Timbermill Wind Project Profile

Timbermill Wind offers an opportunity 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 under construction. Timbermill Wind is expected to include up to 45 modern wind turbines, which will be interspersed across timber and agricultural lands.

The project will have a capacity of up to 189 MW, producing enough energy to power up to 47,000 homes every year. Representing a private investment in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Timbermill Wind will benefit Chowan's economy in the near term with construction jobs and local purchasing of materials and services.

In the long term, the project promises to bring sustained tax revenue to the county for local governments and schools, as well as 30 years of local purchasing, employment, and investment. Farmers who host wind turbines and other participating landowners will also 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
• Expected to consist of up to 45 wind turbines, spaced approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile apart
• Planned to be located on managed timberland and open farmland in rural Chowan County
• Each turbine typically requires less than half an acre of land
• Existing high-voltage power lines and highways would limit the need for new infrastructure
• Landowners would continue farming their land or harvesting timber with very limited disturbance
• 30 years of annual revenue for county (largest taxpayer), local landowners, and local schools, totaling millions of 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 

Wind Energy for Rural America

The cost of wind energy has dropped more than 50% over the past five years, providing a cost-competitive source for clean electricity across the nation. Wind powers the equivalent of 20 million American homes each year.* Wind energy comes with many benefits, including reduced pollution, increased domestic employment, consumer cost savings, water conservation, nationwide availability, and increased community revenues.** Wind turbines compliment working farms, because they allow for existing agricultural operations to continue around them. They also help farmers by diversifying the rural economy and providing a consistent, drought-resistant new harvest.

Project Timeline

Timbermill Wind has received all necessary permits from local, state, and federal jurisdictions and is moving forward with construction. Construction work began in May 2023, with turbine deliveries expected in 2024 and full commercial operation commencing in 2024-2025.