Carteret, NJ – On Wednesday September 22nd , 2010 Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman joined Robert Koch Jr., Chairman of Skanska Koch at a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open a 426 kilowatt solar panel array on the roof of their 15 acre Carteret Facility.
The solar panels were installed during the summer in what is a $2 million investment in solar technology. The 1600 solar panels will generate close to 95% of the energy needs of the steel fabrication facility, which has been in business for over 100 years. Skanska Koch, formerly the Koch Erecting Company has been in Carteret since 1962 when it bought the old Foster Wheeler Boiler site on a 15 acre tract along the Arthur Kill Waterway. The site has port and rail access and is just minutes from the Turnpike. Koch has been involved with the construction of many Famous Landmarks like the new Jets / Giants Stadium, Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium, and the original World Trade Center including the Twin Towers whose steel flooring was manufactured at the Carteret Facility.
“I applaud Skanska Koch for this initiative and for the “Go Green” philosophy” said Mayor Dan Reiman. “This site will generate nearly all of its energy needs right here on the roof using clean renewable energy. The facility and solar panel project were absolutely amazing, and you get a pretty good view of Carteret and the waterfront from on the roof 60ft in the air.”
The Solar Center based in Rockaway Township was hired by Skanksa Koch to install the solar panels on two of its buildings in Carteret. Gerry Heimbuch, vice president of Commercial Projects at The Solar Center said, “this is one of the biggest green initiatives in Middlesex County.”
