GE adds workers in Schenectady:

New wind turbine service center will bring 150 jobs, countering a long decline in company's job picture

Jul 27 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Chris Churchill Albany Times Union, N.Y.

General Electric Co. on Thursday confirmed it will open a wind turbine service center here, saying the move will create 150 jobs and is driven by high demand for renewable energy.

The announcement was immediately hailed by city and county officials, who said the center will counter years of Schenectady job losses at GE. Advocates for wind power were happy, too, saying the move confirms their belief that upstate New York is rapidly becoming a hub for new sources of energy.

The service center will be located at the company's main complex near downtown, in what GE is calling the Renewables Global Headquarters. It will complement the wind-technology work already taking place there and at the Global Research Center in nearby Niskayuna.

Work at the new service center will include identifying new products and markets for wind power, and providing service to existing customers. A diagnostic facility that can monitor the performance of distant wind turbines will be a feature of the center.

The company also said it will begin offering wind-turbine training programs at a "learning center" it runs in Niskayuna.

GE officials said the growth and popularity of wind energy in upstate New York and across the Northeast led them to weigh the expansion in Schenectady.

"The demand in our view is real and it's growing," said Vic Abate, vice president of renewables at GE Energy. "And when you look at the challenges with global warming, climate change and the cost of oil, the world wants alternative solutions."

In upstate New York, announcements of good economic news often are accompanied by details of various incentives and taxpayer assistance given to help the project occur. But county economic development officials said GE developed plans for the service center independently.

"They didn't ask for incentives," said Ray Gillen, chairman of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority. "This is market-driven."

Sixty years ago GE employed 40,000 people in Schenectady. Most workers were involved in the manufacture of steam turbines for power plants. Waves of layoffs over the decades withered the number to 3,200.

But at a Thursday news conference called to cheer the GE announcement -- which company officials declined to attend -- city leaders expressed hope the new service center means a tide has turned.

"It's been a long, long time since any mayor (of Schenectady) has been able to stand up and talk about new GE jobs," Mayor Brian U. Stratton said. "For years, we've been watching jobs go the other way."

GE entered the wind-power business just five years ago, when it bought the wind assets of Enron Corp. GE has since emphasized growing the division, to the point where it expects to have 10,000 turbines operating by the end of next year.

And wind-power advocates say upstate New York is well positioned to benefit from the growing popularity of wind power: It has high-wind locations near Lake Ontario and in the Adirondack Mountains, and is relatively near the power-hungry major cities that line the East Coast.

In fact, GE concedes the new service center wouldn't be opening in Schenectady if there weren't wind turbines in the Northeast to service.

"Wind technology is such an important part of the emerging energy economy in upstate New York," said Jeff Jones, a state coordinator for the New York State Apollo Alliance, a renewable energy advocacy group that includes labor, environmental and business members. "And having a service center here is really the direction that we need to be going."

The Bakersfield Californian reported earlier this month that GE would open a service center in Schenectady, citing statements from a company spokesman. But when questioned last week by the Times Union, GE officials said they weren't ready to make an announcement.

Stratton said a GE official notified him of plans for the expansion earlier this week.

The Schenectady service center will be GE's third, with the others in California and Florida. Abate, in a telephone interview, said the jobs are new and for the most part do not involve the relocation of other GE employees.

Abate said he couldn't put a price tag on opening the center. GE also did not say exactly when the center would open.

Stratton, meanwhile, said he has heard encouraging "rumblings" from union representatives and others with connections at GE. He suggested Thursday's announcement will be followed by others.

"We understand that this is just the beginning of other jobs to come," he said. Chris Churchill can be reached at 454-5442 or by e-mail at cchurchill@timesunion.com.