McDonnell Looks Into Offshore Wind Energy
During his European trade mission last week Governor Bob McDonnell held meetings with leaders in the development of offshore wind energy to try and bring some of their ideas back to the Commonwealth. Craig Carper reports.
Since last year’s campaign, Governor Bob McDonnell has emphasized his desire for Virginia to more aggressively pursue all forms of energy production to reduce our national dependence on foreign oil.
The Governor persistently pushed federal officials to give approval to the Commonwealth to move forward with a lease sale for offshore drilling rights earlier this year, something President Obama eventually agreed to, only to put the plan on hold after the gulf spill.
While in Amsterdam last week, Governor McDonnell asked leaders in offshore wind development for thoughts on implementing the technology in the U.S.
McDonnell says that offshore wind has been more successful in Europe because of government subsidies.
McDonnell: Our challenge is we’ve got one of the lowest per kilowatt hour rates in the southeast part of the United States, just a shade under nine cents per kilowatt hour. If you factor in wind, it’s 2 to 2.4 times as much as coal or nuclear.
McDonnell says despite the current challenges with bringing offshore wind to the Commonwealth, he is committed to finding ways to make it a reality. Earlier this year, the Governor joined the Atlantic Coast Wind Energy Consortium, which includes 10 states working together to find ways to implement the technology at a lower cost.
Craig Carper, WCVE News, Capitol Square
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