Ballard Commissions Its Initial Fuel Cell Manufacturing Facility

Ballard Power Systems (Vancouver, BC) announced that it has commissioned its initial fuel cell manufacturing facility, Plant One. A 9,900 square-meter facility, Plant One is located adjacent to Ballard's corporate headquarters.

Construction of Plant One was completed in October 1999, and the building was officially opened by Jean Chrétien, prime minister of Canada, in October 2000. During the past year, equipment has been installed and commissioned for volume manufacturing of fuel cells. Plant One is currently meeting Ballard's immediate production requirements for fuel cells for portable power and automotive applications.

“The capacity of this facility will allow us to meet the requirements of our customers as we introduce initial commercial products in each of our target markets, starting in 2001," stated Eamonn Percy, Ballard's vice president of operations. “We have put in place the building, the people, the processes and the manufacturing infrastructure."