News: Firechill awarded £9.5m Australian supply contract

FireChill, the global green cooling company, has secured its first commercial sales leading to a five-year exclusive global supply contract worth $15M AUD (£9.5m) with Australian water-making company Water from the Air Pty Limited (WfA).


In a pilot scheme two ALT500 chillers will be installed in an Australian Government Education Institution in the Riverina district of New South Wales.

The heat-activated cooling technology significantly decreases the energy required to deliver cooling and refrigeration.

The technology reduces operating costs by up to 20% in traditional air conditioning applications and by up to 80% when integrated into a combined heat and power (CHP) system.

As well as cooling, the chillers enable water extraction from the air by use of large scale condensers which can produce up to half a million litres of water annually. The installation will also provide reverse cycle air conditioning and electricity, powered by a natural gas Capstone C65 Microturbine.

The unique technology is projected to roll-out rapidly within Australia, generating annual revenues for FireChill of at least $3M AUD (£1.9m) within three years.

Wallie Ivison, WfA CEO, said: "This is just the tip of the ice-berg. It is fully our intention to take this as far as we can to a global audience. We rate FireChill product and the people behind it highly and are delighted they will be with us on our journey."

Simon Clothier, CEO at FireChill, said: "Two milestones in one – first orders and a valuable supply contract which adds further to FireChill's credibility."

The units are set to be manufacturing in Templeborough in Rotherham after a joint venture (JV) between Rotherham-based Newburgh Engineering and Leeds-based Firechill was created in 2010. But Clothier hinted that the company may need to move abroad. He said: "In spite of the trend of good news over the last six months, it still remains immensely challenging to secure the appropriate funding in our country of choice.

"Our preference is for the UK, and the door is still very much open, but it is looking increasingly likely that foreign investors may step in where the UK investment community and government have under-performed. If that means a relocation of the core business outside the UK, then that is what we will do to fulfil the undoubted potential of this brilliant technology. Our commitment is to the technology."

In 2010, FireChill secured just under £1m from a group of private investors to add to the £4m invested to date in research and development. With the shelp of Newburgh Engineering, futher funding was secured in 2011 to support the continued expansion of its base technology and provide a bridge to future commercialisation.

FireChill anticipates making further announcements before the end of the Summer.

FireChill website

Images: firechill.com