New York’s economic comeback is rapidly gaining momentum as efforts to position the state as a global hub for the semiconductor industry and high-tech manufacturing begin to fall into place.
From Long Island to Buffalo, billions in investments are pouring into New York to ensure our next chapter is one of innovation, prosperity, and growing opportunity for working New Yorkers.
Micron’s new semiconductor fabrication plant in the Syracuse suburbs will create nearly 50,000 New York jobs. The Albany Nanotech Complex will further cement upstate New York’s global role in the domestic production of microchips, part of a high-tech hub that will stretch along the I-90 corridor to Buffalo. On Long Island, plans to create a new artificial intelligence data center at Brookhaven National Laboratory will create tens of thousands of jobs that will be critical to keep local communities thriving.
These are transformational investments with generational impacts. Yet we’re quickly approaching a point where the electric supply may struggle to keep pace with these massive job-creating projects.
New York’s peak electricity demand is expected to rise by nearly 60% by 2050, the equivalent of powering up 4 million more homes.
Our continued economic growth and the creation of good, family-sustaining jobs is only possible if we make smart investments in our energy infrastructure to ensure reliable, sustainable power is there to meet the energy demands of New Yorkers for years to come.
The best way to achieve this is through an all-of-the-above approach that leans on a diverse portfolio of energy sources. This includes exploring the construction of next-generation nuclear facilities, continuing to invest in wind and solar, and facilitating both electric and natural gas transmission and distribution upgrades to ensure the continued safe and reliable movement of resources where they are needed.
Hard-working union professionals in the energy industry stand at the ready to perform the work necessary to drive an all-of-the-above strategy forward — because we recognize that investments in these areas are about more than building new facilities or putting up new power lines. These are direct investments in people.
The projects we support through all-of-the-above energy are creating thousands of critical, well-paying jobs and enabling diverse career pathways for New Yorkers in every corner of the state. This is how we combat the affordability crisis that is putting a middle-class existence and homeownership increasingly out of reach for far too many New Yorkers.
Union men and women are doing their part to drive innovation and opportunity. Projects like National Grid’s $4 billion Upstate Upgrade, which is modernizing thousands of miles of electric transmission and distribution lines, substations and other modern infrastructure, are about preparing for decades of growth.
Additionally, the Northeast Supply Enhancement project will improve the ability to meet both predicted and unexpected surges in energy usage. Once completed, the 37-mile pipeline will increase natural gas capacity by 13 percent, ensuring the gas system can continue to meet the needs of homes and businesses while reducing monthly energy bills and creating economic opportunity — including more than 3,100 jobs.
And the work we do each day to maintain and make more secure electric and natural gas distribution systems is essential to ensuring energy is safe and reliable not just for megaprojects, but for people on Main Street, too.
When New Yorkers have a secure job with a livable wage and a clear path for advancement, they can build stable lives for their families. This is how we strengthen communities, foster long-term prosperity, and ensure that New York remains a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, now and for generations to come.
Continued investment in energy underpins that opportunity. It’s essential that we work together as a state to ensure we sustain the pace we need to build a stronger New York.
Mike Shelby serves as the president and business manager for IBEW Local 97, representing approximately 4,500 power professionals across upstate New York.
