Acta : First Repeat Order from Australian Telco Customer

2 July 2014

Acta S.p.A. ("Acta" or "the Company")

First Repeat Order from Australian Telco Customer

Acta S.p.A (AIM: ACTA), the hydrogen energy company, is pleased to announce the sale of a further three Acta Power systems to SEFCA Pty Ltd, its Australian distributor and commercial partner for a back-up power application, for one of Australia's largest mobile phone operators.

The three Acta Power systems specified in this first repeat order, are expected to be fulfilled in the second half of the current financial year and will each incorporate a ReliOn fuel cell module with a power output of 2.5kW. Whilst relatively modest, this order represents the initial phase of a much larger deployment opportunity, which is expected to grow in volume with successive stages of implementation over the next two years.

This repeat order follows the successful evaluation by the end customer of the Acta Power system over the past nine months. The success of the evaluation has clearly demonstrated that the ACTA system is suitable for off-grid applications as the power for the back-up system was generated entirely from solar photovoltaic cells completely independent of the mains power grid.

Paolo Bert, CEO of Acta, commented: "Our customer has been impressed with the reliability and performance of the Acta Power system when installed in-field in a live application, and we are pleased to see this important customer moving forwards into the next deployment phase.  As stated in our recent trading update, we look forward to providing further news regarding the progress of our other opportunities within the telecom and other markets in due course.

"This latest order further strengthens Acta's position for back-up power within the mobile telecoms sector. Futhermore, this repeat order validates our technology and enables Acta and its partners to enter the multi-billion dollar market opportunity for on-site hydrogen generation."

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About Acta S.p.A.

Acta S.p.A. is a developer and manufacturer of a range of clean energy products.  Based on its world-leading expertise in alkaline membrane technology, the Company has developed a unique range of low-cost, compact hydrogen generators (electrolysers) which produce pure, dry compressed hydrogen at high efficiency from renewable or grid power.

In June 2013 Acta shipped the first Acta Power, an integrated electrolyser and fuel cell system for use in back-up power and renewable energy storage applications.  Best understood as a "Hydrogen Battery", the system converts energy from renewable or grid power when it is available and stores it in the form of hydrogen, and then converts the hydrogen back to electrical power when needed due to grid black-out or lack of solar / wind power. 

This system has extensive application as a back-up power unit for telecommunications base stations, where it competes on cost against traditional battery and diesel solutions, while offering a cleaner solution and better service.  In particular, the use of rainwater and the generation of hydrogen on-site removes the cost and logistical barriers of fuel delivery, while also avoiding the theft risk associated with diesel, methanol and battery systems. 

The supply of fuel cell back-up power systems for telecommunications base stations represents a large and fast-growing market, especially in extensively bad-grid and off-grid locations such as in Asia and Africa.  Battery sales to the Chinese telecoms industry are currently valued at $4.7 bn to $7.8 bn per annum (Fuel Cell Today, China).

Acta holds a portfolio of patents and patent applications on its key technologies, manufactures its products through a combination of production, component subcontracting, and final product assembly and quality control, and has established distribution channels through partnerships in China, India, SE Asia, Australia, Africa, Middle East, Germany, UK, USA and South America.

Acta S.p.A. is based near Pisa, Italy, and was admitted to trading on AIM in October 2005.