An engineering, procurement and construction solar company created by Asheville-based Pine Gate Renewables will lay off 517 workers in Asheville and Fayetteville as it ends its business, according to a notice filed with the N.C. Department of Commerce.
Blue Ridge Power will eliminate 348 positions in Fayetteville and 169 in Asheville by Nov. 18, according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the state last week.
Pine Gate formed Blue Ridge Power as its engineering, procurement and construction company in 2021. At the time, Pine Gate said Blue Ridge Power would be headquartered in Asheville, and it would have offices in Fayetteville, Charlotte and Midland, Michigan.
Blue Ridge’s website states it has more than 700 employees. Blue Ridge Power is not part of Blue Ridge Energy or Blue Ridge Electric.
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has used his second term to end projects related to wind and solar energy. In July, Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that ended subsidies for solar and wind energy projects years earlier than planned. Developers and analysts predicted that the legislation would slash the installation of renewable energy over the next decade.
Blue Ridge cited changes in the industry as the cause of the layoffs.
“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. 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,” Pine Gate released in a statement.
Blue Ridge may be able to retain or extend the layoff date for some workers depending on various factors, which it did not specify. Blue Ridge workers are not part of a union.
Founded in 2016, Pine Gate has about 300 employees and has closed more than $7 billion in project financing and capital investment, according to its website. Its operations include more than 100 solar facilities accounting for more than 2 gigawatts of installed capacity. It reports it has 30 gigawatts of projects in development.
Blue Ridge reports it has built 7 gigawatts of solar infrastructure across the country, with projects in 14 states under construction.
