A new facility in the Philadelphia region is soon expected to better prepare union carpenters to help build the 21st century energy grid by training them to work underwater.
Say what? Carpenters who work underwater? Who knew?
By Dave Allen for Discount Gold & Silver
A new facility in the Philadelphia region is soon expected to better prepare union carpenters to help build the 21st century energy grid by training them to work underwater.
Say what? Carpenters who work underwater? Who knew?
Axios’ Mike D’Onofrio reports that the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which represents Philadelphia Local 158, is scheduled to open a dive school later this year.
The big plan comes after the union council bought a former diving academy site in Sicklerville, New Jersey – about a half-hour drive from central Philly – for $1 million.
The facility will be the only known union-owned dive school in the country that offers underwater training, spokesperson for the carpenters council Frank Mahoney says.
Energy experts say that tradesmen and women who are trained in diving will be essential as New Jersey and the rest of the nation invests more heavily in building offshore wind farms to produce electricity.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, by mid-2021, New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities had approved 3,700 megawatts of offshore wind power capacity.
That put the state on track to meet almost half of its goal to obtain 7,500 megawatts of wind power by 2035.
That could provide electrical power to as many as 3.2 million homes (depending on average energy use), according to energy consultants.
Today, wind power accounts for about 0.03% of net total energy generation in New Jersey and 2.5% across the U.S.
Although wind power is less expensive than some other energy sources, they’re still controversial, primarily because of how they look, especially when bunched together – whether on land or in the ocean.
D’Onofrio reports that for the first time, the carpentry union will offer its own training in underwater welding, diving certifications and diving safety requirements, among other courses.
Historically, dive training has been limited for the carpenters union because it lacked a dedicated facility, which required partnerships that in many cases aren’t cost-effective.
The union will offer a four-year program at the 10,000-square-foot facility free of charge for apprentices and union members. By the way, a journeyman diver can earn around $90 an hour.
The Biden administration has committed to leasing federal waters around U.S. coastlines to wind power developers over the coming years, with large auctions for leases set for the New Jersey and New York coastal waters.
Wind developer Orsted recently signed a deal to use all union labor for its projects along the East Coast.
Mahoney says the union diving school is expected to become a destination for carpenters and apprentices in the Philadelphia region and across the country.
"The offshore wind industry is coming," he says. "America has been behind in it.
“It's coming this way, and we want to be sure that we have the best trained, most skilled, safest American workers to build these turbines for American consumers."
Du'Juan Lewis, a member of Piledrivers and Divers Local 474, who attended the former New Jersey diving facility years ago, said the school changed his life.
For one, it allowed him to help build major infrastructure and commercial projects across the country. For another, Lewis credits the training with higher paychecks and more consistent work.
He said, "We need more kids to join the school, join the union … get the training that we have so we can compete against countries and we can be more energy efficient."
Right now, D’Onofrio says there's no timeline yet for when the first group will train at the union’s new dive school.
Hey, if you’re good with your hands and are comfortable in and around water, perhaps you ought to think about joining the union and learning to dive.