Last checked at 16 Aug 2010 07:00
16 August 2010
ITM Power plc
("ITM Power" or "the Company")
Sheffield and London Local Authorities Join ITM's On Site Hydrogen Trials
ITM Power, the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce that Sheffield City Council and the London Borough of Camden have signed an agreement to participate in the Hydrogen On Site Trials (HOST) of ITM's transportable high pressure refueling unit (HFuel) that is currently being built with support from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and partners Gateway to London and Revolve Technologies, as announced in February 2010.
Commencement of HOST will begin in 2011, and will encompass the operation and refueling of two HICE (Hydrogen Internal Combustion Energy) Revolve Technologies Ford Transit vehicles with hydrogen produced on site at the point of use, at sites operated by participating companies and in the Gateway to London development area. Sheffield City Council and London Borough of Camden join DHL Supply Chain, London Stansted Airport and the Forestry Commission who have recently signed agreements to join HOST.
Membership of HOST provides each partner with a one week free trial of HFuel and the two Revolve HICE transit vehicles, and an option to lease both HFuel and vehicles for additional week(s). The demonstrations are 100% managed and operated by ITM personnel in liaison with site owners' operations and management.
Commenting for ITM Power, CEO Graham Cooley stated"We are delighted that Sheffield CC, and the London Borough of Camden, have taken the initiative to become the first local authorities to join the HOST programme in order to appraise the potential of ITM's energy storage: clean fuel technology, for decarbonising return to base logistics fleet vehicles and realising local air quality objectives. Sheffield and London are important locations for local authority trials of ITM's technology; ITM Power's manufacturing facility is based in Sheffield, where we already have an existing refuelling station on Atlas Way; we are keen to see the benefits of the trial extended throughout the local economy. In London, the Borough of Camden presents the ideal partner for presenting our technology to the Capital. It's all about producing a clean fuel at the point of use, addressing the important sustainability issue of eliminating the carbon foot print of the fuel supply chain in the inner city. The HOST trials will form an important role in demonstrating the potential of ITM's HFuel technology to the local authority logistics sector marketplace over the next year and we expect companies from other sectors to be joining the HOST scheme in the near future."
Councillor Andrew Sangar, Sheffield City Council's Cabinet member for Climate Change said:"We are pleased to be able to test these hydrogen-fuelled vehicles in Sheffield. Access to low carbon transport technology is an important factor in attracting businesses to the city, with commercial vehicles being a major contributor of carbon emissions. ITM's hydrogen refuelling trial firmly puts the city on the map for testing the latest clean fuel technology."
Gloria Esposito, Senior Sustainability Officer at the London Borough of Camden said:"We welcome the offer to trial ITM Power's hydrogen refueling system for commercial vehicles. Camden has some of the poorest air quality levels in London and we are committed to improving air quality and making Camden a low carbon borough. Commercial vehicle transport is a significant contributor to both air pollution and carbon emissions, and ITM's HOST scheme presents us with an opportunity evaluate a clean fuel that burns with zero carbon emissions in the heart of the capital."
For further information please visit www.itm-power.com or contact:
| ITM Power plc Graham Cooley, CEO | 0114 244 5111 |
| Panmure Gordon & Co. Katherine Roe | 020 7459 3600
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| Tavistock Communications Simon Hudson / Andrew Dunn | 020 7920 3150 |
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