ALL OF THE ABOVE.

• Position: ROUND TABLE: ENERGY

Diversification is a common theme in North Carolina's transition to clean energy, a move that's intended to combat climate change by achieving net-zero emissions of carbon by 2050. Finding all its parts and keeping them in motion falls mostly to members of the state's energy industry. Not only do they have to integrate clean energy sources, such as nuclear, solar and wind, and modernize delivery, they need to involve consumers more, all the while protecting the economic development advantage of inexpensive and plentiful power that the state has always enjoyed. Business North Carolina magazine recently gathered a panel of energy experts and industry leaders to discuss how this important resource affects the state, what the transition to clean energy will require and what the future holds.

PANELISTS

Andrew Fusco

vice president, member services and corporate planning, Electricities of North Carolina

Kevin Martin

executive director, Carolina Utility Customers Association

Michael Mazzola

director of Energy Production and Infrastructure Center, UNC Charlotte

David McGowan

Southeast region director, American Petroleum Institute

John Morrison (moderator)

president and CEO, E4 Carolinas

Jennifer Mundt

assistant secretary of clean energy

economic development, N.C. Department of Commerce

American Petroleum Institute and Electricities sponsored the discussion, which was moderated by E4 Carolinas' John Morrison. It was edited for brevity and clarity.

HOW DOESTHE ENERGY INDUSTRY IMPACT NORTH CAROLINA'S ECONOMY?

MARTIN: It touches everyone--residential, commercial business and industry. Industries use energy for transformation and production. We typically use energy on a larger scale and at greater intensity than other consumers. Our energy must be cost effective, so our operations can remain competitive in North Carolina. The two groups most sensitive to the price of energy are low-income residents and industries. The difference is that industry is mobile. If a manufacturer, for example, isn't able to produce here in a cost-effective manner, it can move elsewhere. North Carolina competes globally, not only regionally.

MCGOWAN: North Carolina has the country's second-largest number of state-owned and -maintained miles of road. It's the country's ninth largest consumer of refined petroleum products. In March of 2022, North Carolina consumers and businesses used 11.7 million gallons of gasoline, 4.3 million gallons of diesel fuel and 313,000 gallons of jet fuel on average per day, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration. These amounts have likely increased given rising demand. Those gallons fuel our economy. While an energy transition is underway, and Gov. Cooper has an aggressive Clean Transportation Plan, the reality is North Carolina's economy will continue to need petroleum products into the future. That also includes natural gas, which is important to power generation, home heating and economic development.

MUNDT: North Carolina has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transition to a clean energy economy. It has been mobilizing to take advantage of it throughout Gov. Cooper's administration. North Carolina is a national leader in solar energy, having one of the largest numbers of solar installations. Now it can secure its status as a national leader in clean energy with the development of offshore wind energy. North Carolina has the greatest potential for offshore wind energy generation of any state on the East Coast. A study released by N.C. Department of Commerce last year found it and its supply chain could mean about 85,000 new good jobs and $140 billion in capital expenditures along the East Coast over the next 13 years. The study says that North Carolina is well positioned to attract a significant portion of that investment and those jobs because it has the largest...