Norcross, Hoyer & Sherrill Host Roundtable Discussion with Wind Energy Producers, Manufacturers, Local Officials

PAULSBORO, NJ – Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) hosted U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-05) and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-12) for a roundtable discussion at Paulsboro Marine Terminal with wind energy producers, manufacturers and local officials about how South Jersey is becoming one of the premier wind energy hubs in the Northeast.

“The work being done at the Paulsboro Port will enable America’s clean energy future to be built right here in South Jersey, and I thank Majority Leader Hoyer for joining us here today, recognizing our area is becoming one of the premier wind energy hubs in the nation,” said Congressman Norcross. “The new EEW wind turbine manufacturing site will power our economy by building the clean technology that will power our homes and businesses. The need to transition to a clean energy economy is more important than ever before, and I applaud Governor Murphy, EEW, Ørsted, Holt and PSEG for recognizing that and taking action. This project is generating hundreds of union construction jobs, and I look forward to seeing the great work of our local building trades members.”

“I am pleased to join Congressman Norcross and manufacturing leaders to learn more about the construction at Paulsboro Marine Terminal that will create good-paying, union jobs in South Jersey and make this community a clean energy and manufacturing leader. Forward-looking infrastructure projects like this one are key to building a strong economy, and it’s these kind of projects that will be made possible by President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda,” said Majority Leader Hoyer. “I’m grateful for Congressman Norcross’ leadership and the work of the partners here with us today whose efforts have made South Jersey a leader in clean energy and good-paying jobs so we can Make it in America.”

“New Jersey is a nation-wide leader in wind power and the clean energy economy for a reason,” said Congresswoman Sherrill. “The wind turbine monopile manufacturing facility being constructed right here at the Paulsboro Port and Marine Terminal is a perfect example of why,” said Rep. Sherrill. “This facility will provide roughly 500 jobs – jobs that will stay right here in New Jersey. Confronting the climate crisis and growing the clean energy economy in a way that works for New Jersey families is going to be an all-hands-on-deck endeavor. Today’s visit demonstrated that we can get closer to our goals by bringing together congressional leaders like Rep. Norcross and Rep. Hoyer, union leaders, and business leaders. I couldn’t be prouder than to be working with this group to grow jobs and support innovation in this exciting new sector.”

At the roundtable, Norcross, Hoyer and Sherrill were joined by New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney, Ørsted Offshore North America CEO David Hardy, EEW CEO Lee Laurendeau, CEO of Holt Terminals Leo Holt, COO of PSEG and President and COO of PSEG Power Ralph LaRossa, Paulsboro Mayor Gary Stevenson and IBEW 351 Business Manager and President of South Jersey Building Trades Dan Cosner.

To watch the roundtable discussion, click here.

“Developing this facility will help produce a new era of economic development and job growth by making New Jersey the East Coast hub of the offshore wind energy industry,” said Senate President Steve Sweeney, who authored the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act in 2010. “We are proud to show Majority Leader Hoyer what we are accomplishing here in New Jersey. This project demonstrates the value of investing in our infrastructure and underscores the importance of the landmark infrastructure plan now before Congress. It will help transform the national economy and deliver an expected $12 billion to New Jersey, providing us with the resources to put people to work rebuilding our infrastructure and investing in new sectors of the economy, including clean energy. Offshore wind energy is an important part of our future that positions New Jersey to be a dominate leader in the clean energy sector for decades to come.”

“Our offshore wind projects will deliver clean energy to states throughout the Northeast and to achieve this we’re building a new U.S. manufacturing industry with our state and local partners,” said David Hardy, CEO, Ørsted Offshore North America. “It’s exciting to see this already becoming a reality at the Paulsboro Port, as part of a growing offshore wind supply chain network in New Jersey. Even though our Ocean Wind 1 project won’t be constructed until 2024, investments by Ørsted and its business and government partners are making this a reality now and creating good-paying union jobs for workers today. I want to thank Congressman Norcross and other local officials for their leadership in driving this forward.”

