New 'hydrogen plane factory' to open near Glasgow Airport
The site near Glasgow Airport will make fuel cells for hydrogen-powered aircraft, using energy that is stored after production from renewable sources.
California-based ZeroAvia is to build a major manufacturing facility for the production of its hydrogen-electric powertrain fuel cells at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland, close to the airport, in Renfrewshire, creating 350 jobs.
The firm hopes an engine that can power a 20-seat plane will enter service next year.
The company is also developing the next generation of fuel cell aircraft engines with its ZA2000 for 40-80 seat aircraft.
It said that scaling to meet the power and operational requirements for these larger aircraft requires advanced fuel cells with higher power-to-weight ratio.
READ NEXT: Popular 'cornerstone of bustling street' bar brought to market
READ NEXT: Fiancée pays tribute to 'amazing' partner who died in crash
The site has been backed by UK and Scottish governments. (Image: ZeroAvia) The high temperature fuel cells that ZeroAvia will manufacture in the Glasgow facility, expected to open in 2028, are said to be key to unlocking fuel cell propulsion for larger aircraft.
ZeroAvia said its Hydrogen Centre of Excellence will support the company in a range of manufacturing operations relating to powertrain production and testing and will also be the company's primary location for production of advanced high temperature fuel cell stacks and supporting systems.
With nearly 3,000 full engine and component orders agreed with airlines – corresponding to over $10 billion in future revenues - ZeroAvia said it is advancing its production operations to meet demand.
How the site would look. (Image: ZeroAvia) The new facility will work with ZeroAvia's Propulsion Center of Excellence in Washington State which is focusing primarily on electric motors and power electronics. The company also has plans to expand its research and development and aircraft testing centre at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire.
The project in Scotland, which is expected to unlock millions in private investment and support hundreds of jobs over the next few years, has been made possible by a range of funding including a £9 million grant from Scottish Enterprise.
This follows an equity investment of £20m from the Scottish National Investment Bank into ZeroAvia as part of the company's Series C funding, with the UK National Wealth Fund investing £32m as a cornerstone-level investor in round. The Series C round was led by Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital and NEOM Investment Fund.
The UK Government awarded ZeroAvia and consortium partners £10.5m to develop the advanced fuel cells in 2024 via the Aerospace Technology Institute programme in conjunction with the Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK. The UK Government has awarded ZeroAvia £18.5m total R&D funding since 2019 to develop their fuel cell and powertrain technology.
This support alongside more than $250m private investment has enabled ZeroAvia to make rapid progress in flying the world's first hydrogen-electric commercial scale aircraft in 2020, to more than doubling the power output to again fly the world's largest hydrogen-electric aircraft - a 19-seat Dornier in January 2023 - to manufacturing and shipping fuel cell systems to customers, and to securing significant regulatory traction for the certification of its first powertrains.
ZeroAvia founder Val Miftakhov said Scotland is well-placed in the development of hydrogen power. (Image: ZeroAvia) Val Miftakhov, founder and chief executive, ZeroAvia, said: 'Scotland has some unique advantages for ZeroAvia with strong aerospace and engineering skills, a burgeoning hydrogen sector and a clear aviation strategy with potential for early adoption of zero-emission flights. The aviation industry is on the cusp of the biggest transformation since the advent of the jet age, with entirely new propulsion systems set to power the next era of aviation – cleaner flights, better economics and better experiences for all.
'With this new facility, Scotland has a big role to play in driving this transformation. We welcome the grant award from Scottish Enterprise and the support of our equity investors that has enabled us to move into another phase of manufacturing readiness as we progress towards certification of our first engines.'
John Swinney, First Minister, and Ian Murray, Secretary of State for Scotland, are to speak at an event at Glasgow Airport for the launch of ZeroAvia's plans for its manufacturing facility at AMIDS.
Mr Swinney said: 'ZeroAvia's decision to establish a base in Scotland – creating 350 highly-skilled jobs in the process - is the perfect illustration of Scotland's growing reputation in the global transition to net zero.'
Mr Murray said that 'tens of millions of pounds of crucial investment from the UK Government is helping to develop the fuel cell technology that will be manufactured here in Scotland at this new facility'.
