HDF Energy, a French company, has opened the first factory in the world to make fuel cells that are larger than 1MW

This new factory, located in Blanquefort near Bordeaux, will help reduce carbon emissions in heavy maritime and rail transportation and generate electricity for public grids. To give some context, the fuel cell in the Toyota Mirai car is 114kW, and the fuel cell in Nikola Motors' Tre FCEV truck is 200kW. HDF’s new factory will initially produce modular 1.5MW fuel cells, designed with Ballard Power Systems from Canada. Later, HDF plans to create even larger fuel cells, ranging from 1MW to 10MW.

Although the factory was officially opened on Thursday, it will start commercial production in 2026 and aims to reach full capacity of 1GW by 2030. Next year, the factory will begin pre-production and testing the fuel cells.

The French government will help fund this project as part of the €1.4 billion Hy2Move initiative, which was approved by the EU. However, the exact amount of the grant is not yet known.

HDF Energy stated that their fuel cells will lead to a new era of eco-friendly transport by replacing diesel engines in freight and shunting locomotives with hydrogen systems. These fuel cells will also provide power for ships and supply clean electricity to ships docked at ports. Additionally, the fuel cells are a key part of HDF’s Renewstable power plants, which produce renewable electricity continuously by storing solar or wind energy as hydrogen.