ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� Georgia, a capital for electric vehicle production, needs to increase its supply of electricity produced without burning fossil fuels in order to meet industries鈥� demand for clean energy, told world business leaders Thursday.
Speaking as part of a panel focused on electric vehicles at the in Davos, Switzerland, the Republican governor highlighted the construction of the Georgia Power鈥檚 at Plant Vogtle, near Augusta 鈥� the country's first new reactors in decades.
鈥淲e鈥檝e done as much as anybody in the country ... but we鈥檙e going to have to have more,鈥� Kemp said, although he did not call for closing any current power plants that burn coal, natural gas or oil.
It's Kemp's second year in a row to visit the forum of world business and political leaders. He told The Associated Press on Thursday in Davos that the trip is aimed at 鈥渞eally just selling the state from an economic development standpoint.鈥�
That includes touting the electricity produced at Plant Vogtle. One of the reactors in the $31 billion project is generating power, while the other is expected to reach commercial operation in coming months.
鈥淲e鈥檙e letting people know that we got a great airport, great seaport, got a great energy supply with our two nuclear reactors that are online and coming online,鈥� Kemp said.
The fellow members of Kemp's panel said that electric vehicles need to be made with electricity that isn't produced by burning coal, oil or natural gas that emits world-warming carbon dioxide. Zeng Yuqun, founder and chairman of Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL, said a 鈥渄irty battery," or one produced with lots of carbon emissions, is 鈥渂ig trouble.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 looking for sustainability in all of this very quickly,鈥� said Zeng, one of China's richest people.
Kemp, who said Georgia is 鈥渨ell on our way鈥� to achieving his goal of being the 鈥渆-mobility capital of the world,鈥� said he hears the need for clean energy from firms such as and .
鈥淭alking to the companies that we鈥檙e recruiting, people that are looking to the state, they obviously want to produce with clean energy," Kemp said.
It's another instance of how Kemp has shied away from tackling climate change directly, but has welcomed some changes in the name of business recruitment.
The governor said he would look to electric utility Georgia Power Co. and its Atlanta-based parent, Southern Co., to meet those clean energy needs. But environmentalists have panned a current request from Georgia Power to largely using fossil fuels.
Kemp told the AP that he remains confident in his push to recruit electric vehicle makers, despite a slowdown in electric vehicle sales in the United States. He blamed a law backed by President Joe Biden that included big incentives for buying American-made electric vehicles, saying it 鈥渢ried to push the market too quick.鈥�
鈥淚 think the market鈥檚 resetting a little bit now," Kemp said. "But I do not think that鈥檚 going to affect the Georgia suppliers 鈥� everybody鈥檚 still very bullish on what鈥檚 going on in Georgia. And I am too.鈥�
Kemp told the panel the biggest challenge in Georgia's electric vehicle push is making sure manufacturers and their suppliers can hire enough employees.
鈥淭hat's the big thing for us, is making sure we have the workforce,鈥� Kemp said.
___
Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten contributed from Davos, Switzerland.
Jeff Amy, The Associated Press
