Rachel Contracting was selected by Mortenson Construction, based out of Minneapolis, MN, as part of the project team for the Pilot Hill Wind Energy Project in June of 2014. The 175 MW project is located 10 miles southwest of Kankakee, IL just east of the community of Hersher. Construction began in August with final completion expected in the summer of 2015. The power generated by the wind farm will be purchased by Microsoft. When complete, Pilot Hill will be Microsoft’s largest wind project and one of the biggest corporate wind purchases from a single facility, generating more than enough energy to power Microsoft’s Chicago data center. Pilot Hill is the second largest wind energy project that Rachel Contracting has been involved with.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
- 103–1.8 MW GE Turbines
- 30 Square Miles–Project Area
- 28 Miles–Site Access Roads Constructed
- 35 Miles–Maintained County Roads During Construction
- 260,000 CY–Soil Excavation & Backfill for Turbine Foundations
- Approximately 30,000 Total Man-hours
- 130,000 Tons–Aggregate Base
- Large Crew- Peaking at 20 Pieces of Equipment & 30 Individuals
