Cummins fuel cell powertrain production facility officially opened
Minister President Wüst gave the official go-ahead in Herten
In the presence of Minister President Hendrik Wüst, MdL, the new production facility for the series production of hydrogen fuel cell-based powertrain systems for trains by the US company Cummins was officially commissioned in Herten on Thursday, March 3, 2022.
In a record construction time of ten months, a state-of-the-art building was created on a 7,800 m² site on the grounds of the former Ewald coal mine. It consists of a two-story office wing with approx. 1,200 m² of usable space and a single-story production and assembly hall with a usable area of approx. 3,000 m².
Hendrik Wüst, Minister President of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia: “The potential of hydrogen was recognized very early on in Herten. This is now paying off: With the settlement of Cummins Hydrogenics GmbH, new, innovative jobs are being created. The commissioning of the new fuel cell production also shows that structural change offers opportunities if approached with commitment. With the hydrogen fuel cell, we can succeed in successfully shaping the climate-neutral transformation of industry and mobility.”
The developer of the facility is the municipal subsidiary HTVG mbH, which has already realized several high-tech settlements in Herten. It built the building exactly according to Cummins’ specifications and has leased it to the American company on a long-term basis.
Cummins Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, USA, is a global leader in energy and hydrogen technology. In Herten, the subsidiary Cummins Hydrogenics GmbH will initially produce fuel cell systems for Alstom trains, the world’s first passenger trains powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Work is also being carried out on the further development of hydrogen fuel cells. In a next step, the fuel cells produced in Herten will also be reconditioned here after their use.
During the construction of the facility, the developer had to observe the highest quality requirements from Cummins, including preventive fire and explosion protection. For example, the entire building is equipped with a sprinkler system, and particularly critical areas were additionally protected against fire outbreaks with a gas extinguishing system. Special explosion protection devices were installed in the test rooms.
In general, the planning of the test rooms presented the plant engineers with unusual challenges. Every assembled powertrain system must be thoroughly tested before delivery. This necessarily generates electricity, which is fed into the Herten energy grid. To make this possible, the installation of complex grid feed-in systems was required with the technical support of Hertener Stadtwerke.
During full operation, up to 2.4 MW is fed into the grid. In addition, a lot of heat is produced during the tests of the drive units, which is why particularly powerful cooling and ventilation systems are installed on the roof of the building.
The commissioning of fuel cell production at Cummins Hydrogenics GmbH is a new highlight for Herten as a hydrogen location. With the municipal user center h2Herten, wind power electrolysis, the H2 companies in the user center, and the hydrogen filling station for cars and commercial vehicles on Marie-Curie-Straße, Herten has developed into an important nucleus of the hydrogen economy in the Ruhr area in recent years. With Cummins Hydrogenics, a global partner is now being added, giving the Herten hydrogen center significantly more weight.
The commissioning on March 3 was still marked by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the city of Herten and Cummins jointly decided to hold the official ceremony on a small scale and to stream the speeches of the Minister President and the Cummins representative, Vice-President of Fuel Cell Technologies Amy M. Adams, on YouTube to stream.
In addition to the two mentioned, the District President of Münster, Dorothee Feller, Herten’s Mayor Matthias Müller, the District Administrator of the Recklinghausen district, Bodo Klimpel, and the two local Members of the State Parliament Jürgen Hovenjürgen (CDU) and Carsten Löcker (SPD), among others, took part in the ceremony.
Following the official part, a tour of the assembly and test rooms was made possible.
Cover image: From left: NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst and Dr. Bernd Pitschak, Managing Director of Hydrogenics GmbH, at the opening of the new production facility in Herten. Powertrains for hydrogen fuel cells are to be manufactured here from now on. Photo: André Chrost
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For further information, please contact:
Peter Brautmeier
HVTG mbH
Tel.: 0151-53624433
Email: peterbrautmeier@gmx.de