The United Steelworkers (USW) announced August 6 that it has signed agreements with A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd. and Shenyang Power Group (SPG), two of China's leading power generation companies. This agreement provides a strong foundation for a win-win relationship between Chinese renewable energy equipment manufacturers and U.S. workers as the USW will guide and work collaboratively on all aspects of the companies' U.S. market strategies including manufacturing, assembly, component sourcing, distribution and wind energy project development.
"We will work with A-Power and SPG to create long-term, good-paying, green American jobs," said USW international president Leo W. Gerard. "The USW is committed to building a strong domestic supply chain that will be key to the future of America's global renewable energy leadership." A-Power and SPG anticipate purchasing over time approximately 50,000 tons of steel to be manufactured in unionized American steel mills to supply the towers for a 615-megawatt wind farm in Texas.
"It is an honor to team up with the Steelworkers for this historic partnership that will result in hundreds of American jobs and help create a clean energy future for the U.S." said Cappy McGarr, US-REG managing partner. "We look forward to working closely with the USW on further projects to help expand wind power and renewable energy in the U.S."
"Through our partnership with the U.S. Renewable Energy Group, we had the unique opportunity to meet President Gerard and understand his vision for win-win relationships between manufacturers and workers," said Jinxiang Lu, Shenyang Power Group chairman and CEO. "We quickly discovered that our company's high standards at every level of the clean energy technology supply chain were the same as those of the USW. A-Power, SPG and USW know that the success of our organizations is dependent on developing the world's most sophisticated and skilled workforce."
"Our cooperation with USW will benefit the development of our projects, including the planning of a wind turbine assembly plant in Nevada and the ongoing development of the supply chain for the expected delivery of wind turbines to the 615MW wind farm under development in Texas," said John S. Lin, chief operating officer of A-Power.
"This is obviously the first cooperative agreement between the USW and a company headquartered in China, and it is appropriate that we recognize the expertise and insight of Cappy McGarr and Ed Cunningham of the U.S. Renewable Energy Group who brought together this landmark cooperation," said Gerard.
About United Steelworkers
The USW is the largest industrial union in North America, representing 850,000 active workers employed in manufacturing, energy, public and the service sectors. It is the dominant union in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, oil, chemicals, cement and glass, but also represents professional and technical workers, nurses, pharmacists, hospital and municipal employees. The USW is a founding organization of the Blue-Green Alliance.
