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Earthrise Energy outlines 260‑MW Plum Valley Solar near Crete, offers $100,000 community donation to nearby villages
Summary
Earthrise Energy told University Park trustees it plans a 260‑MW Plum Valley Solar project south/west of Crete that could begin construction next year and provide a $100,000 community benefit to villages within 1.5 miles; the project requires municipal special‑use permits and county approvals and is not inside University Park corporate limits.
Ryan Duffy, an associate at Earthrise Energy, presented details of two utility‑scale solar projects and described outreach and community benefits for villages near the planned Plum Valley Solar site.
Duffy said Plum Valley Solar is a roughly 260‑megawatt project being planned south and west of Crete; Earthrise expects to begin construction in the first half of next year with commercial operations projected for 2027–2028. “This 1 is called Plum Valley Solar. This is a 260 megawatt solar facility that’s under development,” Duffy said.
He said the project would connect to the grid at the Crete Energy Venture power plant and that Earthrise would seek special‑use permits from the two affected villages and Will County. Duffy said the company plans to employ several hundred union construction workers during the build and to collaborate with first responders on facility access and incident planning.
Earthrise offered $100,000 in community benefit donations to villages within 1.5 miles and said one potential local use discussed with village officials was renovations to a gazebo and restroom facilities at Pine Lake Park. Duffy also described corporate giving and a scholarship program the firm has supported with Governors State University.
Trustees asked about environmental and safety hazards; Duffy highlighted two emergency scenarios first responders had helped plan for — medical incidents involving on‑site workers and the risk of brush fires from nearby agricultural fields — and said hazardous wastes such as inverter oil would be sent off‑site for proper disposal.
Duffy said Earthrise has begun municipal outreach and anticipated filing special‑use permit applications in the coming weeks. He emphasized the project footprint is not within the corporate boundaries of University Park but said the company considers nearby villages stakeholders and invited local feedback and open houses this fall.
