Dow to use fuel cells.(Assembly Lines)

Assembly, April, 2004

MIDLAND, MI -- Dow Chemical Co. and General Motors Corp. (Detroit) recently unveiled the world's largest fuel cell installation.

The fuel cells will convert hydrogen into electricity at Dow's sprawling Freeport, TX, chemical processing complex. Dow and GM intend to prove the viability of fuel cells for a large industrial power system. Hydrogen is a natural by-product of chemical manufacturing at Dow.

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The initial fuel cell will generate 75 kilowatts of power, which is enough electricity for 50 average-size homes. Dow and GM plan to eventually install up to 400 fuel cells to generate 35 megawatts of electricity, which would amount to 2 percent of what the Freeport facility consumes.