SUNSET PARK — More than 100 environmentally conscious community members, including those seeking green employment, attended an offshore wind event held at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help the afternoon of Nov. 16.

The purpose of the offshore wind open house and union apprenticeship awareness day was to learn about offshore wind development in New York State and pursue entry into union training and apprenticeships, which lead to promising careers. 

The open house was organized by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, in partnership with UPROSE, the Building and Construction Trades Council and offshore wind workforce development partners and wind developers. 

“Today is about trying to spread awareness regarding solid union jobs, career paths with good pay, benefits and setting people on track for success,” explained Santos Rodriguez, chief of staff at the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. “And at the same time, lift up our communities.”

Rodriguez pointed out that it’s also important to show young people that there are career paths available outside of college, “but we are interested in helping older adults as well.”

Rodriguez continued, “There are a lot of job opportunities out there, even outside of construction, such as manufacturing jobs, engineering, electrical work and more.”  

Rodriguez noted that he foresees more work coming to Brooklyn sooner rather than later, and preparation is key. “When things really ramp up, people just can’t come into a job without any training. And that’s the main reason why we are here today.” 

The significance of offshore wind 

Offshore wind power, or energy taken from the force of the winds at sea transformed into electricity and supplied into the electricity network onshore, is slated to play an important role in meeting New York’s goal of 70% renewable electricity by 2030, and 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040.

Moreover, billions of dollars are currently being invested in New York State’s offshore wind energy infrastructure, which will create thousands of new unionized jobs to support development, manufacturing, installation, and operation of offshore wind facilities — in addition to workforce training. 

More Brooklyn jobs 

This past summer, Equinor, an international energy company and one of the largest offshore wind developers in the world, broke ground on construction at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), kicking off the revitalization of the port facility into a hub for offshore wind on the East Coast.

SBMT will support Equinor’s first U.S. offshore wind project, Empire Wind 1, which will include more than 1,000 union jobs in Brooklyn and is expected to place Sunset Park and New York City at the heart of the renewable energy industry for decades to come. 

Construction on the project is slated to be completed by the end of 2026.

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