Ballard will build a new plant in Texas for manufacturing of 3 GWh of fuel cells per year

Ballard Power Systems is planning a new “Gigafactory” in Texas for the production of fuel cell components and systems, that will be the result of an investment of 160 million dollars. The factory will be named Ballard Rockwall Giga 1 in Rockwall, Texas. It is to be built by 2027.

Ballard, that has now +1,700 fuel cell buses in operation worldwide, has secured a grant of 40 million dollars from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the first phase of the factory.

In Phase I, Ballard plans to invest approximately US$160 million (net of the US$40 million in expected DOE grants) from 2024 through the end of 2027 to build and commission a new manufacturing facility with 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, or the equivalent of 3 gigawatts of fuel cells. Future phases are expected to further increase production scaling and capacity expansion.

Ballard new fuel cell plant in Texas

Ballard expects to make a final investment decision on this facility later in 2024, pending completion of customary conditions, including necessary approvals, negotiation of final awards with the DOE, and definitive agreements.

“We are thrilled to be recommended for participation in the Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Program,” said Randy MacEwen, Ballard’s President & Chief Executive Officer. “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”.