Amazon Wind US East Onshore wind farm

Powering clean energy in the US with Amazon Wind US East

Avangrid Onshore wind United States Operating plants

The Amazon Wind US East wind farm or Amazon Wind Farm North Carolina - Desert Wind represents the commitment of the large North American multinationals to renewable energy generation and Avangrid* - Iberdrola's subsidiary in the United States - as a prestigious company in the sector. Located in the municipality of Pasquotank and Perquimans, it has a capacity of 208 MW and is the first large industrial-scale wind farm in North Carolina.

After a rigorous six-year permitting process, the 104 high-tech turbines (Gamesa model G114 with 2 MW unit capacity) of this wind farm reached full commercial operation in early 2017. Today, Amazon Wind US East generates enough energy to power the equivalent of approximately 61,000 US homes per year.

* AVANGRID, Inc. is 81.50 % owned by Iberdrola, S. A.

Agreement with Amazon to promote a sustainable model

The power generated and delivered to the grid supplies the current and future cloud data centres of Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), following long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) signed in 2015. All the energy from this facility is supplied exclusively to Amazon, following the long-term purchase agreement signed between the two companies. Iberdrola therefore owns and operates the wind farm, and the electricity generated will be purchased by this large US e-commerce company.

Amazon thus joins the mobilisation of other large multinationals that are committed to investing in renewable energy projects through contracts that guarantee the profitability of energy installations and promote the transition to a clean and sustainable model.

Respect for the environment and economic boost to the area

The Amazon Wind US East wind farm is built on farmland in Perquimans and Pasquotank counties in North Carolina while fully respecting the biodiversity and activity of the area. The permanent footprint of the entire project is less than 200 acres, which means that local farmers continue to harvest corn, soybeans and wheat.

In addition, Amazon Wind US East is an economic windfall for Pasquotank and Perquimans counties, generating about $1.1 million in tax revenue and community benefits. Of this amount, about $520,000 goes to annual taxes, making the wind farm the largest taxpayer in Perquimans and counties; and $624,000 goes to annual lease payments to landowners.

More than 30 North Carolina companies were involved in its construction and more than 500 workers were involved at peak construction. Avangrid also built and maintains 62 kilometres of new roads at no cost to taxpayers or property owners. The park employs 17 full-time workers.

Iberdrola, world leader in renewable energies

At Iberdrola, we decided to commit to renewable energies more than two decades ago as a fundamental pillar on which to build our safe, clean and competitive business model. Thanks to this vision, we are today world leaders in renewable energies, reaching 42,387 MW of renewables in operation  after Q1 2024.

This commitment is reflected in our Strategic Plan, in which we will allocate €15.5bn gross to renewables. More than half of this amount is focused on offshore wind in the US, UK, France and Germany; 28% on onshore wind and 18% on solar.