Intelligent Energy, a UK-based hydrogen fuel-cell manufacturer, has signed an $82m (£50m) contract to supply fuel cells for Indian mobile phone base stations.
The back-up power deal with Ascend Telecom Infrastructure is the largest Intelligent Energy has landed so far. It will use technology originally developed for electric scooters, but also works out as a cost effective alternative to diesel generators for transmission towers.
Ascend Telecom Infrastructure has more than 4000 towers across India to provide network coverage to around ten million customers.
The hydrogen fuel cell systems can provide back-up power when electricity from the grid fails, which in a less industrially developed country such as India, is a regular occurrence.
The five-year contract could be worth $200m as Ascend’s own mobile coverage grows.