Adrian Gillespie, of Scottish Enterprise, said: 'It is fantastic that we've been able to attract ZeroAvia to Scotland, not only for the jobs they will be creating, but for the hugely important role they can play in ensuring Scotland maintains its reputation for fostering innovative green technologies.'V
Al Denholm, Chief Executive of Scottish National Investment Bank, said: 'Decarbonising aviation and developing our hydrogen industry are critical elements in our journey toward a net-zero economy. Having ZeroAvia's manufacturing base near Glasgow Airport will bring highly skilled jobs to the area, and we're particularly pleased to see the demand that already exists for this innovative technology.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Mark Zuckerberg's secret list of top AI talent to poach has tech world atwitter
Mark Zuckerberg reportedly spent months putting together a list of the top AI engineers and researchers across the globe, preparing to offer potential recruits lucrative compensation packages in Meta's attempt to poach AI talent from key competitors. Silicon Valley has been talking for weeks about the Meta CEO's quest to attract top AI talent, including by offering pay packages worth up to $100m. Zuckerberg has personally reached out to desired candidates, according to the Wall Street Journal. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been competing in the search for AI dominance with rivals like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, which have invested billions of dollars into AI research and product development. Last month, questions were raised about the direction of Meta's AI development after it delayed the scheduled rollout of Behemoth, its flagship AI model. Earlier this month, Meta paid $14bn for a stake in Scale AI and is putting its founder, 28-year-old Alexandr Wang, in charge of its 'superintelligence team' – an internal lab that would focus on Meta's efforts to develop a hypothetical AI system that is smarter than humans. Last year, Google bought out the shareholders in a chatbot service that allows users to have personal conversations with different AI personas, for $2.7bn. People on 'the list', as Zuckerberg's slate is known around Silicon Valley, include recent graduates from top PhD programs at schools like the University of California at Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon. Many are currently employed by Meta's AI competitors, including OpenAI and Google's DeepMind project, and have traded notes with each other on Meta's recruiting efforts. A recruit who has personally spoken to Zuckerberg said that his goal appears to be a 'transfusion from the country's top AI labs'. A WhatsApp group chat called 'Recruiting Party' was formed for Zuckerberg and at least two other senior Meta executives to talk through potential hires. The Meta CEO has been trying to personally find candidates by looking through research papers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Zuckerberg's hands-on recruiting efforts have drawn the ire of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who called the rumored signing bonuses and compensation packages on offer 'crazy'. 'I'm really happy that, at least so far, none of our best people have decided to take them up on that,' Altman said during an appearance on the Uncapped podcast, which is hosted by his brother Jack. 'I think the strategy of a ton of upfront, guaranteed comp, and that being the reason you tell someone to join, like really the degree to which they're focusing on that and not the work and not the mission, I don't think that's going to set up a great culture.'
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Sir David Murray vows to save Dalzell steel mill as he reveals masterplan
SIR David Murray vowed to be a 'big customer' of Dalzell steel mill if his masterplan to save it becomes reality. The ex-Rangers owner and metal magnate, 73, says he is ready to play a major role in providing Scottish steel for North Sea wind turbines to power the nation's future energy. 4 Sir David Murray vowed to be a 'big customer' of Dalzell steel mill Credit: Andrew Barr 4 The plant in Motherwell is currently mothballed due to cheap Chinese steel imports and a drought in orders Credit: Getty 4 Some 140 workers were furloughed or placed on maintenance duties in April this year Credit: Reuters 4 New Liberty owner Sanjeev Gupta with Nicola Sturgeon Credit: Alan Ewing The plant in Motherwell is currently mothballed due to cheap Chinese steel imports and a drought in orders, with some 140 workers furloughed or placed on maintenance duties in April this year. Sir David has been in talks with Holyrood ministers for a decade over halting the industry's decline. He has now revealed he has held hush-hush negotiations with the UK Government to rescue the mill. His latest intervention comes after PM Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray blasted SNP ministers in May for allowing the nation's last remaining steel plants — Dalzell and Clydebridge in Cambuslang — to cease production. The Scottish Government orchestrated a takeover of the sites in 2016, putting taxpayers' cash on the line. And Sir Keir insisted last month it was important to 'get those plants up and running again'. Now Sir David has told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: 'There is a lot of political stuff going on over Dalzell. I've been heavily involved in trying to save the plate mill. 