WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Since 2009 more than 400 wind turbines have been installed in Benton and White Counties.
Residents have seen an additional 61 turbines go up over the past year in Benton County.

It's been part of EDP Renewable's latest project at the Meadow Lake wind farm.

"The project consists of 61 turbines and really is the latest technology to be deployed in North America,” said EDP Renewable's Ryan Brown.

It was an investment in renewable energy costing more than $300 million.

The 61 new turbines create enough energy to power 55,000 Hoosier homes.

Cummins, Nestle, and Wabash Valley Power Association each purchased part of that power. It's a move the companies believe promotes greener power sources.

Wabash Valley Power Association's Brian Anderson said wind power helps reduce their need for energy sources that could be more harmful to the environment.

"This is around 20 thousand homes enough to power with 75 megawatts. So it's a pretty significant chunk of our overall power portfolio,” said Anderson.

And Nestlé’s Gopi Sandhu said the farm will power multiple plants in Pennsylvania.

"This project and the needs there were a fantastic fit. And in the end, we have an opportunity to bring 75 percent of their electricity now comes from this wind farm here in Indiana,” said Sandhu.

But Ryan Brown said benefits will also be seen at the local level.

"You have property tax payments, economic development agreement payments to the local schools, really helping local infrastructure,” said Brown.

Ryan said land owners where the turbines are located will also benefit from land usage agreements.

"In exchange for letting us lease their land and utilize a very small percentage, frankly, less than one percent is taken out of crop rotation, the landowners would have the benefit of this fixed known revenue that comes to them over the next thirty years,” said Brown.