Gov. Roy Cooper is calling on his offshore wind task force to speed up North Carolina’s development of that key renewable energy resource.

Cooper told the task force last week that “the earlier we can get into this, the more we can reap the economic benefits from it.” He added, “It is astounding the amount of clean energy that we can produce and the amount of money that can go in the pockets of North Carolinians.”

According to a report on North Carolina’s offshore wind potential presented to the task force, those benefits could include generating an estimated $140 billion in expenditures in our state — with the resulting boost to state and local community economies and tax bases. 

Last June, Cooper created his Task Force for Offshore Wind Economic Resource Strategies by executive order. Since that time, he has amended his earlier executive order for renewable energy development and greenhouse gas emission reductions to step up the pace of action. He’s now aiming for a 50% reduction of emissions (compared to 2005 levels) by 2030.

One offshore wind development off the North Carolina coast is already in the permitting stage, and others are in the works.