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Orsted has accepted to purchase Ford County Wind, an onshore wind farm with 121 MW in Ford County, Illinois. This acquisition was made possible by funds managed through Ares Management Corporation’s Infrastructure Opportunities strategy.
Orsted will be adding 121 MW of operational wind to its portfolio in America’s MISO market. This market covers 15 states in the Midwest as well as the South. Ford County Wind is purchased through power purchase agreements (PPA) with Mars, Incorporated, Silgan Containers, BHJ USA. In March, the project was put into commercial operation.
Orsted is now stronger in the area because the wind farm is located on Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) territory. Orsted purchased the 302 MW Lincoln Land Wind facility from Ares in last year.
James Giamarino is Senior Vice President and Head, Project Finance & Business Development, for Orsted Onshore North America. He said: “I’m happy that we continue diversifying our Onshore portfolio in MISO Illinois, and expand our relationship to Ares through the acquisition of Ford County Wind. We are proud to be able support their decarbonisation journeys with new customers Mars Containers, Silgan Containers and BHJ USA.”
Steve Porto, Partner at Ares Infrastructure Opportunities, stated: “We’re happy to work with Orsted once again on the latest transaction and believe the sale of Ford County asset underlines the strength of our partnership and Ares’ commitment for creating high-quality climate infrastructure assets.”
After receiving all regulatory approvals, the acquisition should be completed later in the year. Ford County Wind will bring Orsted Onshore’s US operating and under construction capacity to approximately 4.4 GW.
