HDW To Buy Fuel Cell Power Plant From Ballard

Howaldswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) will use Ballard Power Systems Inc.'s Fuel Cell power plants in newbuildings. The contract is worth almost $7 million. Ballard will supply a prototype fuel cell power plant to HDW that will provide propulsion and auxiliary power for vessels such as submarines and merchant ships. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by December 1995.

HDW has reportedly worked on fuel cell power plants for submarines for more than 13 years.

The first submarine utilizing fuel cell power was operated by the German navy.

The Ballard Fuel Cell is a proprietary zero emission engine that converts natural gas or methanol fuel directly into electricity without combustion.

Ballard recently received a $4 million contract from the Canadian Department of National Defense to design and construct fuel cell power systems.