“EEW American Offshore Structures (EEW AOS) is proud to see the first manufacturing building rise from the ground up.  This structure will be the first of six large manufacturing buildings at Paulsboro,” said EEW AOS Chief Executive Officer Lee Laurendeau. “We continue to be on an aggressive construction schedule in order to start fabrication of the foundations for the Ørsted Ocean Wind project.  We have been able to pour the massive concrete base and have erected the building steel in the last 5 months and we expect the manufacturing building to be substantially complete by the end of this year. The EEW AOS factory will be a win-win for the State of New Jersey and its residents, bringing long term manufacturing jobs while supporting renewable energy goals.”

“Wind energy will be a critical component of South Jersey’s economy in the future, and the Paulsboro Marine Terminal expects to play a vital role in the transportation of the turbine towers, rotors and foundations that are shipped to the offshore sites for installation,” said Leo A. Holt, President of Holt Logistics. “We are very excited by the tremendous potential of wind energy to create good jobs and opportunities for families all over South Jersey.”

“We’re proud to be at the leading edge of New Jersey’s expanding offshore wind industry,” said Ralph LaRossa, PSEG Chief Operating Officer. “Offshore wind energy means new investment in carbon-free electricity that benefits the environment and tackles climate change, while creating new jobs to fortify South Jersey’s place as the heart of the state’s clean energy economy and drive our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The members of Local 351 and of the Building Trades are very excited about the fact that South Jersey is becoming a major wind manufacturing hub across the Eastern Shore and in America,” said Dan Cosner, Business Manager, IBEW 351 and President of South Jersey Building Trades. “Paulsboro Port will provide the critical components along with the members of the building trades to make sure that this happens.”

“The port has always been about creating jobs and fueling our economy by opening us up to the global marketplace,” said Bob Damminger, Gloucester County Commissioner. “We continue to see incredible growth with this project. The collaboration between the public and private sectors is an example of how much we can achieve for our residents. This terminal will benefit residents of Gloucester County and the entire South Jersey region.”

“The building of this facility (Wind Turbine Plant) is a Win-Win-Win for the Country, State of New Jersey, Gloucester County and most importantly for the Borough of Paulsboro,” said Gary Stevenson, Mayor of Paulsboro. “Not only will it be great for Ecological and Tax Revenue purposes, it will provide many good paying jobs locally. Local residents who may be presently unemployed, who are maybe renting and barely living on paycheck to paycheck, will be able to make good money and finally be able to buy their own homes and support their local town!”

In December 2020, NJ Governor Phil Murphy announced a $250 million investment into a new monopile manufacturing facility located at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, and in March, Ørsted and EEW broke ground at the EEW monopile manufacturing facility at the Port of Paulsboro Marine Terminal in Gloucester County. The start of construction marked a significant milestone in delivering the largest industrial offshore wind manufacturing facility in the U.S. to date.

Construction of the facility is being completed under a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the South Jersey Building Trades Council to ensure that the jobs created during the construction phase are filled by local New Jersey union tradesmen and women who will use the highest level of industry standards. Construction activities include clearing and grading of the 70-acre site, reinforcement to increase quayside bearing capacity to accommodate the 2,500-ton monopiles, and the construction of two large buildings that will support circumferential welding, sandblasting and painting. EEW has contracted with more than 30 New Jersey companies in support of design, permitting, site work and concrete. The first building will begin being erected in June when the concrete has cured and will be the first of six manufacturing buildings to be constructed over the next three years.

Once complete, the state-of-the-art facility will manufacture monopiles to supply the 1,100 MW Ocean Wind 1 wind farm off the coast of Southern New Jersey. Ocean Wind 1 is being developed by Ørsted and PSEG. The facility is a key asset for the State, and in addition to supplying Ocean Wind projects, will serve the rapidly progressing U.S. offshore wind industry for years to come.