ITM Power will site its new ‘gigafactory’ in Tinsley, Sheffield, on a site acquired from the University of Sheffield at a cost of £13.4 million. The site is part of the University of Sheffield Innovation District, 2 miles from ITM’s existing Gigafactory and Technology Centre at Bessemer Park. The land has outline planning consent and a full design brief agreed with the City Council. The acquisition is subject to the grant of planning permission for the new factory.

The site is due to house an automated factory with a capacity of 1.5GW annually. It is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2023 to complement the existing 1GW/yr capacity at Bessemer Park.
ITM says the new factory will be a template for a 2.5GW/yr international facility by the end of 2024.
The overall cost of the new Sheffield factory is expected to be in the region of £50-55 million.
Meanwhile, ITM Power and the University of Sheffield have announced they will jointly develop a plan and apply for funding for a National Hydrogen Research, Innovation and Skills Centre, to be located next to ITM Power’s proposed new site. It will include research into: manufacture of hydrogen using renewable energy or nuclear power production; product life cycle analysis; recycling and recovery of system components; improving hydrogen system manufacturing processes; and the use of digital twins and virtual reality.