Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company has purchased the 54MW under-construction Panther Creek Wind Farm in Illinois.
Panther Creek is in the final stages of design and development, with necessary permits, land leases, and an interconnection agreement in place, and is slated to reach commercial operation in 2024.
When completed, the wind farm is expected to produce enough clean energy to offset over 130,000 tonnes of carbon per year.
The company bought the wind farm from PowerWorks through a wholly owned subsidiary. The acquisition marks Greenbacker’s first wind energy asset in the state of Illinois as it scales its Midwest portfolio. The company currently has over 190MW of operating wind assets in the region.
The project, located in Pike County, will be Greenbacker’s largest clean energy asset in Illinois, a state in which the renewable energy company has also built a growing community solar presence.
Greenbacker’s fleet of clean energy projects comprises nearly 2.9 GW of generating capacity (including the Panther Creek project and other assets that are to be constructed).
Since June 2016, Greenbacker’s real assets have produced over 4.9m MWh of clean energy, abating more than 3.5 million tonnes of carbon. Today these projects support over 5,200 green jobs.
“We’re thrilled that our partnership with PowerWorks has enabled Greenbacker’s wind fleet to expand into new territory in a big way,” said Greenbacker CEO Charles Wheeler.
“Not only is Panther Creek our first wind asset delivering cheaper clean energy in the Illinois market, once complete it will also be our largest wind project in the entire Midwestern region.”
Senior vice-president of PowerWorks Morgan McGovert added: “We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Greenbacker and this exciting advancement for the Panther Creek Wind Project. Panther Creek is a wonderful asset for the community, bringing clean and reliable energy, new jobs, and economic opportunities for many years to come.”