Letter to the Editor: Wind powers Newton’s manufacturing industry

This year is starting on a high note here in Newton. Thanks to the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s recent decision to aid TPI Composites with their reopening, Newton’s largest employer is set to start production in mid-May.

The renewable energy industry has a way of providing for a community in more ways than one would imagine. In Newton, TPI Composites — a wind turbine blade manufacturer — provided good paying jobs to more than 800 people between 2009 and 2021. As they start production again, 350-400 people will be hired with the goal to increase that number over the next couple of years to the levels they previously had. In the fall of 2022 TPI signed a 10-year contract with GE Renewable Energy.

Across the state, wind energy employs more than 5,000 Iowans. TPI is just one of the companies along the clean energy supply chain. Arcosa Towers is also located in Newton, and they have been producing towers since 2009. TPI is responsible for producing blades for communities that host windfarms, which is the top payer of property taxes in most counties. In turn, wind farms provide millions of dollars in annual land lease payments to farmers, which serves as a safety net during market downturns. Since 2009 TPI has manufactured 11,505 blades, seven models, ranging from 37 meters to 62.2 meters.

Iowa continues to lead the U.S. in electricity generated by wind power. 65.3 percent of Iowa’s electricity is from clean energy. The impact the wind industry has had on Newton and Jasper County’s economy is immense. I could not be more grateful to Director Debi Durham and the board of the Iowa Economic Development Authority for continuing to recognize and invest in the power of renewable energy in Iowa.

Frank Liebl

Executive Director of the Newton Development Corporation