A historic announcement in the Capital Region, as the Port of Albany is set to become the first site in the nation with a wind tower manufacturing facility.

"This has been a day many years in the making, but because of our commitment to clean energy," said Doreen Harris, acting president and CEO of NYSERDA.

That commitment to New York becoming a leader in clean energy is one Gov. Cuomo has been making for some time. Now, it's taking a leap forward. A more than 600,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for wind towers, a partnership between Marmen Inc. and Welcon A/S with Equinox Wind US LLC, who will lease the property to fabricate the towers, is set to be built at the Port of Albany starting later this year.

"When we hear about a green economy, we often think about loss. Well, we know here in Albany, it's about gain," Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said. "It's about creating new jobs, it's about creating new industries, and it's about the opportunity, and the future for our entire region."

Once construction is complete, the entire operation will utilize the wharf and quayside facilities along the port, where items will be loaded and shipped via the Hudson River. The 80-acre manufacturing site, which sits in the Town of Bethlehem, is also expected to bring 500 jobs during construction and 300 permanent jobs to the region.

"When you have an expansion like this, other things come in you don't think of," Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said. "A store might open down the street, there might be another company that's going to do business with them that's going to open up down here. So there's going to be more opportunities and more jobs that we're talking about, which is all good news."

As part of the announcement, SUNY is partnering with NYSERDA to create the Offshore Wind Training Institute, to help train the workforce for the facility.

"We want folks here in the Capital Region to work here at the port in this new industry and beyond," Harris said. "So we're very excited to have that training institute launched and ready to serve all of us in the Capital Region."

The total investment in the project is expected to be more than $350 million. McCoy said that money is coming from the state.