Cummins will begin producing electrolyzers in the United States, helping to advance 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.
Cummins’ says that electrolyzer manufacturing is an important step in advancing global decarbonization efforts. It is also a reflection of increasing government support through the Inflation Reduction Act, Hydrogen Hubs, and a blossoming hydrogen economy in the states.
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 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.
Cummins 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.