Interim results for six months ended 30 June 2021

RNS Number : 1125N
Powerhouse Energy Group PLC
28 September 2021
 

28 September 2021

Powerhouse Energy Group plc

("Powerhouse" or the "Company")

 

Interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2021

 

Powerhouse Energy Group plc (AIM: PHE), the UK technology company pioneering hydrogen production from waste plastic and used tyres, announces its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2021. 

 

H1 2021 Highlights

 

Operational

· Progress at Protos

Key appointments made

Orders placed for long lead items including the alloy for thermal Conversion Chamber

· DNV validation of DMG design

· Selection of second site for DMG in Clydebank, Glasgow

 

Sales

· Engineering support provided to Peel and the SPV for the plant's construction  

 

Financial

· Placing in January 2021 raised £10 million before expenses

· £3.8m loan facility provided to Protos SPV

· Revenues arising of engineering service provision to Protos SPV

 

Corporate

· Institutional investor engagement in January fund raise

· Entered into exclusivity agreement with Hydrogen Utopia International (HUI) to deploy their clean energy technology in Poland, Greece and Hungary

 

Board changes and appointments

· Retirement of David Ryan as CEO

· Recruitment process for replacement of CEO underway

· Retirement of Dr. Cameron Davies as Director

· Ian Crockford appointed as specialist project executive to manage the Protos project

· Appointment of Paul Emmitt as Chief Technical Officer

 

Post-period Highlights

· Acquisition of 48% stake in Engsolve Limited

· Appointment of James Greenstreet as Chairman following retirement of Tim Yeo

· Resignation of Mark Berry as Non-Executive Director

· Appointment of Richard Hodgkinson as Business Development Executive

· Resignation of Allan Vlah as Non-Executive Director

· Appointment of Keith Riley as Non-Executive Director

 

 

James Greenstreet, Chairman, commented:  

 Powerhouse has made great progress in the first half of this year, bolstering the technical and management teams and acquiring a stake in Engsolve, the engineering consultancy. This progress supports our top priority, the building of our first commercial scale plant at the Protos Energy Park in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. During this period we were delighted to sign a binding agreement with HUI which intends to deploy Powerhouse technology in Poland, Greece and Hungary helping to provide a solution to the world's plastic pollution, accelerate the clean energy transition and improve our environment for future generations.

 

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014.

 

For more information, contact:

 

Tel: +44 (0) 203 368 6399

 

 

Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666

 

 

Tel: +44 (0) 203 657 0050

 

 

 

Mob: +44 (0) 7766522305

 

 

 

Notes to Editors:

About Powerhouse Energy Group plc

Powerhouse has developed a proprietary process technology - DMG® - which can utilise waste plastic, end-of-life-tyres, and other waste streams to efficiently and economically convert them into syngas from which valuable products such as chemical precursors, hydrogen, electricity and other industrial products may be derived. Powerhouse's technology is one of the world's first proven, distributed, modular, hydrogen from waste (HfW) process.

 

The Powerhouse DMG® process can generate up to 2 tonnes of road-fuel quality hydrogen and more than 58MWh of exportable electricity per day.

 

Powerhouse's process produces low levels of safe residues and requires a small operating footprint, making it suitable for deployment at enterprise and community level. As announced on 11th February 2020 under its Supplemental Agreement with Peel Environmental, Powerhouse will receive an annual license fee of £500,000 in respect of each project which is commissioned.

 

Powerhouse is quoted on the London Stock Exchange's AIM Market under the ticker: PHE and is incorporated in the United Kingdom.

 

For more information see www.powerhouseenergy.co.uk  

 

 

 

Interim Results for the six months to 30 June 2021

Chairman's Statement

 

Introduction

 

Powerhouse is pleased to update investors with progress made in the first half of 2021. The Company's top priority has been, and remains, the building of our first commercial scale plant at the Protos Energy Park in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Recently we have secured the site, bolstered our project and commercial management support and engaged with potential EPCm contractors. Long lead item commitment already actioned means that once a contractor is appointed we are able to gain a fast start and a compressed programme to completion and operation in 2023.

