Ballard, Acme in fuel cell supply deal

Burnaby, British Columbia-based Ballard Power Systems (Nasdaq: BLDP) has signed a multi-year agreement to supply fuel cells to Gurgaon, India's Acme Group.

Ballard said the fuel cells would provide backup power for the wireless telecommunications market in India.

"The need for extended runtime capability throughout wireless networks in India is acute, given the unreliable electricity grid in that country combined with the tremendous growth rate in telecom services," said John Sheridan, president and CEO of Ballard.

"The agreement will help accelerate fuel cell product adoption."

Ballard said the deal imposes mutual exclusivity on both companies for the India wireless telecommunications backup power market through 2010, subject to certain conditions.

The company said the agreement does not specify minimum volumes, but that in order to maintain its right to exclusivity, Acme must order at least 22.7 megawatts of fuel cell products through 2010.

"Fuel cell backup power systems offer an excellent value proposition to telecom service providers," said Manoj Upadhyay, CEO of the Acme Group.

"The quality of Ballard's fuel cell products gives us a strong foundation on which to build a leading fuel cell market position over the next few years."

Ballard said it would ship its existing Mark1020 ACS fuel cell as well as a new liquid-cooled reformate-capable fuel cell currently in development, in sizes ranging from the sub-kilowatt level to 7 kilowatts.

The company said Acme expects to begin systems design work immediately to integrate Ballard's fuel cells for trials beginning in early 2009, with initial deployments planned for later that year.

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