EQS-News: CERENERGY battery project receives highest possible 'Dark Green' rating from S&P Global Ratings

Altech Advanced Materials AG (ISIN: DE000A31C3Y4) hereby announces that the CERENERGY project has been officially rated with the highest possible green rating category "Dark Green" by the independent Center for International Climate and Environmental Research (formerly CICERO), now owned by S&P Global Ratings (formerly Standard & Poors) based in Oslo, Norway. Altech is proud of the excellent result and sees the accreditation as proof that Altech's CERENERGY battery is one of, if not the most environmentally friendly battery technology available today. CERENERGY convinces with the lowest CO₂ footprint and the most environmentally friendly raw materials.

The "Shades of Green" analysis by S&P Global Ratings evaluates the comprehensive sustainability of a project and offers investors independent transparency according to a standardized evaluation procedure, the "Green Bond Framework".

In its analysis, S&P emphasizes the importance of battery storage for the energy and industrial sectors, among other things. It also highlights Altech's contribution to the development of alternative, lithium- and cobalt-free batteries and the significantly lower emissions from the production of CERENERGY batteries compared to other battery storage systems.

The CERENERGY battery is a fully recyclable solid-state battery based on sodium chloride for industrial stationary operation in the megawatt range. It is expected that sodium batteries will play an increasingly important role, especially for intermediate storage of renewable energy, off-grid solutions and grid stability. Sodium batteries do not require critical minerals and metals such as lithium, graphite, copper or cobalt.

S&P expects emissions of around 14 kg CO₂/kWh (Scope 1, 2 and 3) for the CERENERGY battery. According to the framework, Scope 1 and 2 emissions amount to 4.07 kg CO₂/kWh capacity. This means that the emissions are significantly lower than those of conventional lithium-ion batteries.

In addition to the elimination of critical substances during production, the use of recycled materials such as reused nickel also significantly reduces emissions. Environmental risks from mining and production are thus already reduced by the necessary use of materials. The CERENERGY battery will be recycled in the planned in-house facility at the production site in Schwarze Pumpe, Saxony, exclusively using mechanical - and not chemical - recycling processes, which are associated with lower emissions and lower energy consumption.

S&P Global's assessment confirms that the CERENERGY project is suitable for green bond financing. Altech is thus laying the foundations for possible future sustainable financing of the planned plant and its further expansion.

Uwe Ahrens, CEO of Altech Advanced Materials AG: "The award of the highest possible rating by S&P is further proof of the far-reaching sustainable benefits of our battery technology and targeted production methods, which we have developed together with the Fraunhofer Institute. With this assessment by S&P, the CERENERGY project demonstrates its suitability for green investments - a criterion that is appreciated and demanded by more and more investors on the bond market throughout Europe and now has an annual volume of almost 250 billion US dollars. We are very proud to have received this sustainable rating in the highest category from one of the world's leading rating agencies."

S&P's analysis of Altech Advanced Materials AG and Altech's Green Bond Framework are available on the company's website www.altechadvancedmaterials.com.

About Altech Advanced Materials AG
Altech Advanced Materials AG (ISIN: DE000A31C3Y4), based in Frankfurt am Main, is a holding company listed on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company's aim is to participate in the market for solid-state batteries for stationary battery applications with CERENERGY.

Another focus is on lithium-ion batteries. An innovative anode material based on high-purity aluminum oxide (HPA) - Silumina Anodes - is intended to significantly increase the performance of this battery for electromobility.