RALEIGH (AP) — A North Carolina economic development nonprofit opposed to Alcoa Inc. continuing to operate four Yadkin River dams says jobs and investment could flow if the state reclaimed control of the waterway.
Central Park NC said Tuesday an economist hired under a federal economic development grant found North Carolina could pocket between $750 million and $1.2 billion in hydropower revenues if it got the federal operating license.
Alcoa used the dams for decades to supply electricity to a riverside aluminum plant that once employed nearly 1,000. The plant closed about a decade ago and Pittsburgh-based Alcoa sells the electricity to commercial customers.
Alcoa wants a new license of up to 50 years, but former Govs. Mike Easley and Beverly Perdue opposed it. New Gov. Pat McCrory hasn’t yet announced his position.