ITM Power (ITM ) said its fit out and opening of its first 1GW per annum Gigafactory at Bessemer Park in Sheffield has reached 'practical completion' - the handover to ITM by the contractors of the completed building - having suffered only minor COVID-19 delays.
The ITM Power Gigafactory delivers a blueprint for a high capacity, semi-automated PEM electrolyser manufacturing facility, which can be readily replicated, enabling a local facility to be planned and rapidly deployed in response to large order volumes.
The completed fit out included an expansion of the existing offices, enlargement of the stack manufacturing and production areas and a dedicated ATEX rated space for factory acceptance testing of products, all coupled with the necessary 5MW power supply on site.
The energy storage and clean fuel firm highlighted to investors that the Gigafactory also houses the 24-hour remote and technical monitoring centre that will support ITM’s after-sales service proposition, the Marketing centre, Technology centre and component stores.
The site, which is located just off J34 of the M1 in Sheffield will welcome visitors in the near future, with the creation of a conferencing facility, as well as a ‘Hydrogen Academy.’
Shares in ITM Power have skyrocketed over 120% in value since the beginning of November 2020 to open 2.45% higher this morning at 529.5p following the announcement.
This will support the training of apprentices, local engineers and customers, together with facilities for site visits by customers, shareholders, investors and other stakeholders.
"We have made solid progress over the last few months in operations as we gear up for the step change in manufacturing volumes enabled by our move into the world's largest electrolyser production facility,” said Chief Executive of ITM Power, Graham Cooley.
He said, “Designing the factory and the manufacturing processes, followed by the fit out, has been a two- and half-year journey, which has produced a blueprint for additional Gigafactories when justified by order volumes.”
ITM Power announced the lease of the world's largest electrolyser factory in Sheffield with a capacity of 1GW (1,000MW) per annum in July 2019. Customers and partners include Sumitomo, Ørsted, Phillips 66, National Grid, Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, Gasunie, RWE, Engie, BOC Linde, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Anglo American among others.
The Company will announce its results for the six months to 31 October 2020 and provide updates on the Tender Opportunity Pipeline and Backlog on Thursday 28 January 2021.
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