BENTON HARBOR, Mich.,
Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Today, as part of Whirlpool Corporation's ongoing
commitment to producing products in the U.S. in a cost effective
and environmentally efficient manner, the company broke ground on a
wind turbine project at its manufacturing plant in Ottawa, Ohio. The project objectives are to
save money while offsetting the facility's electrical consumption
by more than 30 percent, or enough energy to power 300-400 American
homes annually.
The $3.3M "Wind for Industry"
project will be built and funded by One Energy. The project was
first announced in May of 2016 and is expected to be completed
early in 2017.
"Wind power is a key component of our commitment to
environmentally responsible operations and manufacturing," said
Ron Voglewede, Global Sustainability
Director, Whirlpool Corporation. "We're also excited for the
opportunity to put our global commitment to sustainability into
practice at a local level here in Ohio -- where we have made a significant
commitment to manufacturing, including by employing approximately
10,000 manufacturing employees."
The Ottawa plant is one of
three Whirlpool Corporation manufacturing plants in Ohio that are investing in wind energy.
Earlier this year, the company announced a three-turbine wind farm
project at its Marion plant as well as a two turbine farm at its
Findlay plant that has been running since January. The completion
of Whirlpool Corporation's newest wind projects in Ottawa and Marion has the potential to make Whirlpool
Corporation one of the largest Fortune 500 consumers of on-site
wind energy in the United States.
Collectively, the company expects to generate enough clean energy
to power more than 2,400 average American homes per year.
"Not only will this allow us to incorporate sustainable
practices into our manufacturing process, but the wind turbine will
also give us the opportunity to further pursue operations
efficiencies and cost reduction," said Jenni Hanna, Ottawa Facilities Plant Lead at
Whirlpool Corporation.
In honor of the new turbine, Whirlpool Corporation will also
create a $5,000 Megawatt Scholarship
to be awarded annually for the next 20 years to a graduating high
school senior from the local school district. The scholarship is
designed to encourage education in the technologies and industries
of the future. Eligible local students will be those seeking a two
or four year technical degree in the fields of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at an accredited college.
About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation
(NYSE: WHR) is the number one major appliance manufacturer in the
world, with approximately $21 billion
in annual sales, 97,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and
technology research centers in 2015. The company markets
Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul,
Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air,
Indesit and other major brand names in nearly every country
throughout the world. Additional information about the company can
be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com, or find us on Twitter at
@WhirlpoolCorp.
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SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation