Plug Power’s green H2 expansion in the United States continues, as detailed in the company’s recent quarterly conference call.
In Georgia, Plug is now producing gaseous hydrogen from its new facility in Kingsland. Given this news, we have moved the facility from “planned” to “existing” in our project list on page 2 of this week's Hydrogen Billboard. That said, it will be a few more weeks until the plant completes commissioning and begins producing liquid hydrogen. According to Plug, the Georgia plant will produce liquid hydrogen by the second quarter, though full commissioning takes three to six months. That timeline would suggest the 15,000 kilogram per day (kg/day) plant will be fully operational by the second half of 2023.
At Plug Power’s Louisiana joint venture plant with Olin, commissioning is expected to occur during the second quarter with an expected third quarter start for the 15,000 kg/day facility. The JV, named Hydrogenii, will build its first plant in San Gabriel, Louisiana, but is considering additional locations. Olin is a diverse company that produces chemicals, as well as ammunition, and bills itself as the largest producer of electrolytic hydrogen. However, that statement doesn’t mean Olin has a significant amount of alkaline or proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis capacity. Rather, its hydrogen is produced via the electrolysis process used in its chlor-alkali production facilities.
The company’s Tennessee facility, which has been producing 10,000 kg/day of liquid hydrogen since 2021, is home to a 5,000 kg/day expansion, though it’s not clear when the additional capacity will start. The company says it is working to acquire land and the power supply to support the project, which we had previously estimated as occurring late last year. Also, Plug had said previously that the Tennessee plant would be expanded to 25,000 kg/day of capacity, which is why we show an incremental capacity of 15,000 kg/day in our project list on page 3 of this week's Hydrogen Billboard. For now, we have penciled in a 2024 start for the expansion, but details may remain murky on this project.
Plug’s Texas project near Fort Worth broke ground during the fourth quarter of last year and is on track to start commissioning at the end of this year, with the first liquid hydrogen expected during the first quarter of next year. The plant near Fort Worth will be powered by 345 megawatts (MW) of wind generation, which Plug Power says has already entered operation. By our estimate, the 45,000 kg/day Texas hydrogen plant would require about 110 MW of electrolysis capacity, implying a capacity factor of about 30% for the wind generation. Though ~30% is a reasonable assumption for Texas wind turbines, the lack of matching requirements in the wild west that is the U.S. green hydrogen industry leaves open how often the Texas project will be sourcing grid power, which often contains significant amounts of fossil-powered generation in Texas.
Plug Power’s New York green hydrogen plant is now expected to begin commissioning in the first half of next year, versus our last estimate of sometime this year. Beset by various delays, the 120 MW facility in upstate New York would produce just under 50,000 kg/day by our estimate, and we had previously used guidance of 45 kg/day from previous company press releases. Plug now lists this facility, which utilizes existing hydropower, at 60-75 kg/day.
