“It’s more than a dream or a hope,” said Mark Fleiner, president of Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (US), Inc. “We’re committed to making it happen.”

The plan is to manufacture a one megawatt power generation system within the next three years. Such a plant would be capable of providing power to 200 homes, a university or a hospital.

Officials from Rolls-Royce and state government officials were at Stark State Friday afternoon for the announcement.

Stark State has a fuel cell incubator on campus and Rolls-Royce is the charter tenant in the facility which represents a $4.7 million investment, said John O’Donnell, president of Stark State College of Technology.

“This is a special day for Stark State and the State of Ohio,” O’Donnell said. “Rolls-Royce is a major player in the industry. This will contribute to energy independence and lead to a new industry for the state of Ohio.”

All the pieces are in place – research, development and manufacturing, he said.

“This will help make Stark State the premier college of technology (in the United States),” O’Donnell said.

“We’re looking at Ohio’s future here today,” said U.S. Senator Mike Edwin, who with Gov. Bob Taft and U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula were praised in bringing federal assets to help with the project. “This is where the state needs to go.”

Edwin said the new fuel cell industry offers almost limitless potential because energy is used in everything.

Fleiner said Ohio was chosen because it is “unlike any other state in the union. It has people, materials, components and systems – a supply and support chain – in place.”

“All I can say is ‘Wow! This is a great day for Ohio and the United States,’” Regula said. “This is election season and many candidates are talking alternative fuels,” he said. “But that’s as far as they take it. They really don’t have any concrete examples of what that means. This is it.”

Regula also pointed out that Ohio with its outstanding transportation system is the “bridge to everywhere.” That now includes the United Kingdom and Singapore, where Rolls-Royce has facilities.

Regula also wisely pointed, Fleiner said, that the Rolls-Royce shareholders are footing the bills on research and development until viable returns start rolling in.

“We’re here today to say thank-you to those shareholders,” Regula said.

Taft praised Regula and Edwin for their efforts to cut through the federal red tape.

“There were two people I always knew I could go to when I needed help,” he said.

Taft also noted the state’s new tax rules will help Rolls-Royce and other companies which want to call Ohio home.

“There are no new taxes on investment in the state,” he said, “and no taxes on anything manufactured in the state that is sold outside Ohio.”

Rolls-Royce truly is great company to have in the partnership, Taft said, because of its global reach.

Tom Curley, president of Roll-Royce Energy Business, ticked off some of the companies accomplishments:

• $12 billion in sales world-wide.

• 37,500 employees in 50 countries.

• manufacturing in 20 countries.

• customers in 150 countries.

But the days of the Rolls-Royce automobile are long gone, he said. That division was sold off in the 1970s. There are four main divisions now, and Rolls-Royce is a world leader in providing power systems for civil and defense applications.

Also Friday, American Electric Power was named as a partner to test the new power plants.