NEWARK, Del. (AP) — California fuel cell maker Bloom Energy has broken ground for a new manufacturing facility at the site of a former Chrysler assembly plant in Newark.
Bloom's fuel cell factory, which is expected to bring hundreds of jobs, is being built with $16 million in state incentives.
Bloom co-founder and CEO K.R. Sridhar said completion of the Newark facility, on land now owned by the University of Delaware, will allow Bloom to double its production capacity.
Sridhar also announced a list of new Bloom customers, including Owens Corning, Urban Outfitters, Delmarva Power and AT&T.
State officials are allowing Delmarva Power to count electricity from Bloom's fuel cells toward its renewable energy requirements, even though the fuel cells will be powered by natural gas, which is not a renewable fuel.