Dover Energy Project: $380M Hydrogen Plant Joins Permitting Fast-Track Program

Dover’s proposed $380 million hydrogen and heavy water facility has been accepted into the state’s JobsFirst Permitting Accelerator. Governor Matt Meyer announced the decision on Thursday, marking the latest move to integrate the project into a streamlined regulatory framework. The plant, developed by the clean hydrogen startup Aternium, is scheduled for the Garrison Oak Business and Technology Park.

The facility aims to produce high-purity hydrogen for customers in the Mid-Atlantic region. It will also manufacture heavy water, or deuterium oxide, a material used in pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and defense industries. Aternium projects the project will generate approximately 50 permanent positions in technical, engineering, and operations roles. Salaries for these positions are expected to reach the low six figures, in addition to hundreds of temporary construction jobs.

Andrew Cottone, Aternium’s founder and CEO, stated that the United States currently relies on imported heavy water. He said the Dover facility will bring that production back to the U.S. "America needs a reliable domestic supply of heavy water," Cottone said. "Aternium is bringing that production back to the U.S. starting in Delaware."

Governor Meyer emphasized the state’s role in reducing bureaucratic hurdles for private investors. "When a company chooses Delaware, our job is to make sure government helps them succeed instead of standing in their way," Meyer said. The JobsFirst Permitting Accelerator was established via Executive Order 18 to coordinate reviews across state agencies. The program assigns a single point of contact to each accepted project and targets the completion of complex state permitting reviews within 120 business days.

The announcement follows earlier state support for Aternium. In September 2025, the Delaware Division of Small Business awarded the company $1 million through the State Small Business Credit Initiative’s Delaware Accelerator and Seed Capital Program. That funding was intended to support the expansion of the company’s clean hydrogen production capabilities.

Construction on the $380 million facility is expected to begin in late November 2027. The buildout is estimated to last 18 months. The project is currently in the planning phase, and local, state, and third-party approvals have not yet started. Aternium joins other projects already in the accelerator, which covers housing, energy, and broadband developments across the state.