Production has started at Cummins' 500MW hydrogen PEM electrolyser factory

Cummins has started making electrolysers at its new 500MW factory in Spain, according to the plant director. This makes Cummins one of the biggest suppliers of PEM equipment for green hydrogen in Europe. The company began producing these machines at the factory in Guadalajara in April, soon after getting the operation licence from the regional government. The factory will officially open in October.

The factory was first announced in 2021 and was supposed to be finished last year. The plant director did not explain the delay or say when the factory will reach its full 500MW capacity. However, he noted that the 20,000 square-foot facility was built in 14 months. The factory currently employs 65 people, and more will be hired in the second half of 2024. The plant director expects the number of employees to grow to over 100 next year.

Cummins designed the factory to be able to scale up to 1GW, which would make it one of the largest in Europe. Currently, ITM has a 1GW facility in the UK, and Norway’s Nel is expanding its factory from 500MW to 1GW. Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Nucera and Siemens both have 1GW alkaline electrolyser factories, with Siemens planning to scale up to 3GW by 2025.