Plug Power Inc. its new 407,000 square foot fuel cell manufacturing facility in Slingerlands, N.Y., for a ribbon cutting ceremony alongside U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and New York State Governor Kathy Hochuli. The Vista Technology Park facility will boost the economy by creating more than 1,600 new jobs in the New York State Capital Region within the next five years. Plug currently employs 1,472 people in New York, making up nearly half of its 2,957 total U.S. employees.

The company expects to create around 4,000 new jobs globally by the end of the year. Plug applauds the speed to commission this site. The company broke ground in March of 2022 and began manufacturing at commercial scale just nine months later.

Plug's new world-class manufacturing and service facility in Albany County will contribute to the state's clean renewable energy goals and create good-paying green collar jobs in the 21st century clean energy economy. Key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, such as the new Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit, will also help achieve substantial decarbonization and foster the integration of clean hydrogen made by Plug in New York State in a wide range of applications, such as Plug's zero-emissions fuel cells. The Plug Vista manufacturing facility features advanced automation, allowing for greatly increased scale and efficiency in the assembly of Plug's fuel cell systems that power electric motors for the mobility market.

The Vista facility, which began manufacturing Plug's GenDrive units in November 2022, will be fully operational by March 2023, and will produce Plug's entire fuel cell product line including GenDrive, Stationary, and ProGen. Plug's investment in the new manufacturing facility was supported by $45 million in Green Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits from Empire State Development, a $5 million grant from Albany County, and a $500,000 infrastructure grant from National Grid.