 

We continue to work closely with Peel NRE to successfully commission and operate this plant as quickly as possible.  When operational, this is expected to open up a worldwide market for our DMG technology which can transform plastics and waste into clean energy. 

 

The first half of the year saw several changes to the Board and key appointments to the management team. These appointments have helped to strengthen the management and draw on a wealth of experience in the energy sector. We also saw Tim Yeo step down as Executive Chairman, for personal reasons. However, we are pleased that Powerhouse continues to benefit from Tim's experience as he remains a consultant to the Company. I was pleased to be appointed as Non-Executive Chairman having been a Non-Executive Director of the Company for the past ten years.

 

We are delighted to have brought in Ian Crockford as an advisor to Powerhouse and Peel NRE to help ensure our first commercial scale plant at the Protos Energy Park is delivered as soon as possible. Ian's former assignments include responsibility for project delivery at the 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority.

 

Our most recent appointment is a business developer. Richard Hodgkinson will help promote Powerhouse technology and identify commercial opportunities.

 

We are pleased that our development partner in Poland, HUI, is seeking to deploy Powerhouse technology in Poland, Greece and Hungary and that we have now signed a binding exclusivity agreement. This agreement underlines Powerhouse's vision to become a global leader in technology solutions which will reduce plastic pollution, improve air quality and accelerate the world's clean energy transition.

 

Protos

 

In May 2021, the Company announced it had entered into a loan agreement to provide up to £3.8 million to Protos Plastics to Hydrogen No. 1 Limited, the special purpose vehicle ("SPV") set up with Powerhouse's partner, Peel NRE (part of the Peel Group), for the purpose of developing the Protos plant, the first proposed commercial application of Powerhouse's DMG® waste plastic to hydrogen technology. The project is using the loan in the procurement of the long lead items including the key alloy material ordered in June and to be used in the manufacture of the DMG® Advanced Thermal Conversion Technology process. The alloy material was selected after four years of research for its necessary high temperature corrosion resistance whilst providing the strength and lifetime durability.

 

Protos is a first of a kind ("FOAK") project and by nature is subject to technology risk. The Company is assisting Peel NRE on behalf of the SPV towards the appointment of an EPCm contractor. Additionally, it has recently appointed a projects specialist, Ian Crockford, to run the SPV once contracts are implemented and he is overseeing the procurement and risk management of the project including the contracting element. The Company will keep investors updated when financial close and other key milestones are reached.

 

Powerhouse works closely with Peel and in June announced that Peel was planning to develop its second waste plastic to hydrogen facility, using Powerhouse technology, at the Rothesay Dock on the north bank of the River Clyde in Scotland. The 13,500 tonne facility would be the second in the UK to use DMG® technology. Decisions about the financing of this second plant will be made after land use planning consent has been obtained and closer to the start date for construction. Details of this will be announced at that time.

 

Board changes and management appointments

 

David Ryan, our chief executive officer, stepped down from the Board on 30 June 2021, following the announcement of his intention to resign in November 2020. David's service to the Company was exemplary and he was instrumental in the development of DMG and the site at Protos. We are in the final stages of appointing a new chief executive officer and expect to announce the appointment shortly.

 

Our former Executive Chairman, Tim Yeo, resigned from the Board in August and I became interim Non-Executive Chairman. We are pleased that Tim agreed to remain as a consultant to Powerhouse for a period of 12 months to enable an orderly handover of his responsibilities to the new chief executive officer.

 

Non-executive directors, Dr. Cameron Davies and Mark Berry, stepped down from the Board on 31 March and 29 July 2021 respectively.

 

The Company also announced in September 2021 that Allan Vlah will be stepping down as a Non-Executive Director at the end of the year.

 

I would like to thank all former directors for their outstanding contributions to the development of Powerhouse and wish them all well in their future endeavours.

