THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED
UNDER THE UK VERSION OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION NO 596/2014
WHICH IS PART OF ENGLISH LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN (WITHDRAWAL)
ACT 2018, AS AMENDED. ON PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA
A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED TO
BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
20 November 2024
Proton Motor Power Systems
plc
("Proton Motor" or the
"Company")
Financing update
and
Proposed cancellation from
AIM
Proton Motor Power Systems plc (AIM:
PPS), the designer, developer and producer of fuel cells and fuel
cell electric hybrid systems with a zero-carbon footprint, provides
the following update.
On 22 August 2024, the Company
announced that it had received a notification from the Company's
principal lender that the Company's working capital requirements
will only be supported until 31 December 2024. It was also
simultaneously announced that the Company was in discussions with
other potential sources of finance in order that the business could
continue as a going concern.
On 18 September 2024, the Company
announced that, in the absence of securing financing or being able
to draw upon its existing debt facilities beyond the end of the
year, there was a very high risk that the Company would not be able
to operate beyond 31 December 2024. The Directors considered that
in this scenario, they would have no option but to initiate an
orderly wind down of the business and seek the cancellation of the
admission of the Company's ordinary shares ("Ordinary Shares") from
trading on AIM. The Company subsequently announced on 23
September 2024 and more recently on 29 October 2024, that potential
funding discussions continued, although highlighted that there was
no certainty that any such funding discussions will conclude
satisfactorily.
The Company had been in advanced
discussions with a German based potential industrial partner
regarding a possible funding solution which would have enabled the
Company to continue to trade beyond the end of 2024. Regrettably,
these discussions have now terminated.
As a result, and following an
extensive review by the Board of the likelihood of securing sources
of finance to enable the Company to continue to operate beyond 31
December 2024, the Board has now concluded that the most
appropriate course of action is to continue with the orderly wind
down of the business.
The Company intends to seek approval
from the shareholders of the Company ("Shareholders") to cancel the
admission of the Company's Ordinary Shares to trading on AIM in
accordance with Rule 41 of the AIM Rules for Companies (the
"Proposed Cancellation"). A circular convening a general
meeting of the Company to approve the Proposed Cancellation and
providing further detail on the next steps will be published in due
course and a further announcement will be made at that
time.
The principal asset of the Company
is its intellectual property, the value of which is largely
dependent on the group's ability to continue to trade as a going
concern. As at 30 June 2024, the Company had unaudited total
liabilities of approximately of £143.1 million and net liabilities
of approximately £116 million. There can therefore be no guarantee
that the Company will be capable of a solvent winding up, nor of
the possible returns to Shareholders, if any, in that
circumstance.
For
further information:
Proton Motor Power Systems
Plc
|
|
Dr Faiz Nahab,
CEO
|
|
Roman Kotlarzewski, CFO
|
+49 (0) 173 189 0923
|
|
www.protonpowersystems.com
|
Allenby Capital
Limited
|
|
Nominated Adviser &
Broker
|
+44 (0) 20 3328 5656
|
James Reeve / Vivek
Bhardwaj
|
|
|
|
Celicourt Communications
|
|
PR Adviser
|
+44 (0) 20 7770 6424
/ protonmotor@celicourt.uk
|
Mark Antelme / Philip
Dennis /
Charlie Denley-Myerson
|
|
About Proton Motor
Proton Motor has 25 years of
experience in Power Solutions using CleanTech technologies such as
hydrogen fuel cells, fuel cell and hybrid
systems with a zero carbon
footprint. Based in Puchheim near Munich,
Proton Motor develops and produces standard Products as well as
customised solutions. The focus of
Proton Motor is on stationary solutions, as well as heavy-duty,
marine and rail applications. The product portfolio consists
of base-fuel cell systems, standard complete, as well as customised
systems.
Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Proton Motor Power Systems plc. The
Company has been quoted on the AIM market of the London Stock
Exchange since October 2006 (code: PPS).