Ford County Wind project : Ørsted to acquire 121MW wind farm in Illinois

Danish energy company Ørsted has agreed to acquire the 121MW Ford County Wind project in rural western Ford County, Illinois from funds managed by Ares Management Corporation‘s Infrastructure Opportunities strategy for an undisclosed price.

The onshore wind farm, which started commercial operations in March 2022, is situated in Midwest Independent System Operator’s (MISO) territory. Built with an investment of $200 million, the Ford County wind farm can power over 38,000 households every year.

The acquisition of the Ford County Wind project is said to further bolster the footprint of Ørsted in the region.

Last year, the Danish energy company acquired the 302MW Lincoln Land Wind project, also located in MISO’s territory, from Ares.

Ørsted to acquire 121MW Ford County Wind project in Illinois. Photo courtesy of Ørsted A/S.

James Giamarino — Ørsted Onshore North America Senior Vice President and Head of Project Finance & Business Development said: “I’m pleased that we continue to diversify our Onshore portfolio with additional capacity in MISO Illinois and expand our relationship with Ares through the agreement to acquire Ford County Wind.

“We’re proud to work with new customers Mars, Silgan Containers, and BHJ USA and be able to support their decarbonization journeys.”

The acquisition is likely to be wrapped up later this year, subject to obtaining customary regulatory approvals.

The addition of the Ford County Wind project takes Ørsted Onshore’s US capacity in operation and under construction to around 4.4GW.

Steve Porto — Partner in Ares Infrastructure Opportunities said: “We’re pleased to work with Ørsted again on this latest transaction and believe that the sale of the Ford County asset underscores the strength of our relationship and Ares’ commitment to creating high-quality climate infrastructure assets.”