Offshore wind manufacturing and development could mean 847 jobs for South Carolina

CONWAY, S.C. – With targeted investments and forward-looking policies, South Carolina could capitalize on the offshore wind industry to drive economic growth and support an annual average of 847 jobs through 2035. That’s according to The South Carolina Jobs Project: A Guide to Creating Jobs in Offshore Wind, a new report from the American Jobs Project in partnership with the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies (BCCMWS) at Coastal Carolina University and BVG Associates.

“Jumpstarting South Carolina’s offshore wind conversation would position us to benefit from this quickly growing sector,” said Paul Gayes, Executive Director of BCCMWS. “Right now, there are $56 billion committed to Atlantic Coast offshore wind projects. AJP’s report shows that we can leverage South Carolina’s industry strengths to provide support for these projects and nurture local projects that would grow the economy while meeting our energy needs.”

While offshore wind is increasingly becoming a mainstream and cost-competitive source of electricity in Northern Europe, until recently there has been little movement in the U.S. In the past year, Atlantic costal states have invested in the offshore wind sector, recognizing its potential for meeting the region’s vast energy needs and clean energy goals. Experts predict the market will grow six-fold by 2030, making the sector a good bet for new industries in South Carolina.

Today’s report provides policy recommendations that tap into South Carolina’s research expertise, manufacturing sector, and logistics infrastructure to help the state benefit from the burgeoning industry. It also outlines how South Carolina could spearhead its first offshore wind projects.

The research offers a much-needed economic development strategy that would create good-paying jobs, equip South Carolinians with critical workforce-ready skills, and re-engage eligible workers disconnected from education and employment opportunities. The state has the 45^th-lowest labor force participation rate in the nation, and workforce barriers have contributed to a poverty rate of over 15 percent. Growing the state’s offshore wind industry is a promising economic driver.

“Offshore wind could provide stable employment for hundreds of middle-class workers while creating follow-on benefits for the broader labor market,” said Mary Collins, Managing Director of the American Jobs Project and co-author of the report. “South Carolina leaders could position the state as a pioneer in the regional market and put some of the first turbines into Southeast waters.”

Based on extensive research and stakeholder outreach, The South Carolina Jobs Project finds:

· The offshore wind industry could support an average of 847 in-state jobs each year through 2035. This figure includes jobs in the development, installation, and operation of offshore wind farms in South Carolina as well as component manufacturing for local and regional projects.

· The industry is projected to grow 16 percent annually through 2030 due to falling costs and efficient electricity generation during peak demand.

· South Carolina has the sixth-highest net technical offshore wind resource potential in the United States and could meet more than fifty times the state’s electricity needs with offshore wind.

· South Carolina has cutting-edge offshore wind research expertise, including Clemson University’s drivetrain testing facility, which has attracted the likes of GE and MHI Vestas, and Coastal Carolina University’s ocean, atmosphere, and wave modeling and assessment.

· The Palmetto State is home to many companies that could expand their in-state operations to support the offshore wind value chain, including fifteen active wind manufacturing facilities, global industry leaders like Siemens and Timken, and cable manufacturers Nexans and Prysmian Group.

· South Carolina has a competitive edge in offshore wind manufacturing and deployment due to synergy with existing in-state industries including automotive instrumentation, advanced composites, shipbuilding, and logistics.

The report provides tailored strategies that take advantage of this economic opportunity and build up critical assets for industry growth in South Carolina, including the innovation ecosystem, access to capital, workforce development, value chain, and local market. Recommendations include:

· Fostering the commercialization culture at universities to help homegrown innovations play a larger role in the global economy;

· Expanding the Angel Tax Credit and the SC Launch program to bolster access to capital for South Carolina’s early-stage startups;

· Leveraging integrated basic education and skills (I-BEST) programs at technical colleges to address the STEM skills gap and boost manufacturing employment;

· Assessing the offshore wind readiness of South Carolina’s ports to support current and future offshore wind industry needs; and

· Highlighting offshore wind as a potential tourist attraction to allay public fears and catalyze project development.

Visit the American Jobs Project website to read the report.

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American Jobs Project

The American Jobs Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, think-and-do tank focused on creating good-paying jobs in advanced energy and manufacturing through bottom-up, data-driven, 360° economic development. Our experts tailor best practice strategies for bolstering advanced energy and manufacturing, identify assets across the value chain, estimate an industry’s job-supporting potential, and support stakeholder-led initiatives by communicating ideas and analyses. Through engagement with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, we develop a shared vision of effective strategies to leverage the unique competitive advantages offered by each state and generate positive economic impacts.

Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, Coastal Carolina University

The Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies is broadly engaged in research, engagement, and policy initiatives related to renewable energy in South Carolina, primarily around wind power. Staff undertake observation and modeling campaigns refining wind resource potential, projection of wind and wave forcings to be planned for from tropical storm systems, geophysical mapping of sea floor conditions, and service on state and regional task forces and technical committees on wind energy and other related environmental and regulatory issues.

BVG Associates

BVG Associates is an independent consultancy with a global outlook, specializing in the technology, industrialization, and economics of wind and marine energy generation systems. They are driven by a desire to make a real difference in the global renewable energy industry, delivering insight that comes from over 140 years of staff experience. Their team has the best objective knowledge of the market and supply chain for offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy. Their significant client base spans government, enabling bodies, investors, developers, turbine manufacturers, and other companies across the supply chain.

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