Raleigh, N.C. – On June 12, 2023, the Southeastern Wind Coalition (SEWC) submitted public comments in response to a Notice of Intent (NOI) Amending LAC 43:V.Chapter 7, 707, 711-717, and 725-733- Leasing State Lands and Water Bottoms for the Exploration, Development and Production of Wind Energy.

On Christmas Eve, half a million North Carolinians were impacted by rolling blackouts during an extreme cold snap. It brought electric reliability to the forefront of public thought once again. Duke Energy said the cause of the blackouts was a combination of reliance on unavailable purchased power from neighboring utilities and under-performance from key energy resources: two coal plants and a natural gas one. The plants were impacted by weather, causing components to freeze and drastically reduce energy production. Their backup, generators in neighboring utilities, had no power to spare since they experienced the same cold snap.