Airplane Hydrogen Company in Line for Albuquerque Incentives

Plans are in the talking stage for the construction of a 300,000 square foot hydrogen kit manufacturing plant that will go up on a 50-acre site near the Albuquerque International Sunport.

The company Universal Hydrogen, which is based in Hawthorne, California, is developing hydrogen conversion kits and fuel storage solutions for commercial flights.

According to the website greencongress.com, Universal Hydrogen’s business model centers on “stitching together the end-to-end hydrogen chain for aviation, both for hydrogen fuel and hydrogen-powered airplanes.”

Last month American Airlines announced it was investing in the company, which was founded in 2020, as part of the airline’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

In a move to get the new facility built in Albuquerque, members of the city council are currently reviewing an incentives package worth around $2 million. That figure would be in addition to the roughly $10 million in Local Economic Development Act funding earlier approved by the New Mexico’s Economic Development Department.

It is expected that the Albuquerque City Council will hold a public hearing sometime next month on the $2 million package.
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As earlier reported, the Universal Hydrogen facility will be built at the site of the north/south runway that was decommissioned by the airport in 2012.

​By Garry Boulard

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