A power buying cooperative owned by 2 local rural electric co-op's, has signed an agreement to buy wind power from a wind project to be built in Pike County.

Shelby Electric Cooperative and Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative, are part of a power buying cooperative called Prairie Power, Incorporated.  Senior Vice President, Robert Reynolds, tells Regional Radio News why Prairie Power signed a contract to buy 100 percent of the wind farm's generating capacity for the next 20 years.

So far Prairie Power is working on renewable energy in part because the state of Illinois has a mandated goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025-2026 with the goal of 100% by 2050. 

The Panther Creek wind project near Pittsfield in Pike County Illinois will have sixteen wind turbines built and Prairie Power has coops all over central Illinois.

Construction on the new wind farm is set to begin in 2022.