Chicago Construction News staff writer
Avangrid, Inc., a sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, has announced construction of its fifth wind farm in Illinois. Osagrove Flats in La Salle County will include 34 wind turbines with a total capacity of 153 MW.
“They have demonstrated time and again that they care about this community, and I look forward to seeing the lasting benefits this project will bring to our village, school district, and township.”
The wind farm will produce more than 550,000 MWh of energy in a year, which is the same amount of power used by about 50,000 U.S. homes.
“Avangrid has a long track record of successfully partnering with Illinois communities to build and operate wind farms, helping accelerate a clean energy transition in the state and across the country,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “We are excited to build on our more than 15-year history in Illinois with Osagrove Flats, which will bring jobs and additional investment to the local community.”
Construction at Osagrove Flats is expected to create about 300 jobs. Long-term operations and maintenance will also support several permanent jobs on site.
Avangrid has also worked closely with the surrounding community, providing direct financial support in some cases. For example, the company donated $15,000 to the Village of Dana, located near the project, which it used to maintain ambulance service in the community and renovate the town hall.
“We have developed a tremendous relationship with Avangrid over the past several years and we are thrilled to see the Osagrove Flats wind farm coming to life,” said Joe Centeno, president of the Village of Dana. “They have demonstrated time and again that they care about this community, and I look forward to seeing the lasting benefits this project will bring to our village, school district, and township.”
Osagrove Flats is located near four other Avangrid wind farms operating in Illinois, including Streator Cayuga Ridge South, Midland, Otter Creek, and Providence Heights. When construction is complete, it will bring Avangrid’s total installed renewable energy capacity in Illinois to nearly 800 MW.
With 8.7 GW of installed renewable capacity, Avangrid is the third largest renewable energy operator in the U.S.
