Ceramic raises £10m

Ceramic Fuel Cells is raising £10 million (A$17.4 million) through a placing and subscription at 10.5p a share. The Australian company, whose shares are quoted on both London’s Alternative Investment Market and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), needs the funds so that it can expand production of its high-efficiency, low-emission electricity generation units.

There is also a non-renounceable, one-for-six rights issue at 18.25 cents a share plus an offer to non-Australian shareholders at 10.5p a share. The rights issue could raise up to £12.3 million and the overseas offer up to £2.1 million.  
 
This additional cash will be used to scale up CFC’s manufacturing operation in order to take advantage of increased demand for the company’s products. By the middle of August, CFC had six integrated mCHP units and twelve BlueGen units in operation, as well as orders for many more BlueGen units.

The amount being raised from the placing and subscription is similar to the cash outflow in the company’s most recent financial year. The cash balance at the end of June 2010 was £6.6 million (A$11.5 million), including £1.5 million (A$2.6 million) that is pledged to support guarantees.

The manufacturing plant in Heinsberg, Germany for the volume assembly of fuel stacks has been completed. The company is making fuel stacks at the plant using a low volume furnace. CFC is working with the supplier of its larger furnaces so that higher rates of production can commence at the required quality standards.

Revenues were one-fifth higher at A$2 million in the year to June 2010. The net loss was more than halved to A$19.7 million.

CFC’s shares lost 12.1% of their value last month, ending August at 10.55p each.

Market: AIM

Symbol: CFU

Price: 10.75p

Market Cap: £121m

12 month high/low: 17.1p/8.3p

 

Login

AIM Comment

AIM - a tough market for cleantech compnies - by Andrew Hore

Although a few new entrants have joined AIM this year, cleantech companies are still leaving the junior market. Stock markets around the world are becoming tougher places to raise money again, but the problems with the latest company to shun its AIM quotation date back to its flotation and lack of financial progress since, rather than current market conditions.

Read more


SUBSCRIBE

Quoted Cleantech costs £85 for annual subscription.

DOWNLOAD TRIAL ISSUE

Register Now! - to receive regular email alerts.

Subscribe Now! to receive the newsletter for one year AND gain online access to all the back issues.

Already a subscriber (and logged in)? Download the latest issue - and back issues - now

Editor´s Message

by Anne McIvor

The Solyndra collapse in the US has damaged investor sentiment throughout the solar industry. In an unrelated move, the UK Government has backtracked on its policy to provide feed-in-tariffs (FiTs) for the solar sector. The UK Government’s argument is that the prices of solar modules have fallen substantially since the policy was first put in place, and that the FiT subsidy now permits solar installers to make an unjustifiable return on their investments.

Read more

 

 

Cleantech Utility Comment

UK Energy Policy – Prescribed by Germany and France? - by Nigel Hawkins

The last few weeks have been busy times in the EU and UK energy sectors – and the next few months are unlikely to be any different. 

Read more