3676714

Whirlpool Marion Adds Wind Power

3676714

Ever the sustainability seeker, Whirlpool Corporation has broken ground this week on yet another wind turbine project…this time at its clothes dryer manufacturing facility in Marion, Ohio. 

The Benton Harbor-based appliance giant will erect three new turbines at the Marion facility to deliver wind-generated power directly to the plant once it is fully completed. The trio of turbines is expected to provide roughly 19-percent of the total power consumption of that factory complex.

The Marion wind project— which is scheduled for completion in early 2017 — is expected to eliminate the equivalent of more than 9,000 tons of CO2. All three turbines will be built and financed by One Energy as part of its "Wind for Industry" projects.

Ron Vogelwede is Director of Global Sustainability for Whirlpool. He says, "We're always exploring cutting-edge technologies that will bring us closer to accomplishing our sustainability goals." He adds, "We're excited to bring a local focus for our global commitment to sustainability here in the Marion community and throughout Ohio, where we have significant investments in employees and facilities."

ADVERTISEMENT
Your content continues below

Whirlpool Corporation's Marion facility is the largest employer in the county, with the plant's 2,400 employees producing an average of four million clothes dryers every year. This latest wind project is one way that the company continues to strengthen its commitment to American manufacturing in Ohio.

James Gifford is the Marion Facility Plant Lead for Whirlpool. He says, "We're pleased to be partnering with One Energy on another wind project. The wind turbines are not only a responsible investment for the environment, but also a smart financial decision." He reports that, "By reducing our electricity consumption, we expect to cut down on our overhead costs significantly."

The Marion plant is one of three facilities in Ohio where Whirlpool is implementing wind energy to partially power its manufacturing operations. Two wind turbines at the company's Findlay plant have been operational since January 2016. In October of this year, a similar project began at Whirlpool's Ottawa facility. Following the completion of the Marion and Ottawa projects, many dishwashers, freezers, and clothes dryers manufactured by Whirlpool Corporation and sold in the United States will be made, in part, with wind energy.

As part of its commitment to the local Marion community, Whirlpool Corporation will also create one $5,000 Megawatt STEM Scholarship per wind turbine ($15,000 annually) to be awarded every year to a graduating senior from local Marion area high schools as a way to inspire education in the technologies and industries of the future.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

*