Fuel cell provider touts Walmart deal

Walmart’s sustainability efforts are benefitting fuel cell provider Plug Power Inc., which said a contract it secured with the retailer earlier this year has already been expanded.

Plug Power said it received an order from Walmart for a seventh on site hydrogen fuel cell power solution branded as GenKey.

Plug Power entered into a contract with Walmart back in February for six of its GenKey solutions consisting of GenDrive fuel cells, GenFuel infrastructure construction and hydrogen fuel supply and GenCare on-site maintenance.

The additional site in Sterling, IL consists of 286 GenDrive fuel cell units and is planned to deploy in the third quarter of 2014. The order the company received in February 2014 involved 1,783 GenDrive fuel cells in the forklift fleets at six sites across North America. The first of these sites, in Pottsville, Pa., was brought 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.

Additionally, Plug Power built and commissioned Walmart Pottsville's outdoor and indoor GenFuel infrastructure.

"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 electric lift truck fleets at four Walmart distribution centers in North America, consisting of two sites in Canada and two sites in the U.S. 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.