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Swift Current Energy (Swift Current) is developing the 175 ~ 200MW HillTopper Wind Energy Project (HillTopper) in Logan County, Illinois. Swift Current acquired the rights to HillTopper from Relight Enterprises in late 2016. Swift Current will complete development and construction of HillTopper and plans to bring the project online in late 2018.
"We are excited to have the opportunity to develop the HillTopper Wind Project and look forward to bringing clean, locally-made energy to Illinois and the Midwest," said Tony Lent, Swift Current's Chief Executive Officer. "We are so grateful to the people of Logan County and Mt. Pulaski who have welcomed us into their community as we work to bring this exciting project online. We look forward to continuing to work with residents and local officials as we finalize the design and layout of the wind farm."
"Logan County is wind country. We are fortunate to have attracted excellent developers to our region in recent years and are excited to have Swift Current join our community," said Bill Thomas, the Executive Director of the Logan County Economic Development Partnership. Thomas continued, "Construction of the HillTopper project will bring well-paying jobs and investment to Logan County. The commitments Relight made during the permitting process, which Swift Current has an obligation to uphold, will provide payments in aggregate of $560,000 per year to Unit School District 23, Mount Pulaski Zion Lutheran School, Heartland Community College, Lincoln Land Community College, and to community benefit funds in each of the Broadwell, Elkhart, and Mt. Pulaski townships for the coming decades. Businesses in Logan County look forward to the HillTopper project getting built."
Formerly known as the Meridien wind project, Swift Current recently changed the name to the HillTopper Wind Project to more closely associate the Project with its surrounding community. "As folks in Logan County know well, the city of Mt. Pulaski sits on a hill surrounded by some of the most fertile farmland in the region. We wanted to recognize the community and the five towns that send students to Mt. Pulaski High School by renaming the project after its high school mascot, the HillToppers," said William Kelsey, Executive at Swift Current.Mr. Kelsey helped Relight permit the project with Logan County and has joined the Swift Current team. "I am pleased to be able to continue to work with the good people of Mt. Pulaski, Lincoln and Logan County as we move towards construction and build a great project that delivers clean energy to the region and great benefits for the community."
Announcing the Formation of Swift Current Energy
Comprised of a small team of wind and energy industry veterans, Swift Current launched in late-2016 with a mission to bring large-scale, 2016 production tax credit qualified, energy projects to the market and attract long-term investment in clean, renewable power for America's future.
"Our team knows what it takes to get projects into operation," said Eric Lammers, Chief Investment Officer and former principal at Arclight Capital, an active sponsor in the energy arena. Lammers continued, "Collectively our team has developed, financed, constructed, operated and either sold or bought nearly 8GW of energy assets in the last decade. We look forward to bringing our expertise and deep industry experience to this new effort."
(Photo Credit: Swift Current Energy)