GE Vernova to invest $50M in Schenectady wind turbine operation, adding 160 local jobs

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A look at the main gate at General Electric's Schenectady campus.

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SCHENECTADY — GE Vernova will invest $50 million in its Schenectady plant for the installation of an onshore wind nacelle manufacturing operation that will create a minimum of 160 full-time jobs in the city, the company and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday.

The company will invest in facility upgrades as well as new machinery and equipment to support the production of nacelles for the company’s line of 6.1-megawatt onshore wind turbines.

The state-run Empire State Development department has agreed to provide up to $2.5 million in performance-based Green Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits to support the creation of a minimum of 160 local jobs, with the potential for 200 new positions in the city.

“From my first day as mayor, I have worked closely with GE and the company’s dedicated employees to keep the Schenectady campus competitive so that we can attract new investment and new product lines,” Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy said in a statement on Tuesday. “Today, we thank Governor Hochul, Empire State Development and GE Vernova for this outstanding news that our GE campus right here in Schenectady will help build the next generation of wind turbines. This means that Schenectady will be a key part of the energy transformation that is underway here in New York State and around the world.”

The nacelle is the portion of the turbine that houses the components that convert the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy to turn a generator in order to produce electricity.

“General Electric has a long and illustrious history in New York State and has been a leader in cutting-edge innovation for well over a century,” Hochul declared in a statement. “We are proud to partner with GE Vernova to realize New York’s vision of becoming a leading manufacturing hub for wind technology and to bring us closer to achieving our nation-leading climate goals, securing a better and cleaner future for generations.”

The manufacturing assembly line will be installed in the current facility where GE Vernova manufactures steam turbines and generators, with construction projected to be completed by the summer, with the first set of components produced by early fall.

“New York has played an incredibly important role in GE’s history, and I am thrilled that GE Vernova has heeded my calls to expand its wind turbine manufacturing in Schenectady with up to 200 new good-paying jobs,” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., noted in a statement. “I am proud that the Inflation Reduction Act, which I led to passage as Majority Leader, has been the wind in the sails that carried this project to the Capital Region. This major $50 million investment is more than just boosting our clean energy industry, it is bringing critical manufacturing back to America, all while helping the Capital Region reach new heights.”

The state Green Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits are designed to bolster the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.

“Schenectady County welcomes this $50 million investment and 200 new jobs to Building 273 at the main GE campus,” Schenectady County Legislature Chair Anthony Jasenski said in a statement. “I want to thank Governor Hochul and Empire State Development for their outstanding efforts to bring this new wind turbine product line and good paying jobs to our community. We also thank GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik and his Renewable Energy team for selecting Schenectady County to receive this important new assignment as GE Vernova leads the way in the transformation to a green energy future.”

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm credited the Biden administration’s role in boosting clean energy investments nationwide.

“Today’s announcement from GE Vernova shows the power of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to re-shore vital clean energy supply chains and create good-paying union jobs in the industries of the future,” she said in a statement. “The clean energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act are already spurring billions of dollars of private-sector investment throughout the United States, creating good jobs and economic opportunity while helping us meet our climate goals and building American energy security.”

The new investment follows an $11 million commitment from GE Vernova in March for facility maintenance and equipment and tool management in its Schenectady plant.

“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,” Strazik said in a statement. “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.”

U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, drew a straight line between congressional action and the investment announced Tuesday.

“GE’s announcement is the direct result of the investments that President Biden and Democrats in Congress have made with the Inflation Reduction Act,” he noted in a statement. “By investing in American workers and domestic supply chains, we can continue to create the jobs of the future while cementing America’s, and the Capital Region’s, leadership in the fight against climate change.”

State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, said the GE investment marked an important step in the state’s goal of achieving energy sustainability.

“With the General Electric Company’s deep roots in Schenectady, developing this onshore wind nacelle manufacturing operation extends the company’s legacy, supports our economy and brings new good-paying jobs to our community,” he declared in a statement. “Schenectady has a long history of innovation, and it’s exciting to see that same innovation, in what’s now being called New Schenectady, bring wind power technology manufacturing that will power the New York of tomorrow.”

Contact Ted Remsnyder at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @TedRemsnyder.