In Photos: Timbermill Wind Shapes North Carolina’s Clean Energy Future

It took over a decade of creativity and determination to build Timbermill Wind, the second-ever wind farm in the Tar Heel State, but the Apex team, its partners, and the landowners and local supporters who were there from the beginning never lost sight of what the project represented: economic opportunity for Chowan County farmers, workers, and businesses.

The strength of this belief has translated directly to benefits for the project area. Apex heavily utilized local contractors and suppliers to build the 189 MW wind farm, spending more than $25 million with North Carolina businesses and employing nearly 300 workers between Apex’s onsite team, contractor MasTec, turbine supplier Vestas, and subcontractors. The influx of spending and employment, in addition to the $33 million in local tax revenue the project is anticipated to generate over its lifetime, are just a taste of the positive impact clean energy projects can bring to the communities that host them.

To celebrate the culmination of this work, three busloads of Apexers visited Chowan County to join residents in signing their names on one of the wind farm’s 242-foot-long blades. Attendees heard from local leaders, who shared personal anecdotes of working with the Apex team over the past 11 years, and from Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper, who found a simple way to sum up the experience: “Clean energy is magic.” Standing amid the turbines, one would be hard pressed to disagree.