DWIGHT – Some 2,670 acres of land has been approved for a special use permit Tuesday by the Grundy County Board.
The permit will allow Blue Sky Solar Energy LLC, a private company, to develop a 10 plot solar farm that runs through Dwight, Gardner, and East Brooklyn. The property is considered prime farmland with three creeks running through it. During the meeting Tuesday, it was announced an environmental, archaeological, and FAA study had been conducted with no negative impact expected.
The farm is expected to generate over 300 Mega Watts of power once it’s completed, powering over 65,000 homes across the area. Construction is expected to begin in 2022 and take 18 months to finish. The project is expected to generate upwards of 36 million dollars in tax revenue for Grundy County.
The motion was unanimously approved Tuesday.
As a privately-owned company, Blue Sky does not need the Illinois Power Authorities approval to construct the farm. Blue Sky Solar has over 160 projects since 1997 running throughout the United States and Canada, producing over 10,000 Mega Watts collectively.
