The United Steelworkers (USW) Friday announced it has signed agreements with Chinese power generation companies A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd., (AAPWR) and Shenyang Power Group (SPG).
According to a Friday press release the agreement provides a "strong foundation for a win-win relationship between Chinese renewable energy equipment manufacturers and US workers" as the USW will guide and work collaboratively on all aspects of the companies' US market strategies including manufacturing, assembly, component sourcing, distribution and wind energy project development.
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 615MW wind farm in Texas.
The USW is the largest industrial union in North America, representing 850,000 active workers employed in manufacturing, energy, public and the service sectors.
A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd. is the largest provider of distributed power generation systems in China, focusing on energy-efficient and environmentally friendly projects of 25MW to 400MW.
SPG is a renewable energy industry alliance based in Shenyang, China.