Acta : secures multiple electrolyser order

Acta S.p.A.

( " Acta " or " the Company " )

Acta secures multiple electrolyser order

Acta S.p.A. (AIM: ACTA), the clean energy products company, is delighted to announce that it has received a repeat order for fifteen 500L/h modular rack-mounted electrolysers from one of its longest standing customers, M-Field Energy Ltd ("M-Field"), a telecom back-up power fuel cell system integrator based in Taiwan.  This order follows the sale of six similar systems to M-Field previously announced on 14 October 2013.

The electrolysers are to be integrated into telecom back-up power systems produced by M-Field for supply to telecoms customers within Asia and elsewhere.  M-Field's back-up power system incorporates a 2kW fuel cell stack supplied by Ballard Power Systems Inc., which in January 2014 announced the sale of 400kW of fuel cell stacks to M-Field.  Delivery of the electrolyser units is scheduled to take place over the next two months. 

In addition, M-Field has also ordered a number of Acta's smaller electrolyser units, which will be shipped shortly.

Fuel cell back-up power systems, incorporating Acta's electrolyser for autonomous refuelling through onsite hydrogen generation, offer substantial benefits to telecommunications companies seeking to reduce the operating costs and security risks of their current base station back-up power systems.  

The receipt of this order provides strong validation of the technical performance of Acta's system when placed on site in real-world applications, together with a further confirmation of the cost savings and service benefits that the Company's system can deliver to mobile phone network operators. 

As previously notified, Acta has developed its own rechargeable fuel cell back-up power system, the Acta Power, which it has sold to a number of telecommunication companies for live on-site evaluations.  The Company is pleased to report that two of these evaluations have now been completed with success, with two in progress and one awaiting start-up.  The Company continues to progress negotiations towards larger network evaluation trials with these customers and will update the market on these developments in due course.

Paolo Bert, Chief Executive of Acta, commented:

" Acta ' s unique electrolyser is at the heart of our strategy to address new opportunities in the hydrogen energy market, both indirectly through partners such as M-Field and directly for back-up power, renewable energy storage, and hydrogen vehicle refuelling applications.  We are delighted to receive this new order from M-Field, one of our leading customers, and we look forward to supporting their growing success in this billion dollar telecom back-up power market. "

-ENDS-

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About ActaS.p.A.

ActaS.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 April 2013 Acta launched the 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.