According to a report from The Daily Review, the investment will finance new technology of tungsten powder production, military products, phosphor and specialty products. It will also be used to construct facilities to produce a component for solid oxide fuel cells. The investment is expected to create 30 new jobs at the plant by the end of 2011, and more jobs could be created after that, said Craig Rieder, director of human resources at the plant. Solid oxide fuel cells can convert natural gas, bio-ethanol, or biogas into electricity. They are made of fuel cell stacks, consisting of ceramic electrolytes joined together with a thin metal interconnect which is made, using a powder metallurgy process, from a refractory metal alloy. This alloy is engineered by GTP to allow the stacks to operate continuously at temperatures of approximately 900°C(1,652°F) without deteriorating, while maintaining high electrical conductivity. Manufacturing equipment for the fuel cell components is scheduled to arrive at the plant late this year, with production of the components scheduled to begin by the summer of 2011.
