State's Economic Development Director Touts Wind Power and Green Economy as Part of Solution to Economic Recovery

PERU, IL- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Warren Ribley today visited Unytite, a manufacturer of heavy equipment nuts and bolts, to highlight the Quinn Administration's efforts to retool the Illinois economy by investing over $100 million in federal stimulus dollars to boost Illinois' green industry and put more people to work.

"Our traditional manufacturers can expand and grow by retrofitting their processes to incorporate green technology," said Director Warren Ribley. "Unytite is a perfect example of a company that is looking to the future of wind power. Our investment in their project, as well as in Monarch Wind Power, creates new opportunities for the businesses, workers, and homeowners in this region."

Unytite, headquartered in Peru for 21 years, manufactures nuts and bolts for the construction and heavy equipment industries. To help the company purchase equipment that will enable it to produce the larger nuts and bolts used in the construction of wind turbines, DCEO awarded Unytite a nearly $874,000 Green Industry Business Development Grant. Unytite's project will create 10 manufacturing jobs.

"I applaud Unytite's retooling efforts allowing them to grow and expand their business into the renewable energy sector. Renewable energy is no longer the ‘energy of the future'. Targeted investments now will help Illinois businesses and workers climb fully out of recession," said State Representative Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley).

"The federal government has committed to increase the ratio of re-usable clean energy up to 20% of the total Electricity supplied by 2020.  The Department of Energy has reported the new wind power capacity would increase to more than 16,000 MW a year by 2018 and continue at roughly that rate through 2030.  Unytite is strategically located to capitalize on this growth and quickly meet the demands of the growing wind power industry," stated Yuji Ozeki, executive vice president, Unytite.

The creation of local supply chains for turbine manufacturing will also speed the creation of wind energy generation facilities in Illinois, including the one planned in Warren County by Monarch Wind Power. DCEO awarded the Monarch Wind Project $5 million to construct a 12 turbine, 19.2 MW wind farm on approximately 750 acres in Warren County.   The project will also connect to an Ameren line that runs along Route 67.  Monarch's project is expected to create nearly 90 new jobs.

"Monarch Wind Power and the State of Illinois are investing in a state-of-the-art wind farm in Warren County that we believe will become a nucleus for renewable energy industries in Western Illinois," said Robert S. Gay, president and CEO, Monarch Wind Power. "The project uses world-class technology on a commercial scale to produce carbon-free electricity for use in the local area. Monarch Wind already has tapped into the budding scientific and technical talent in the region's educational institutions."

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Illinois received over $130 million to implement the State's Energy Plan, Illinois' most comprehensive effort to date to address the state's energy production needs. More than 12,000 green sector jobs are being created over the next two years as a result of the Plan, which is administered by DCEO's State Energy Office. For more information, visit www.ildceo.net.