by Think Currituck, on 9/8/20 4:47 PM
The Southeastern Wind Coalition recently hosted an online presentation to discuss the economic opportunities for North Carolina related to the growing offshore wind industry. The presentation lasted less than an hour, but provided plenty of numbers to get excited about, including $100 billion in investment and the potential for as many as 80,000 jobs.
While none of those big numbers are guaranteed for North Carolina, the size and scope of the pipeline of East Coast offshore wind projects could prove to be a boon to local and state economies with the right planning and positioning. The biggest potential exists in joining the localized supply chain, which seems tailor-made for our state's existing manufacturing strengths.
Here are a few highlights and a link to the full presentation...
"Excitement (about offshore wind) has been shared for many years, but finally we have numbers to back it up. And the numbers are extremely impressive. For many years we were wondering 'Where's the volume? How can we reach economies of scale? How can we get this industry off the ground?' That question has been answered... probably more than anyone expected." - Andy Geissbuehler, Advisory Director, BVG Associates
"Our job here in North Carolina is to make the case as aggressively as we can... that as these manufacturers are thinking about supplying their products to offshore wind installations up and down the East Coast... as they think about where to locate their manufacturing capacity... we want to get in front of those companies to make the case for why North Carolina is THE optimal location for them to manufacture." - Chris Chung, CEO, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina
Watch the full presentation HERE
