Agreement with the Illinois Valley Building and Construction Trades Council confirms that the proposed wind project will be built with local labor, ensuring apprenticeship opportunities, prevailing wage
Peru, Illinois, December 15, 2022 - The Hickory Wind project and the Illinois Valley Building Trades have announced a Letter of Intent (LOI) committing the wind energy project to use union labor.
The LOI sets a standard that the project will include apprenticeship opportunities and pay prevailing wage. It also signals the project will comply with clean energy legislation passed in Illinois in 2021 and will follow the labor standards outlined in the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed earlier this year.
An economic impact study found that the project will create 135 new jobs in La Salle County and 406 new jobs across Illinois during construction.
“Our commitment with Hickory Wind has always been to build the project using the expertise that local labor unions have gained making La Salle County a state leader in wind energy,” said UKA Senior Project Manager Denis Onwualu. “With this LOI we solidify that commitment.”
“One of the keys to making Illinois a leader in renewable energy has been opening up clean jobs to unrivaled expertise offered by our locals,” said Floyd Jones, President of the Illinois Valley Building and Construction Trades Council. “We thank Hickory Wind for recognizing the value of highly trained, skilled workers on the job and for proactively engaging us to advance this LOI.”
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