COLUMBIA, SC—SCRA, a global leader in applied research and commercialization, has signed a contract with the SC Center for Transportation and the Environment to lead a project that will install and commission a hydrogen fueling station in downtown Columbia.

Work will commence immediately with the goal of having the station operational in advance of the 2009 National Hydrogen Association annual conference, which will be held in Columbia in late March, 2009.

Funding for the first phase of the project, which will design and configure the station, order major pieces of equipment and secure the necessary permits to begin construction, is being provided by proceeds from a federal grant awarded to EngenuitySC and by proceeds from the South Carolina Industry Partnership Fund administered by SCRA.

“This project represents an unambiguous commitment by the political, economic and academic leaders in the Columbia region to growing and developing a hydrogen and fuel cell economy in the Midlands,” said Bill Mahoney, SCRA CEO. “SCRA is pleased to lead investment in this and other projects that fulfill our legislative mandates through the Innovation Centers and Industry Partnership Acts.”

The station’s first “customer” will be the Federal Transit Administration’s National Fuel Cell Bus Program, which will provide a hybrid battery – fuel cell bus for demonstration in Columbia beginning late in 2008. The bus, which is being built in Golden, Colorado, will operate in Columbia for a year as part of a three-site test program.

The project team will be led by the Center for Transportation and the Environment, an Atlanta-based organization specializing in public transportation projects.

On the Web: www.scra.org; www.cte.tv

© 2008, TechJournal South. All rights reserved.