Cummins Inc. (Columbus, Ind.) will begin producing electrolyzers in the United States, underscoring the company’s continued dedication to advancing the nation’s green hydrogen economy. Electrolyzer production will take place in Fridley, Minnesota, starting at 500 megawatts (MW) of manufacturing capacity annually, scalable to 1 gigawatt (GW) in the future.
“Expanding Cummins’ electrolyzer manufacturing footprint to the United States is a milestone not only for our company but an important step in advancing global decarbonization efforts,” said Alexey Ustinov, Vice President of Electrolyzers at Cummins. “This is a reflection of increasing government support through the Inflation Reduction Act, Hydrogen Hubs and a blossoming hydrogen economy in the states. Cummins’ ability to leverage our manufacturing, engineering and sourcing knowledge to build capacity will help us meet increased customer demand and continue to accelerate the clean energy transition.”
Cummins plans to dedicate 89,000 sq. ft. of its existing Fridley facility to electrolyzer production. Initially, the facility will manufacture its HyLYZER®-500 and HyLYZER®-5000 proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers here, with the potential to manufacture other electrolyzer products in the future. This range of products can accommodate power needs from 1.25MW to more than 200MW for both small- and large-scale hydrogen generation projects.
An electrolyzer separates water into oxygen and hydrogen. When the electrolyzer system is operated using renewable electricity – such as solar, wind or hydropower – the hydrogen it produces is “green” and carbon free. This green hydrogen can be stored as a compressed gas or a liquid and used as an energy-dense, clean power source to help decarbonize a variety of hard-to-abate sectors, such as heavy-duty transportation and industrial processes.
This new production space in Fridley adds to Cummins’ growing global electrolyzer development and manufacturing footprint. The company recently announced expansion of PEM electrolyzer manufacturing capacity at its Belgium factory to 1GW and has added space to its Mississauga, Canada, site. Cummins is also building two new electrolyzer factories in Spain and China, each starting at 500MW of manufacturing capacity and scalable to 1GW.
“Expanding our electrolyzer capabilities to Minnesota is Cummins’ first step in enhancing our ability to serve North American customers and meet growing demand for large-scale electrolysis projects globally,” said Alex Savelli, Managing Director of Electrolyzers – Americas at Cummins. “The company continues to evaluate new opportunities to grow in North America that will enable us to extend our electrolyzer product range and manufacture next-generation technologies for larger, more demanding applications.”
Cummins has a long history of advanced technology and engineering capabilities and innovates across a broad portfolio of market-leading renewable hydrogen technologies. It has been part of many of the world’s hydrogen “firsts,” including powering the world’s largest PEM electrolyzer in operation at 20MW in Bécancour, Canada; the world’s first megawatt-scale demonstration plant for storing wind energy in the natural gas grid in Windgas Falkenhagen, Germany; the world’s first 100% hydrogen-powered passenger train fleet in Lower Saxony, Germany; and the world’s first hydrogen refueling station for ships, cars, trucks and industrial customers in Antwerp, Belgium.
Choosing Fridley as the site for its first U.S. electrolyzer production plant highlights Cummins’ long-term commitment to the greater Twin Cities area and the favorable climate for investment there. In addition to strengthening its physical roots in Fridley, the company is dedicated to helping the community in a variety of ways, including through its Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity (CARE) program and support for Black-owned businesses and mobile grocery markets in the greater Minneapolis area.