Timbermill Wind Project Profile
Timbermill Wind helps to address the region’s growing electricity demand with clean, domestic energy, while diversifying Chowan County's economy and supporting the rural farm and timber communities.
The project is located in Chowan County and is currently operational. Timbermill Wind includes 45 modern wind turbines interspersed across timber and agricultural lands. Each of the project's 4.2-megawatt wind turbines can generate enough power in a single rotation to power the average North Carolina home for more than four hours (click here for a fact sheet about Timbermill's wind turbines).
The project has the capacity to generate up to 189 MW, producing enough energy to power the equivalent of 47,000 homes every year.
North Carolina’s second wind project, and the first built since 2017, Timbermill Wind has generated significant local and statewide economic benefits. The project created over 200 construction jobs and relied heavily on local contractors, with over $25 million spent with North Carolina businesses during construction. This included local concrete providers, road and civil contractors, and transportation of the wind turbines themselves, which contain multiple U.S.-manufactured components, including steel tower sections and nacelles. Components were transported by both rail and sea through the Port of Morehead City and Chowan County’s Riverbulk Terminal.
The project will also provide a revenue boost to Chowan County schools and the county government. Timbermill Wind is projected to generate up to $33 million in tax revenue over its lifetime and is expected to be the county’s largest taxpayer during its first year of operations.
Farmers who host wind turbines and other participating landowners receive annual lease payments. These payments will continue over the projected 30-year lifespan of the wind farm, injecting millions of dollars into Chowan County's economy to support local merchants, contractors, and equipment suppliers.
Project Summary
- Capable of producing up to 189 MW of clean, homegrown energy, enough energy to power up to 47,000 homes every year
- Composed of 45 4.2 megawatt wind turbines
- Located on managed timberland and open farmland in rural Chowan County
- Each turbine requires less than half an acre of land
- Landowners would continue farming their land or harvesting timber with very limited disturbance
- 30 years of annual revenue for Chowan county totaling up to $33 million dollars
- Hundreds of jobs and significant local spending during construction
Why Chowan County?
This location was selected after a thorough examination of many candidate sites in Eastern North Carolina for the following reasons:
- Verified wind resource
- Existing onsite transmission lines
- Expansive rural timber and agricultural lands
- Existing road infrastructure
- Avoids sensitive military and environmental areas
Project Timeline
Timbermill Wind received all necessary permits from local, state, and federal jurisdictions to move forward with construction. Construction work began in May 2023, with turbine deliveries in mid-2024 and full commercial operation commencing in December 2024. For more information on the state permitting process, visit the website for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's Onshore Wind Program by clicking here.
