It's a cloudy, rainy and, most importantly, windy day in Chowan County in northeastern North Carolina. Dozens of wind turbines spin at full speed over empty fields of crops, making a rhythmic, whirring sound. At its peak, each 242-foot-long blade reaches just under 600 feet above ground to catch as much wind as possible.
, a project of Apex Clean Energy, consists of 45 turbines spread across 6,000 acres of farmland and managed timberland.
The wind farm can produce up to 189 megawatts of power. The energy will go to Google, through a power purchase agreement announced last year.
Aside from producing clean energy, the project is also providing an economic boom to the area.
"鈥奣he Timbermill Project provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for the county," said Gene Jordan, a local farmer.
More than a decade in the making
Apex Clean Energy, a national company specializing in utility-scale wind, solar and storage, has been developing and constructing the wind farm for more than 10 years.
Chowan County was chosen because of several favorable factors, including plentiful wind, suitable land and existing infrastructure. The project underwent an intense permitting process with input from multiple agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Construction began in May 2023. In a , Apex Clean Energy said "the project has created over 200 construction jobs and relies heavily on local contractors, with over $25 million spent with North Carolina businesses."
Most of the turbines are on farmland. Farmers and private landowners like Jordan will receive annual lease payments for hosting turbines on their property.
Jordan and his family grow soybeans, corn, and cotton. Their annual income depends on the agricultural market and weather, which can both be unpredictable.
Jordan says leasing out land for seven turbines is an opportunity to diversify their income stream.
"Hopefully it's going to be income we can count on," said Jordan. "I know one of my brothers (is) depending on it to retire, (to have) some money coming in when he retires beyond his social security."
"Changes the whole playing field" for Chowan County
The wind farm will soon be the largest taxpayer in Chowan County. Over the project's 30-year lifespan, it's expected to generate around $30 million in revenue.
Jordan is also a former school board member of the Edenton-Chowan School District. From that perspective, he's hopeful this large injection of local funds will help provide more resources to students.
"It's really important that we give our students opportunities as well. This is an opportunity to provide (that)," said Jordan. "(This) has the potential of making Chowan County a better place to live for all of its citizens."
The incoming money will also go toward improving local infrastructure.
"The county gets a boost, which is severely needed," said Susan Creed, executive director of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce. "Our county has buildings that need repairs, or our jail needs improvements. The list goes on."
Jimmy Merrick, director of development at Apex Clean Energy, credits the project's success to strong community support. However, there has been, and continues to be, some opposition. Merrick says most of those concerns were addressed during the project's lengthy permitting process.
"Building community support on onshore wind is something that we started a very long time ago, and that never really ends," said Merrick. "We're still doing it today, even through construction, and we'll continue to do so for the next 30 years."
Merrick estimates Apex Clean Energy has distributed more than $100,000 in community grants to local organizations. There are also conversations to open up the wind farm for local tours or school field trips.
NC is regional leader of on land wind
There are only a handful of on-land wind farms in the Southeastern U.S., including two in North Carolina and one in Mississippi.
The two in North Carolina include Timbermill Wind and another project in Elizabeth City, dubbed the . That project provides energy to Amazon and came online in 2017.
In Mississippi, the project began operations earlier this year. Another on land wind farm is scheduled to come online in next year.
"Regionally, North Carolina is the leader in land-based wind," said Katharine Kollins, president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition. "Whether North Carolina chooses to maintain that lead is to be determined. To really maximize North Carolina's wind resources, (future) projects are going to have to be developed by Duke Energy."
State legislation requires Duke Energy to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. According to the latest plan on how to achieve that goal, the utility is in the early stages of looking at where to develop land-based wind.
Kollins expressed confidence that on-land wind development will continue under the new, incoming state and federal administrations.
"We believe that wind will continue to be developed expeditiously鈥� because it has so many economic benefits," Kollins explained. "We have a very robust land based wind supply chain in the U.S. It鈥檚 hundreds of thousands of jobs鈥� spread across the entire country. It wouldn't make sense for the federal government to try to pause this industry."
