Intermagnetics Announces Agreement Between SuperPower Subsidiary and American Electric Power on MFCL Project
November 15 2004 - 6:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Intermagnetics Announces Agreement Between SuperPower Subsidiary
and American Electric Power on MFCL Project * SuperPower and AEP to
collaborate on Matrix Fault Current Limiter project LATHAM, N.Y.,
Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Intermagnetics General
Corporation (NASDAQ:IMGC) today announced that its Energy
Technology subsidiary, SuperPower, Inc., has executed a
collaboration agreement with AEP EmTech, LLC, a subsidiary of
American Electric Power Company, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio, for the
development, installation and demonstration of a Beta Prototype
high-temperature superconducting (HTS) Matrix Fault Current Limiter
(MFCL) device. The MFCL, a device that would protect utility grids
from damaging surges in current, is based on proprietary
patent-protected technology developed at SuperPower. Glenn H.
Epstein, chairman and CEO of Intermagnetics said, "This is a
significant move forward in the program as it will allow for the
installation and demonstration of a 138 kV, three-phase, Beta
prototype MFCL device at an AEP transmission substation."
SuperPower successfully completed a proof-of- concept prototype
MFCL device in July 2004 and is now in the design stage of
developing and testing a single phase,138 kV Alpha prototype
device. Richard Verret, senior vice president - transmission at
American Electric Power said, "By formalizing its collaboration
with SuperPower, AEP is building on its early membership on
SuperPower's MFCL Technical Advisory Board. We look forward to
hosting the world's first demonstration of a transmission level
superconducting fault current limiter. Our commitment to the
development of this device is evidence of the need we have seen for
this technology for at least 20 years. That need will increase as
the demand for reliable electricity continues to grow. This
technology can help us address the challenge of maintaining a
reliable grid at the lowest possible cost. The MFCL is being
designed to integrate effectively with existing assets." "AEP's
participation as the host utility for this device adds the one
critical element that had remained to complete the project team,"
said Philip J. Pellegrino, president of SuperPower. "While
installation of a device at the utility host site will only take
place in the final phase of the program, AEP's participation in the
earlier design stages will help to ensure that the device is
developed with the specific needs of the utility industry in mind."
The $12.2 million MFCL development program has been underway at
SuperPower since June 2002. Early in the project, the Electric
Power Research Institute (EPRI), a non-profit energy research
consortium of utilities, committed $600,000 toward the effort. The
U. S. Department of Energy announced program funding of $6.1
million in August 2003 and, at the same time, SuperPower announced
that Nexans SuperConductors GmbH had joined the development team as
a strategic partner in the project. Nexans is supplying its
patented "melt cast" superconductors for the device and is sharing
the uncovered costs of the program with SuperPower. James Daley,
superconductivity program director at the U. S. Department of
Energy said, "The electric power industry has great interest in new
technologies for grid reliability enhancement. The MFCL has the
potential to protect at transmission level voltages, where there
are no conventional alternatives. There is an immediate need that
the MFCL could fill, and it also promises to be a cost effective
solution." SuperPower executed a Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement (CRADA) with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to
tap the lab's substantial expertise in high voltage engineering and
cryogenics. Similar agreements may also be executed with Los Alamos
and Argonne National Laboratories in the areas of testing and
analytics, respectively, if DOE funding permits. Clark Gellings,
vice president of power delivery and markets at EPRI, said, "The
MFCL that is being developed by SuperPower and Nexans is a
superconducting technology that is needed by utilities today. It
addresses present day challenges that are being faced by utilities
as new sources of power are being added to existing transmission
& distribution systems, leading to increased fault current."
American Electric Power (http://www.aep.com/) owns more than 36,000
megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and is the
nation's largest electricity generator. AEP is also one of the
largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than
five million customers linked to AEP's eleven state electricity
transmission and distribution grid. The company is based in
Columbus, Ohio. SuperPower, Inc. (http://www.igc-superpower.com/),
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intermagnetics General Corporation,
uses core capabilities in materials, cryogenics and magnetics to
develop state-of-the-art second- generation HTS wire and electric
power components such as underground transmission and distribution
cables, transformers and fault current limiters. Intermagnetics
(http://www.intermagnetics.com/) draws on the financial strength,
operational excellence and technical leadership in its expanding
business of Medical Technology that encompasses Magnetic Resonance
Imaging Systems & Components and Patient Monitoring.
Intermagnetics is also a key supplier to the markets within
Instrumentation and has become a prominent participant in
superconducting applications for Energy Technology. The company has
a more than 30-year history as a successful developer, manufacturer
and marketer of superconducting materials, high-field magnets,
medical systems and components and other specialized high
value-added devices. Safe Harbor Statement: The statements
contained in this press release that are not historical fact are
"forward-looking statements" which involve various important
assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other factors. These include,
without limitation, the assumptions, risks, and uncertainties set
forth here as well as in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K,
including but not limited to, the company's ability to: (1) attract
and maintain strategic partners for its HTS initiatives; (2) invest
sufficient resources and receive additional external funding to
continue its development efforts; (3) attract and retain the
personnel necessary to achieve its objectives; (4) attain
commercial acceptance for and adoption of its products and
technology; (5) successfully develop commercially viable production
methods, and successfully improve those methods to meet the
cost-benefit ratio that will be critical to making HTS technology
commercially competitive; and (6) avoid the potential adverse
impact on the company of emerging patents in the highly competitive
energy technology field. Except for the company's continuing
obligation to disclose material information under federal
securities law, the company is not obligated to update its
forward-looking statements even though situations may change in the
future. The company qualifies all of its forward-looking statements
by these cautionary statements. DATASOURCE: Intermagnetics General
Corporation CONTACT: Philip J. Pellegrino, President of SuperPower,
Inc., +1-518-346-1414, or Cathy Yudzevich of Investor Relatons Mgr.
of Intermagnetics General Corporation, +1-518-782-1122 Web site:
http://www.intermagnetics.com/ http://www.igc-superpower.com/
http://www.aep.com/
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