HTOO Fusion Fuel Green PLC

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. [RESERVED] 

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

D. Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the following risk factors and all of the information contained in this Annual Report, including but not limited to, the matters addressed in the section titled “Forward-Looking Statements,” and the financial information with respect to Parent before you decide whether to invest in our securities. The value of your investment will be subject to the significant risks affecting us and inherent in the Green Hydrogen industry and the Iberian market. Any of the following risks could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. This could cause the trading price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants to decline, perhaps significantly, and you could lose all or a part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do not consider to be material may also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Parent and Fusion Fuel Portugal have a limited operating history.

Parent and Fusion Fuel Portugal have a limited operating history. Because of this, your basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objectives and operate profitably is correspondingly limited. This could adversely affect the price of our securities and future prospects.

We may need additional capital in the future to meet our financial obligations and to pursue our business objectives. Additional capital may not be available on favorable terms, or at all, which could compromise our ability to meet our financial obligations and grow our business.

Our future capital requirements depend on many factors, including our research, development, and sales and marketing activities. We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth. Accordingly, we may require additional funds to:

If we do not have, or are not able to obtain, sufficient funds, we may have to delay product development initiatives or license to third parties the rights to commercialize products or technologies we would otherwise seek to market. We also may have to reduce marketing, customer support or other resources devoted to our products.

If we need to raise additional capital through public or private equity or debt offerings or through arrangements with strategic partners or other sources in the future in order to continue to develop and commercialize our products and product candidates, we cannot assure you that additional capital will be available when needed or on terms satisfactory to us, if at all. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our shareholders may experience substantial dilution and the new equity securities may have greater rights, preferences or privileges than our existing Class A ordinary shares.

The green hydrogen production industry is an emerging market and green hydrogen production may not receive widespread market acceptance.

The green hydrogen production industry is still relatively nascent in an otherwise mature and heavily regulated industry, and we cannot be sure that potential customers will accept hydrogen production broadly, or our HEVO based products specifically. Enterprises may be unwilling to adopt our solution over traditional or competing power sources for any number of reasons including the perception that our technology is unproven, a lack of confidence in our business model, the perceived unavailability of back-up service providers to operate and maintain our technology, and lack of awareness of our product or the perception of regulatory or political headwinds. In addition, companies may take longer than expected to use green hydrogen over brown hydrogen due to potential price differentiation. Because this is an emerging industry, broad acceptance of our products and services is subject to a high level of uncertainty and risk. If the market develops more slowly than we anticipate, our business will be harmed. 

Our limited operating history and our nascent industry make evaluating our business and future prospects difficult.

The Fusion Fuel team began its work in the renewable energy industry in 2008, and since such time we have been focused principally on research and development activities relating to concentrated solar power, part of which we have applied to our technology. Fusion Fuel´s hydrogen project began in 2018. Although the hydrogen project is an extension of our historical business it comes with some different challenges, including the challenges described elsewhere in these “Risk Factors” which we may not have the experience or ability to successfully overcome. Furthermore, our hydrogen generator, the HEVO, is a new type of product in the nascent hydrogen industry. Consequently, predicting our future revenue and appropriately budgeting for our expenses is difficult, and we have limited insight into trends that may emerge and affect our business. If actual results differ from our estimates or if we adjust our estimates in future periods, our operating results and financial position could be materially and adversely affected.

Fusion Fuel’s products involve a lengthy sales and installation cycle and if we fail to close sales on a regular and timely basis, our business could be harmed.

  Fusion Fuel’s sales cycle is typically 12 to 24 months but can vary considerably. In order to make a sale, we must typically provide a significant level of education to prospective customers regarding the use and benefits of Fusion Fuel’s products and technology. The period between initial discussions with a potential customer and the eventual sale of even a single product typically depends on a number of factors, including the potential customer’s budget, required construction and production licenses, and the decision as to the type of financing it chooses to use as well as the arrangement of such financing. Prospective customers often undertake a significant evaluation process which may further extend the sales cycle. Once a customer makes a formal decision to purchase our product, the fulfilment of the sales order by us will require a substantial amount of time. We expect the time between the entry into a sales contract with a customer and the installation of our technology to range from three to nine months or more depending on the licensing and permitting stages of a project. This lengthy sales and installation cycle is subject to a number of significant risks over which we have little or no control. Because of both the long sales and long installation cycles, we may expend significant resources without having certainty of generating a sale. 

These lengthy sales and installation cycles increase the risk that an installation may be delayed and/or may not be completed. In some instances, a customer can cancel an order for a particular site prior to installation, and we may be unable to recover some or all of our costs in connection with design, permitting, installation and site preparations incurred prior to cancellation. Our operating expenses are based on anticipated sales levels, and many of our expenses are fixed. If we are unsuccessful in closing sales after expending significant resources or if we experience delays or cancellations, our business could be materially and adversely affected. Since we do not recognize revenue on the sales of our products until installation and acceptance, a small fluctuation in the timing of the completion of our sales transactions could cause operating results to vary materially from period to period. 

We believe that part of the cancellation risk is mitigated in these early years, as our first projects are being developed for Fusion Fuel’s own business line. Fusion Fuel will then operate the first green hydrogen plants. 

The economic benefits to our customers of our HEVO-Solar solution over competitor products depend on the cost of electricity available from alternative sources including local electric utility companies, which cost structure is subject to change.  

We believe that a customer’s decision to purchase our HEVO-Solar technology is significantly influenced by the price predictability of electricity generated by the system in comparison to the retail price and the future price outlook of electricity from the local utility grid and other energy sources. The economic benefit of our solution to our customers includes, among other things, the benefit of reducing such customer’s payments to the local utility company. The rates at which electricity is available from a customer’s local electric utility company is subject to change and any changes in such rates may affect the relative benefits of our products. Even in markets where we are competitive today, rates for electricity could decrease and render our solutions uncompetitive. Several factors could lead to a reduction in the price or future price outlook for grid electricity, including the impact of energy conservation initiatives that reduce electricity consumption, construction of additional power generation plants (including nuclear, coal or natural gas) and technological developments by others in the electric power industry which could result in electricity being available at costs lower than those that we can achieve. If the retail price of grid electricity decreases at a faster rate than we or our customers expect, it could reduce demand for our HEVO-Solar products and harm our business. 

Fusion Fuel also has a centralized electrolyzer offering, the HEVO-Chain, which is able to compete with other electrolyzers in the market and therefore we believe this risk can be mitigated.

We currently face and will continue to face significant competition.

Fusion Fuel operates in a highly competitive industry. We compete for customers, financing partners, and incentive dollars with other electric power providers and hydrogen solutions. Several of our primary competitors are diversified multinational companies with substantially larger operating staff and greater capital resources. Further, many providers, such as traditional utilities and other companies offering distributed generation products, have longer operating histories, have customer incumbency advantages, have access to and influence with local and state governments, and have access to more capital resources than do we. These larger competitors’ greater resources could allow them to better withstand industry downturns and to compete more effectively on the basis of technology, geographic scope and retained skilled personnel. If these competitors substantially increase the resources they devote to developing and marketing competitive solutions and services, we may not be able to compete effectively. Similarly, consolidation among their competitors could enhance their product and service offerings and financial resources, further intensifying competition. Significant developments in alternative technologies, such as energy storage, wind, solar, or hydro power generation, or improvements in the efficiency or cost of traditional energy sources, including coal, oil, natural gas used in combustion, or nuclear power, may materially and adversely affect our business and prospects in ways we cannot anticipate. We may also face new competitors who are not currently in the market. If we fail to adapt to changing market conditions and to compete successfully with grid electricity or new competitors, our growth will be limited which would adversely affect our business results.

We depend on a few customers for the majority of our revenues and the loss of any such customers could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We sell most of Fusion Fuel’s products to a range of customers that currently includes a few anchor customers, and, while we are continually seeking to expand our customer base, we expect this concentration of our customer base will continue for the next several years. Accordingly, our near-term success depends upon the continued purchases of our products by a small number of customers, and any fluctuation or decline in business with our major customers could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our dependence on a small number of major customers may expose us to additional risks. For instance, a slowdown, delay or reduction in a customer’s orders could result in excess inventories or unexpected quarterly fluctuations in our operating results and liquidity. Our major customers may have significant purchasing leverage over us to require changes in sales terms including pricing, payment terms and product delivery schedules, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. If one of our major customers delays payment of or is unable to pay their receivables, that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. While we believe that part of this cancellation risk will be mitigated in the early years as the first projects will be developed for Fusion Fuel’s own business line, and Fusion Fuel will then operate the first green hydrogen plants, we cannot assure you of that. If we are unable to build and maintain a broad customer base and build relationships with potential new customers, our business may be adversely affected.

Risks Relating to our Products and Manufacturing

Weakness in the economy, market trends and other conditions affecting the profitability and financial stability of our customers could negatively impact our sales growth and results of operations.

The demand for our products and services is sensitive to the production activity, capital spending and demand for products and services of our customers. Many of our potential customers operate in markets that are subject to cyclical fluctuations resulting from market uncertainty, trade and tariff policies, currency exchange rates, central bank interest rate changes, foreign competition, offshoring of production, oil and natural gas prices, geopolitical developments, labor shortages, inflation, deflation, and a variety of other factors beyond our control. Any of these factors could cause customers to idle or close facilities, delay purchases, reduce production levels, or experience reductions in the demand for their own products or services. Any of these events could also reduce the volume of products and services these customers purchase from us or impair the ability of our customers to make full and timely payments and could cause increased pressure on our selling prices and terms of sale. Accordingly, a significant or prolonged slowdown in activity in any major world economy, or a segment of any such economy, could negatively impact our sales growth and results of operations.

Our future success depends in part on our ability to increase our production capacity, and we may not be able to do so in a cost-effective manner and cannot guarantee that our production partners ramp up in time.

To the extent we are successful in growing our business, we may need to increase our production capacity. Our ability to plan, obtain financing, construct, and equip additional manufacturing facilities is subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including the following: 

This risk is partially mitigated because we currently outsource all production functions which are non-related to our HEVO technology to third parties. If any of our key suppliers are unable to expand their manufacturing facilities, we may be unable to further scale our business. Over the next three to five years, Fusion Fuel is in the process of establishing its own assembly line(s) and production plant(s). If we are unable to do so, this could limit the ability of Fusion Fuel to scale its business. If the demand for our technology or our production output decreases or does not rise as expected, we may not be able to spread a significant amount of our fixed costs over the production volume, resulting in a greater than expected per unit fixed cost, which would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our results of operations.

The performance of our technology may be affected by field conditions and other factors outside of our control, which could result in harm to our business and financial results.

Field conditions, such as the natural elements and utility processes which vary by region and may be subject to seasonal fluctuations, are not always possible to predict until the plant is in operation. Although we believe we have designed the units to withstand the variety of field conditions we expect to encounter, as we move into new geographies and deploy new service configurations, we may encounter new and unanticipated field conditions. Adverse impacts on performance may require us to incur significant re-engineering costs or divert the attention of our engineering personnel from product development efforts. Furthermore, we may be unable to adequately address the impacts of factors outside of our control in a manner satisfactory to our customers. Any of these circumstances could significantly and adversely affect customer satisfaction, market acceptance, and our business reputation.

If our products contain manufacturing defects, our business and financial results could be harmed.

Our units are complex products and they may contain undetected or latent errors or defects. Changes in our supply chain or the failure of our suppliers to otherwise provide us with components or materials that meet our specifications could also introduce defects into our products. In addition, as we grow our manufacturing volume, the chance of manufacturing defects could increase. Any manufacturing defects or other failures of our systems to perform as expected could cause us to incur significant re-engineering and replacement costs, divert the attention of our engineering personnel from product development efforts, and significantly and adversely affect customer satisfaction, market acceptance, and our business reputation. Given the fact that the electrolyzers only produce around 20 grams of hydrogen each day and that they operate in an open area, there is little to no safety risk to employees or customers. 

Furthermore, we may be unable to correct manufacturing defects or other failures of our products in a manner satisfactory to our customers, which could adversely affect customer satisfaction, market acceptance, and our business reputation.

Fusion Fuel’s products create a flammable fuel that is an inherently dangerous substance.

Our systems create hydrogen gas through electrolysis. While our products do not use this fuel in a combustion process, hydrogen gas is a flammable fuel that could leak and combust if ignited by another source. Further, any such accidents involving our products or other products using similar flammable fuels could materially suppress demand for, or heighten regulatory scrutiny of, our products. 

The risk of product liability claims and associated adverse publicity is inherent in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of hydrogen, a flammable gas. Any liability for damages resulting from malfunctions or design defects could be substantial and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, an actual or perceived problem with our products could adversely affect the market’s perception of our products resulting in a decline in demand for our products, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. 

Each green hydrogen production plant will consider purchasing an insurance policy to insure such project to mitigate this operational risk, but due to the nascent industry and market for these products, it is unknown what the financial burden might be of any such insurance policy, and we may determine that the costs of insuring for these risks make it impractical for us to obtain insurance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that each plant will purchase insurance nor that any insurance coverage purchased will be adequate. Any uninsured occurrence of business disruption, litigation, natural disaster, or significant damages to our uninsured equipment or technology infrastructure could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources for us and could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Fusion Fuel’s purchase orders may not ship, be commissioned or installed, or convert to revenue.

Some of the orders we accept from customers may require certain conditions or contingencies to be satisfied, or may be cancelled, prior to shipment or prior to commissioning or installation, some of which are outside of our control. The time periods from receipt of an order to shipment date and installation vary widely and are determined by a number of factors, including the terms of the customer contract and the customer’s deployment plan. There may also be product redesign or modification requirements that must be satisfied prior to shipment of units under certain of our agreements. If the redesigns or modifications are not completed, some or all of our orders may not ship or convert to revenue. In certain cases, we may publicly disclose anticipated, pending orders with prospective customers; however, those prospective customers may require certain conditions or contingencies to be satisfied prior to entering into a purchase order with us, some of which are outside of our control. Such conditions or contingencies that may be required to be satisfied before we receive a purchase order may include, but are not limited to, successful product demonstrations or field trials. Converting orders into revenue may also depend upon our customers’ ability to obtain financing. Some conditions or contingencies that are out of our control may include, but are not limited to, government tax policy, government funding programs, and government incentive programs. Additionally, some conditions and contingencies may extend for several years. We may have to compensate customers, by either reimbursement, forfeiting portions of associated revenue, or other methods depending on the terms of the customer contract, based on the failure on any of these conditions or contingencies. While not probable, this could have an adverse impact on our revenue and cash flow.

If our estimates of the useful life for our units are inaccurate or we do not meet service and performance warranties and guaranties, or if we fail to accrue adequate warranty and guaranty reserves, our business and financial results could be harmed.

We will provide performance warranties and guaranties covering the efficiency and output performance of our Hydrogen Generators for the first five years. Our pricing of these contracts and our reserves for warranty and replacement will be based upon our estimates of the useful life of our units and their components, including assumptions regarding improvements in power module life that may fail to materialize. Although there is a 12-year history on the solar tracking systems, the Direct Coupled Photo Electrochemical Hydrogen Generator (the “HEVO”), which produces green hydrogen at one of the highest efficiency ratios and at the most competitive cost (€/Kg) in the green hydrogen industry, does not have a long history with a large number of field deployments, and our estimates may prove to be incorrect. Failure to meet these performance warranties and guaranty levels may require us to replace the units at our expense or refund their cost to the customer, or require us to make cash payments to the customer based on actual performance, as compared to expected performance, capped at a percentage of the relevant equipment purchase prices. We will accrue for product warranty costs and recognize losses on service or performance warranties when required by IFRS based on our estimates of costs that may be incurred and based on historical experience. However, as we expect our customers to renew their maintenance service agreements each year, the total liability over time may be more than the accrual. Actual warranty expenses have in the past been below and may in the future be greater than we have assumed in our estimates, the accuracy of which may be hindered due to our limited history operating at our current scale.

Our business is subject to risks associated with construction, utility interconnection, cost overruns and delays, including those related to obtaining government permits and other contingencies that may arise in the course of completing installations.

Payments on the sales of our units are paid in instalments, including an up-front payment upon placing an order, a payment on delivery, and a final payment upon the installation and acceptance (except where a third party is responsible for installation). Therefore, our financial results may be impacted by the timeliness of the installation or delivery of the units. Furthermore, in some cases, the installation of the units may be on a fixed price basis, which subjects us to the risk of cost overruns or other unforeseen expenses in the installation process. 

