Duke Energy plans to add 2.4 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind to its grid over the next decade to continue meeting its carbon emissions reduction goals. The wind energy collection plan maps out proposed roadmaps for Duke Energy to meet North Carolina’s power needs while also reducing carbon emissions with a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
In 2022, Duke’s commercial renewables division and Total Energy Renewables secured neighboring leases from the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to build offshore wind farms in the open ocean on a site located 18 miles south of Bald Head Island. That 54,000-acre site alone can support more than 1.5 GW of wind power.
The move comes as energy companies around the U.S. work to meet federal clean energy goals. In the Tar Heel State, that means working to meet the stipulations of North Carolina House Bill 951, which writes the state’s emission-reducing carbon plan into law.
Photo Courtesy Duke Energy Illumination
“Offshore winds needs to be a key component if we’re going to meet the decarbonizing requirements outlined in House Bill 951,” Katharine Kollins, president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition, told Star News Online. “You cannot do that without offshore wind.”
Decarbonization is not the only reason power companies like Duke Energy need wind energy. It’s also due to the significant increase in power needs expected in the coming years.
“Over the next 15 years, electric use by Duke Energy customers in the Carolinas is projected to surge,” Mike Callahan, Duke Energy’s South Carolina president, told Duke Energy’s Illumination. “We need power, and a lot of it — and we need to take action today.”
Over half of Duke Energy’s coal fleet in North and South Carolina is retired, but another 8,400 megawatts of coal-fired capacity will be phased out shortly. To reliably get off coal and move forward with sustainable, green energy, the company needs new generation that is available 24/7, in any weather. Wind and solar are critical components of that new approach, including natural gas and hydrogen elements for a secure, reliable grid.
Photo Courtesy Duke Energy Illumination
“The largest investments coming to the Carolinas, manufacturing, and technology, are energy-intensive industries attracted by our low-carbon energy mix and rates well below the national average,” Kendal Bowman, president of Duke Energy’s utility operations in North Carolina, said to Duke Energy’s Illumination. “Growing our diverse energy mix is what will keep our momentum strong.”
Duke Energy’s carbon plan filing with the North Carolina Utilities Commission does point out that many financial uncertainties still surround offshore wind, including total investment and operating costs. Additionally, wind farmer developers require significant amounts of information to move forward quickly, including sea floor, gust, and weather data. It’s important that such information is gathered quickly, allowing projects to move into the development phase that much faster.
Photo Courtesy Duke Energy Illumination
“It’s time and certainty, and that’s what these projects need right now,” Kollins told Star News Online. “They need to know that North Carolina is a market, a reliable market, for wind energy.”