'I have spoken to the British Government in the last week and there's a meeting in a few weeks' time. 'The workforce has stayed at home for months and got 80 per cent of their wages. But it could be sorted in a week. We need people in management to work with me. 'I'd be the chairman, I'd help the management, I'd help the business, we'd be a big customer. Former Rangers owner Sir David Murray vows to save Dalzell steel mill with masterplan 'At the time it closed, I was one of its biggest customers. 'At our peak we'd be selling 550,000 tonnes of steel a year. 'That's five Forth rail bridges in weight. Today it's just over one because the fabrication business is diminishing — it's ridiculous that Britain does not have the capacity to roll a steel plate.' Sir David told how there is one mill in the north-east of England which is Ukrainian-owned. He went on: 'The wind turbines being made for the North Sea are much bigger now. 'It's a heavier plate, ideal for Dalzell. There are 50,000 tonnes of steel coming to Teesside this week from Korea to be made into turbines. 'The Scottish Government don't own one wind turbine. Look at the cost of energy. We are buying power from other people who put in these turbines. We need to create growth, jobs and prosperity in this country.' We told last July of fears the Dalzell operation would be mothballed amid a slowdown in work. A report in March by the Community Union, which represents workers at the two plants, said low-cost steel from China and high UK energy prices were hitting British steel production. The union said Dalzell needed investment to become a 'world-leading producer' of a key turbines component. Sir David has long called for an inquiry into the Scottish Government's involvement in the 2016 sale of the Lanarkshire plants to tycoon Sanjeev Gupta and Liberty Steel. The sale was backed by a £7million loan from Scottish Enterprise. MURRAY'S HEART SCARE OP EXCLUSIVE by Rodger Hannah SIR David Murray has lifted the lid on a secret heart op after he was diagnosed with a potentially-fatal medical condition. The businessman fell ill shortly before selling Rangers to Craig Whyte in 2011 — to be told he had an aortic aneurysm. He revealed: 'I was driving home over the Forth Road Bridge and I thought I was having a heart attack. I went into Dunfermline Hospital. I had a scan. It's basically your main blood vessel and the aneurysm makes it expand. 'If it bursts, you've got about half an hour.' Sir David believes the pressure of Rangers' financial issues and the global recession could have contributed to his health scare. He added: 'They told me I needed an operation, which I had in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. 'I shared the information with Craig Brown a few years ago. 'He had an identical thing. His burst but they managed to get him in on time.' Former Scotland manager Brown needed life-saving surgery in 2020. He told the Scottish Sun at the time: 'They say only about three out of ten survive it.' Brown died in 2023 aged 82. But Sir David claims ministers rejected his rival bid because it was potentially incompatible with state aid rules, and has criticised Mr Gupta's management since. He said: 'Ten years ago, I met the Scottish Government and the First Minister [Nicola Sturgeon]. I put a proposal to them and I was told they couldn't do it because they couldn't give state aid. 'Then they lent somebody else £7million who hasn't paid it back.' Mr Gupta, executive chairman of GFG Alliance which owns Liberty Steel, is being prosecuted by Companies House for failing to file accounts for more than 70 companies listed in Britain. He denies any wrongdoing. Ayr-born Sir David spoke exclusively ahead of this Thursday's July publication of his autobiography 'Mettle: Tragedy, Courage and Titles. He remains chair of his family firm, Murray Capital Group, albeit his son, also David, runs day-to-day operations as managing director. He reveals in his new book that some of his teenage grandkids have already attended board meetings. He added: 'There is an opportunity for young people but you better come to the table with a skill. 'You're not coming, as my great friend Sean Connery said, as a member of The Lucky Sperm Club.' The UK Government confirmed Sir David had met with MP Ian Murray. A source said: 'David Murray has met Ian Murray to discuss his concerns about the Dalzell works being mothballed because the SNP cut a bad deal. We encourage the SNP Government to take advantage of the trade deals the UK Labour Government has cut and the industrial strategy which present a huge opportunity for Scottish steel.' Liberty Steel declined to comment. The Scottish Government said its 2016 intervention 'sustained over 100 jobs at Dalzell and retained steelmaking capacity in Scotland.' Scottish Enterprise confirmed: 'We remain in discussion with Liberty Steel regarding repayment of the loan funding.'
