Spectrum News quotes Mike Blanch and Andy Geissbuehler extensively their article Offshore wind part 1: Big business for North Carolina.
Quotes from Andy and Mike in the article include:
“As the offshore wind market and development grows, we’re expecting to see more of this opportunity come closer to North Carolina,” said Mike Blanch with BVG Associates, another consultant that worked on the N.C. Commerce Department report.
“It makes sense to put new factories in new markets and that avoids the risks and costs of transport,” he said.
“North Carolina is a recognized leader in manufacturing,” said Andy Geissbuehler, also with BVG. “We need to be very active to make sure we’re moving fast enough to get an appropriate shore for North Carolina in this business.”
North Carolina already has major players like Hitachi, he said. If the state plays its cards right, “North Carolina could serve the whole East Coast,” Geissbuehler said. And this isn’t just a quick investment in the state and then these companies leave, this could be a long-term change in North Carolina’s economy. Wind farms last for decades.
“This is a very sustainable long-term business,” he said.
“Offshore wind power will help North Carolina create jobs and generate economic development while helping us transition to a clean energy economy,” the governor said when he set the state’s ambitious offshore wind goals in June.
“North Carolina’s national leadership in clean energy and manufacturing plus our highly trained workforce create a strong business environment for offshore wind supply chain and manufacturing companies,” Cooper said.
You can read the article in full here: Offshore wind part 1: Big business for North Carolina