 

In June the Company announced the appointment of Paul Emmitt as Chief Technical Officer, a new non-board position. Paul, a chartered materials engineer and chartered environmental engineer, is managing director and founder of Engsolve Limited ("Engsolve"), the engineering consultancy with whom Powerhouse has worked very closely for the last four years. In August, Powerhouse announced it had acquired a 48% stake in Engsolve.

 

Through his role at Engsolve, Paul has been deeply involved in the development of Powerhouse's technology. He has considerable knowledge of both energy-from-waste technology and markets. He is currently involved in the development of a number of EfW projects utilising a range of existing and emerging technologies. He has been part of the development of the DMG® process from the building and operation of the demonstration unit through to the current position.

 

Paul has taken over David Ryan's responsibilities for Powerhouse's technology development programme, including all its design, research and project technical assurance activities. He is also responsible for the first application of the Powerhouse technology at Protos and works closely with the management of the SPV to help achieve the timely completion of this project.

 

Ian Crockford was appointed in April 2021 to run the SPV and he is overseeing the procurement and risk management of the Protos project to ensure that there is a robust contracting position for this FOAK project.

 

Keith Riley was appointed as a Non-Executive Director in September 2021. Keith is proprietor and Chief Executive Officer of Vismundi Limited, a consultancy company providing services to the resources and waste management industry. Prior to that, between 2005 and 2012 he worked for Veolia Environmental Services plc as Group Managing Director for Technology and as Managing Director for Group Technical Services.

 

Over the course of his career Keith has worked with a number of specialist waste and resource management companies and most recently has been Non-Executive Director of Waste2tricity Limited. He continues to be a Partner of BH Energy Gap LLP on behalf of Vismundi, which develops projects in the renewables sector and raises the finance to implement them.

 

Richard Hodgkinson, our recently appointed Business Development Executive, will now commence a global review and analysis of growth opportunities for Powerhouse.

 

Technology developments

 

Engsolve acquisition

In August, Powerhouse announced it had acquired 48% of the share capital of Engsolve, the engineering consultancy, (the "Acquisition") for a cash consideration of £99,990.

 

Reasons for the Acquisition

Paul Emmitt, the Company's Chief Technology Officer, is also the managing director and founder of Engsolve. Powerhouse has worked very closely with Engsolve and Paul for the last four years. The acquisition is intended to maintain Engsolve's continued support of the Company's projects and developments and will ensure that Engsolve's expertise remains available to Powerhouse in future.

 

Engsolve is a private company based in Bridgend in Wales. As an engineering solutions company, Engsolve has significant experience in undertaking engineering design and support, cost estimating and control, project management and safety risk assessments across a range of industries including energy from waste, renewables and green energy.

 

It made a profit after tax of approximately £137,000 in the year to 31 March 2021 on a turnover of approximately £840,000.

 

DNV validation of DMG design

In June 2021, the Company was delighted to announce that DNV, the international gas process design and certification consultancy, had completed stage one of the validation of the enhanced DMG design to produce 2 tonnes per day of hydrogen. The work was based on the recently completed update of the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for Protos which enhanced production options, allowed for variable feedstocks and produced large export packets of hydrogen for use by fleet operators. The Statement of Feasibility followed detailed evaluation of the Company's enhanced process design to deliver 2 tonnes per day of hydrogen including features for export of the product and was undertaken against all design enhancements enacted over a two-year period and represented in the first application at Protos.

 

Following this validation, the DNV assessment team is continuing with extensive verification of the designs including failure mode and criticality assessments which lead to complete technology qualification. DNV and the Company recognise that new sources of uncertainty may be discovered as qualification progresses. However, the Company is confident that its Technology Development Programme has identified a work programme to remove many unknowns through the execution of the Protos development and that the likelihood of new sources of risk arising are low. A Certificate of Endorsement should be expected in due course later in the year.

 

The DNV Statement and report will be used by Peel, their consultants and contractors to support finalisation of contracts for the Protos execution. The material will also support project development work in Australia and Europe.

