N.M. Delegation Welcomes $18.5 Million for Albuquerque-Based Pajarito Powder to Boost Advanced Energy Manufacturing, Create 60 New Jobs
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) are welcoming $18,449,999, from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for Pajarito Powder, an Albuquerque, N.M.-based company, to boost manufacturing of advanced energy technologiesand create 60 direct manufacturing jobs.
The DOE has awarded Pajarito Powder with a $8,450,000 grant to increase its production of hydrogen electrolyzer catalysts, one of the few companies in the country producing these catalysts, and a $9,999,999 grant to scale up manufacturing of hydrogen fuel cell catalysts.
“This major investment will further solidify New Mexico’s role as a leader in advanced energy manufacturing, creating 60 new high-quality jobs and helping to grow our economy,” said Heinrich. “I’m pleased to have worked alongside Pajarito Powder to secure this federal investment and will continue fighting to keep New Mexico at the center of clean energy innovation. Our state is the best place in America to manufacture cutting-edge technologies and build industries of the future — creating high-quality jobs New Mexicans can build their families around, and producing cleaner, more affordable American-made energy.”
“This nearly $18.5 million investment through the Department of Energy for Pajarito Powder will further New Mexico’s production of advanced energy technologies and create dozens of good-paying manufacturing jobs for the Albuquerque area,” said Luján. “I’m proud to welcome this federal funding and will continue to work to secure resources to ensure New Mexico remains a leader in the manufacturing of advanced energy technologies.”
“This $18.4 million from the Department of Energy sets New Mexico on course to be a leader in advanced energy technologies,” said Fernández. “This is a major investment in our state’s economy and will create good-paying jobs while ensuring America continues to innovate, compete, and succeed.”
"Manufacturing drives the country, and I am honored to see that sector growing in New Mexico," said Stansbury. "This $18.5 million for Pajarito Powder will push energy production forward and give 60 people jobs in Albuquerque. Every job and every piece of funding shows the continued strength of our economy. Manufacturing has a bright future in New Mexico and the United States, all thanks to the work of the Biden Administration."
“New Mexico continues to lead the way in sustainable energy manufacturing. That's why I'm proud to welcome $18.5 million for Pajarito Powder to accelerate clean energy innovation right here in Albuquerque," said Vasquez. "This investment will create 60 good-paying jobs and strengthen our role in advancing critical technologies like hydrogen. By supporting companies like Pajarito, we’re building a cleaner, more sustainable economy that benefits all New Mexicans.”
“Domestic development and manufacture of advanced catalysts for fuel cell and green hydrogen generation are crucial goals for DOE,” said Pajarito Powder Chief Operating Officer Dr. Michele Ostraat, who is Principal Investigator on both projects. “The catalysts that Pajarito Powder has developed will be manufactured at ever-increasing scales and will make New Mexico a significant player in the domestic hydrogen supply chain.”
“These awards are crucial for the major scale-up of catalyst manufacturing,” said Pajarito Powder Chief Executive Officer Thomas J. Stephenson. “Widespread industrial decarbonization, using these catalysts, can only be achieved through significant scale-up.”
Heinrich has been fighting hard to pass legislation and secure investments that are lowering costs, growing the state’s economy, and expanding high-quality manufacturing jobs New Mexicans can build their families around.
In 2022, Heinrich helped author and pass into law the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, which has created a manufacturing renaissance in the state and established New Mexico at the center of the nation’s clean energy future. Heinrich marked the two-year anniversary of the legislation being signed into law in August, highlighting how its incentives have expanded and spurred a number of new clean energy projects across New Mexico.
Earlier this year, Heinrich highlighted $20 million from the Inflation Reduction Act for Pajarito Powder to scale production of components for electrolyzers and fuel cells. Heinrich invited the U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to tour the facilities of Pajarito Powder in Albuquerque, N.M.
In June, the N.M. Delegation welcomed $23.9 million from the CHIPS and Science Act for SolAero, an Albuquerque, N.M.-based manufacturing company, to increase its production of compound semiconductors for spacecraft and satellites, as part of an expansion and modernization of their facility. Heinrich, Luján, and Stansbury, along with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, welcomed U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves and White House CHIPS Coordinator Ryan Harper to New Mexico to highlight this investment.
In April, Heinrich and Luján welcomed Energy Secretary Granholm to break ground on a new 216,000-square-foot Array Technologies manufacturing campus — a $50+ million investment located on Albuquerque’s Westside — which will employ over 300 additional New Mexicans to facilitate the production, assembly, design, engineering, and customer service of solar tracking technology.
That same day, Heinrich, Granholm, and Vasquez participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the production of the first wind towers coming off the Arcosa Wind Towers manufacturing line. The ribbon-cutting ceremony came nearly nine months after Heinrich welcomed President Biden to the Belén manufacturing facility — a $60 million investment that will have a $314 million economic impact and create 250 jobs in the region.
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