Work to begin on Cummins electrolyzer plant in Spain
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Columbus-based Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) said Thursday it is preparing to begin construction on a more than 200,000-square-foot electrolyzer manufacturing plant in Spain. The facility is part of the powertrain maker’s ongoing effort to create “green” hydrogen as a clean fuel source.
A proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be stored as a liquid or gas and used as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Cummins says the facility, located in the industrial area of Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, will have the capacity to produce 500 megawatts of electrolyzers per year, and will be scalable to more than 1 gigawatt per year.
Amy Davis, president of new power at Cummins, says Spain’s hydrogen market has great potential.
“The growing hydrogen economy [in Spain] continues to be an attractive environment for Cummins to increase its global electrolyzer manufacturing footprint,” Davis said in written remarks. “This facility will poise Cummins to help European customers transition their energy supply and meet ambitious sustainability goals. This plant is also another step toward achieving Cummins’ own carbon neutrality targets.”
The facility is expected to be complete by the end of 2023 and will initially employ some 150 workers. The company says it could add 200 more jobs as production grows.
Cummins currently has more than 500 electrolyzers in operation around the world. The company says the goal of creating more green hydrogen is to have a viable zero-emmissions power solution to sectors such as heavy-duty commercial transportation, manufacturing, and chemical production.
Cummins currently operates a PEM electrolyzer manufacturing facility in Belgium and recently announced plans to grow capacity at the plant to 1 gigawatt.
Earlier this week, the company announced plans for its first U.S.-based manufacturing operation, which will be housed in a 90,000-square-foot section of an existing plant in Minnesota. The company was also recently selected to design and manufacture a 20-megawatt electrolyzer system for Atura Power in Niagara Falls, Ontario.