Successful Fundraise & Subscription raising £3.0M

RNS Number : 1297V

Active Energy Group PLC

09 December 2021

 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING ITS APPENDIX (TOGETHER, THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN, IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH IT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL TO DO SO.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR CONTAIN ANY INVITATION, SOLICITATION, RECOMMENDATION, OFFER OR ADVICE TO ANY PERSON TO SUBSCRIBE FOR, OTHERWISE ACQUIRE OR DISPOSE OF ANY SECURITIES IN ACTIVE ENERGY GROUP PLC OR ANY OTHER ENTITY IN ANY JURISDICTION. NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR THE FACT OF ITS DISTRIBUTION, SHALL FORM THE BASIS OF, OR BE RELIED ON IN CONNECTION WITH ANY INVESTMENT DECISION IN RESPECT OF ACTIVE ENERGY GROUP PLC.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF EU REGULATION 596/2014 (WHICH FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC UK LAW PURSUANT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018) ("UK MAR") . IN ADDITION, MARKET SOUNDINGS (AS DEFINED IN UK MAR) WERE TAKEN IN RESPECT OF THE PLACING WITH THE RESULT THAT CERTAIN PERSONS BECAME AWARE OF INSIDE INFORMATION (AS DEFINED IN UK MAR), AS PERMITTED BY UK MAR, IN RELATION TO ACTIVE ENERGY GROUP PLC AND ITS SECURITIES. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA THE REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THOSE PERSONS THAT RECEIVED INSIDE INFORMATION IN A MARKET SOUNDING ARE NO LONGER IN POSSESSION OF SUCH INSIDE INFORMATION, WHICH IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Active Energy Group Plc / EPIC: AEG / Sector: Alternative Energy

9 December 2021

Active Energy Group Plc

('Active Energy', 'AEG', or the 'Company')

Confirmation of successful Fundraising and Subscription raising £3.0 million

Active Energy, the London AIM-quoted renewable energy business focused on the production of next generation energy pellets, announces, further to the announcement made earlier today by the Company (the "Launch Announcement"), that the Company has successfully raised gross cash proceeds totaling £3.0 million, which comprises a Fundraise of £2.77 million and gross cash proceeds of £0.23 million by Player Design Inc pursuant to a subscription agreement, all at the Issue Price of 0.2 pence per New Ordinary Share.

Highlights

· £1.37 million (before expenses) raised pursuant to the Firm Placing though the issue of 685,000,000 Firm Placing Shares;

·   £1.40 million (before expenses) raised pursuant to the Conditional Placing through the issue of 702,218,000 Conditional Placing Shares; and

· in total, 1,387,218,000 New Ordinary Shares will be issued pursuant to the Fundraise and a further 375,940,001 new Ordinary Shares will be issued pursuant to the Subscription.

The Conditional Placing and the Subscription (details of which were provided in the Launch Announcement) are conditional on, inter alia, the passing of the Resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting. A circular providing further details of the Fundraise, the Subscription and a notice convening the General Meeting (the "Circular"), will be sent to Shareholders shortly and will be available on the Company's website once published.

First Admission and total voting rights

Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange for the Firm Placing Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM. It is expected that First Admission will become effective and that dealings in the Firm Placing Shares on AIM will commence on or around 15 December 2021.

On Admission of the Firm Placing Shares, the Company's issued ordinary share capital will consist of 4,587,051,743 Ordinary Shares, with one vote per share. The Company does not hold any Ordinary Shares in treasury. Therefore, on First Admission, the total number of Ordinary Shares and voting rights in the Company will be 4,587,051,743. With effect from First Admission, this figure may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

Expected timetable

Admission of the Firm Placing Shares to trading on AIM (First Admission)	8.00 a.m. on 15 December 2021
Admission of the Conditional Placing Shares and the Subscription Shares to trading on AIM (Second Admission)	8.00 a.m. on 30 December 2021

Directors' participation in the Placing

Certain Directors have conditionally subscribed for an aggregate of 30,500,000 Placing Shares at the Issue Price pursuant to the Conditional Placing in the proportions set out below:

Director	Existing Ordinary Shares held	Conditional Placing Shares subscribed for	Ordinary Shares held on Second Admission	Percentage of Enlarged Share Capital
Michael Rowan	14,986,250	12,500,000	27,486,250	0.49%
James Leahy	10,000,000	10,000,000	20,000,000	0.35%
Jason Zimmerman	1,961,500	2,500,000	4,461,500	0.08%
Andrew Diamond	500,000	2,500,000	3,000,000	0.05%
Max Atkin	1,000,000	3,000,000	4,000,000	0.07%

Related Party Transactions

Premier Fund Managers Limited ("Premier") and Lombard Odier Asset Management Limited ("Lombard Odier") are substantial shareholders of the Company and are therefore classified as related parties under the AIM Rules for Companies.

Premier have participated in the Conditional Placing in respect of 200,000,000 Conditional Placing Shares and Lombard Odier has participated in the Conditional Placing in respect of 50,000,000 Conditional Placing Shares. The participation of Premier and Lombard Odier in the Fundraise is considered a related party transaction under the AIM Rules for Companies.

