The city of Bath Wednesday gave the green light to expand a Bath Iron Works building that could help the shipyard transition into building offshore wind components.

The city council unanimously approved a zoning change to accommodate the shipyard's plan for an addition on its massive Ultra Hall facility, used to build large portions of ships, according to The Times Record. The zoning change allows the planned 106-foot-tall addition to exceed the 75-foot height limit. In exchange for the zoning change, BIW agreed to give the city an employee parking lot, with the caveat that BIW employees be allowed to park there for five years before the city could decide to reuse or sell it.

Expanding the Ultra Hall is one way BIW is exploring making space available at the shipyard for non-shipbuilding projects, such as manufacturing components of offshore wind turbines, according to the paper. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection must still approve the expansion.

Go to the article from The Times Record >>