North Carolina — Blue Ridge Power, a leading utility-scale solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company, has announced significant layoffs impacting more than 500 employees across North Carolina. The move comes as part of a broader wind-down of the firm by its parent company, Pine Gate Renewables, amid mounting financial and policy challenges facing the renewable energy sector.
The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice with the state, outlining plans to eliminate 348 positions in Cumberland County and 169 in Buncombe County. The 517 total job cuts represent a majority of Blue Ridge Power’s workforce, which had employed just over 700 people.
“Blue Ridge Power has experienced market headwinds similar to those impacting the entire renewable energy industry, requiring Pine Gate Renewables to dedicate significant resources to support the organization. After reviewing numerous options to find a path forward, Pine Gate made the difficult decision to conduct an orderly wind-down of Blue Ridge Power,” said Pine Gate Renewables in a statement.
Founded in 2021, Blue Ridge Power quickly became a major player in large-scale solar development across the Carolinas and beyond. Its portfolio includes landmark projects such as the 108 MW Trent River solar facility in Pollocksville, the 110 MW Phobos project in Middlesex, the 70 MW Lick Creek project in Walnut Cove, and the 98 MW Centerfield project in Chesterfield, South Carolina.
The company’s website lists projects in 14 states with 1.2 gigawatts of solar capacity under active construction. Since its inception, Blue Ridge Power has delivered an impressive 8 gigawatts of solar projects nationwide, cementing its role as a key contractor for the clean energy buildout.
Despite these achievements, Pine Gate confirmed the firm’s operational wind-down, adding, “Blue Ridge Power will continue to assess how best to support each of its ongoing projects, including working with its customers to transition those projects to another EPC provider. This decision in no way reflects the hard work or dedication of our valued team members, and we are deeply grateful for all of their contributions.”
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The layoffs highlight growing uncertainty in the U.S. clean energy workforce. According to a recent report from E2, clean energy jobs have grown three times faster than the overall workforce since 2020. However, investment cancellations and policy changes have begun to slow momentum.
Since January 2025 alone, more than $22 billion in clean energy factories and projects have been canceled, costing an estimated 16,500 jobs. Analysis from Energy Innovation warns that policy rollbacks under the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act could ultimately cost the sector more than 830,000 jobs.
Currently, the U.S. clean energy workforce stands at 3.56 million jobs. In 2024, 7% of all new jobs nationwide came from clean energy, and the sector accounted for 82% of new energy jobs overall. However, growth slowed compared to 2023, with about 50,000 fewer clean energy jobs created last year.
“What these numbers show is that this was one of the hottest and most promising job sectors in the country at the end of 2024,” said Bob Keefe, executive director of E2. “Now, clean energy job growth is at serious risk – and with it, our overall economy.”
For North Carolina and the broader solar industry, the winding down of Blue Ridge Power marks a sobering setback, underscoring the fragility of renewable energy job creation in the face of market pressures, supply chain constraints, and shifting federal policies.
Originally reported by Ryan Kennedy in PV Magazine.
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