E.ON today dedicated its Radford’s Run Wind Farm, a 306 megawatt (MW) project in Macon County and the company’s third wind farm in Illinois.
The wind farm holds special meaning for E.ON employees, as it is named after Mike Radford, a member of the E.ON development team who passed away from cancer.
In memory of their colleague, E.ON made a donation to the Decatur Memorial Hospital Cancer Care Institute during the ceremony.
“As a company with a strong presence in Illinois, we are excited to work closely with landowners, community officials, and local residents in Macon County to build the energy future of tomorrow, today,” said Silvia Ortin, chief operating officer, North America and E.ON Climate & Renewables Board Member.
“Mike Radford was a wonderful colleague and his legacy of doing good in the world as well as his memory will live on in the community activities made possible by this project,” Ortin added.
Radford’s Run consists of 139 Vestas 2.2MW turbines and came online in December 2017. It is the largest single-phase wind farm built in Illinois and the largest wind farm built in the US in 2017.
During construction more than $55 million was spent locally on labor, materials, subcontractors and consumables. In addition, more than 80 miles of roads in Macon County were upgraded and repaired around the project area at a cost to E.ON of about $20 million.
Radford’s Run is projected to generate more than $59 million in tax revenue to Macon County. This additional revenue will support essential county services and local schools.