Off Shore Wind Energy Development
Charleston City Council joined North Myrtle Beach as well as port communities in North Carolina and Georgia in supporting both the benefits of economic development from wind energy and from the renewable resource.
Key Facts
Some key facts in the resolution include:
- The Charleston Regional Development Alliance has identified wind energy as one of the top priority economic development sectors for the Charleston area.
- In 2013, there are approximately 33 wind energy manufacturing facilities currently operating in South Carolina employing over 1,100 people and generating $530 million of output annually in the State of South Carolina.
- The port facilities of Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and North Charleston may serve as a gateway for the global wind energy market that is expected to grow by hundreds of billions of dollars in the next five years.
- South Carolina has the second-largest offshore wind resource on the East Coast.
- Offshore wind energy is a valuable supplement to South Carolina's energy portfolio and represents a huge potential source of clean, renewable electricity for South Carolina.
Accomplishments Through the Resolution
Through the resolution, the City of Charleston does:
- Declare wind energy to be a significant job-creating industry, and an important source of clean and renewable energy.
- Encourage offshore wind energy developers and manufacturers as pivotal economic development industries and local workforce generators.
- Support the regulatory processes involved with the siting of transmission infrastructure in our community associated with offshore wind energy generation; and the participation in an offshore wind energy coalition to represent coastal cities' interests to private developers and governmental agencies.
- Urge the State of South Carolina to continue to maintain ongoing efforts to facilitate wind energy for South Carolina especially through the state's Wind Regulatory Task Force.
- View the complete resolution (PDF).