Average Atlantic Coast Offshore Wind Farm Could Add Billions to Economy & Thousands of Jobs

A new report has shown that an average-sized offshore wind farm located off the Atlantic Coast of the United States could result in billions in economic benefits and yield thousands of jobs in states such as New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Authored by California-based BW Research on behalf of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2, an affiliate of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)) and published last week, the new report — Offshore Wind:  Generating Economic Benefits on the East Coast — studied the economic impact of building a single average-sized offshore wind farm (where ‘average-sized’ is defined as 325 megawatts (MW) and made up of approximately 44 wind turbines) off the coast of five Atlantic Coast states — New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.  According to the research, if such an offshore wind farm was built off each of the five coasts, the offshore projects would result in nearly 25,000 construction and operational jobs — with an average of just under 5,000 jobs per state — and generate a cumulative $3.6 billion in economic benefits.

“This report proves offshore wind energy has the potential to add jobs, tax dollars, and economic benefits these states while protecting their coastal economies,” said Grant Carlisle, E2 Director of Advocacy.  “This is a good deal for states and businesses, bringing in far more investment and tax revenue than the cost of the wind farm – nearly double in some states.”

Read more at Average Atlantic Coast Offshore Wind Farm Could Add Billions to Economy & Thousands of Jobs