The Directors, having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser, Allenby Capital, consider that the terms of Premier's and Lombard Odier's participation in the Fundraise are fair and reasonable insofar as the Company's Shareholders are concerned.

Defined terms used in this announcement shall have the same meaning as in the Launch Announcement unless otherwise defined herein.

Enquiries:

Active Energy Group Plc	Michael Rowan (Chief Executive Officer) Andrew Diamond (Chief Financial Officer)	[e-mail]
Allenby Capital Limited Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker	Nick Naylor / James Reeve (Corporate Finance) Amrit Nahal (Sales and Corporate Broking)	[phone]
Panmure Gordon & Co Joint Broker	John Prior / James Sinclair-Ford / Harriette Johnson (Corporate Finance) Hugh Rich (Corporate Broking)	[phone]
Camarco Financial PR Adviser	Gordon Poole / Tom Huddart / Emily Hall	[e-mail] [phone]

About Active Energy Group

Active Energy Group plc is a London listed (AIM: AEG) renewable energy company that has developed a proprietary technology which transforms low-cost biomass material into high-value green fuels. Its patented product CoalSwitch™ is the world's only drop-in biomass fuel that can be mixed at any ratio with coal or completely replace coal in existing coal-fired power stations without requiring plant modification. Active Energy Group's immediate strategic focus is the production and commercialisation of CoalSwitch™.

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them.

1.	Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated
a)	Name	Michael Rowan
2.	Reason for the Notification
a)	Position/status	Chief Executive Officer
b)	Initial notification/Amendment	Initial notification
3.	Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
a)	Name	Active Energy Group plc
b)	LEI	213800P9PW3HJ5YJRK43
4.	Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted
a)	Description of the Financial instrument, type of instrument	Ordinary Shares of 0.01 pence each
	Identification code	GB00B1YMN108
b)	Nature of the transaction	Purchase of Ordinary Shares
c)	Price(s) and volume(s)	Price(s) Volume(s)  0.2p  12,500,000
d)	Aggregated information: - Aggregated volume - Price	N/A Single transaction
e)	Date of the transaction	9 December 2021
f)	Place of the transaction	London Stock Exchange

1.	Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated
a)	Name	James Leahy
2.	Reason for the Notification
a)	Position/status	Non-Executive Chairman
b)	Initial notification/Amendment	Initial notification
3.	Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
a)	Name	Active Energy Group plc
b)	LEI	213800P9PW3HJ5YJRK43
4.	Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted
a)	Description of the Financial instrument, type of instrument	Ordinary Shares of 0.01 pence each
	Identification code	GB00B1YMN108
b)	Nature of the transaction	Purchase of Ordinary Shares
c)	Price(s) and volume(s)	Price(s) Volume(s)  0.2p  10,000,000
d)	Aggregated information: - Aggregated volume - Price	N/A Single transaction
e)	Date of the transaction	9 December 2021
f)	Place of the transaction	London Stock Exchange

1.	Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated
a)	Name	Andrew Diamond
2.	Reason for the Notification
a)	Position/status	Finance Director
b)	Initial notification/Amendment	Initial notification
3.	Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
a)	Name	Active Energy Group plc
b)	LEI	213800P9PW3HJ5YJRK43
4.	Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted
a)	Description of the Financial instrument, type of instrument	Ordinary Shares of 0.01 pence each
	Identification code	GB00B1YMN108
b)	Nature of the transaction	Purchase of Ordinary Shares
c)	Price(s) and volume(s)	Price(s) Volume(s)  0.2p  2,500,000
d)	Aggregated information: - Aggregated volume - Price	N/A Single transaction
e)	Date of the transaction	9 December 2021
f)	Place of the transaction	London Stock Exchange

1.	Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated
a)	Name	Jason Zimmermann
2.	Reason for the Notification
a)	Position/status	Non-Executive Director
b)	Initial notification/Amendment	Initial notification
3.	Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
a)	Name	Active Energy Group plc
b)	LEI	213800P9PW3HJ5YJRK43
4.	Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted
a)	Description of the Financial instrument, type of instrument	Ordinary Shares of 0.01 pence each
	Identification code	GB00B1YMN108
b)	Nature of the transaction	Purchase of Ordinary Shares
c)	Price(s) and volume(s)	Price(s) Volume(s)  0.2p  2,500,000
d)	Aggregated information: - Aggregated volume - Price	N/A Single transaction
e)	Date of the transaction	9 December 2021
f)	Place of the transaction	London Stock Exchange

1.	Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated
a)	Name	Max Aitken
2.	Reason for the Notification
a)	Position/status	Non-Executive Director
b)	Initial notification/Amendment	Initial notification
3.	Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
a)	Name	Active Energy Group plc
b)	LEI	213800P9PW3HJ5YJRK43
4.	Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted
a)	Description of the Financial instrument, type of instrument	Ordinary Shares of 0.01 pence each
	Identification code	GB00B1YMN108
b)	Nature of the transaction	Purchase of Ordinary Shares
c)	Price(s) and volume(s)	Price(s) Volume(s)  0.2p  3,000,000
d)	Aggregated information: - Aggregated volume - Price	N/A Single transaction
e)	Date of the transaction	9 December 2021
f)	Place of the transaction	London Stock Exchange

