Earthrise Energy, an independent power producer (IPP), announced that the Will County Board has approved a special use permit for its proposed 600-megawatt (MW) Pride of the Prairie solar energy project in Joliet, Illinois.
The project will leverage the existing interconnection point at Earthrise’s Lincoln Generating Facility, allowing new power to come online more quickly than a traditional greenfield development.
This approach — repurposing transmission infrastructure from existing power plants for renewable energy — is central to Earthrise’s development strategy and enables faster grid interconnection at a time of increasing power demand in the region.
“This approval is a significant milestone in delivering sustainable, renewable energy in Illinois,” said Jeff Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of Earthrise, in a statement. “Illinois is among the fastest-growing electricity markets in the Midwest, and projects like Pride of the Prairie are critical to meeting demand reliably and quickly.”
Pride of the Prairie is expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs in Will County, including hundreds of construction roles to be filled by local unions, as well as long-term operations positions.
The project is projected to generate approximately $3.5 million in new tax proceeds to local taxing bodies in its first year of operation, with cumulative economic benefits expected to total approximately $80 million over the life of the project.
Earthrise currently operates 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of gas-fired generation capacity and has a solar development pipeline of more than 1.7 GW.
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