Business and Financial Review • Mar 22, 2020
Business and Financial Review
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Operational update from Nel ASA in relation to COVID-19
(Oslo, 22 March 2020) Nel ASA (Nel) has implemented measures to ensure the
safety of its employees and customers, in addition to ensuring continued
operation around the world. Following a state of Connecticut executive order,
the majority of the activities at the Wallingford facility will be temporarily
suspended until second half of April 2020. Activities in Norway and Denmark
continues in line with national and local recommendations. Further, as a result
of international travel restrictions, some delays are expected for H2Station®
installation and commissioning. Nel has a strong cash position with close to
zero debt, the underlying market activities and interest in hydrogen remains
strong, and the company reiterates the positive market outlook.
"We have been following the situation closely from the start and implemented
procedures as recommended by the World Health Organization and national
authorities. The safety and well-being of our employees and co-citizens are our
top priority and we have implemented additional strict measures to ensure
continued and safe operations. Following a state executive order in Connecticut,
we are temporarily suspending manufacturing at the Wallingford plant, while
maintaining the other parts of the business and continuing operations at the
other locations. We are taking mitigating actions to reduce impact of the
temporary issues and are in close dialogue with the affected customers", says
Jon André Løkke, Chief Executive Officer of Nel.
The state of Connecticut has issued executive order 7H, instructing work-from
-home regulations for all employees through 22 April. As a consequence, Nel will
hold the plant in Wallingford temporarily closed, and is in close contact with
the local authorities evaluating whether parts of the production may continue.
International travel restrictions are also causing some delays in H2Station®
installation and commissioning, and disruptions in the supply chain may impact
deliveries over the coming few months. Nel is monitoring the situation closely,
in dialogue with its suppliers and customers. No projects and orders are
expected to be cancelled.
Nel raised capital in January 2020 and has medio March 2020 a cash balance of
approximately NOK 1.3 billion.
"With no debt and a strong cash balance, Nel is financially well equipped to
manage the situation. The underlying market activities and interest in hydrogen
as a key decarbonizing vector remains strong, and despite the extraordinary
situation, we reiterate the positive market outlook," Løkke concludes.
Currency exposures on customer contracts are hedged, and currency risk on
customer contracts is therefore considered as low to medium. As the Nel group
reports its consolidated results in NOK, any change in exchange rates between
NOK and its subsidiaries' functional currencies affects its consolidated
statement of income and consolidated statement of financial position.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Jon André Løkke, CEO, Nel ASA, +47 907 44 949
Bjørn Simonsen, VP Investor Relations & Corporate Communication, +47 971 79 821
About Nel ASA | www.nelhydrogen.com
Nel is a global, dedicated hydrogen company, delivering optimal solutions to
produce, store, and distribute hydrogen from renewable energy. We serve
industries, energy, and gas companies with leading hydrogen technology. Our
roots date back to 1927, and since then, we have had a proud history of
development and continuous improvement of hydrogen technologies. Today, our
solutions cover the entire value chain: from hydrogen production technologies to
hydrogen fueling stations, enabling industries to transition to green hydrogen,
and providing fuel cell electric vehicles with the same fast fueling and long
range as fossil-fueled vehicles - without the emissions.
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