Plug Power and Olin Corporation, a leading vertically integrated chlor alkali producer and marketer, launched a joint venture—announced in April (earlier post)—to begin with the construction of a 15-ton-per-day hydrogen plant in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. The joint venture, named Hidrogenii, will support reliability of supply and speed to market for green hydrogen throughout North America, setting the foundation for broader collaboration between the two companies.

Hydrogen is a by-product of chlor-alkali electrolysis; Olin is North America’s largest producer of electrolytic hydrogen. However, much of ooutput is the either vented into the atmosphere or burned at less than hydrogen’s fuel value. Plug will be the exclusive marketer of the joint venture’s hydrogen and provide logistical support for delivery, while Olin will provide reliable hydrogen supply and operational expertise.

The plant will benefit from state and local tax subsidies. The construction of the plant will create 160 jobs in 2022 and 215 jobs in 2023. The plant is then expected to create more than 25 permanent full-time jobs in Louisiana.

The Hidrogenii venture advances our commitment to transform Olin’s hydrogen business into a value stream as we seek to grow the value of our 150,000 metric tons of annual hydrogen production capacity.

—Scott Sutton, Olin Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer

The Louisiana plant joins Plug’s growing national network of hydrogen plants in various planning and construction phases in New York, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas and California. By 2025, Plug expects to produce 500 tons per day of liquid green hydrogen. By 2028, Plug expects to produce 1,000 tons per day of liquid green hydrogen.