Plug Power
Industry: Advanced Manufacturing
Jobs: 68
Investment: $290 Million
Incentives: Excelsior Job Tax Credits, IDA Tax Abatements, NYPA: Hydropower Allocation, WNY Power Proceeds Program
Project Overview:
Plug Power is a fuel cell company that is “reimagining the energy ecosystem.” The company is building an end-to-end hydrogen power ecosystem including hydrogen production, storage, and delivery with the goal of assisting in the clean energy transfer and decarbonizing the modern economy. Plug Power’s fuel cells will enable the adoption of zero-emission freight transport and logistics handling equipment. The company already had operations in the Albany, NY area and was looking to expand its production capabilities further.
Project Solution:
Plug Power was in search of a site with significant electric power capabilities and valued the use of clean electric sources. The company worked with both Invest Buffalo Niagara (InBN), Genesee County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC) and Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) to find suitable sites in Western New York. The natural fit and path most explored was the Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP). Plug Power visited the STAMP site in 2020 and continued to explore potential infrastructure improvements that would make the project viable. STAMP is also within the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) hydropower zone, allowing the project to utilize clean, green, and affordable hydropower created from the Niagara River. NYPA, National Grid, Empire State Development, and GCEDC and all helped to ensure the project could happen in Western New York, fulfilling power needs, providing incentives and other project management services.
Eventually, Plug Power was convinced that the STAMP location in Genesee County – with its potential hydroelectric power supply and labor shed pulling from both the Buffalo and Rochester metro areas – was suitable for its expansion. Plug Power has committed to investing $290 million to construct a 50,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant at the STAMP South property in Genesee County, the first tenant of the STAMP mega-site. The plant will employ 68 full-time workers and manufacture 40-tons of hydrogen per day to be used in fuel cells for on and off-road applications.