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Mortenson Construction has started construction of White Oak Energy Center (White Oak) near Bloomington, Ill., adding 150 megawatts to Illinois' approximate 2,000 megawatt wind generating capacity. Located in agricultural terrain in central Illinois along the McLean and Woodford County lines, the wind power facility, developed by Chicago-based developer Invenergy Wind LLC (Invenergy), will consist of 100-1.5 megawatt GE turbines.
Mortenson is responsible for the design and construction of access roads, foundations, and the erection of the turbines. Invenergy is the sixth largest owner of wind generation assets in the United States according to the American Wind Energy Association.
According to the Illinois Wind Energy Association, an average 100 megawatt wind farm in Illinois creates 150 temporary construction jobs and 10 permanent maintenance jobs. "We are excited to be building another wind energy project in Illinois and look forward to partnering with the local community to safely deliver this project to our customer, Invenergy.
The White Oak project will be our fourth wind project we have built in Illinois, which represents approximately 40 percent of the State's total generating capacity," states Tim Maag, vice president and general manager of Mortenson's Renewable Energy Groups.
Since entering the renewable energy market in 1995, Mortenson Construction has become a leading building of wind power facilities in North America and has erected 5,000 wind turbines across the United States and Canada. With 100 percent of Mortenson's business in the power sector coming from renewable energy, Engineering News-Record ranked Mortenson the 11th largest power contractor in the U.S. for 2009.
In addition to wind power, Mortenson's Renewable Energy Groups, also construct facilities that generate solar power, biofuels and hydro-electric power.
The White Oak facility has been in the planning process for several years. With Illinois' robust wind resources, evolved transmission system, and progressive public policy, the project marks another significant step for a state leading the way in renewable energy.
