EDP Renewables provides $300K to White County communities
WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Houston-based EDP Renewables North America is committing $300,000 to support four White County communities near its six-phase Meadow Lake Wind Farm. The renewable energy company says the towns of Chalmers, Brookston, Reynolds and Wolcott will receive an equal share of the funding to put toward the projects of their choice.
EDP Renewables says the plan for the investments includes funding a new fire station in Brookston, a splash pad and repairs to the American Legion building in Chalmers, a new electric sign and lights for the community baseball field in Wolcott, and an electronic marquee sign and upgrades to town facilities in Reynolds.
“Since the completion of the first phase of our Meadow Lake Wind Farm in 2009, EDP Renewables has continued to grow and invest in White County thanks to the support we’ve received from local communities. This donation is one of the ways we want to show our appreciation,” said Matt Thornton, senior development project manager at EDPR NA. “We’re excited for the opportunity to work with local residents and give back to an area that has been so welcoming to us for more than a decade.”
EDP Renewables says input from local stakeholders and EDPR NA operations staff helped determine which projects would benefit from the support.
The benefit package is a part of a series of investments in White and Benton Counties in 2020. EDPR NA says it also provided a total of $16,000 in COVID-19 relief to the White County Food Pantry, the Good Samaritan Food Pantry, and the Honey Creek Volunteer Fire Department, among others.
“With the donation from EDP Renewables, the Town of Chalmers will be able to provide the Volunteer Fire Department with much-needed equipment, assist the historic American Legion with critical building repairs, light up Chalmers with new holiday decorations, repair and improve our town marquee sign, add new planters downtown to beautify our streets and establish seed funding for a splash pad in our beautiful Town Park,” said Faith Willoughby, town manager in Chalmers who worked with EDPR NA to identify projects in need of funding.
The six-phase project has disbursed more than $11 million in payments to local governments, more than $51 million to local landowners, and more than $65 million within 50 miles of the wind farm through 2019.
The 800-megawatt wind farm has been operating in Indiana for 11 years, producing enough clean energy to annually power the equivalent of more than 200,000 average homes. The energy provider say it is the fourth largest wind farm in the United States.