RANDOLPH COUNTY – Rural eastern Indiana will soon be home to a hefty, $300 million wind energy investment expected to be utilized in part by Facebook at its Midwest data center.
More than 50 new turbines will be built and installed throughout Randolph County in the coming year as part of an extensive investment by Houston-based alternative energy company EDP Renewables North America, the company announced Thursday.
Much of the energy produced by the turbines — enough to power about 52,000 homes annually — will be purchased by Facebook to power its massive New Albany (Ohio) Data Center, the company said. The social media giant agreed to buy 139 megawatts produced at the Headwaters II wind farm each year for the next 15 years.
The wind farm will be situated on various properties throughout the county, much like one previously built by EDP Renewables in 2014.
In a statement, EDPR North America chief executive officer Miguel Prado said Indiana continues to serve as an important market for the company, and that Randolph County offers an opportunity for further development of the company's plans in the state.
“Indiana has long been a key market for EDP Renewables,” he said. “EDPR appreciates the tremendous support we receive from our stakeholders in Randolph County and looks forward to bringing more clean energy to the grid and economic benefits to the state."
Among the reasons Randolph County was selected for the project is because of its proximity to the New Albany Data Center — about 125 miles east, near Columbus, Ohio — and the fact they are both on the same electrical grid, Facebook said in a statement.