Work set to begin on solar farm at former GM Foundry site

TILTON, Ill. (AP) - Work is set to begin within weeks on a solar farm at the site of a former General Motors Foundry in western Illinois site that closed in the 1990s, the local mayor says.

Tilton Mayor David Phillips said the project has been 'œkind of touch and go'ť during the coronavirus pandemic. But he said work is supposed to begin in the next few weeks on the solar farm.

The project is slated to built on a landfill at the former General Motors Foundry, which closed in 1995. It was awarded through a solar energy tax credit lottery by the Illinois Power Agency last year, The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported.

Phillips said that over the years, there was interest in the former GM site, but its use was limited.

'œYou can't use the landfill for anything else,'ť Phillips said. 'œThis is a good project for the land. '¦ The community, and not just our community, will have the opportunity to buy green energy instead of energy that's not green. It helps everybody to have green energy.'ť