Why Not Ohio? Illinois To Get Wind Farm

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Why Not Ohio? Illinois To Get Wind Farm
PITTSFIELD, Ill. -- A St. Louis wind energy company plans to develop a 150-megawatt wind farm in Pike County west of Pittsfield, with the total cost of the project expected to be between $250 million and $300 million.



Trey Goede, CEO of Affinity Wind, confirmed that his company is planning a 36-megawatt wind farm, which could become operational in the fourth quarter of this year, and a 114-megawatt expansion in 2012. The company plans to construct 75 2-megawatt wind turbines.


Affinity announced last week that it closed a joint venture agreement with Chicago-based Suzlon Wind Energy Corp., a subsidiary of Indian-based Suzlon Energy Limited. The two companies will develop the wind farm under the venture called Surity Wind, LLC.


The company has completed testing in the area and is working to secure interconnection to the power grid and a purchase contract for the generated power.


Blake Roderick of the Pike County Farm Bureau said Affinity had been working in the county for three years and has basically taken over a project that Jacksonville-based Prairie Power proposed in 2008. That firm planned to build a 30 megawatt wind farm near Pittsfield.


"Goede has been great to work with and is very confident about proceeding with (the project)," he said.


The Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative operates a 1.65-megawatt wind turbine in Farmersville west of Pittsfield.


Affinity Wind estimated that more than $44 million would be spent locally during construction and $3 million annually once completed, with approximately 600 jobs created.  More than $1 million in property taxes would be generated along with lease payments toward landowners.


Goede said his idea has been received well in Pike County.


"We have had landowners committed from day one, and they have provided their allegiance to the project and partnership to the project very early on," he said. "We are adding more landowners as we speak."


Formed in 2008, Affinity focuses on the development of utility-scale wind energy projects. Suzlon ranked as the world's third leading wind turbine supplier in terms of market in 2009. It has installed more than 15,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity in 25 countries.


Herald-Whig Staff Writer Deborah Gertz Husar contributed to this story.