b'SEPTEMBER 27 - OCTOBER 10, 2021PROJECT CARGO BI-ANNUAL7(PREPAREScontinuedthe wind industry. The KittynorthernCaliforniaforthe from page 4) Hawk Offshore project, to beHumboldtWindEnergy total of $47 million for dredg- located27milesoffNorthAreaandwillbeconduct-ing in fiscal year 2022, whileCarolinasOuterBanks,ing a lease auction for a site thestatesbudgetseparatelyrecentlypassedafirstfed- 20 miles off Humboldt Bay. includes$200millionfortheeral permitting milestone forIts a pretty good bet that the development of the wind port.an800-megawattprojecttolocal harbor be retrofitted to The progress made on thebegin operations in 2024.meet the needs of future off-windporthasbeensignifi- A North Carolina Depart- shorewindprojects,and,in cant,especiallyconsideringmentofCommercereportfact, its already in the plan-thefactthattheprojectwasreleased earlier this year rec- ning stage, with the help of firstannouncedlittlemoreommendedassessingthefederal dollars.than a year ago. NJEDAs Sul- competitivenessofaninstal- Itsnotabigsurprise livan said he is confident thatlationportalongthesouth- that port communities in the NewJerseysinvestmentinernNorthCarolinacoast,U.S. seek to attract the wind the port will fulfill its inten- asoneinputtothelocationenergyindustry,considering tion of addressing the climateoffutureleaseareasoffthedescribed as a one-of-a-kindmanufacturingandstagingtheexampleoneconomic crisishead-onandcreatingcoast.Thepossibilityofopportunitytobedevelopedofcomponents,isalreadydevelopment provided by the thousands of good jobs whileusing facilities at the ports ofinto an OSW [offshore wind]developedtosupportheavyU.K.s Grimsby. A University establishingthestateasaWilmingtonandMoreheadmega-port facility.manufacturing activities, theof Hull study found that the global leader in one of theCityforwind-energyproj- Other North Carolina assetsreport noted.U.K.willbetriplingdirect newestandfastest-growingects, the report noted, wouldunderconsiderationincludeWhile much offshore windandindirectjobssupported industries in the world.allowNorthCarolinaear- Radio Island, adjacent to theenergyactivityisbeingby the wind industry by 2030 lier access to supply offshorePortofMoreheadCity,anfocusedofftheeastcoast,andthatGrimsbywillmore windprojects.Thedepart- undevelopedlocationnearthewestisnotbeingleftthan triple its offshore work-(VYINGcontinued fromment also urged an evaluationadeep-waterchannelandoutoftheprocess.InJuly,ers to over 6,000 in that same page 6) ofthe600-acreSouthport/ intermodalconnections. Thethe Bureau of Ocean Energyperiod,whilealsoadding The offshore wind indus- NorthCarolinaInternationalWilmingtonBusinessPark,Managementdesignatedathousands more indirect jobs tryinGrimsbybroughtaTerminalProperty,whichitwhichcouldbeusedfor206square-mileareaoffin local businesses.rangeofeconomicbenefits to the town, the Green Alli-ance report found, including the prospect of stable, long-term jobs. A typical offshore windfarmhasanoperating lifeof25years,thereport said, meaning the operations and maintenance of existing NorthSeawindfarmswill provide jobs in Grimsby for at least a generation. In the U.S., the first com-mercialoffshorewindfarm, three miles off Block Island, Rhode Island, which opened foroperationin2016,also providedaboontolocal ports. The original 30-mega-wattprojectledtoRhode Islands approval of a larger 400-megawatt facility further out to sea, and a consideration of how logistics assets should bedeployedinsupportof that and other offshore proj-ects. Forty-million dollars in investmentssoonflowedto thePortofProvidenceand other Rhode Island facilities, including the port of Davis-ville,whereexpansionis ongoingtoexpandberthing space to accommodate wind energy projects.e nergyP olicyCriticaltoGrimsbys success,accordingtoGreen Alliance,wasastable nationalenergypolicy.In the U.S., development of the offshorewindindustryhas beenlargelybeingdriven bythestates,buttheBiden administrations commitment to developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy nation-allycouldalterthatpicture, and bode well for economic developmentinwindport communities. With the pros-pects of national policies and funding being put into place, communities onthissideof the Atlantic are vying to emu-lateGrimsbybygrabbinga piece of the lucrative offshore wind supply chain. NorthCarolinaisnow studyinghowitcanputits logisticsassetstousefor'