Ørsted agrees to acquire onshore wind farm Ford County Wind in Illinois

Upon the closing of the acquisition, Ørsted will add 121 MW operational wind to its portfolio in the U.S. MISO market, which covers 15 states in the Midwest and the South. Ford County Wind is contracted via power purchase agreements (PPA’s) with Mars, Incorporated, Silgan Containers, and BHJ USA. The project reached commercial operation in March.  

Today, Ørsted announced that it has agreed to acquire Ford County Wind, a 121 MW onshore wind farm in Ford County, Illinois, from funds managed by Ares Management Corporation’s Infrastructure Opportunities strategy (‘Ares’). The wind farm is located in Midwest Independent System Operator’s (MISO) territory, further strengthening Ørsted’s presence in the region. Ørsted acquired the 302 MW Lincoln Land Wind facility, also in MISO’s territory, from Ares last year.  

James Giamarino, Senior Vice President and Head of Project Finance & Business Development for Ørsted North America, says: “I’m pleased that we continue to diversify our Onshore portfolio with additional capacity in MISO Illinois and expand our relationship with Ares through the agreement to acquire Ford County Wind. We’re proud to work with new customers Mars, Silgan Containers, and BHJ USA and be able to support their decarbonization journeys.” 

Steve Porto, Partner in Ares Infrastructure Opportunities, said: “We’re pleased to work with Ørsted again on this latest transaction and believe that the sale of the Ford County asset underscores the strength of our relationship and Ares’ commitment to creating high-quality climate infrastructure assets.”

The acquisition is expected to be finalized later this year upon receipt of customary regulatory approvals.  Ford County Wind brings Ørsted Onshore’s U.S. capacity in operation and under construction to approximately 4.4 GW. 

 

For further information, please contact:

Media Relations
Kathrine Ejlskov 
+ 45 99 55 10 23
katej@orsted.com 

Investor Relations
Rasmus Keglberg Hærvig
+ 45 99 55 90 95
ir@orsted.com 

 

About Ørsted

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. A global clean energy leader, Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants. Ørsted is the only energy company in the world with a science-based net-zero emissions target as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. Four years in a row, the company was ranked the world’s most sustainable energy company by Corporate Knights.

In the United States, the company has a growing portfolio of clean energy assets and partnerships that includes offshore wind energy, onshore wind energy, solar and storage technologies. A leader across the renewable energy sector in the United States, Ørsted holds the top position in offshore wind energy with approximately 5 gigawatts in development and operates America’s first offshore wind farm, located off the coast of Block Island. Ørsted has a total U.S. onshore capacity of 4.2 GW across wind, solar and storage technologies. To learn more about the Ørsted U.S. business, visit us.orsted.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@OrstedUS).