Universal Hydrogen to build manufacturing hub in Albuquerque
The New Mexico location includes access to a runway and the potential future reclamation of a rail spur south of the Sunport.
Universal Hydrogen will build a manufacturing and distribution centre in New Mexico in Albuquerque, US.
Universal Hydrogen has chosen a 50-acre parcel of property northeast of the passenger terminal at the Albuquerque International Sunport to manufacture and distribute its hydrogen storage modules, assemble airplane retrofit kits, perform aftermarket maintenance services, and manage administrative activities.
Universal Hydrogen will spend one to two years planning and constructing its New Mexico facilities, with a goal of commencing full-scale manufacturing by 2024. It anticipates investing over $254 million into New Mexico and aims to hire 500 employees over the next seven years.
The company is also developing powertrain conversion kits to retrofit existing regional turboprop aircraft, including the Dash 8-300 and ATR 72, to enable these aircraft to fly on hydrogen. It thus far has agreements with 11 air carriers to retrofit nearly 100 regional airplanes to be FAA-certified and in commercial service by 2025.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said, “This project puts New Mexico and Universal Hydrogen at the centre of the global effort to decarbonize transportation and aviation in particular.”
US Sen. Martin Heinrich added, “The clean hydrogen capsules that Universal Hydrogen plans to manufacture in Albuquerque will be central to reducing carbon pollution in air transportation — a major contributor to our climate crisis.”
Jon Gordon, the co-founder of Universal Hydrogen, commented, “Hydrogen is the best and only scalable solution to truly decarbonize aviation, and we want to bring it to market decades sooner than anyone thought possible — by 2025.”
