A German clean energy company plans to file applications with Montgomery and Sangamon County officials early in 2024 for approval to construct the first phase of a four-county, $450 million wind farm development known as Grand Prairie Energy Park.
UKA Group's North American affiliate, based in Stuart, Florida, would build about 60 wind turbines in northern Montgomery County, southeastern Sangamon County, northeastern Macoupin County and west-central Christian County, and eventually generate 350 megawatts of electricity.
That amount is equivalent to about half of Springfield's power needs, though the electricity would be sold on the national power grid, according to UKA North America Project Developer Adam Wilson.
A state law that took effect in January 2023, largely removing the ability of local governments to block or severely restrict the development of wind and solar projects that meet state guidelines, will make it easier for UKA to operate in Illinois, Wilson said.
Grand Prairie would bring Sangamon County its first wind farms.
Wilson said UKA, which has operated overseas for 22 years and began operations in the United States six years ago, is committed to working with individual communities to boost economic development while helping Illinois reach its long-term goals for reducing climate change-causing fossil fuel emissions.
"We're not just coming in here to build something and then walk away from it," Wilson said. "We intend to be good neighbors. So it's important for us to let everybody know that we intend on being part of this community going forward."
No significant or organized opposition to Grand Prairie Energy Park has emerged at this early stage, but UKA officials expect there may be public concerns about potential disruption of the rural landscape and safety issues related to humming and sunlight flickering caused by the windmill blades.
UKA says the project will be safe, quiet and won't pose significant harm to wildlife.
"Honestly, we're talking about such large tracts of land and such setbacks," Wilson said. "You really don't know the effect of a wind turbine in terms of sound unless you're standing under it. The decibel level is not that big, primarily because they're so high up."
Wilson added: "The biggest complaint is the visuals. Some people think a wind turbine looks majestic. Others think they look awful."
The first phase of the project alone – 17 to 23 wind turbines, mostly in Montgomery County and some in Sangamon County – would create 67 construction jobs that would last 12 to 18 months, and nine permanent jobs once the project is operating, Wilson said.
Annual lease payments to local landowners in this phase would likely be more than $1 million.
"This translates to reinvestments in local farms, spending more money on local businesses, continuing family legacies and more," a UKA fact sheet on the project said.
The first phase would likely generate more than $1.05 million in total annual property taxes for Montgomery and Sangamon counties every year for more than 30 years – the expected life of the wind turbines, according to UKA.
"This means significant funds for schools health care, tax relief – or freezes – infrastructure and more," the fact sheet said.
The wind turbines would be in unincorporated rural areas, and not in incorporated cities and villages.
But the first phase of Grand Prairie, to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026, would connect to major power lines at City Water, Light & Power's Westchester substation on Springfield's south side. The connection to the substation would take place through an overhead power line along a new bicycle trail that UKA would like to create, Wilson said.
The second and third phases of the development would cover the Virden area in Macoupin and Sangamon counties and the Pawnee area in Montgomery and Sangamon counties.
The Virden-area project, involving 14 to 17 wind turbines, and possibly some solar-power panels, would produce 100 megawatts and connect to an electrical substation in that area. UKA hopes to complete this phase in May 2026.
The Pawnee-area project, producing 100 megawatts with 14 to 17 wind turbines and possible solar arrays, would connect to a substation in that area and possibly be completed in fall 2027.
Using the newest technology and construction innovation, the wind turbines in the project would be larger than most in central Illinois and the rest of the state, UKA officials said.
Each turbine would generate more power, as well, while taking up about the same amount of farmland – about one acre apiece, once completed, officials said.
Most wind turbines operating in Illinois generate two to three megawatts, while UKA's wind turbines each would generate between 6.5 and 7 megawatts, Wilson said.
UKA's wind turbines would be 377 tall at the "hub," or the center portion of the structure where the blades are attached. That's more than 40% taller than most earlier-generation wind turbines and taller than the Statue of Liberty.
The UKA wind turbines would extend 656 feet tall at the tip of the top blade, or about 55 stories high.
Rural Farmersville resident Tom Murphy, 72, a retired farmer whose brother farms the 320 acres Murphy owns in Montgomery County, said he would receive almost $100,000 in annual rental income per year for the two UKA wind turbines the company plans to build on his land.
Murphy said he supports the project, noting that he generates about $90,000 a year in rental income for all of his farm ground now.
Montgomery County chairperson Doug Donaldson, a Republican from rural Hillsboro, said he is "not a fan" of wind farms and didn't appreciate state lawmakers taking away most local control from county governments on wind and solar power developments.
He said Montgomery County officials have received numerous inquiries from alternative energy developers since the state law was passed, mostly along partisan lines, by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
Some people in Montgomery County don't want wind turbines coming to the area, and some farmers don't welcome the prospect of having to farm around the structures, Murphy said.
"It seems to me the majority of people are for it," he said. "I see it overall as a good thing, not only for me, but for the community and the county tax-wise."
