An appliance manufacturer made progress toward its sustainability goals through a wind energy project.

Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corporation recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Limestone Wind, the Texas wind farm which now helps provide clean energy to Whirlpool.

The 88-turbine project is a culmination of a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for Whirlpool and is expected to produce around 200,000 megawatt-hours per year. Whirlpool now can match 100% of its nine U.S. plants’ electrical consumption with clean energy through the addition of this wind farm.

According to leadership, the wind farm also will help Whirlpool with its overall goal to reach net zero emissions by 2030 for all its plants and operations.

“This latest wind project is an important part of our ongoing sustainability initiatives, adding additional clean, renewable energy to the electrical grid while helping to reduce the company’s carbon footprint,” said Beat Stocker, senior director of sustainability at Whirlpool. “Now that Limestone Wind is fully operational, we have achieved an important step in matching 100% of our U.S. plant electricity emissions, taking us closer to our net zero by 2030 goal for our operations.”

The new wind farm marks the second off-site wind farm for Whirlpool, which broke ground on the 68-turbine Mesquite Sky wind farm in Texas in 2022. This project now generates enough clean electricity with the potential to power more than 87,000 households each year, according to Whirlpool.

Going forward, the company said it will continue to maximize previous investments in onsite renewable energy and making energy-efficient upgrades across its plants while also investing in off-site energy opportunities like this new wind farm.

Whirlpool has been recognized several times in recent years for its sustainability efforts, including its addition to the 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and its placement on Newsweek’s 2023 list of America’s Most Responsible Companies.