Universal Hydrogen has chosen a 50-acre parcel of property northeast of the passenger terminal at the Albuquerque International Sunport to manufacture and distribute its hydrogen storage modules, assemble airplane retrofit kits, perform aftermarket maintenance services, and manage administrative activities. 

New Mexico will be at the heart of the company's mission to decarbonize hard-to-abate GHG emissions in aviation, ground transportation, and heavy industry to help the U.S. meet the Paris Agreement goals. 

"This project puts New Mexico and Universal Hydrogen at the center of the global effort to decarbonize transportation and aviation in particular," New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham said. "Hydrogen, solar, wind and alternative energy are job-rich industries and New Mexico's partnerships with these companies are part of a forward-thinking model to create a robust and diversified economy, while being a part of the solution when it comes to a changing climate."

Universal Hydrogen will spend one to two years on the planning and construction of its New Mexico facilities, with a goal of commencing full-scale manufacturing by 2024. It anticipated investing over $254 MM into New Mexico and aims to hire 500 employees over the next seven years. 

The company is also developing powertrain conversion kits to retrofit existing regional turboprop aircraft, including Dash 8-300 and ATR 72, to enable these aircraft to fly on hydrogen. It thus far has agreements with 11 air carriers to retrofit nearly 100 regional airplanes with a goal of being FAA-certified and in commercial service by 2025. 

After demonstrating success with regional aircraft, Universal Hydrogen plans to apply its modular fueling solution to larger commercial airplanes as well as drones, industrial equipment, and ground transportation, all domains with high-carbon footprints that will require hydrogen to meet pollution-reduction goals.