Amazon to Construct Mississippi’s First Utility-Scale Wind Farm
Jul 7, 2023
by: Alyssa Arbuckle, SuperTalk Mississippi
Amazon is expanding its renewable energy footprint in Mississippi through the creation of the state’s first utility-scale wind farm.
Located in Tunica County, the facility will include 41 wind turbines powered by winds from the Mississippi Delta and will be a dual-use operation where the agricultural land will continue to be used for farming rice, soybeans, corn, and wheat under and around the turbines.
According to developer and owner-operator AES Clean Energy, the project is expected to bring tens of millions of dollars in consistent tax revenue to the county and school district and is already generating local economic benefits.
Several local contractors and suppliers have already been hired and the project is expected to create nearly 300 jobs during peak construction.
Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate over 1,850 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean energy, which would provide power to approximately 174,600 U.S. homes each year.
“Amazon is on a path to powering our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, and we want to ensure the local communities where our customers live and work are also benefiting from the solar and wind projects that we support,” Charley Daitch, director of Energy and Water Strategy at Amazon Web Services (AWS), said. “These energy projects are helping provide clean energy to local grids, create jobs, support local businesses and farmers, and boost the rural tax base in the southeast, which are all part of Amazon’s commitment to become a more sustainable company.”
At this time, Amazon is continuing efforts to create renewable energy throughout the southeast through five new solar and wind projects, bringing the company’s local total to 30 projects in the region.
Amazon currently has more than 400 renewable energy projects worldwide, as well as in several states in the southeast, including Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi.