Active Energy eyes rapid growth with new capacity as it acquires second project in Abu Dhabi

Hello, you're watching ProAct,

if I'm joined by Paul Elliott,

the CEO of Active Energy.

Paul, good to speak to you today.

You have now secured around 13MVA of grid capacity.

How does this change the scale and ambition

of Active Energy's strategy?

Good morning.

Well, this really enforces our ambition

to reach 100 megawatt within the next 12 to 18 months.

What we've learned from building out our initial capacity

is that speed or revenue is a critical factor.

These acquisitions allow us to accelerate that journey

significantly by securing energized capacity

rather than starting from scratch.

That said, we still remain flexible.

We will continue to look at acquiring buildouts

and obviously, ones like this that has basically jumped up

and given us a great opportunity today.

These assets are non-operational today, Paul.

What's the timeline for turning them into revenue-generating

science?

The fact that they are non-operational

is actually an advantage to us.

It means that we're not dealing with any legacy

infrastructure or constraints, et cetera.

We can deploy our modular data center solutions

immediately, we're materially sure, and that's the time.

We're talking months, not years,

and potentially as quick as within a month

on some of them to initial revenue.

As quick as that.

You mentioned attractive opportunities

and as others reassess projects.

How strong is the pipeline for further acquisitions

in the region, Paul?

Oh, it's really strong.

The current region on certainties

led to some investors to pause or back away,

which is creating opportunities to acquire assets

at really attractive valuations.

For us, this could be a defining moment.

It allows us to scale up more quickly and efficiently

than what we originally planned.

Importantly, our strategy of multiple distributed sites

also gives us resilience.

We're not relying on one single large asset.

It reduces any risk and enhances continuity.

This still uses equity at a premium and deferred cash.

How are you balancing growth with protecting

shareholder value?

Well, it's a hard question.

It's always a balance, and it's one architect,

seriously, both of the CEO and also, more importantly,

as a major shareholder myself.

What's important here is that we're issuing equity

at a premium, not a discount, and bringing it

in aligned strategic partners rather than short-term capital.

That's the key distinction, I believe.

We're focused on scaling the business in a way

that builds long-term value, not just raising capital

for the sake of it, and ensuring that the investors

coming in are aligned with our journey.

Well, thank you very much for taking the time.

To speak with us today, I hope you'll continue

to keep us posted on your progress.

100%.

Speak to you very shortly, I hope.

Well, early at the CEO of Active Energy.