German utility RWE has begun construction of a 150MW solar PV project in Illinois, US, marking its entry into the state’s solar market.
The Casey Fork solar project in Jefferson County, Illinois, will bring RWE’s total renewable power capacity in Illinois to 750MW, adding to the roughly 600MW of wind capacity currently operating in the state.
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McCarthy Building Companies is undertaking construction for RWE’s US arm, RWE Clean Energy. RWE said that it has signed deals with Ameren, ComEd and MidAmerican Energy – three Illinois state electricity utilities – to purchase renewable energy credits from the Casey Fork site.
Hanson Wood, head of development for utility-scale renewable energy at RWE Clean Energy said: “Across the US, communities are realising the benefits of new clean energy infrastructure, which create job opportunities, support economic growth and strengthen the local tax base.
“We look forward to bringing these benefits and more to local communities throughout the country, like Jefferson County where RWE’s Casey Fork Solar project will spur hundreds of local jobs and tens of millions of dollars in economic output.”
Last month, RWE Clean Energy bought 599MW of US solar and energy storage assets across New York, Idaho and Oregon. The company was established in 2022 after its German parent company bought Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses and its attendant 7GW renewable power generation pipeline for around US$6.8 billion.
The Con Edison acquisition accelerated RWE’s US expansion and pushed the company’s 2023 earnings for its renewable power business up by 50.9% compared with 2022.
In November 2023, the company announced a €55 billion (US$60.4 billion) investment plan to expand its global renewable power portfolio by 65GW through 2030. By the end of the investment plan, the company plans to have divested itself of reliance on coal production.
