Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives Inc. (IEA), an infrastructure construction company with renewable energy and specialty civil expertise, has been awarded a $49 million contract for the Deerfield II Wind Farm in Michigan.
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., a renewable energy and regulated utility company, awarded the project to White Construction, a subsidiary of IEA that manages utility-scale renewable energy and heavy civil infrastructure projects.
The award is for the construction of the approximately 110 MW utility-scale wind farm in Huron County, Mich. Engineering design has commenced, and the target mobilization date for construction is April 2022. IEA will self-perform all of the engineering, procurement and construction needs of the project, including the construction of a 41-mile collection system, the installation of 5.5 miles of private access roads, a substation and a meteorological evaluation tower and the erection of 21 wind turbine generators.
According to American Clean Power Association’s recent report, Michigan ranks 16th in the nation for renewable energy with approximately 7% of its energy from renewable sources or enough to power up to 1.4 million homes. Huron County, where the Deerfield II Wind Farm is being built, has 472 wind turbines, which is the most installed wind turbines of any county in the state. Together with Huron County, the Sanilac and Tuscola Counties, which make up the region called “Michigan’s Thumb,” account for 59% of total electricity output in the state.
“IEA built the first phase of Deerfield in 2016, and we are proud to partner again with Algonquin and increase Michigan’s wind resources,” says Chris Hanson, IEA’s executive vice president of renewable energy. “Projects like the Deerfield II Wind Farm will bring the state one step closer to its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions no later than 2050, and IEA is pleased to be able to contribute to this important effort.”
