Akuo and its consortium of Harrison Street, Morgan Stanley and GE Energy Financial Services (GE EFS) have announced the commissioning of the 93.06 MW Bennington Wind located approximately 160 km southwest of Chicago, in Bennington, Illinois.
Akuo develops its third wind farm
Bennington Wind is Akuo’s third wind farm in North America.
It will power more than 33,000 Illinois homes and offset the equivalent of 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
This would represent more than 9 million tonnes of carbon emissions avoided over the 30-year life of the project.
The park brings significant economic benefits to Marshall County and the State of Illinois.
The facility has created 350 jobs, including 150 for county residents.
The project is expected to generate a total of over $19 million in property taxes, including $12.1 million for local schools.
The consortium
Morgan Stanley is the sole provider of financing and the exclusive purchaser of electricity and renewable energy credits.
The wind farm’s production will account for 50% of Morgan Stanley’s electricity consumption and 30% of its global carbon footprint.
Harrison Street is Akuo’s financial partner in the Bennington Wind project.
GE EFS is the provider of fiscal capital for the project, and GE Renewable Energy has supplied 33 2.82 MW turbines for the project.