Timbermill Wind will support Google’s 2030 commitment to powering its operations with carbon-free energy around the clock, and the PPA will contribute to the clean energy needs of the company’s data centers on the PJM grid. Google has matched its annual electricity consumption with 100% renewable energy since 2017.
Regulators approved the wind farm in March 2023, with 45 wind turbines and associated infrastructure permitted by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Energy Mineral, and Land Resources. The permit is the first for a facility under the North Carolina session law passed in 2013 establishing a permitting program for wind energy facilities. Construction is expected to begin this summer.
“Within the decade we have an ambitious goal for every Google data center to operate on clean electricity, every hour of every day,” said Donna Calderon, energy senior lead at Google. “We’re excited to work with Apex for the first time to not only add wind power to one of the most difficult grids to decarbonize, but also bring additional clean energy jobs to North Carolina.”
Timbermill Wind will be Chowan County’s largest taxpayer, Apex said, and the project will create approximately $33 million in tax revenue for the community, more than 150 jobs during construction, and a new source of income for local farmers and landowners.
