The company would build a facility to manufacture wind turbine blades, creating around 650 direct jobs, and would build a second facility to produce nacelles for offshore wind turbines, which would create about 220 direct jobs
GE to build two new offshore wind facilities. (Credit: Andrew Martin from Pixabay)
GE is set to build two new manufacturing facilities in New York, subject to receiving adequate volume of orders from the ongoing solicitation for up to 4.6GW of offshore wind.
The company is teaming up with general and marine construction specialist Carver Companies to build the proposed factories at their Port of Coeymans site.
The new manufacturing facilities are said to support the New York’s local community through jobs and positive economic impact, and make it offshore wind manufacturing hub.
GE’s subsidiary LM Wind Power is ready to build an advanced facility to manufacture offshore wind turbine blades, subject to receiving sufficient order volume.
The turbine blades factory is expected to create around 650 direct jobs, around 900 additional indirect jobs and over 500 construction jobs
Around 35% of the direct jobs will be reserved for disadvantaged communities, and the facility would create millions of dollars economic benefits.
GE’s portfolio of energy businesses GE Vernova will build an advanced facility for the manufacture of nacelles, which house the generating components of a wind turbine.
The facility would create around 220 direct jobs, about 500 indirect jobs and nearly 500 construction jobs, along with millions of dollars of related economic benefit.
GE Vernova, GE’s portfolio of energy businesses CEO Scott Strazik said: “As a leading manufacturer and innovator in developing renewable energy technology, GE is ideally positioned to help New York secure its vision of becoming a leading manufacturing hub for offshore wind technology.
“Our proposal leverages GE’s unique and unparalleled expertise, resources, and track-record – including a 130-year legacy of manufacturing in New York – to make this vision a reality in a durable and sustainable way.”
GE said that its proposal for manufacturing facilities includes specific commitments to hire and train new employees from economically disadvantaged communities.
The company will carry out an outreach programme, dubbed Pathways to Wind, to provide under-served communities with exposure, education, and training in offshore wind industry.
It has engaged 24 educational institutions, and signed 15 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with New York entities, to support the programme.
GE said that the two new facilities would manufacture components for the next generation of its Haliade-X offshore wind turbine.