EverPower Wind Holdings Inc. announced the signing of a power purchase agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, Tuesday.
In a press release announcing the agreement, EverPower states it will construct and operate a 189-megawatt wind farm in Hardin County called Amazon Wind Farm US Central 2, which will deliver power to the electrical grid that supplies both current and future AWS Cloud data centers, including AWS’s new US East Ohio Region.
EverPower states construction on the project will begin during the first quarter of 2017 and will be completed by the end of 2017. The project is expected to employ over 100 full-time and part-time workers during the construction phase and an additional eight to 10 full-time workers during operation.
“A forward-thinking organization like AWS realizes that wind power provides a stable cost of electricity for its business while also contributing to a better environment,” stated Jim Spencer, EverPower CEO. “We are pleased that AWS chose EverPower as a collaborator in Ohio and look forward to bringing the Amazon Wind Farm US Central 2 into commercial operation next year.”
EverPower project manager Jason Dagger stated the impact of this project to Hardin County will be significant with EverPower making contributions to local schools and municipalities of approximately $1.7 million per year as well as purchasing local goods and services totaling an estimated $55 million during the life of the project.
In addition to the economic impact, Dagger stated the project also exemplifies environmental sustainability by reducing emissions and increasing renewable energy not only in the region but throughout Ohio.
“We are seeing a significant number of commercial and industrial companies switch from nonrenewable sources of power to renewable ones, like wind energy, not only because of the environmental benefits, but also because it is more cost-effective for the businesses themselves,” Spencer stated.
The Amazon Wind Farm US Central 2 will be EverPower’s first operational project in Ohio.
Under development since 2006, EverPower is also developing the Buckeye Wind project which is proposed to construct more than a combined 100 turbines in Champaign County through two phases of the project.
