Scout Clean Energy’s Nimbus Wind Farm in Carroll County is commercially operational, the company announced Thursday, Nov. 5, in a news release that also identified Microsoft as the buyer of the project’s electricity.
A federal filing available through the U.S. Department of Energy provides additional detail, identifying Microsoft Energy LLC as the purchaser of Nimbus’ entire electricity output under an agreement that ends 20 years after the facility begins commercial operations.
The announcement comes nearly two years after construction began on the controversial wind energy project south of Green Forest, where 30 turbines have been erected on private property leased from participating landowners.
Scout described the 183-megawatt facility as Arkansas’ largest wind farm and said it is generating enough electricity to power more than 40,000 homes annually.
The company’s release did not disclose the Microsoft agreement’s financial terms, duration or signing date. The 20-year term is described in an attachment to Heartland Generation Ltd.’s application to renew its federal electricity export authorization, filed with the Department of Energy. Scout officials had previously confirmed that the company had a buyer for Nimbus’ electricity but declined to identify it. In November 2024, Mark Wengierski, Scout’s vice president of East Region development, said an announcement identifying the buyer could come within a few months. Project manager Dave Iadarola again confirmed that a buyer was in place during an August 2025 tour of the construction site.
“Nimbus is a project close to our heart,” Michael Rucker, Scout’s CEO and founder, said in the Nov. 5 release. “Nimbus was one of the original projects Scout was developing when we founded the company and we are so proud of the many years of support from project landowners, local officials, construction and offtake partners, and members of the Carroll County community that made this project possible.”
Scout said it worked with more than 50 participating landowners to develop the project and conducted geotechnical studies and analysis to determine turbine locations along the area’s ridgetops.
The project encompasses approximately 9,000 acres, much of it along County Road 905. Scout previously said 26 turbines would stand 644 feet tall, with the other four reaching 591 feet.
The project generated sustained debate at Carroll County Quorum Court meetings, with opponents raising concerns about wildlife, noise, potential health and safety effects, road damage and the impact on the area’s scenery and tourism. Supporters emphasized private property rights and the economic benefits to participating landowners and the county.
After several proposals aimed at regulating the project failed, the quorum court voted 10-0 in May 2025 to approve a moratorium on future industrial wind and solar energy projects. The ordinance specifically exempted Nimbus, which was already under construction.
Scout said in last week’s release that Nimbus is expected to generate approximately $31 million in property taxes for Carroll County over its operating life. The company said construction employed more than 280 workers and that operations will support at least five full-time positions.
Scout will operate Nimbus with an on-site team supported by around-the-clock performance monitoring from the company’s remote operations center in Boulder, Colo.
Scout, headquartered in Boulder, is a portfolio company managed by Brookfield Asset Management, which acquired it in 2022.
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