When Maine transitions to relying on electricity for all of our energy needs, offshore wind alone could still meet over 1,000% of our power needs by 2050.
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Maine contractors fear labor agreement will shut them out of offshore wind work
A pending commitment by wind energy developers to use only union labor has caught some of the state s top construction firms off guard.
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Chris Wissemann of New England Aqua Ventus speaks at a press conference in Portland on April 7, where an agreement with the Maine Building and Construction Trades Council was announced. Some construction firms fear the agreement s union labor component will shut them out of working on offshore wind power projects. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
Maine’s largest construction contractors say they fear being shut out of work in the state’s nascent offshore wind industry because of a pending labor agreement between the lead project developer and trade unions.
Our View: Maine’s ocean wind industry arrives at the right time
As agreements with unions to hire workers are nailed down, regional demand for clean energy is taking off.
By The Editorial Board
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A decade ago, researchers at the University of Maine began figuring out how to use the strong, steady winds that blow over deep water to generate electricity.
The goal was to develop an industry, not a product. On Wednesday, the industry arrived.
New England Aqua Ventus, the joint venture that is bringing UMaine’s research to market, announced an agreement with the Maine Building and Construction Trades Council promising to use union labor as work begins to assemble a pioneering wind turbine supported by a floating platform.
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Contractors, developer promote offshore wind jobs deal for Maine
Trade unions representing 5,000 Maine workers would provide a talent pool to fill skilled positions for an anticipated wave of offshore wind construction.
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Chris Wissemann of New England Aqua Ventus speaks at a press conference in Portland on Wednesday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
The developer of a floating wind demonstration project off Monhegan Island has reached an agreement with organized labor unions that’s expected to lead to skilled workers being hired for hundreds of construction jobs in a burgeoning new industry.
During a news conference Wednesday in Portland, New England Aqua Ventus LLC and the Maine Building and Construction Trades Council announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the role of Maine labor in offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine. The deal is among several being reached across the Eastern Seaboard for multiple projects