Zak Keith
It's an empty field now, but this area in northeastern North Carolina will soon be home to some towering wind turbines.
Big news from North Carolina - today, wind company Iberdrola and retail giant Amazon broke ground on a new wind farm in northeastern North Carolina that's not only the first major wind farm in the state, but the first major wind project in the South.
Sierra Club representatives were in attendance at the groundbreaking for the project, which will provide 208 megawatts of clean energy -- enough to power 60,000 homes -- and Amazon will buy that electricity to meet its goal of being 100 percent powered by renewable energy.
"It's definitely an exciting day when you wake up and get word that the first wind farm in North Carolina and the largest in the Southeast is finally breaking ground," said Zak Keith, lead organizer for the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Zak attended the ground-breaking ceremony today, along with more than 150 nearby residents, county and state officials, and Governor Pat McCrory. "It was exciting to be among people for whom this was personal -- those who've worked on it for years -- and to also see it recognized at a high level of government," he said.
This wind farm is being built in part of North Carolina's Pasquotank and Perquimans Counties known as "the desert" because it's a huge area of open, flat land that Zak says "couldn't be more perfect for a wind farm."
Zak and many others are excited to see this wind farm become a great example for even more clean energy projects in the state and region. "The governor himself even said he hopes this wind farm serves as a role model for future projects," said Zak.
North Carolina is already home to a strong clean energy industry, with more than 32 companies and 50 facilities involved in the wind industry supply chain alone. "We have been making clean energy components for turbines that have been sent to Iowa, Texas, and places all across the globe," said Molly Diggins, state director of Sierra Club North Carolina. "With this infrastructure, it makes sense for us to build wind energy projects right here in North Carolina."
The project will also provide a much-needed, sustainable boost to the local economy. This local farmer said it best:
"The wind is a cash crop to us. It's the best way for us to diversify," said Horace Pritchard, 66, owner of a 1,300-acre corn, soybean and wheat farm that will host nine turbines in exchange for $54,000 in the first year.
I grew up east Tennessee, and so I’m especially excited to hear this news about a breakthrough for clean energy in the South. For Zak, who's been educating North Carolinians about onshore and offshore wind for several years now, this new wind farm is a great motivator.
"The mood is that this is definitely the start of something bigger," he said. "Now that this one is a reality, it gives more weight to the issue of clean energy -- it feels like something's changing in North Carolina."
This wind project comes on the heels of the news that Duke Energy will retire the Asheville coal plant, after a tireless campaign by Asheville Beyond Coal. The transition from coal to clean energy continues to gain steam across the state, with North Carolina providing leadership for the Southeast and inspiring people across the nation.