DOVER PLAINS, N.Y, Dec. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since July 2017, approximately 60 carpenters from the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) have worked on the construction of the Cricket Valley Energy Center, a new $1.5 billion 1,100-megawatt, natural-gas-fired power plant located in Dover Plains, New York.

The energy center will provide power to approximately one million homes and at the peak of construction will employ approximately 900 tradespeople – including a total of 150-160 carpenters. Bechtel, the largest construction and civil engineering company in the United States, is overseeing the engineering and construction of the power plant.

“The construction of the Cricket Valley Energy Center is an important project for our region, as it will provide hundreds of tradespeople with good wages and benefits,” said Bill Banfield, NRCC’s Southeast New York Regional Manager. “With the proposed 2021 closing of the Indian Point Power Plant, this project is sorely needed to help our region meet its current and future energy needs.”

Construction of the facility is a result of a pre-existing national agreement between the North American Contractors Association (NACA) and the Building Trades of AFL-CIO.  Prior to the start of the project, Bechtel agreed to mirror employment conditions previously in place at Competitive Power Ventures (CPV).

These conditions included favorable labor conditions, hours and benefits for tradespeople working on the project, such as overtime in four, 10-hour shift differentials to increase productivity and earned wages/benefits. Bechtel is also providing transportation services to make the worksite more easily accessible for carpenters and facilitate the building process.

The Cricket Valley Energy Center is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: northeastcarpenters.org & follow us on social: Facebook: facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; Twitter: @nrccarpenters; or Instagram: @northeastcarpenters

Contact: Tony Bianchini
Phone: 609-402-1730