GRAND FORKS, N.D., Oct 20, 2005 -- BUSINESS WIRE

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota (UND) was approved for a $2.5 million award from the North Dakota Centers of Excellence Commission to build a new facility for the EERC's National Center for Hydrogen Technology.

The $3 million, 15,000-square-foot facility is dedicated to the development and commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and is expected to create between 50 and 100 new high-paying technical jobs and attract $50 million in research contracts in the short term. It will be built to the west of the current EERC facilities on the UND campus.

"This award recognizes the value that the EERC holds in offering hundreds of quality jobs, partnerships with industry, and opportunities to spin off high-tech businesses in our region," said EERC Director Gerald Groenewold. "The EERC's National Center for Hydrogen Technology represents a significant partnership between the federal government, the state, private industry, and higher education and provides a cornerstone to address this nation's enormous challenge of developing new technologies which will guarantee this country's energy security for the long term--the EERC will make North Dakota proud."

The EERC submitted a proposal to the newly formed Centers of Excellence Commission in May 2005, the first proposal sent to the commission. The Centers of Excellence application required a 2-to-1 match of funds from non-state sources, but the EERC's proposal offered a 5-to-1 match, and over the next 5 years, it is expected to exceed a 20-to-1 match. The award will be matched with $500,000 from the Grand Forks Growth Fund, which is managed by the Grand Forks Job Development Authority.

"We would like to thank the city of Grand Forks for its tremendous support and financial partnership," Groenewold said. "This new facility will house world-class activities which will draw global attention to Grand Forks and bring more world-class talent to our community."

The EERC was designated the National Center for Hydrogen Technology by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in November 2004 in recognition of over 50 years of hydrogen research involving fossil fuels and renewable energy. U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan secured initial funding through DOE, that funding has been leveraged by numerous corporate partners, including Air Products and Chemicals, Chippewa Valley Ethanol, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, ePower Synergies, Inc., Hydrogenics Corporation, IdaTech, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, SGL Carbon, Schunk-INEX, Siemens Energy Systems, and Xcel Energy.

The award will now go through three more levels of approval by the State Board of Higher Education, the North Dakota Department of Commerce Foundation, and the Legislative Budget Section before final disbursement of funds in early December.

Groenewold says construction on the National Center for Hydrogen Technology facility should begin in spring 2006, with anticipated completion in fall 2006.

SOURCE: Energy & Environmental Research Center

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