Avangrid, Inc. announced the construction of what will be the company?s fifth wind farm in Illinois. Osagrove Flats, located in La Salle County, will include 34 wind turbines with a total capacity of 153 MW. The wind farm will produce more than 550,000 MWh of energy in a year, which is the same amount of power used by about 50,000 U.S. homes.

Construction at Osagrove Flats is expected to create about 300 jobs. Long-term operations and maintenance will also support several permanent jobs on site. The wind farm is estimated to contribute more than $40 million in property taxes over the life of the project, which directly supports public services like education and fire protection.

Avangrid has also worked closely with the surrounding community, providing direct financial support in some cases. For example, the company donated $15,000 to the Village of Dana, located near the project, which it used to maintain ambulance service in the community and renovate the town hall. Osagrove Flats is located near four other Avangrid wind farms operating in Illinois, including Streator Cayuga Ridge South, Midland, Otter Creek, and Providence Heights.

When construction is complete, it will bring Avangrid?s total installed renewable energy capacity in Illinois to nearly 800 MW. With 8.7 GW of installed renewable capacity, Avangrid is the third largest renewable energy operator in the U.S.