive economic impact, generated through the use of wind turbine towers, blades and nacelles manufactured at Vestas’ Colorado facilities, the creation of approximately 100 construction jobs and 10 long-term, full-time operations jobs, long-term lease payments to landowners, and recurring tax payments to local municipalities.”
The project is expected to avoid more than 474,000t of CO2 emissions annually, according to the estimates of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies.
Recently, EDF agreed to divest 100% ownership interest in the operational 174MW Salt Fork wind project and the 126MW Tyler Bluff wind project to Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power for undisclosed amount.
EDF said that the sale represents an integral part of its business model to maintain a balance between growing portfolios while to help fund the new projects development.
Image: EDF strengthens its business with the commissioning of new wind farm in the US. Photo: courtesy of koko-tewan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
