ZeroAvia has announced plans to construct a major manufacturing facility for the production of its hydrogen-electric powertrains at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS).
The site, which will be situated near Glasgow Airport in Renfrewshire, will support both the company’s production and testing of powertrains, as well as serve as a key primary location for the production of advanced high temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cell stacks and supporting systems.
ZeroAvia currently holds orders worth roughly 10 billion USD, with nearly 3,000 full engine and component pre-orders already agreed with a number of airlines and OEMs.
The construction of the new facility, which has been made possible by a 9 million GBP Regional Selective Assistance grant from Scottish Enterprise, will provide an alternative location to its existing Propulsion Centre of Excellence, which is situated in Washington State and focuses almost exclusively on the production of electric motors and power electronics.
The grant selection also follows an equity investment of 20 million GBP from the Scottish National Investment Bank as part of the company’s Series C funding led by Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital and NEOM Investment Fund, as well as 32 million GBP in funding from the UK National Wealth Fund.
John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland, said:Scotland has the skills, the talent and the innovation to be at the forefront of efforts to tackle the climate emergency while developing significant new opportunities to grow the economy.”
ZeroAvia’s decision to establish a base in Scotland – creating 350 highly-skilled jobs in the process – is the perfect illustration of Scotland’s growing reputation in the global transition to net zero.”
By setting out a strategic vision in priority areas such as hydrogen, we are sending a clear statement to investors and businesses that Scotland is at the heart of the green energy revolution. The Hydrogen Centre of Excellence will be at the forefront of fuel cell technology and offers a hugely promising and exciting proposition for sustainable aviation.
The company has also announced further plans to expand its R&D and aircraft testing centre at Cotswold Airport, Gloucestershire, with advance planning for its new AMIDS facility set to begin over the next few months.
