SLAM was engaged by Nel Hydrogen, a global company that provides solutions for the production, storage and distribution of hydrogen from renewable energy sources, to design and build their expansion, and renovations to their Hydrogen manufacturing facility. The existing Nel facility was expanded to an enhanced 99,000 SF working area, to accommodate new equipment and manufacturing technology, thus allowing the company to increase their production capacity of 40 megawatts to 500 megawatts. The renovations included new automated assembly clean rooms, R+D, testing, and improved workflow. The SLAM team also renovated and refurbished Nel’s offices, cafeteria, conference rooms, lobby, and communal café.
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at-a-glanceNel Hydrogen aims to consistently enhance and refine their equipment to optimize energy production processes. The client had an aggressive timeline with complex renovations while needing to maintain a fully operational facility.
From the project inception, SLAM was dedicated to supporting Nel in achieving this objective. Our unique integration as both designer and builder on this monumental renovation and expansion project allowed for agility, flexibility, and responsiveness during an ever evolving unprecedented construction delivery process.
SLAM’s integrated design build team along with our key trade subcontractors were involved early within the project to develop a 7-phase schedule that coordinated long lead products with their new equipment delivery. We were able to begin the renovations of the expansion areas ahead of the manufacturing design documents. This fast-tracked process helped meet the client’s scheduling goals, commissioning, and startup of their new equipment. The specialized nature of their operations, natural hydrogen gases and other safety considerations required close coordination between NEL Hydrogen and our construction team to better understand the risks within the areas of work. In response, our team developed safety and testing protocols to manage the quality assurance and control throughout the project. In many cases SLAM Construction Services needed to facilitate workarounds to deal with the delays associated with the specialty products needed for this renovation.
Nel Hydrogen’s Nitride Furnace was a custom built oversized large piece of production equipment that required the SLAM team to act quickly to accommodate. This last minute dimension change required our D/B team to relocate overhead racks, ME & P piping, glazing and the reconstruction of one exterior wall to allow the equipment to be loaded into the building; all within a 3 week window.
Nel’s new Roll-2-Roll machinery was scheduled to be placed in the facility’s newly customized research room. Once the machinery was carefully moved into the area and commissioned, our teams worked around the clock to allow the piece of equipment to operate safely while construction took place within close proximity.
Nel Hydrogen’s expansion required the integration of highly specific and customized equipment like M-Series Test Cell Unit.
SLAM staff worked collaboratively with our subcontractor teams to ensure that delivery and installation of the new machinery was maneuvered through the production floor, assembled, and connected.
SLAM’s tight budget management and contingency releases helped NEL make informed decisions on additional project enhancements for their employees, including new break out areas and café; improved office cubicles and work stations.
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