Report: SC wind energy could mean $2 b in pay

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A new study concludes that a wind farm off the South Carolina coast could mean billions of dollars in wages and thousands of jobs.

The study released Wednesday was compiled by Clemson's Restoration Institute and its Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs for the state Energy Office.

It finds that if a 1,000 megawatt offshore wind farm was constructed beginning in 2016, it would generate nearly $2 billion in wages and create 3,800 jobs a year during the decade it would take to build.

The report says there are about 1,100 people employed either full or part time in the wind energy industry in the state. The report said they make, on average, about $78,000 a year.