Electric Boat will double its workforce to build a new class of Navy submarines as part of a $96 billion contract, the company announced last week.
Nearly 6,000 people could work at the manufacturing plant at Quonset in North Kingstown by 2028, Sean Davies, the general manager for EB at the facility, said.
The workforce could rival the number of employees working there during the peak of the Cold War, the associated press reported.
Though the contract has not been awarded, Electric Boat expects to build 12 ballistic-missile submarines to replace the Navy's fleet of Ohio-class vessels and has already leased 42 additional acres in Quonset Business Park as part of an expansion.
The news is a positive note for the state economy, which has an employment rate of 8.2 percent -- much higher than the national average of 6.3 percent.
"We can't literally put all of our eggs in one basket, but without submarine construction here, we would be in a much worse economic situation, and we would have a much less hopeful outlook," said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed.
Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2014/07/04/3423999/submarine-maker-plans-expansion.html#storylink=cpy
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
