Emerson Creek Wind Blade Signing Highlights Benefits to Ohio Workers and Community

Local officials, labor leaders, landowners, contractors, and supporters joined Apex Clean Energy representatives Monday to celebrate the construction of Emerson Creek Wind in Erie and Huron Counties.

Following a program that highlighted the project’s benefits to the community and Ohio businesses, about 100 people signed their names on one of the project’s 254-foot-long wind turbine blades, which will soon be installed to generate clean electricity for the region.

“Emerson Creek Wind has been over a decade in the making. We are proud of the hard work of the Apex team, our construction partners, landowners, and local project supporters that brought us to this point,” said Ken Young, CEO of Apex. “The project is also a testament to the hundreds of Ohio workers and local contractors building it. Thanks to their skill and care, we expect Emerson Creek Wind to be a world-class energy project for northwest Ohio.”

Emerson Creek Wind is a 268.5-megawatt project developed by Apex, which plans to own and operate the facility once complete. Even before completion, the project is making a significant economic impact on the region. The wind farm is being constructed by Barton Malow in partnership with numerous local subcontractors and suppliers, including Erie Blacktop, Bauer Tiling, Terminal Ready Mix of Bellevue, and Mesenburg Bros. Trucking, among others. The project has already spent more than $40 million with Ohio businesses and expects to spend up to $45 million by the end of construction.

Over 700 workers have been on site to support construction, including over 400 Ohio workers. Local building trades unions have played a major role, with members of Operating Engineers Local 18, Iron Workers Local 55, Laborers Local 480, Millwrights Local 1090, Carpenters Local 744, and Electricians Local 245 among those involved.

“Ohio’s union workers are key to the growth of American energy,” said Scott Mantz Business Manager for Laborers Local 480. “By partnering with Apex on the construction of Emerson Creek Wind, our members are helping to power their communities with clean, American-made energy and keeping those dollars local through good-paying, family-sustaining jobs for Ohio’s skilled trades workers.”

The project’s 48 wind turbines and associated infrastructure are hosted on private land leased from local farmers and landowners. Huron County farmer Tom Yingling described how harvesting the wind above their land helps family farms diversify and be more resilient to challenging economic conditions.

“Agriculture has some of the tightest margins of any industry. With rising costs, bringing in additional income from wind energy can be the difference between whether a family farm can stay afloat. Thanks to the lease income from Emerson Creek Wind, we will have a stronger local farm economy in Erie and Huron Counties and be able to pass that tradition on to the next generation,” said Yingling.

The project will also provide a revenue boost to local governments and school districts through PILOT and personal property tax payments. Over the project’s lifetime, Emerson Creek Wind is expected to generate up to $75 million in new revenue for local schools, counties, and townships.

Power from the project will be delivered onto the Ohio electric grid, diversifying the state’s energy supply with clean, affordable, American energy. A portion of the power generated by Emerson Creek Wind is supporting the City of Columbus’ community choice aggregation program. Through this program, over 200,000 customers see direct savings on their electric bills by pooling demand and purchasing affordable clean energy in bulk.

“The City of Columbus looks forward to incorporating more clean, affordable Ohio-based power into our aggregation program. Emerson Creek Wind will help us continue to deliver savings to our community while meeting our clean energy and climate goals,” said Erin Beck, Assistant Director of Sustainable Columbus.

Apex has maintained a strong community presence in the region for more than a decade, including an office in Bellevue and a long-standing community grant program that has contributed more than $400,000 to local causes and nonprofit organizations throughout the region.

The project is expected to reach commercial operations by the end of 2027.