Abstract
The California Ridge Wind Energy Project (Project), located in Champaign and Vermilion Counties, Illinois (Figure 1), is owned by California Ridge Wind Energy LLC (CRWE), which is majority owned by TerraForm Power Inc. The Project consists of 134 1.6-megawatt (MW) wind turbines with a total nameplate capacity of 214.4 MW. The Project also includes an operations and maintenance (O&M) facility, a 34.5-kilovolt (kV)/138-kV substation, access roads, underground communications and power collection systems and a 138-kV overhead transmission line. CRWE has control of all the affected property (i.e., the facilities described above) through either ownership of the land or through lease agreements with the landowners.
California Ridge Black-billed Cuckoo Conservation Plan2June 7, 2016The Project is approximately 11.0miles [mi] across east to west and approximately 5.9 mi north to south. The closest towns to the Project are Royal (approximately one-half mi to the southwest) and Collision (approximately one-half mi to the northeast). Corn and soy bean production is the dominant land use in the Project area; trees are sparsely distributed and typically restricted to small clusters, generally associated with homes or small riparian areas. The Middle Fork Vermilion River is proximate to the eastern end of the Project and isapproximately1.5mi from the nearest turbine at its closest point on the eastern end. The Project has been operational since December 2012.