Walmart adds hydrogen filling site and fuel cell forklifts

Plug Power announced it has received a follow-on GenKey purchase order from Wal-Mart Stores, to add a seventh GenKey hydrogen refueling site to the original six-site contract it announced in February 2014. This additional station in Sterling, IL consists of 286 GenDrive fuel cell units and is planned to deploy in the third quarter of 2014. GenKey is Plug Power’s all-inclusive hydrogen fuel cell power solution combining fuel cell units, infrastructure construction and hydrogen fuel supply, and onsite maintenance service.

In February 2014, Plug Power received a milestone GenKey order from Walmart to roll out 1,783 GenDrive fuel cells in the forklift fleets at six sites across North America. The first of these hydrogen refueling stations, in Pottsville, PA, was brought successfully on line during the second quarter of 2014. Plug Power deployed almost 300 GenDrive fuel cell units in Walmart’s class-2 and class-3 electric lift trucks.

“The original contract deployments are proceeding, and the timely completion of the first GenFuel build helps validate our turnkey capability,” said Andy Marsh, CEO at Plug Power. “We are excited to help Walmart realize the positive impact of GenKey in so many locations in 2014.”

GenDrive fuel cell units are currently powering lift truck fleets at four Walmart distribution centers in North America – consisting of two sites in Canada and two sites in the United States. Walmart’s second Plug Power GenKey site, located in Johnstown, New York, is in the final stages of GenDrive deployment, and is already supported by an on-site GenFuel hydrogen infrastructure. The add-on Sterling GenKey site is currently in the planning stages and is expected to be deployed by the end of the third quarter.

Source: Plug Power Inc.