RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — North Carolina has entered an international agreement with the Danish Energy Agency to develop wind farms off the coast.
North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders and Director General Kristoffer Bottzauw of the Danish Energy Agency signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies earlier Wednesday morning. The agreement, known as the Cooperation on Offshore Wind Energy and Related Sectors agreement, will greatly enhance North Carolina’s ability to responsibly develop offshore wind energy.
“The knowledge, data and best practices accumulated by the Danish Energy Agency’s more than 30 years of offshore wind energy experience provides countless benefits to our state as we open opportunities with this growing industry,” said Secretary Sanders. “As we work to responsibly develop North Carolina’s offshore wind industry, I value the expertise and new resources this partnership brings to my department and the people of North Carolina.
Denmark is the global pioneer of offshore wind, establishing the Vindeby Offshore Wind Farm in 1991.
The offshore wind industry and its supply chain represent a potential $140 billion in economic investment along the east coast of the United States. According to a report released by the N.C. Department of Commerce in 2021, NC is favorably positioned to attract a large share of this investment.
Governor Cooper’s Executive Order 218 established North Carolina’s offshore wind development goals of 2.8 gigawatts by 2030 and 8 gigawatts by 2040. Eight gigawatts is enough to power more than 2.3 million homes across our state.