Plug Power’s plans to build a 350,000-square-foot fuel cell factory in Bethlehem and New Scotland were approved by the Bethlehem Planning Board.
Initial construction of the factory in Slingerlands will create 670 jobs, half of which will be transferred from the company’s Latham headquarters when construction is completed. It is projected that Plug Power will employ 1,625 people in the next five years, making them the largest private sector employer in Bethlehem.
Plug Power, one of the country’s leading fuel cell manufacturers, has seen rapid growth in recent years, particularly through acquisitions of other companies in the fuel cell and hydrogen sectors. According to the company, revenue in 2022 could reach nearly $1 billion, an increase of over 80% from this year. The company expects to generate $3 billion in annual revenue by the year 2025.
Only Plug Power’s GenDrive fuel cells, which are used in warehouse forklift trucks, will be manufactured at the Slingerlands facility and shipped to customers. Other vehicles and data centers will benefit from the company’s fuel-cell technology as well.
As governments and corporations around the world strive to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to slow climate change, Plug Power’s fuel cells run on hydrogen and emit only water vapor and warm air when operating.
