As we first told you last spring, Whirlpool Corporation has launched work on a wind turbine project at its manufacturing plant in Ottawa, Ohio today, their third such project so far.
As part of Whirlpool's ongoing commitment to producing products in the U.S. in a cost effective and environmentally efficient manner, the company broke ground on their wind turbine project at the plant in Ottawa, Ohio. The project objectives are to save money while offsetting the facility's electrical consumption by more than 30-percent, or enough energy to power 300-400 American homes annually.
The $3.3M "Wind for Industry" project will be built and funded by One Energy. The project was first announced in May of 2016 and is expected to be completed early in 2017.
Ron Voglewede is Global Sustainability Director for the Benton Harbor-based appliance giant. He says, "Wind power is a key component of our commitment to environmentally responsible operations and manufacturing." He adds, "We're also excited for the opportunity to put our global commitment to sustainability into practice at a local level here in Ohio — where we have made a significant commitment to manufacturing, including by employing approximately 10,000 manufacturing employees."
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 as well as a two turbine farm at its Findlay plant that has been running since January. The completion of Whirlpool Corporation's newest wind projects in Ottawa and Marion has the potential to make the company one of the largest Fortune 500 consumers of on-site wind energy in the United States.
Collectively, the company expects to generate enough clean energy to power more than 2,400 average American homes per year.
Jenni Hanna is Facilities Plant Lead for the Ottawa plant. She says, "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."
In honor of the new turbine, Whirlpool Corporation will also create a $5,000 Megawatt Scholarship to be awarded annually for the next 20 years to a graduating high school senior from the local school district. The scholarship is designed to encourage education in the technologies and industries of the future. Eligible local students will be those seeking a two or four year technical degree in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at an accredited college.
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com shows the Ottawa plant in Ohio and was provided by Whirlpool Corporation.
