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Get Wind of Environmental Jobs in R.I.

Posted on June 1, 2009

The state’s green-collar industry could help create several environmental jobs in R.I.

Andrew Dzykewicz, commissioner of the state Office of Energy Resources, recently said that Rhode Island‘s wind-power industry could eventually create between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs, according to an article by The Providence Journal.

“There’s a prospect for a substantial number of jobs coming in that industry,” he said in the article.

Deepwater Wind LLC has offered the state its largest proposal, which will create two wind farms with more than 100 turbines off the coast of Rhode Island. The assembly and installation of that project alone could create up to 800 jobs. State officials hope that project will help jump-start the state’s renewable-energy market and lead to more high-paying, long-term jobs.

General Electric and Siemens have both talked with state officials about coming to Rhode Island. TPI Composites, which builds turbine blades in Iowa, has expressed interest in setting up a similar facility in the state.

AAER, a Canadian company that built a turbine installed in Potsmouth earlier this year, also has approached the state about building a local manufacturing facility. The company already has an East Coast sales office in Providence. Also, Aeronautica Windpower, based in Massachusetts, is considering at least one site in Rhode Island to build wind turbines designed by Norwind A/S, a Danish company.

The state’s $4 million energy funds currently go to projects that produce electricity. However, as the state continues to receive money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more alternative energy proposals will be considered.

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