OXIS Energy Chosen for Aerotec's First International Investment

LONDON, February 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

OXIS Energy UK Ltd is to receive a substantial investment from Aerotec, a Brazilian Private Equity fund. This £3.7 million investment is Aerotec's first international venture. The Aerotec Fund is centred on Aerospace and advanced manufacturing and is anchored by CODEMIG, the Economic Development Company in the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil. CODEMIG is managed by Confrapar which is a pioneer in the Brazilian Venture Capital and private equity market.

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The Aerotec investment paves the way for OXIS Energy to open a subsidiary in Brazil. The Brazilian team will be trained at OXIS Energy's headquarters in Oxford in the UK, prior to creating a Research and Development Centre in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. The company will also focus on commercial expansion throughout Latin America. In collaboration with Aerotec and CODEMIG, OXIS will address the aviation, defence and heavy electric vehicle markets worldwide.

OXIS Energy will also collaborate with CODEMIG in the exploitation of lithium deposits in Minas Gerais. In addition, OXIS is evaluating the use of CODEMIG's graphene products in the composition of the Li-S chemistry.

OXIS Energy established since 2005, has developed, and continues to advance an innovative Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) battery chemistry, cells and systems that will revolutionise the worldwide rechargeable battery market. With considerably higher energy density, OXIS' batteries are lighter, safer and as they do not comprise any rare earth metals, OXIS Energy battery systems are more eco-friendly than Lithium-ion alternatives. Because of those characteristics, OXIS' technologies are very suitable for the aerospace and electric bus industries.

Besides Aerotec's GB £3.75 million investment, the company has also received funding from a Korean electronics company and a European battery materials company.

Huw W. Hampson-Jones, CEO of OXIS Energy, stated, "This is a huge step forward for OXIS Energy in the development and the commercialisation of its Li-S battery systems technology. Brazil has a very high concentration of buses, of which a significant proportion is over 15 years old. The transition to electric heavy vehicles will, to a great extent, eliminate the polluting effects of both the internal combustion engine and the toxic pollutants of current Lithium-ion battery systems technology."

Rodrigo Esteves, the Managing Director of Confrapar, added, "This is our first overseas investment with the intention of bringing new technological advances into Brazil, whereby the State of Minas Gerais builds up it competencies and skills in the market for rechargeable lithium batteries, with an estimated value in excess of US $100 billion."

Editor's Notes:  

OXIS Energy Ltd is involved in the design, development and now the move towards commercial production of Lithium Sulfur cells for battery systems. With 36 patent families, OXIS has been granted 108 patents with 108 pending. OXIS has demonstrable empirical data justifying its claim on the inherent safety of its battery technology.

CODEMIG  

CODEMIG, Minas Gerais' Economic Development company's main source of revenue comes from the mining of niobium. Its annual revenues are close to BRL 1 billion. The company intends to foster economic development in three main areas:

• cutting edge technology
• mining, energy and infrastructure
• creative industry.

CONFRAPAR  

With offices in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, Confrapar is a pioneer in the Brazilian Venture Capital and Private Equity market. Founded in 2007, it has four operating funds, over BRL 300 million (US dollars 100 million) under management.