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Neither this Announcement, nor any copy of it, may be taken or transmitted, published or distributed, directly or indirectly, in, or into the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, or the Republic of South Africa or to any persons in any of those jurisdictions or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant securities laws of such jurisdiction. This Announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, acquire or subscribe for any shares in the capital of the Company in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or any other state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorised or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of securities laws of such jurisdictions. The Placing Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act") or under any securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold, resold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and in compliance with the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public offering of securities in the United States. Any failure to comply with the foregoing restrictions may constitute a violation of US securities laws. The distribution of this Announcement in other jurisdictions may be restricted by law and persons into whose possession this Announcement comes should inform themselves about, and observe, any such restrictions.

There is no intention to register any portion of the Placing in the United States or to conduct any public offering of securities in the United States or elsewhere. All offers of Placing Shares will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended from time to time, and includes any relevant implementing measure in any member state (the "Prospectus Regulation"), from the requirement to produce a prospectus.

Recipients of this Announcement should conduct their own investigation, evaluation and analysis of the business, data and property described in this Announcement. This Announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's options with respect to the Placing. The price and value of securities can go down as well as up. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The contents of this Announcement are not to be construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each Shareholder or prospective investor should consult with his or her or its own legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, financial, business or tax advice.

Members of the public are not eligible to take part in the Placing. This Announcement is for information purposes only and is directed only at: (a) persons in Member States of the European Economic Area who are qualified investors within the meaning of article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation ("Qualified Investors"); and (b) in the United Kingdom, Qualified Investors who are persons who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within the definition of "investment professionals" in article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"); (ii) are persons falling within article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc") of the Order; or (iii) are persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This Announcement must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons.

This Announcement is not being distributed by, nor has it been approved for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended ("FSMA") by, a person authorised under FSMA. This Announcement is being distributed and communicated to persons in the United Kingdom only in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply. No prospectus will be made available in connection with the matters contained in this Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation) to be published. Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

Persons (including without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.

This Announcement has been issued by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made by the Company or Allenby Capital or Panmure Gordon or by any of their respective partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants or affiliates as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written or oral information made available to any interested person or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed. None of the information in this Announcement has been independently verified or approved by Allenby Capital or by Panmure Gordon or any of their respective partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants or affiliates. Save for any responsibilities or liabilities, if any, imposed on Allenby Capital or Panmure Gordon by FSMA or by the regulatory regime established under it, no responsibility or liability is accepted by Allenby Capital or Panmure Gordon or any of its respective partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants or affiliates for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in such information or opinions or for any loss, cost or damage suffered or incurred howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of this Announcement or its contents or otherwise in connection with this Announcement or from any acts or omissions of the Company in relation to the Placing.

Allenby Capital and Panmure Gordon which are authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, are acting for the Company and no-one else in connection with the transactions and arrangements described in this Announcement and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this Announcement) as a client in relation to the transactions and arrangements described in this Announcement. Allenby Capital and Panmure Gordon are not responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to clients of Allenby Capital or Panmure Gordon or for providing advice in connection with the contents of this Announcement or the transactions and arrangements described herein.

The distribution of this Announcement and the offering of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Company or Allenby Capital or Panmure Gordon that would permit an offering of such shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company and Allenby Capital and Panmure Gordon to inform themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions.

No prospectus will be made available in connection with the matters contained in this Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation) to be published. Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

In connection with the Placing, Allenby Capital and Panmure Gordon and any of their affiliates, acting as investors for their own account, may take up a portion of the shares in the Placing as a principal position and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell for their own accounts such shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise. Accordingly, references to Placing Shares being offered, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or acquisition, placing or dealing by Allenby Capital or Panmure Gordon and any of their affiliates acting in such capacity. In addition, Allenby Capital, Panmure Gordon and any of their affiliates may enter into financing arrangements (including swaps) with investors in connection with which Allenby Capital, Panmure Gordon and any of their respective affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of shares. Allenby Capital and Panmure Gordon do not intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.

Cautionary statements

This Announcement may contain and the Company may make verbal statements containing "forward-looking statements" with respect to certain of the Company's plans and its current goals and expectations relating to its future financial condition, performance, strategic initiatives, objectives and results. Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as "aim", "anticipate", "target", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "believe", "seek", "may", "could", "outlook" or other words of similar meaning. By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances which are beyond the control of the Company. As a result, the actual future financial condition, performance and results of the Company may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set forth in any forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements made in this Announcement by or on behalf of the Company speak only as of the date they are made. The information contained in this Announcement is subject to change without notice and except as required by applicable law or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to publish any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement to reflect any changes in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into or forms part of this Announcement.

 

END

 

 

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