Park City Wind job growth to be modest, but longterm
There is still plenty that needs to happen before Vineyard Wind breaks ground in Bridgeport, but the future employment picture in the Park City is getting a bit clearer.
“Park City Wind will create hundreds of good paying jobs with good benefits, most of them based right in Bridgeport,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Lars Pedersen in an emailed statement to Hearst Connecticut Media.
It has been a couple of weeks since state officials moved the Massachusettsbased company’s 804megawatt project on to contract negotiations with state electric distribution companies.
Vineyard Wind wants to transform 18.3 acres at the former Turbana Corp. property into its staging facility for a wind farm that it plans to build in federally leased waters south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
Initial employment predictions for harborfront development were big, but the reality of the trailblazing project is slated to be more modest. Instead, the company is focusing on the positives that will kick in while its project is built.
“From locating a Connecticut headquarters to establishing a longterm operation and maintenance facility, we look forward to this project having a significant economic impact for the City of Bridgeport and surrounding areas throughout the development, construction and operation phases.” Pederson said.
Company estimates reported
that development and construction of Park City Wind over the next five to six years is slated to support between 100 and 160 direct fulltime jobs with some of the jobs being in the project’s organization directly.
Other jobs are expected to come from the project’s supply chain, consultants and subcontractors. Duration of employment will also vary depending on the positions and phases of development the project is in, officials said.
At its peak during the construction phase, the company estimated that there would be up to 400 people primarily living in and around Bridgeport working at the site.
Beyond initial construction and usage of the site, Vineyard Wind has said that it plans to use the facility for future projects, including having the Bridgeport site serve as the operations and maintenance hub for its offshore turbines for the next 30 years. During that phase, the project will directly create up to 80 permanent jobs for operations and maintenance services, which will be based out of Bridgeport, according to company.
Playing the long game
Vineyard Wind’s current estimates are much lower than the 12,000 direct and indirect jobs the company predicted in its September bid, but analysts say that doesn’t mean the city won’t see larger job growth down the line.
“To an extent, Bridgeport is kind of a first mover (in offshore wind),” said Gregory Remec, senior director in Fitch’s Global Infrastructure group. “I think it naturally gives them an edge for future development in the future in that region.”
Regardless of the number, the city could use the boost in its labor force. Census data reported that Bridgeport had a 5.5 percent unemployment rate in August, which is higher than Fairfield County, Connecticut and U.S. levels — which are all within the 3 percent range.
Remec said jobs for a project like Park City Wind traditionally range from roles as a dock worker to other specialized manufacturing and engineering skill associated with offshore construction.
The average salary for dock workers lies between $23,000 and $42,000 a year, based on data from Glassdoor. Jobs in offshore wind projects can hit median incomes of 58,000 euros — which translates to roughly $64,000 in the United States — or higher depending on experience.
“I would say these jobs are certainly not at the low end of the pay spectrum and are more midrange to high end for construction folk …the maintenance will be specialized, too,” Remec said.
Bridgeport has seen some growth in its labor force in recent years, but it hasn’t been substantial, according to Kevin Dolan, director in Fitch’s U.S. public finance group.
The city recorded more than 412,000 jobs in August, according to census data, up 4,900 jobs from the same period last year.
While the initial job growth from the Park City Wind project won’t be a huge improvement, Dolan said that may be a different story in the long term.
“I can’t speak to the numbers of new employment, but clearly it could provide additional improvement in the unemployment rate, depending on who they are trying to attract to do the work and if they are actually residents in the city,” he said.
Cautiously optimistic
State officials said they are looking forward to the longterm benefits as well, with Park City Wind serving as the stepping stone into the multibilliondollar offshore wind industry.
“I think this further cements us as a leader as it relates to wind in particular and renewables relative to the size of our state and our energy need, and if we continue down this path, you’ll see that industry increase,” said David Lehman, commissioner of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development.
With a large portion of the new jobs slated to be in the manufacturing sector, Lehman said workforce development is going to be crucial.
Workforce development — especially in manufacturing — has a been an ongoing state priority this year, following Gov. Ned Lamont’s appointment of Connecticut’s first chief manufacturing officer and creating the Governor’s Workforce Council. That’s also coupled with $50 million the Connecticut Department of Labor earmarked for an apprentice initiative to help support the state’s manufacturing sector.
“We’re going to look to Park City Wind, Avangrid and Copenhagen for a lot of their expertise in how to train the workers that they need,” Lehman said, adding that Vineyard Wind is looking to use a variety of career training and academic institutions in coming years to develop its “windready workforce.”
After years without major industry to rally behind, some officials say a little patience will go a long way for the city.
“This is a big win for Bridgeport,” said state Rep. Christopher Rosario. “Usually Bridgeport is in a position where we are the bridesmaid, and we are finally the bride.”
According to Rosario, the members of Bridgeport’s legislative delegation are “cautiously optimistic” that the project will bring a surge of life into the city’s economy.
“With that being said, we want to make sure that we work with all the partners involved to make sure that all the people in Bridgeport that are desperate for work and desperate for opportunities that they are taking advantage of the opportunities,” Rosario said. “I think that’s the industry that ultimately, when you look at Bridgeport 20 years from now, you’re going to say, ‘Bridgeport is on the cutting edge of a green and sustainable future.”