The Electrical Worker Online


May 2016
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www.ibew.org

Trains Keep on Running
Last-minute agreement averts NJ Transit strike read_more

Unprecedented Shutdown
IBEW crews inspect shuttered system
for hazards read_more

New Satellite Members
DirecTV workers sign
IBEW cards read_more

No Carbon, High Risk
NY's nuclear plants threatened read_more

PBF Summary
Annual Report

December IEC Minutes

February IEC Minutes

North of 49°
Trudeau Pledges Carbon Cuts, Urged to Keep Focus on Grid Stability read_more

Au nord du 49° parallèle
Trudeau s'engage à couper dans les émissions de carbone, insiste à cibler les efforts sur la stabilité du réseau électrique read_more

MAKING HISTORY
IBEW Builds First U.S. Offshore Wind Farm

Three miles off the coast of Block Island — and 16 miles off the Rhode Island mainland — will stand the first offshore wind farm in U.S. waters, another sign that wind energy is making inroads in North America.

It has added significance for Providence, R.I., Local 99. The construction of the five-turbine farm is a chance to be a part of history and also put IBEW members in line for good-paying jobs now and in the future.

"We're at the dawn of a new source of energy. Being on the ground of this initial project will hopefully give us a leg up on the next project," Business Manager Michael Daley said.

Daley said about 50 wiremen from Local 99 are expected to work on the Block Island project, most of them at the Port of Providence, where Local 99 members helped build a temporary construction facility last winter.

They have been replaced by crews assembling the five turbines and cables to support them. The turbines will be put on barges and transported to the Block Island site sometime this summer. Deepwater Wind, the windfarm owner, expects it to be generating power later this year.

It hasn't been the easiest work. Heavy rains during the winter slowed construction of the temporary facility. So did the unexpected discovery of methane gas. Most of the parts were built overseas and French- and Spanish-speaking workers also are on the jobsite, leading to some communication difficulties.

"I've never been a part of anything else like it," said Local 99 member Jack McGee, who interrupted his retirement to serve as construction manager at the temporary facility for IBEW signatory contractor Aladdin Electric.

But it's all been worth it.

"There's going to be a lot of new construction because of this and we want to be part of it," said Local 99 member Jeff Audet, co-owner of E.W. Audet & Sons, who heads a crew of IBEW workers assembling the turbines.

New Opportunities

There are thousands of windfarms off the coasts of Europe, China and Japan. But in the United States, most have been built on the open plains of the Midwest and West. States getting the largest percentage of their energy from wind are Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma and North Dakota, according to the American Wind Energy Association.