Electric Boat breaks ground on $800 million submarine site

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NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) - Electric Boat has broken ground on a new $800 million submarine manufacturing facility in Rhode Island.

The project site in North Kingstown will house 14 acres of manufacturing space for submarine construction. The company anticipates adding at least 1,300 new jobs over the next decade, bringing its workforce to 6,000.

U.S. Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, attended the event with Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo, Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin. Electric Boat President Jeffrey Geiger was also there.

In addition to the new permanent jobs that will eventually be filled, officials say around 600 temporary jobs are being created in the construction phase of the project.

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