 

Business Development and Sales Pipeline

 

Overseas market agreements

In 2020, Powerhouse announced it had entered into a non-binding heads of terms with Hydrogen Utopia International ("HUI") with a view to granting HUI an exclusive non-transferable licence for the application of the Company's DMG® technology in Poland for which Powerhouse received a deposit of €125,000. In May 2021, Powerhouse entered into a second non-binding Heads of Terms with HUI for Greece and Hungary.

 

In August, Powerhouse announced it had entered into a binding exclusivity agreement ("Exclusivity Agreement") with HUI under which HUI has been granted an exclusive non-transferable licence for the application of Powerhouse's DMG® technology in Poland, Greece and Hungary. HUI's corporate mission is to create a project pipeline for Powerhouse's DMG® technology in these regions through seeking funding from and partnering with states, regional authorities and the private sector in targeted regions to facilitate the deployment of DMG® technology. 

 

Under the Exclusivity Agreement, HUI will pay Powerhouse a further €325,000 by the end of 2021, when the formal intellectual property licence for the DMG® technology is anticipated to have been granted to HUI, with a further €300,000 to be paid 12 months later. A royalty fee will be agreed as part of the expected licence agreement.

 

In addition, Powerhouse will continue to receive a licence fee for any DMG® plant which becomes operational in any location in the world. Consequently, the Company's worldwide rights to ongoing licensing fees for the DMG® technology are unaffected by the Exclusivity Agreement.

 

The Company is pleased with the progress made in the development of its long-term vision of rolling out its sustainable hydrogen technology internationally. The engineering consultancy, SWECO, was appointed in June by HUI to prepare concept design and an Environmental Impact Assessment report for the waste-to-hydrogen project.

 

Financial

In January 2021, the Company raised £10 million before expenses in an oversubscribed placing of just over 181 million new shares at 5.5 pence per share. This strengthened our financial position and enabled the early procurement of long lead items, thereby expediting the Company's progress towards financial close at Protos. The funds also allowed the Company to complete negotiations rapidly for the SPV that was established to deliver the Protos plant.

 

The Company has reported revenues of £373,306 for the first half of 2021, up from £100,000 in the first six months of 2020. The revenues are largely derived from engineering services for the application of the DMG technology at the Protos site.

 

During the first half of 2021, the Company advanced £1.15m of the £3.8m loan facility made available to the Protos SPV. Please refer to the section on Protos above for further details of the loan facility.

 

 

James Greenstreet

Non-Executive Chairman
 

 

Statement of Comprehensive Income

 

 

(Unaudited)

Six months

(Unaudited)

Six months

(Audited)

Year

 

 

ended

ended

Ended

 

 

30 June

30 June

31 Dec

 

Note

2021

 

2020

£

2020

£

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

1

373,306

100,000

100,000

Cost of sales

 

(356,530)

(99,868)

(99,868)

 

 

 

 

 

Gross profit

 

16,776

132

132

 

 

 

 

 

Administrative expenses

 

(1,115,481)

(643,503)

(1,477,415)

Acquisition costs

 

-

(249,664)

(303,224)

Goodwill impairment

 

-

-

(14,192,699)

 

 

 

 

 

Operating loss

 

(1,098,705)

(893,035)

(15,973,206)

 

 

 

 

 

Finance costs

 

403

(987)

(3,032)

 

 

 

 

 

Loss before taxation

 

(1,098,302)

(894,022)

(15,976,238)

Income tax credit

 

-

-

138,497

 

 

 

 

 

Loss after taxation

 

(1,098,302)

(894,022)

(15,837,741)

 

 

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss

 

(1,098,302)

(894,022)

(15,837,741)

 

 

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss attributable to:

 

 

 

 

  Owners of the Company

 

(1,098,302)

(894,022)

(15,837,741)

  Non-controlling interests

 

-

-

-

 

 

 

 

 

Loss per share from continuing operations (pence)

4

(0.03)

(0.04)

(0.57)

 

 

 

 

 

The notes numbered 1 to 6 are an integral part of the interim financial information.

 

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