Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. announced that AES Corp. has made a $3 million strategic investment in Altair. AES privately purchased 895,523 treasury shares of Altair common stock at $3.35 per share, the NASDAQ closing price of Altair shares on the day prior to closing. Altair agreed to register the resale of such shares. The purchased shares represent approximately 1.5% of Altair’s outstanding common shares. Cowen and Company acted as the financial advisor to Altair for the transaction.
AES reported 2005 revenues of $11 billion. With operations in 26 countries on five continents, AES’s generation and distribution facilities have the capacity to serve 100 million people worldwide.
"Advanced battery technologies have the potential to transform both the electricity and transportation sectors," said Robert Hemphill, Executive Vice President of AES. "The batteries that Altairnano is beginning to ship, with their high power density and extended cycle life, offer great promise for powerful, fast charging electric vehicles and other applications."
"AES is a leader in the global power sector with a long history of innovative project development. Altairnano and AES have a common focus on the alternative energy market and we are proud to have them as a major investor," said Altair President and Chief Executive Officer, Alan J. Gotcher, Ph.D.
