Mother Plant facility secured

Ceres Power announces that it has secured a facility for the volume manufacturing of its fuel cells. The facility is located in Horsham, South East England and includes an existing building (formerly used for a semi-conductor production facility) which is well suited to Ceres’ production requirements.

The 50,000 sq ft (5,000 sq m) building has been secured on a long leasehold and is located within 10 miles of Ceres Power’s headquarters. The site’s convenient location helps to minimise logistics costs and facilitate technology transfer from the existing Ceres pilot plant in Crawley. Ceres will use the new facility to mass manufacture fuel cells and for volume assembly of fuel cell stacks and fuel cell modules, using the scalable processes and machines developed and trialled at the Company’s existing pilot plant.

Ceres’ strategy is to manufacture in-house the intellectual property-rich fuel cell core technology and to assemble the fuel cell module, the common ‘electrochemical engine’ platform across the Ceres product range. Assembly of the CHP products in volume is intended to be completed by an assembly partner in accordance with Ceres’ design.

The development of a UK-based volume fuel cell manufacturing facility will create a significant number of new skilled ‘green-collar’ jobs both directly at the facility and in the surrounding area via the Company’s extended supply chain.

Peter Bance, Chief Executive Officer of Ceres Power, commented:

“We are delighted to have achieved another significant milestone for Ceres Power. Securing the site where we will establish our fuel cell mass manufacturing is key step forward in the commercialisation of our technology and underpins our roadmap to volume launch of our CHP products in the UK. This plant will also provide the template for further expansion internationally and will help support Ceres Power’s growth plant into other markets”.

Stiles Harold Williams acted for Ceres Power in securing the property, having initially searched for suitable properties across the South East, identifying and short listing several opportunities and negotiating satisfactory terms for Ceres Power.

For further information contact:

Ceres Power Holdings Plc Tel: +44 (0) 1293 400 404
Peter Bance, Chief Executive
Rex Vevers, Finance Director

Morgan Stanley Tel: +44 (0) 20 7677 5044
Alisdair Gayne/ Jon Bathard-Smith

Kreab & Gavin Anderson Tel: +44 (0) 20 7554 1400
Robert Speed/ Ken Cronin/
Deborah Walter

Stiles Harold Williams Tel: +44 (0) 20 8662 2700
Robert Bradley-Smith