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Wind Power News: North Carolina
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Coastal residents raise concerns about North Carolina offshore wind farms
Thomas Myers lives in a three story home in Holden Beach that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Myers and his wife bought the house in 1998 and moved to Holden Beach in Brunswick County permanently in 2013. Myers said he and his wife planned their entire lives around retiring in an oceanside home. “When you go to the shore, stand on the beach and you look out, it’s like you’re looking into infinity,” Myers said. “You can’t see the other side. . . . Complete story »
Governor Cooper envisions future for offshore wind power in North Carolina, causing tourism concerns for coastal leaders
Wilmington, N.C. – At a task force meeting in Wilmington on Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper touted the future of offshore wind energy in North Carolina and called on the state to capitalize on the burgeoning technology. But leaders of the coastal areas near the sites where the wind farms would be built have concerns about the impact the turbines could have on tourism. “Clean energy is the right thing for our planet and our pocketbooks,” Cooper told the task force during . . . Complete story »
Questions remain following offshore wind energy event
SOUTHPORT – Steve Stone wasn’t buying it. “That doesn’t convince me of anything,” Stone said Friday while staring at what could have passed for a solid black sheet of paper during an event in Southport hosted by the advocacy group Offshore Wind for North Carolina. Stone was studying a visual simulation of what was identified as a starlit night over the Atlantic Ocean as seen from the shore at Holden Beach. The 11-inch by 17-inch print was propped on an . . . Complete story »
State evaluating BOEM’s proposed offshore wind leases
North Carolina officials are asking for public comment on whether the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s proposal to issue commercial offshore wind energy leases off the Wilmington coast is within the parameters of North Carolina’s Coastal Management Program. The deadline to submit comments is Feb. 23. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management said Monday it is evaluating BOEM’s Consistency Determination. The evaluation is to consider if issuing as many as three commercial wind energy leases . . . Complete story »
Wind energy lease spots closest to beach eliminated
The new federal review of an area planned for wind energy eliminates spots closest to Brunswick County beaches and splits the remaining site into three pieces. The area considered for leasing – Wilmington East – starts about 15 nautical miles south of Bald Head Island. The new review incorporates information gleaned since the 2015 federal study but the conclusions are the same – the Wilmington East site has tremendous potential to generate energy at no significant impact to the environment, . . . Complete story »
Push for wind farm off Wilmington’s coast continues despite local concerns
Bill Franks squinted his eyes on a sunny and unusually warm mid-December day and looked out into the Atlantic from the sandy shore of Caswell Beach. “I support clean energy, so they would be good to have,” said the Michigan resident, visiting family in Brunswick County for the holidays, when asked if having wind turbines in the near-shore waters off the North Carolina coast would alter his view of vacationing here. “But I just don’t know. I guess it depends . . . Complete story »
Feds release draft assessment for ‘Wilmington East’ offshore wind plan
The possibility of wind turbines off Southeastern North Carolina shoreline is coming into focus as federal and state interests signal strong support for advancing clean energy initiatives. Meanwhile, local concerns over adverse visual impacts persist. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released a draft environmental assessment Wednesday, providing an updated overview of anticipated impacts prompted by potentially leasing the Wilmington East Wind Energy Area, roughly 128,000 acres offshore located about 17 miles from Bald Head Island. Up to three . . . Complete story »
Plans for potential wind farm off Bald Head Island move forward
North Carolina is one step closer to harvesting offshore wind energy – this time for an area off the state’s southern coastline known as “Carolina Long Bay.” New documents released this week from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management describe a plan with less impact to the environment than initially predicted several years ago – and proponents say it’s good news for wind energy, even as their conservative counterparts say the process is being rushed. On Wednesday, BOEM posted a . . . Complete story »
Feds to begin leasing process for wind farms off Wilmington
The Wilmington East project has been met with some opposition in Brunswick County, where local governments and the county commissioners have passed resolutions opposing the construction of any wind farms within 24 nautical miles of the coast in order to protect the view. Complete story »
Kure Beach council passes ordinance opposing wind energy leases within 24 miles of shoreline
The first year of paid parking wrapped up in the Town of Kure Beach and the council is reporting how much was made and taking a stand against wind energy too close to its shoreline. In the council’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting, Mayor Craig Bloszinsky reported the numbers have not been finalized but parking made over $700,000. The cost of machines, signage, and other expenses still need to be factored in before the revenue is reported. The council voted unanimously . . . Complete story »
