DANBURY, Conn.– FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCEL), a global leader in fuel cell technology focused on utilizing its proprietary, state-of-the-art fuel cell platforms to enable a world empowered by clean energy, today announced that in response to the escalating COVID-19 outbreak, the Company has temporarily suspended operations at its Torrington, CT manufacturing facility.
The manufacturing facility is anticipated to remain closed through April 20, 2020 and all other FuelCell Energy team members except those performing business critical work that cannot be done off-site will be working remotely through at least April 1, 2020. Construction and maintenance of our projects in the field is currently ongoing. FuelCell Energy will utilize finished goods on hand for near-term, in-flight projects. The Company will continue to comply with state, federal and international regulations that dictate any additional actions the company may be called upon to take in response to COVID-19.
The Company voluntarily took these actions to secure the safety of the Company’s employees, our corporate community as a whole, the communities in which our team members live, and to adhere to CDC recommendations of social distancing and limited public exposure in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. All team members unable to work from home will continue to receive full pay and benefits for their scheduled shifts during this time. These decisions will be re-evaluated as new information becomes available regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
“FuelCell Energy has taken these steps to prioritize the health and well-being of our team members, our corporate community and the communities where our team members live,” said Jason Few, President and CEO. “During unprecedented and uncertain times like these, we felt it imperative to act quickly to promote not only compliance with evolving regulations, but demonstrate leadership and social responsibility with regard to the well-being of our people and communities. For our customers, our over 50 global energy platforms currently remain in operation, and we will continue to rely on our remote operating capability to deliver continuous, clean base-load power and in many instances thermal output from our platforms to all of our customers.”
David Lehman, Commissioner of the Connecticut DECD, commented “We know companies all across the state are facing difficult decisions as they deal with the impact of the virus. I sincerely appreciate FuelCell Energy’s proactive approach to protecting public health and their commitment to pay their workers full wages and benefits during this time.”
Few concluded, “All of us at FuelCell Energy appreciate and applaud the healthcare workers, local communities and governments around the world who are on the front line working to contain the coronavirus. We are happy to do our part to help mitigate the effect of the pandemic on our people and communities and look forward to returning to full production once it is safe to do so.”
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