New US-based manufacturing assembly line for GE Vernova’s 6.1 MW onshore wind turbine
Hiring ~200 new manufacturing assembly employees in Schenectady, New York
Inflation Reduction Act driving additional investments and jobs in the U.S.
GE Vernova today announced that it will invest $50 million at its Schenectady, NY, facility and hire approximately 200 new full-time employees including skilled union operators, manufacturing engineers, and front line leadership to establish a new manufacturing assembly line for its onshore wind business. The site will assemble three key components for GE Vernova’s 6.1 MW turbine.
The manufacturing assembly line will be installed in the building where GE Vernova today continues to manufacture steam turbines and generators, and is anticipated to be completed by summer 2023, with the first set of components produced by early fall.
The recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act has played an important role in today’s announcement, revitalizing the market, increasing demand for renewable energy and enabling energy security and competitiveness. New York State has also agreed to provide up to $2.5M though Empire State Development’s Excelsior Jobs Program.
Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Vernova, said “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. 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 this investment will strengthen Schenectady’s role in driving the energy transition in the future.”
GE Vernova will assemble critical components for 6.1-158 onshore wind turbine in Schenectady, including the machine head, hub and drive train to help meet demand in the US. The turbine is designed for low-to-medium wind speeds and is equipped with an innovative carbon two-piece blade design, offering improved logistics and increased output from hard-to-reach sites.
GE has a 130-year legacy in New York state, which is home to GE Vernova’s Gas Power and Onshore Wind businesses and the company’s Global Research Center. Today’s announcement is in addition to GE’s $450 million investment into U.S. facilities announced earlier this year, including $11 million for Schenectady in capacity, facility maintenance, and equipment and tool management.
GE Vernova has received nearly 10 GW of orders and amassed more than 4 million operating hours globally for this turbine platform. The Onshore Wind business has been the number one provider of onshore wind turbines in the United States for the last five years according to the American Clean Power Association, and currently has a fleet of more than 54,000 wind turbines installed around the world.
GE Vernova, the company’s portfolio of energy businesses, is planned for a tax-free investment grade spin-off from GE in early 2024. The portfolio includes Renewable Energy, Power, Digital and Energy Financial Services.
GE Vernova today announced the launch of its expanded online marketplace for onshore wind parts. With more than 100,000 items available for purchase, for both GE and other OEM onshore wind turbines, the store will enable wind farm owners to purchase all the spare parts and wind farm essentials that they need, in one simple transaction.
Uzair Memon, Chief Commercial Officer – Services, for GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business, said “We’re excited to launch this expanded online platform, providing greater value and benefit to our customers, while also helping to increase efficiency and reduce turbine downtime. We’ve heard a lot of feedback from our customer base that it would help them to be able to access both GE and other OEM parts all in one location, and we are pleased to work with a variety of experienced and reliable suppliers to offer this.”
Bernardo Bandeira, Global eCommerce Leader shared, “Our new platform makes it even easier and quicker to order the parts that you need— a one stop shop that build on our world class on-time delivery capabilities”
The marketplace specializes in onshore wind spare parts, including parts for all major wind turbines OEM. Additional offerings include wind farm essentials such as tooling, safety gear and office supplies.
GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind Online Shop also helps customers to improve cashflow, with flexible credit options, digital invoicing, and the ability to purchase from multiple suppliers all in one location with a single purchase order.
