Project manager Robert Zalinski presented products and site

The US corporation Plug Power opened its European headquarters in Duisburg, Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) on March 18th, 2022. The new production site of Plug Europe lies at the center of Duisburger Hafen, the world’s largest inland port. CEO Andy Marsh had really wanted to make a special trip from the United States to make the opening speech, but he was unable to because of a corona infection. Chris Suriano stepped in for him. Suriano declared, “Our local presence is very important in our key markets.” He smugly added, “We have only just begun.” 

So far, the two halls are actually still empty. But by the end of the year, a service and support center with technical laboratories as well as logistics and training rooms is to be built on the approx. 6,500 square meters (70,000 square feet). In addition, an electrolyzer with the infrastructure for production of green hydrogen is to be installed at the site. 

Plug Power, which builds not only FC systems for powered industrial trucks but also electrolyzers, aims to produce 17 tH2 per day by the year’s end, and more than 500 tonnes by 2025. Green hydrogen, no less. Prof. Andreas Pinkwart, the economy minister of Nordrhein-Westfalen (center in photo), added, also in English, “NRW will have a huge demand on green hydrogen in the future. A rapid switch to renewables is a crucial necessity.” 

Plug Power has had a presence in Europe for over ten years, among others through its joint venture Hyvia with Renault. Not least from the acquisition of the Dutch company Frames did its number of employees in Europe recently jump from 16 to 225. Hyvia is expanding as well and opened a fuel cell factory in Flins, France at the beginning of this year, where the Plug Power FC modules conceived for Europe are to be assembled and tested.