Plug Power considering Genesee County site for $264 million facility

Plug Power Inc., the Albany area clean energy company that plans to invest $125 million in a new gigafactory in Henrietta, confirmed this week that it is considering a site in Genesee County for a $264 million facility.

Plug Power has applied for fund benefits through the Western New York Power Proceeds Allocation Board to support the construction of a 40 ton-per-day green hydrogen production facility at the Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) in Genesee County.

“The project will establish a nationally recognized green hydrogen production center and the first of its kind in the Northeast,” according to a Western New York Economic Development Fund (WNY EDF) recommendation memo filed Feb. 3. “As such, it is likely to serve as a catalyst for the development of future projects associated with the buildout of a green hydrogen infrastructure.”

The board is recommending $1.5 million in funds from WNY EDF; an additional $2 million is expected to come from Empire State Development, and the Genesee County Economic Development Center is expected to offer sales tax exemption and payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT).

The funding track under which the application was submitted does not require job-related commitments, according to the report.

“The Genesee County Economic Development Center recently reached out to our various public sector partners, including the Genesee County Legislature, the town of Alabama, among other local and state partners, requesting that the GCEDC take on the role as lead agency for an environmental review of a potential project at STAMP,” said GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde. “As a result, the GCEDC has completed extensive site readiness for the 1,250-acre STAMP site, including all site-level environmental, archeological, wetland delineation and zoning requirements. This enables site selectors and prospective tenants to conduct effective due diligence as they evaluate projects at STAMP.

“We are very excited about this significant economic development opportunity for our community and look forward to working with our public sector partners during the due diligence by Project Gateway, as we have on dozens of other economic development projects in Genesee County over the last several years,” Hyde said.

Plug Power intends to provide clean fuel for on-road and off-road applications thereby enabling the adoption of zero-emission freight transport and logistics handling equipment that use fuel cells and clean energy manufactured in New York, which aligns with New York’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions, according to the Power Proceeds Board report. Included as part of the project is the installation of a secondary substation required to provide electric power to the applicant’s facility.

“Plug Power continues to evaluate a number of sites for green hydrogen production. STAMP continues to be one of them,” a Plug Power representative said in a statement Friday.

The project would represent the first tenant to locate at STAMP, although the Wall Street Journal reported last month that Samsung Electronics Co. was considering the site for a $17 billion chip-making factory.

“This Project will likely facilitate other STAMP tenants/projects because it will resolve electric infrastructure constraints that were impeding growth at STAMP,” according to the WNY EDF recommendation.

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