Plug Power ramping up its new Slingerlands fuel cell factory.
Gov. Kathy Hochul visited an already busy construction site at the Vista Technology Park in Slingerlands to help Plug Power break ground on its $55 million fuel cell manufacturing campus.
Nine months later, the 470,000-square-foot site, tucked behind the ShopRite supermarket at the Vista tech park, is now operational with dozens of employees working there alongside contractors still putting the finishing touches on what the company calls its “landmark” facility.
Plug Power received its certificate of occupancy from the town of Bethlehem on Nov. 1 — just eight months after Hochul’s visit.
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And manufacturing of Plug’s GenDrive hydrogen fuel cells – which power fork lift trucks — has already begun, with work being moved from Plug’s cramped Latham headquarters near the airport to Slingerlands.
David Mindnich, executive vice president of global manufacturing for the fuel cell company, said:
Plug has started the process of transitioning manufacturing lines from the current Latham facility to the new facility, with the first units of Plugs Class 3 GenDrive units being produced in mid-November.
“The transition of additional work will take place through (the first three months of 2023), with the facility running at full capacity for its GenDrive portfolio by March.”
Eventually, Plug Power will also add other products to the Slingerlands site, including so-called stationary power fuel cells designed to run things like data centers.
“In addition to GenDrive, the Plug Operations team is currently making plans to densify and streamline additional processes to accelerate the transfer of other manufacturing portfolio items into its new landmark facility by the end of 2023,” Mindnich added.
Within five years, the site is expected to be home to about 1,600 employees, making it the largest manufacturing site in the town of Bethlehem and one of the largest in all of the Capital Region.
The company also envisions a pedestrian bridge on the site. Details of the bridge were not available as of press time. That was scheduled to go before the Bethlehem planning board Tuesday night.
Highlights:
- Fuel cell and green hydrogen company keeping HQ in Latham as new manufacturing facility opens at Vista Technology Park
Plug Power ramping up its new Slingerlands fuel cell factory,BETHLEHEM, December 7, 2022
