Green jobs are real
By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current
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| Image credit: Ørsted |
Orsted U.S. announced plans to open a new engineering, procurement and construction hub in Rhode Island, centered in a new headquarters up the street from its existing, downtown Providence office. The company also plans to “more than double” its existing, 100-person state workforce “in the years ahead” – a date for which was not specified.
“As the birthplace for America’s offshore wind industry, Rhode Island has always been a focal point for our company’s U.S. operations,” David Hardy, group executive vice president and CEO of Americas at Orsted, said in a statement. “We are proud of the role Orsted has played over the years helping establish the Ocean State as a national leader in clean energy.”
“We look forward to opening the doors on our new, expanded space in downtown Providence as we continue building Revolution Wind and solidify our hub in the Northeast, which includes port facilities, workforce training, and much more.”
The new, 17,500-square-foot offices within the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island building in downtown Providence is expected to open this winter. Terms of the lease were not disclosed.
The Danish wind giant, which owns and operates the Block Island Wind Farm, was also awarded the purchase agreements to build the state’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm. Construction of the 65-turbine Revolution Wind farm, which will sell power to Rhode Island and Connecticut, is underway, though the expected completion date has been pushed back to 2026 due to onshore construction delays, the company said in an earnings call this month.
Orsted has also submitted a proposal to bring another 1,200 megawatts of offshore wind power to Rhode Island in response to a competitive, tri-state solicitation. The Starboard Wind proposal was one of four submitted to Rhode Island Energy, which expects to award a tentative selection on Sept. 6.
Already, the company has funneled more than $1.5 billion into the Ocean State, including major upgrades to infrastructure at Providence and Quonset ports, an innovation hub based out of the CIC Providence, and a separate operations hub in Quonset Business Park. The company also leases office space out of 56 Exchange Terrace in Providence.
“Nearly a decade ago, Orsted helped us build a new American industry right here in Rhode Island. Now, as offshore wind continues to grow, we’re thrilled that this model corporate citizen is doubling down on the Ocean State,” Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “By choosing Providence for their U.S. Engineering, Procurement and Construction Hub, Orsted is once again ensuring our state remains at the center of America’s clean energy revolution – and the thousands of jobs that come with it.”
The move to a bigger downtown office may mean giving up other office space in the capital city, Meaghan Wims, a spokesperson, said in an email Thursday.
“Both our existing office at Exchange Terrace and the space in the CIC have served our needs well, but as we grow our local workforce we need to reassess our office spaces,” Wims said. “Providence-based members of our innovation team will join their colleagues in the new office when it opens later this year.”
Information regarding the number of employees based in either existing Providence office was not available.
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