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Ready for takeoff: PING Group partners with ubloquity to accelerate digital transformation in aerospace and defence
Partnership will create five specialist tech roles and enhance transparency, traceability, and resilience across Northern Ireland and Scotland's aerospace and defence supply chains - a sector generating a combined £9.5 billion in annual turnover. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Headquartered in Northern Ireland with a key site at Edinburgh Airport, PING Group - a leading provider of engineering, supply chain, and technical services to the Aerospace and Defence industry- has appointed ubloquity, a specialist digital identity and distributed ledger technology (DLT) company, to lead its visionary digitaltransformation programme. As part of the partnership, Banbridge-based ubloquity will deliver digital asset identification, authentication and traceability across PING's growing operations, ensuring exceptional efficiency in real-time asset management. A dedicated digital centre of excellence at PING's Belfast International Airport site will accelerate innovation and provide advanced solutions tailored to the evolving needs of its aerospace, defence, and industrial customers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jonny McKinney, CEO of PING Group, commented: 'At PING, we believe in combining precision with innovation. Our partnership with ubloquity is a strategic step in future-proofing our business and that of our supply chain. The rollout of next-generation digital infrastructure and asset-level digital passports across landside and airside operations will provide real-time visibility, enhanced security, and end-to-end traceability. This will lay the foundation for more sustainable, transparent, and resilient logistics supply chains. Jonny McKinney, CEO of PING Group and Kieran Kelly, CEO and Founder of ubloquity. 'The creation of a digital centre of excellence enables us to respond to the growing demand for traceability, compliance, and frictionless trade across our sector. We are confident that our partnership with ubloquity will be instrumental in driving our digital journey forward and we look forward to the opportunities ahead.' Kieran Kelly, CEO and Founder of ubloquity, said: 'For ubloquity, this partnership with PING is about backing a premier Northern Ireland business at the heart of airside and landside logistics and storage, supporting their digital transformation and helping to drive adoption across the wider sector. We'll act as an enabler to fast-track digitisation, reduce friction, increase automation, and deliver greater efficiencies across their growing operation.' Using ubloquity's innovative and secure solutions, the digital centre of excellence will focus on creating a digital twin to support traceability across aerospace and defence components, zero-friction supply chain integration, AI and IoT-enabled asset monitoring, and support for export and compliance standards, aligned with international trade requirements and defence frameworks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The partnership has already gained cross-sector support with Leslie Orr, Director at ADS Northern Ireland, saying: 'Northern Ireland is a centre of excellence foraerospace and defence engineering, and this collaboration between PING and ubloquity strengthens our region's leadership in digital innovation. It supports the sector's move toward intelligent, transparent, and resilient supply chains - an area critical for both national and global competitiveness.' Jonny McKinney, CEO of PING Group and Kieran Kelly, CEO and Founder of ubloquity. As an AWS Partner, ubloquity welcomed support from Fiona Simpson, General Manager at AWS for Ireland/Northern Ireland: 'AWS is committed to supporting digital innovation across the UK and Ireland. We're proud to see partners like ubloquity and PING lead the way in applying secure cloud-native solutions to mission-critical sectors. The creation of a digital centre of excellence aligns with AWS's commitment to enabling scalable, secure, and sustainable technology solutions that drive real-world impact.' ubloquity is also a proud participant in the prestigious Aerospace Xcelerated (AX) programme. Nicola Bates, Head of Aerospace Xcelerated – Boeing, welcomed the partnership, stating:"At Aerospace Xcelerated, we are proud to recognise the PING and ubloquity for their groundbreaking work in digital transformation across the aerospace and defence supply chain. Their innovative approach to digital asset identity and frictionless trade demonstrates exactly the kind of bold thinking and technological leadership we champion. This partnership celebrates their vision, impact, and commitment to driving the sector forward." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This partnership builds on ubloquity's growing track record of delivering digital infrastructure for critical sectors and reinforces PING's mission to become a strategic digital enabler for its customers.
