Norwegian company set to bring $400M investment, 500 jobs to Plymouth Township
Posted By: Hometown Life on September 26, 2023. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
Nel Hydrogen, a Norwegian hydrogen company that makes renewable hydrogen for fuel, has chosen Plymouth Township as the location of its new manufacturing facility, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced in a press release Tuesday.
The venture reportedly will create 517 jobs and invest $400 million in the local community, the release said.
The company specializes in electrolyzer technology for production of renewable hydrogen and hydrogen fueling equipment for road-going vehicles.
Nel’s product offerings, the company says, are key enablers for a green hydrogen economy, making it possible to decarbonize industries such as transportation, refining, steel and ammonia.
Nel Hydrogen is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and employs approximately 650 people globally. The Plymouth Township venture will be the company’s first investment in Michigan.
“Plymouth Township is honored to have been selected by Nel Hydrogen for this revolutionary facility that will help bring a new source of clean, sustainable energy to power the future of the auto industry and beyond,” said Plymouth Township Supervisor Kurt Heise, noting the business will be the “centerpiece” of the Michigan International Technology Center (MITC) Redevelopment Authority.
The new building, Heise said, will be located at 15000 Ridge Road, on part of a 100-acre site under development by Brookwood Capital Partners of North Carolina.
The 507,000-square-foot manufacturing facility manufacture proton exchange membrane and alkaline hydrogen electrolyzers and is expected to be a full greenfield build constructed specifically for Nel Hydrogen.
“Earlier this year, I was honored to represent Team Michigan on my economic mission to Norway, which helped us close the deal and bring home this cutting-edge facility,” Whitmer said in the statement. “Nel Hydrogen chose Michigan over several other states and nations because of our skilled workforce, strong network of universities, and world-leading mobility industry. Together, we will keep building on our leadership in cars, chips, and clean energy and share our story to bring even more jobs and investments home to Michigan. Let’s get it done.”
The project will be supported in part by a $10 million Michigan Business Development Program grant. The MSF board also approved a 15-year, 100-percent State Essential Services Assessment Exemption Request, valued at up to $6.25 million, in support of the project.
“Plymouth Township is an ideal location for Nel,” Nel CEO Håkon Volldal said. “Here, we have access to a highly educated workforce, universities and research institutions, and we are close to our collaborating partner, General Motors. In addition, the government and the authorities of Michigan have provided a very attractive financial support package for us.”
In the annual Clean Jobs America report from Environmental Entrepreneurs released in September 2023, Michigan was recognized as the top state in the Midwest for clean energy jobs. According to the report, clean energy businesses added more than 5,400 workers in 2022, bringing the total to nearly 124,000 Michiganders in clean energy and clean transportation careers.
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