Apple is set to acquire a 100-acre site in Claremont, NC to build a new 17.5 megawatt solar farm, its third in North Carolina. The company will be making an initial $55 million investment in the project. The city of Claremont approved the deal Monday evening.
The Hickory Daily Record reports that the project will create 75 indirect jobs during construction, and City Manager Doug Barrick said Apple agreed to source jobs locally, if possible.
Pending acquisition of the land and other terms of the development agreement, Apple plans to have a grading permit submitted for the project by end of year, and estimates project completion within five years of the construction’s start date.
The solar farm would be Apple’s third such development in the area. The first solar center is located at Apple’s Maiden, N.C. iCloud data center, which includes a 100-acre solar farm, capable of putting out 20 megawatts of power. The company purchased 200 acres of land in nearby Conover in September of 2012, with the intent to build a second 20 megawatt farm.