The construction, installation, and operation of our units at a particular site is also generally subject to oversight and regulation in accordance with applicable laws and ordinances relating to building codes, safety, environmental protection, and related matters, and typically require various governmental approvals and permits, including environmental approvals and permits, that vary by jurisdiction. In some cases, these approvals and permits require periodic renewal. It is difficult and costly to track the requirements of every individual authority having jurisdiction over our installations, to design our units to comply with these varying standards, and to obtain all applicable approvals and permits. We cannot predict whether or when all permits required for a given project will be granted or whether the conditions associated with the permits will be achievable. The denial of a permit or utility connection essential to a project or the imposition of impractical conditions would impair our ability to develop the project. In addition, we cannot predict whether the permitting process will be lengthened due to complexities and appeals. Delay in the review and permitting process for a project can impair or delay our and our customers’ abilities to develop that project or may increase the cost so substantially that the project is no longer attractive to us or our customers. Furthermore, unforeseen delays in the review and permitting process could delay the timing of the installation and could therefore adversely affect the timing of the recognition of revenue related to the installation, which could harm our operating results in a particular period. 

In addition, the completion of many of our installations depends on the availability of and timely connection to the natural gas grid and the local electric grid. In some jurisdictions, local utility companies or the municipality may deny our request for connection or may require us to reduce the size of certain projects. Any delays in our ability to connect with utilities, delays in the performance of installation-related services, or poor performance of installation-related services by our general contractors or sub-contractors will have a material adverse effect on our results and could cause operating results to vary materially from period to period. 

Furthermore, at times we may rely on the ability of our third-party general contractors to install units at our customers’ sites and to meet our installation requirements. Our work with contractors or their sub-contractors may have the effect of us being required to comply with additional rules (including rules unique to our customers), working conditions, site remediation, and other union requirements, which can add costs and complexity to an installation project. The timeliness, thoroughness, and quality of the installation-related services performed by some of our general contractors and their sub-contractors in the past may not meet expectations or standards.

Any significant disruption in the operations at our or our partner’s manufacturing facilities could delay the production of our products, which would harm our business and results of operations.

We manufacture our solar concentration units in a limited number of manufacturing facilities, and initially with one key partner, MagP, any of which could become unavailable either temporarily or permanently for any number of reasons, including equipment failure, material supply, financial difficulties, public health emergencies, catastrophic weather or geologic events, or if the relationship between us and MagP deteriorates. In the event of a significant disruption to our manufacturing process, we may not be able to easily shift production to other facilities or to make up for lost production, which could result in harm to our reputation, increased costs, and lower revenues. The planned new Fusion Fuel production facility is expected to reduce our reliance on MagP, and, accordingly, would reduce the impact of any potential disruption at MagP’s plant.

Delays in or not completing our product development goals may adversely affect our revenue and profitability.

If we experience delays in meeting our development goals, our products exhibit technical defects, or if we are unable to meet cost reduction targets or performance goals, including power output, useful life and reliability, the profitable commercialization of our products will be delayed. In this event, potential purchasers of our products may choose alternative technologies and any delays could allow potential competitors to gain market advantages. We cannot assure that we will successfully meet our commercialization schedule in the future.

The failure of our suppliers to continue to deliver necessary raw materials or other components of our products in a timely manner or at all, or our inability to obtain substitute sources of these components on a timely basis or on terms acceptable to us, could prevent us from delivering our products within required time frames, impair our ability to manufacture our products, could increase our costs of production and could cause installation delays, cancellations, penalty payments, and damage to our reputation.

