Dive Brief:
- Auto parts maker Plastic Omnium is investing $171.2 million in two Michigan facilities, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Aug. 22.
- The France-based company’s subsidiary, Plastic Omnium New Energies, will build a plant in Grand Blanc Township that will design, develop and produce hydrogen storage systems for medium and heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles.
- The second facility will be a testing and validation lab supporting the product’s safety systems features in a yet-to-be-determined location. The investment follows the company’s $2 billion order from an unnamed major U.S. automaker earlier this year, Plastic Omnium CEO Laurent Favre said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
The hydrogen storage systems plant will span 200,000 square feet, making it the company’s largest hydrogen storage manufacturing plant in North America.
The site will have a yearly production capacity of up to 100,000 high-pressure hydrogen vessels and will create 175 jobs. The facility is expected to begin production at the end of 2026 with a goal to be 100% carbon neutral.
The manufacturer chose Michigan to host its hydrogen storage plant due to the state’s existing relationships with Tier 1 suppliers, as well as its proximity to other operations, according to the state release. Plastic Omnium has existing Michigan locations in Adrian, Huron and Troy.
“This investment in the largest hydrogen storage manufacturing plant in the U.S. is a testament to the strong relationship we have had over the years with Michigan,” Plastic Omnium New Energies USA Managing Director Alexandra Charnelet said in a statement. “We are excited to make Plastic Omnium and the state of Michigan the cornerstone of zero carbon commercial mobility.”
Plastic Omnium’s project helps meet Whitmer’s Michigan Healthy Climate Plan, a roadmap to help the state achieve economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as create thousands of clean energy jobs.
The plan includes powering all state facilities in Michigan with 100% renewable energy by 2025, as well as drawing battery and EV makers to invest in the state.
“The MI Healthy Climate Plan identifies actions we can take to address climate change head-on, lower costs for Michiganders, ensure every Michigan worker has a good-paying, sustainable job, and every family has clean air, water, and a home powered by clean, reliable energy,” Whitmer said in a statement last year.