North Carolina joins US offshore wind front rank with 8GW target
State's procurement goal second only to New York's as wind at sea gains further traction off US east coast
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued an executive order (EO) that set offshore wind energy procurement targets of 2.8GW by 2030 and 8GW by 2040, assigning the sector a major role in the mid-Atlantic state’s clean energy transition.
The 8GW ambition is second only to New York (9GW by 2035) among US east coast states and ahead of New Jersey (7.5GW), Massachusetts (5.6GW) and Virginia (5.2GW).
New York, however, has a much larger economy than North Carolina ($1.7trn vs $603bn), and almost double the population with 19.4 million against 10.5 million.
These include enhanced collaboration with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the industry regulator, and other federal partners to advance the leasing and development of an existing lease area, two proposed and other potential areas.
Iberdrola’s 81.5%-owned Avangrid has a 495 sq km (191 sq mile) area under lease off North Carolina’s northern coast near Virginia with 2.5GW capacity. BOEM is now reviewing a Construction and Operations Plan for the first phase of 800MW to 1GW set for operation after 2025.
The proposed zones – Wilmington North and South – for potential lease are located off the state’s far southern coast near South Carolina. Additional lease area identification and sales will be necessary to achieve the 8 GW target.
DEQ will also review, clarify, and streamline state regulatory and permitting requirements, as appropriate, that are applicable to offshore wind energy development and related onshore infrastructure.
EO 218 instructs the Department of Commerce (DoC) secretary to establish the North Carolina Task Force for Offshore Wind Economic Resource Strategies (NC TOWERS). This body will play a key role with DEQ to ensure alignment and synergy between efforts to develop both the state economy and offshore wind.
It will also advise on policies and programmes for developing a workforce able to support a growing offshore wind industry research and development activities and supply chain in the state.
Supply chain ambition
Cooper has made little secret of his desire for North Carolina to be in the forefront of the nation’s fast-growing offshore wind sector, which he sees generating $140bn in capital expenditure and creating 85,000 jobs along the east coast by 2035.
“North Carolina’s rich history in manufacturing will strengthen the growing domestic supply chain and make the state a major player in the US industry,” said Sam Salustro, director of coaltions and strategic partnerships at the Business Network for Offshore Wind, a Baltimore-based non-profit.
President Joe Biden has set a 30GW by 2030 for offshore wind and recently instructed the Department of Interior (DoI) to open swathes of the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean off California’s coast to development.
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