SCHENECTADY– In a turnaround boosted by state and federal incentives for green energy, General Electric on Tuesday said they planned to hire 200 people to work at a new $50 million on-shore wind turbine assembly line at the company’s downtown plant.
The union jobs will include operators and engineers who will work on GE Vernova’s 6.1-megawatt turbine.
The massive conglomerate is breaking itself up into three separate companies focusing on aviation, health care and power generation. GE Vernova is one of the company’s three spinoffs.
Tuesday’s news is the latest indication that what had been a long decline in jobs in Schenectady, which for decades was GE’s historic home base, is reversing as the company looks to solidify its leadership in the emerging green energy business.
GE Vernova is also looking to build turbine blades and nacelles, or turbine units, for offshore wind, near the Port of Coeymans along the Hudson River south of Albany.
Schenectady’s new on-shore assembly line will go into GE’s existing building where other turbines are built. It should be up and running by the fall.
GE CEO Scott Strazik credited the Biden Administration and the Inflation Reduction Act for providing the certainty the company sought in building the new assembly line.
“We applaud the administration for the recent domestic content guidance, which gives us the certainty to move forward on this exciting project and look forward to supporting additional guidance,” Strazik said in a prepared statement.
“We’re proud to expand our American manufacturing footprint and workforce to continue building and innovating energy technology that is cleaner, by bringing wind turbine component assembly—and an estimated 200 new jobs—to New York. This state, and the Capital Region, are an important part of GE’s history and…
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