Fuel cell systems for Switzerland from Sulzer Hexis Sulzer Hexis and Gasverbund Mittelland sign distribution agreement (19/08/2002, Media Release) Sulzer Hexis Ltd, developer and manufacturer of fuel cell systems for single-family homes, has signed a distribution agreement with the natural-gas supplier Gasverbund Mittelland AG (GVM). This calls for 30 systems to be made available for testing in Swiss households. With this agreement Sulzer Hexis has reached an important goal: 400 pre-series fuel cell systems are under contract to be tested and further developed in co-operation with energy utilities and installers. With headquarters in Arlesheim (Canton Basle Land) GVM is the largest natural-gas supplier in Switzerland doing business over several regions. GVM will buy thirty fuel cell systems by the end of 2003 and operate them at the end customers' via local energy utilities. The agreement calls for the systems to be tested and analyzed for their usability in Swiss households, and also for the two companies to work out a concept for market introduction of the near-series fuel cell systems from Sulzer Hexis in Switzerland. Market launch is planned for 2004/2005. In the general model of the distribution agreements the energy utilities are simultaneously owners and operators of the fuel cell systems. The home owner (end customer) is provided with a system for his use, without investment and operating risks. The local authorized installation firms install and service the systems. With the signing of the agreement with GVM all the planned 400 fuel cell systems “HXS 1000 Premiere” are under contract. They will be manufactured within the scope of a pre-series phase by the end of 2003 at Sulzer Hexis and tested mainly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Apart from this distribution agreement with GVM, others already exist with EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, E.ON Energie AG, EWE AG, EWR Elektrizitätswerk Rheinhessen AG, Thyssengas GmbH, and Verbundnetz Gas AG (all German). Furthermore, co-operation agreements have been signed with an Austrian working group consisting of Energie AG Oberösterreich and Oberösterreichische Ferngas AG, as well as with the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands ECN. Each of these is testing one system. Sulzer Hexis develops, manufactures and distributes fuel cell systems of type SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) for power and heat generation in single-family homes. The pre-series system “HXS 1000 Premiere” covers the basic power needs and the entire heat requirements of a typical Central European household. The fuel cell generates 1 kW of electrical and 2.5 kW of thermal power. A back-up burner cuts in automatically on demand. The Sulzer Corporation (www.sulzer.com) is comprised of the four core divisions Sulzer Metco (coating technologies and services), Sulzer Turbomachinery Services, Sulzer Pumps (including services), Sulzer Chemtech (process components and services) and the venture division Sulzer Hexis (fuel cell systems). Sales by the core divisions in 2001 totaled CHF 1875 million. The realigned Sulzer Corporation now employs about 10 000 people worldwide. back