Ad-hoc | 17 October 2006 07:37

New Value AG invests in Solar Plant Swiss AG, Mollis GL

Ad hoc announcement transmitted by DGAP – a company of EquityStory AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. —————————————————————————— PRESS RELEASE New Value AG invests in Solar Plant Swiss AG, Mollis GL Zurich, 17th of October 2006. New Value invests CHF 4 Mio. in the Swiss solar module producer Solar Plant Swiss AG. This company will set up a fully integrated manufacturing plant in Linthal, Canton Glarus in Switzerland, for the production of solar modules. The financial proceeds will be used to build up the production as well as for the commercialisation of the product. Solar Plant Swiss addresses the global market for photovoltaics, estimated at EUR 6.3 bn. and growing with ca. 22% per year. The objective of Solar Plant Swiss AG (SPS) is to build up a sustainable, profitable business in the globally strongly growing market for photovoltaics based on the fully integrated production of high quality solar modules, i.e. the company covers the whole value chain from silicon feedstock over the intermediary steps silicon wafers and PV cells to finished modules. SPS will start by setting up production in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland, with ideal infrastructure and will expand from this basis. The placing of the company in Linthal offers several substantial advantages. The company will be able to use ideal facilities based on the earlier activity of the Spinnerei Linthal and has access to ecological electricity from their two existing hydro plants. Solar Plant Swiss will base its production on the tried and tested crystalline technology that currently dominates the market (>85% market share) and is according to several projections likely to still make up 80% of the overall market in 2015. The technology risks associated with an investment in the company must thus be seen as low. SPS addresses the global market for photovoltaics, estimated at EUR 6.3 bn. In 2005 and growing with ca. 22% per year. Several key drivers and trends confirm and sustain this growth potential. So global energy consumption is increasing steadily with 2-3% per year, whereby prices for conventional energy are rising and increasingly volatile. The pressure to come up with more environmentally friendly and climate neutral sources of energy is mounting and is transferred into new measures to promote renewable energy and energy saving legislation in country after country. Solar energy is increasingly becoming competitive with other sources of energy and hence has an economic justification beyond environmental arguments. Photovoltaics have desirable features (no emissions or noise, can be integrated in an increasing number of products, etc.) and is a contribution to the long-term solution to the energy challenge facing the world. The institutional co-investors of New Value include Spinnerei Linthal AG, the utilty Linth-Limmern AG of the Axpo Group, the Ernst Göhner Foundation as well as the Cantonal Bank of Glarus. After completion of the Due Diligence and structuring of the financing, New Value AG signed the investment agreements for CHF 4 Mio. in equity. Through the investment in this growing company, New Value will be able to strengthen its portfolio in the domain for renewable energy. “We find the positioning of Solar Plant Swiss as well as the entrepreneurial constellation in this investment exciting and want to lay the founding stone for a second promising Swiss solar company in New Value’s portfolio next to 3S Swiss Solar Systems. The success story with the development of 3S followed by an Initial Public Offering deepened our competence in the solar industry”, comments Rolf Wägli, Chairman of New Value AG. “We are pleased to have won institutional investors like New Value. Through the intensive phase of the Due Diligence by New Value we have been able to direct and structure our company even better. After this milestone, we have the real challenge in developing the company in all its dimensions in front of us!”, comments Hans-Peter Keller, CEO ad interim of Solar Plant Swiss AG. Solar Plant Swiss has up to the present assured CHF 31 Mio. in equity financing. Discussions are underway with further private and institutional investors to raise another CHF 15-20 Mio. Supplementary, the company will be financed through a bank consortium. Production start is planned for the second half of 2007. Information regarding New Value AG New Value offers institutional and private investors as a quoted Private Equity investment company access to an attractive portfolio of investments in unquoted growth companies that possess trend setting innovations and high market potential. The investment company has completed ten investments a.o. in the market segments medical technology, animal health and renewable energy and financed their development and growth. New Value finances firms originating from Switzerland and the German speaking countries with equity or equity related financing instruments and coaches them as an entrepreneurially thinking partner for sustained Private Equity investments until a sustainable market breakthrough. The investment philosophy incorporates high standards regarding ethical concerns and Corporate Governance. EPS Value Plus AG, Zurich, is the Investment advisor of New Value AG. Founding May 2000 Legal form Holding company according to Swiss law Domicile Zurich Quotation SWX Swiss Exchange (www.swx.com) and XETRA in Germany. Ticker symbol NEWN (CH), N7V (D) Security number 1081986 WP-Kennnummer 552932 ISIN CH0010819867 Contact New Value AG Tel. +41 43 344 38 38 Mr. Rolf Wägli Tel. +41 43 344 38 11, waegli@newvalue.ch Mr. Peter Letter Tel. +41 43 344 38 18, letter@newvalue.ch Bodmerstrasse 9 Fax +41 43 344 38 39 CH-8027 Zurich Switzerland Information www.newvalue.ch Email: info@newvalue.ch www.epsvalueplus.ch Email: info@epsvalueplus.ch Contact: Marcel Rogenmoser (c)DGAP 17.10.2006 ————————————————————————— Language: English Issuer: NEW VALUE AG Bodmerstrasse 9 8027 Zürich Schweiz Phone: +41-43-344 38 38 Fax: +41-43-344 38 39 E-mail: info@newvalue.ch WWW: www.newvalue.ch ISIN: CH0010819867 WKN: 552932 Indices: Listed: BX, SWX; Freiverkehr in Berlin-Bremen, München, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf; Open Market in Frankfurt End of News DGAP News-Service —————————————————————————