After More Than A Decade in the Making, Timbermill Wind is Online
For Immediate Release: December 16, 2024
Contact: Karly Lohan, Carolinas Program Manager, karlyl@sewind.org
Raleigh, N.C. - Last week, the wind industry celebrated a major milestone as Apex Clean Energy’s Timbermill Wind project began commercial operation in Chowan County, North Carolina. This 189 MW wind project — 45 turbines across 6,000 acres of farmland and managed timberland — will produce enough renewable energy to power up to 61,000 homes annually. The energy generated will be provided to Google through a power purchase agreement.
After more than a decade in the making, this project serves as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Chowan County. During its construction phase, Apex heavily utilized local contracts and suppliers, spending more than $25 million with local North Carolina businesses and employing nearly 300 workers between Apex’s onsite team, contractor MasTec, turbine supplier Vestas, and subcontractors.
Despite facing a complex permitting process and a state-wide moratorium, the project is delivering power to the grid and economic benefits to landowners and the community. As the largest taxpayer in the county, the project is expected to generate more than $30 million in tax revenue over its 30-year lifespan. This revenue will help support vital services including local government, schools, infrastructure, and emergency services in the project’s host community. “We are in effect greatly expanding our tax base in one fell swoop,” says Gene Jordan, farmer and Chair of the Chowan County Board of Education at Timbermill Wind’s July blade signing ceremony.
“Amid a complex permitting landscape, Timbermill was enabled by strong community support, visionary partnerships, and deep development expertise—and today, the project is already delivering substantial local economic benefits while poised to meet the rising demand for carbon-free power, ” said Apex Clean Energy CEO Ken Young.
Katharine Kollins, President of the Southeastern Wind Coalition, stated “The Timbermill Wind project demonstrates what is possible when industry, community leaders, and developers come together to advance a shared vision of unprecedented economic opportunity for Chowan County.”
Karly Lohan, Carolinas Program Manager for SEWC added. “The local community has already experienced significant investment from this project, but Chowan County schools and the county government will continue to see that investment for decades to come. Timbermill Wind demonstrates that the benefits of wind extend far beyond energy.”
Learn more about the economic impact of Timbermill Wind from Simon Rich, General Manager of Edenton River Bulk Terminal in the short film Timbermill Wind: Revitalizing Edenton’s Future.
About SEWC
The Southeastern Wind Coalition is a 501(c)(3) that works to advance the land-based and offshore wind industry in the Southeast. We focus on supply chain growth, economic development, job growth, and wind energy development in the region with solutions that are beneficial to industry, utilities, and result in net economic benefits to citizens and ratepayers. For more information about the Southeastern Wind Coalition visit https://www.sewind.org/
