Whirlpool Corp. has broken ground on a wind turbine project at its manufacturing plant in Ottawa, Ohio, offsetting the facility’s electrical consumption by more than 30%, or enough energy to power between 300 and 400 American homes each year.
According to Whirlpool, the $3.3 million “Wind for Industry” project will be built and funded by One Energy. The project was first announced in May 2016, as previously reported, and is expected to be completed early in 2017.
The company states that the Ottawa plant is one of three Whirlpool manufacturing plants in Ohio that are investing in wind energy. Earlier this year, the company announced a three-turbine wind farm project at its Marion plant and a two-turbine farm at its Findlay plant that has been running since January.
“Wind power is a key component of our commitment to environmentally responsible operations and manufacturing,” states Ron Voglewede, Whirlpool’s global sustainability director.
In fact, with the addition of these newest wind projects in Ottawa and Marion, the company has the potential to be one of the largest Fortune 500 consumers of on-site wind energy in the U.S. Collectively, the company expects to generate enough clean energy to power more than 2,400 average American homes per year.
“Not only will this allow us to incorporate sustainable practices into our manufacturing process, but the wind turbine will also give us the opportunity to further pursue operations efficiencies and cost reduction,” says Jenni Hanna, Ottawa facilities plant lead at Whirlpool Corp.
