Ballard Power Systems to use $40 million DOE grants on new fuel cell production Gigafactory in Texas
Ballard Power Systems has announced plans to open an integrated fuel cell production Gigafactory based in Rockwall, Texas. The project will be supported by two grants from the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The company’s grant applications have been selected and recommended for negotiation of financial awards. The $40 million fund, made possible by the Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Program, will be used, along with an additional $120 million investment from the company, to pay for Phase 1 of the project, which will run from 2024 to 2027. The new facility will feature an annual production capacity of 8 million membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), 8 million bipolar plates, 20,000 fuel cell stacks, and up to 20,000 fuel cell engines per year. Additional support has also been provided by the Rockwall Economic Development Corporation (REDC), including a mix of land, financial, fee, and permit incentives for the facility.
In a recent quote, Randy MacEwen, Ballard’s President & Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are thrilled to be recommended for participation in the Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Program. We are grateful for the strong support of the DOE’s hydrogen policies that position the U.S. for future scaling of hydrogen and fuel cells. This is particularly important as the U.S. accelerates a path towards environmental sustainability and energy security, while continuing to boost domestic manufacturing and bolster critical supply chains. We are also excited to unveil the next stage of our ‘local for local’ manufacturing strategy, which will feature cutting-edge fuel cell manufacturing technologies across our fuel cell production value chain, enabling cost competitive solutions at scale.”
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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