Tech Valley News
GE to Open Wind Turbine Service Center
General Electric announced it will open a wind turbine service center in Tech Valley that will create 150 new, high paying jobs including senior leadership, product line leaders and product service engineers. The Wind Product Management and Customer Support Center will be located at GE’s Renewables Global Headquarters at the company’s main complex in Schenectady. It will complement the wind-technology research and development already taking place there and at GE’s Global Research Center in Niskayuna.
“It really shows a vote of confidence by GE in the Schenectady community,” Schenectady Mayor, Brian Stratton told Capital News 9.
“Their employees enjoy being here and that they're ready to make a new investment in the [region],” Schenectady County Legislature Chair, Susan Savage told Capital News 9.
The new service center will identify new products and markets for wind power and provide service to existing customers. It will also feature a diagnostic facility that can monitor the performance of wind turbines around the world.
GE also said it will start offering wind-turbine training programs at a learning center it runs in Niskayuna.
“This headquarter expansion demonstrates our commitment to invest in wind technology and resources needed to meet the growing demand of this dynamic energy sector, which will continue to see double digit growth,” GE Energy’s Vice President of Renewables Vic Abate said. “The demand in our view is real and it's growing. And when you look at the challenges with global warming, climate change and the cost of oil, the world wants alternative solutions.”
GE did not say how much the new facility will cost or when it would open.
Wind-power advocates say Tech Valley is well positioned to benefit from the growing popularity of wind power. The region has high-wind locations in the Adirondack Mountains and is close to the power-hungry cities in the Northeast and along the East Coast.
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