The North Carolina Department of Commerce recently selected a team led by BVG Associates to assist in developing a strategic roadmap that will guide the state’s efforts in supporting the offshore wind industry.
BVG Associates is a trusted leader in the global offshore wind space with a breadth of experience in all elements of the industry including development, finance, logistics, infrastructure, and analysis.
Over the coming months, the firm will work with state agencies and stakeholders to identify North Carolina’s existing infrastructure and manufacturing assets and make recommendations to expand the state’s opportunities for securing the offshore wind supply chain.
“North Carolina is already home to 55 companies that support the land-based wind industry, which is a tremendous advantage for the state’s ability to transition into offshore wind,” said Katharine Kollins, president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition. “The partnership between the state and BVG Associates, as well as the findings of the assessment, will be a monumental step forward in determining how to build on those advantages while driving new clean-energy business and investment to North Carolina.”
To bring in-state expertise, BVG Associates has partnered with North Carolina State University’s Clean Energy Technology Center and the University’s Economic Development Partnership to support workforce and other stakeholder engagement elements of the analysis.
“N.C. State is proud to share our expertise in clean-energy technologies and workforce development within those industries to this effort, and contributing to the state’s broader goal of pursuing the offshore wind industry and its immense economic potential here in North Carolina,” said Steve Kalland, executive director of the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center. Rounding out the team of experts contributing to the assessments include Lloyd’s Register Energy America and the Timmons Group.
The partnership announcement comes on the heels of a study conducted by Wood Mackenzie highlighting the economic impact of leasing additional wind-energy areas for offshore wind development. In the Carolinas alone, development along the coast could lead to more than 40,000 jobs in development, construction, operations, and supply chain, and more than $45 billion in capital investment. The study was commissioned by four energy industry groups, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), the New York Offshore Wind Alliance (NYOWA), and the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind (SIOW) at the University of Delaware.
“These findings reinforce the significant economic benefit that offshore wind could provide to North Carolina, and why now is the right time to work toward capturing this unparalleled opportunity for our state,” said John Hardin, executive director of N.C. Commerce’s Office of Science, Technology, & Innovation. “I look forward to working with BVG Associates on charting a path forward for our ports and manufacturers to support offshore wind development off the coast of North Carolina and across the country.”
The North Carolina infrastructure and supply chain analysis will be conducted through the remainder of the year, with a final report scheduled to be published in late 2020.
More info www.sewind.org
