Ansaldo Fuel Cells (AFCo), de-merged from Ansaldo Ricerche at the end of 2001, has as mission the industrial production and commercialization of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells in the range 0,1 -10 MW and represents today the only European manufacturer of MCFC based on European technology and manufacturing capabilities.

At present AFCo is in the demonstration phase of a wider program aimed at commercial manufacturing and sales of MCFC power plants. The present phase is still supported by strong development efforts and will lead to the commercialization in 3 to 5 years.

A new factory for porous components manufacturing and stack assembly, an improvement of the first pilot line in Genoa area, is being set up in Central Italy.

Within this frame several demonstrators have been or are being financed. In particular units fed by Natural Gas, Landfill gas, Syngas and Diesel oil will be completed in the next few years, together with three demonstrators at stack level for hybrid MCFC-Gas Turbine and a Biomass derived Gas.

The entry market unit is the “Series 2TW”, designed for a power output on natural gas up to 500 kW and with multifuel capability. The “Series 2TW” can be used in stand-alone applications or as the building block for larger power plants.

The stacks for the “First of a Kind” unit of the “Series 2TW” have been manufactured and assembled and will be installed in the powerplant, which is located in San Augustin de Guadalix, during 2004.