RWE announced that construction is underway at the 98-MWAC Union Ridge Solar project in Licking County, Ohio, which RWE acquired from Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) in the fall of 2024.
RWE and construction partner MasTec Renewables aim to leverage Ohio’s strong craft union workforce for the construction phase of the project. The companies are collaborating with the Laborers’ International Union of North America, International Union of Operating Engineers and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local halls in Licking County and across the state to hire skilled union laborers, operators and electricians to construct this utility-scale solar project.
“Our Union Ridge project is an example of how we partner with leading American companies to bring job growth and critical economic activity to communities across America with our homegrown energy,” said Kevin Kroll, chief operating officer at RWE Clean Energy. “Through our partnership with MasTec, we are helping to create new employment opportunities for Licking County residents and support Ohio’s current and future skilled labor workforce.”
RWE is continuing LRE’s previously established partnership with the Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County (C-TEC) Postsecondary Education Center to help build Ohio’s future energy workforce through support for a joint educational and career training program. The Solar Energy Training Course trains students in the assembly, mounting and maintenance of solar arrays used on utility-scale solar facilities in Ohio.
News item from RWE Clean Energy
