Wind and Solar Energy Leasing in Henry County, Illinois

What's already built: two developers, four project phases, roughly 530 MW

Invenergy built the three-phase Bishop Hill Wind Farms in Henry County between 2012 and 2018. Bishop Hill I (98 turbines, 211.4 MW) and Bishop Hill II (50 turbines, 81 MW) both came online in 2012; Bishop Hill III (53 turbines, 132 MW) followed in 2018. Combined, that's 201 turbines and 424 MW, sited generally between Woodhull and Galva -- one of the larger single-county wind buildouts in the state.

Avangrid (part of the Iberdrola Group) added a second project, Midland Wind, which reached commercial operation in December 2023: 25 turbines totaling 106 MW, extended across Kewanee, Galva, and Cambridge townships. The developer estimated more than $25 million in property tax revenue over the project's life, supporting local school districts, fire districts, and libraries.

If you're buying land in Henry County -- whether or not the listing mentions it -- pull the parcel's recorded documents at the Henry County Recorder's office and ask specifically whether any wind lease, easement, or collector-line agreement is recorded against it. These agreements don't always show up in a standard title-search summary and don't necessarily change how the surface looks or is farmed day to day.

A fourth project already signing landowners: Big Bluestem Wind

Apex Clean Energy is developing Big Bluestem Wind in Henry County, targeting commercial operation in 2028. The project has the potential to generate up to 300 megawatts across a planned 70 to 75 turbines -- though the developer's own materials note the final layout wasn't expected to be known until later in the process. As of the most recent reporting found, more than 60 landowners had already agreed to host turbines on their property, and the project runs an active Community Grant Program awarding quarterly grants to local organizations for economic development, environmental, education, health, and recreation initiatives.

If a parcel you're evaluating is in the part of the county where Big Bluestem is being developed, ask Apex directly (or the Henry County Zoning & Building Department) whether it falls inside the project's current footprint, since a project at this stage -- landowners already signing, grants already flowing -- is well past the speculative-inquiry phase but the final turbine layout may not yet be fixed.

The state law limiting what Henry County can require

A county-by-county ordinance isn't the whole picture here, since Illinois capped what counties are allowed to require. Public Act 102-1123 (signed January 27, 2023) rewrote 55 ILCS 5/5-12020 of the Counties Code to set statewide ceilings on commercial wind and solar siting -- setbacks, turbine height, decommissioning obligations, drainage, and agricultural-land treatment -- so Henry County's own rules can be no stricter than that state floor allows. It also forecloses the option some counties would otherwise reach for: an outright moratorium on new wind or solar projects.

We were not able to independently confirm the exact current setback distances or decommissioning-bond formula in Henry County's own zoning ordinance during this research pass, since direct access to the county's zoning site was blocked. Given how much wind development has already occurred here across two developers and four project phases, confirm current, specific ordinance language directly with the Henry County Zoning & Building Department before relying on any particular figure.

If you've been offered a lease, or are buying land already under one

If you're the landowner being approached about a new lease: understand that Henry County's ordinance (bounded by the PA 102-1123 statewide ceiling) sets the regulatory floor on setbacks and decommissioning, not the lease's financial terms. Payment structure and escalation, term length and renewal options, easement scope (turbine pads only, or also access roads, collector-line corridors, and setback buffers on surrounding acreage you'd otherwise farm normally), and who bears decommissioning cost if the developer becomes insolvent are all matters of private contract -- worth reviewing with an attorney experienced in wind leases before signing, especially given how many wind agreements are already in place across this county.

If you're buying land already subject to a recorded wind lease or easement -- whether tied to Bishop Hill, Midland Wind, or Big Bluestem -- pull the actual recorded document from the Henry County Recorder rather than relying on a listing summary. Confirm what portion of the parcel is actually restricted, whether the lease/easement transfers automatically to you as the new owner (most wind leases are structured to run with the land), what ongoing payments (if any) you'd be entitled to, and whether financial security for eventual decommissioning is actually in place for that specific turbine or project.