DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Gov. Roy Cooper was in Durham on Friday talking about the state’s shift to cleaner energy. He says now is the time to bring more jobs to the state through offshore wind energy.

He made those remarks at the conference where government officials, organizations, and stakeholders talked about offshore wind energy and some of the developments we could see within the next decade.

Speakers mentioned funding for offshore wind projects, how they’re physically set up, and what they could mean for energy in the future.

Cooper said despite North Carolina being behind some other states in terms of bringing this kind of energy to the state, he thinks we can catch up.

He says with more investments in this energy, the entire state will benefit.

“We know we have to decarbonize, but we also can take advantage of the supply chain that’s going to be created here to provide tens of thousands of great paying jobs for North Carolina families,” Cooper said.

The governor said there are talks with utility companies and energy producers on how exactly this would be implemented in the state.