We rely on a limited number of third-party suppliers for some of the raw materials and components for our products, including components that may be of limited supply or require customized manufacturing specifications. If our suppliers provide insufficient inventory at the level of quality required to meet customer demand or if our suppliers are unable or unwilling to provide us with the contracted quantities (as we have limited or in some case no alternatives for supply), our results of operations could be materially and negatively impacted. If we fail to develop or maintain our relationships with our suppliers, or if there is otherwise a shortage or lack of availability of any required raw materials or components, we may be unable to manufacture our units or they may be available only at a higher cost or after a long delay. Such delays could prevent us from delivering units to our customers within required time frames and cause order cancellations. We have had to create our own supply chain for some of the components and materials utilized in our fuel cells. We have made significant expenditures in the past to develop our supply chain. In many cases, we entered into contractual relationships with suppliers to jointly develop the components we needed. These activities are time and capital intensive. Accordingly, the number of suppliers we have for some of our components and materials is limited and, in some cases, sole sourced. Some of our suppliers use proprietary processes to manufacture components. We may be unable to obtain comparable components from alternative suppliers without considerable delay, expense, or at all, as replacing these suppliers could require us either to make significant investments to bring the capability in-house or to invest in a new supply chain partner. Some of our suppliers are smaller, private companies, heavily dependent on us as a customer. If our suppliers face difficulties obtaining the credit or capital necessary to expand their operations when needed, they could be unable to supply necessary raw materials and components needed to support our planned sales and services operations, which would negatively impact our sales volumes and cash flows.  

Moreover, we may experience unanticipated disruptions and/or price increases to operations or other difficulties with our supply chain or internalized supply processes due to exchange rate fluctuations, volatility in regional markets from where materials are obtained, changes in the general macroeconomic outlook, global trade disputes, political instability, expropriation or nationalization of property, public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, civil strife, strikes, insurrections, acts of terrorism, acts of war, or natural disasters. The failure by us to obtain raw materials or components in a timely manner or to obtain raw materials or components that meet our quantity and cost requirements could impair our ability to manufacture items or increase their costs or service costs of our existing portfolio under maintenance services agreements. If we cannot obtain substitute materials or components on a timely basis or on acceptable terms, we could be prevented from delivering our solution to our customers within required time frames, which could result in sales and installation delays, cancellations, penalty payments, or damage to our reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, we rely on our suppliers to meet quality standards, and the failure of our suppliers to meet or exceed those quality standards could cause delays in the delivery of our products, cause unanticipated servicing costs, and cause damage to our reputation.

Our ability to develop new products and enter into new markets could be negatively impacted if we are unable to identify suppliers to deliver new materials and components on a timely basis.

We continue to develop products for new markets and, as we move into those markets, must qualify new suppliers to manufacture and deliver the necessary components required to build and install those new products. Identifying new manufacturing partners is a lengthy process and is subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If we are unable to identify reliable manufacturing partners in a new market, our ability to expand our business could be limited and our financial conditions and results of operations could be harmed.

We face supply chain competition, including competition from businesses in other industries, which could result in insufficient inventory and negatively affect our results of operations.

Certain of our suppliers also supply parts and materials to other businesses including businesses engaged in the production of consumer electronics, satellite components and other industries unrelated to fuel cells. As a relatively low-volume purchaser of certain of these parts and materials, we may be unable to procure a sufficient supply of the items in the event that our suppliers fail to produce sufficient quantities to satisfy the demands of all of their customers, which could materially harm our financial condition and our results of operations. 

We, and some of our suppliers, obtain capital equipment used in our manufacturing process from sole suppliers and, if this equipment is damaged or otherwise unavailable, our ability to deliver on time will suffer.

Some of the equipment used to manufacture our products and some of the equipment used by our suppliers have been developed and made specifically for us, are not readily available from multiple vendors, and would be difficult to repair or replace if they did not function properly. If any of these suppliers were to experience financial difficulties or go out of business or if there were any damage to or a breakdown of our manufacturing equipment and we could not obtain replacement equipment in a timely manner, our business would suffer. In addition, a supplier’s failure to supply this equipment in a timely manner with adequate quality and on terms acceptable to us could disrupt our production schedule or increase our costs of production and service. 

Possible new tariffs could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our business is dependent on the availability of raw materials and components for our products, particularly electrical components common in the semiconductor industry, specialty steel products and processing and raw materials. Tariffs or other trade protection measures which are proposed or threatened, and the potential escalation of a trade war and retaliation measures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.  

To the extent practicable, given the limitations in supply chain previously discussed, although we currently maintain alternative sources for materials, our business is subject to the risk of price fluctuations and periodic delays in the delivery of certain materials, which tariffs may exacerbate. Disruptions in the supply of raw materials and components could temporarily impair our ability to manufacture our solutions for our customers or require us to pay higher prices in order to obtain these raw materials or components from other sources, which could affect our business and our results of operations.

Fusion Fuel Portugal’s business plan leverages Portugal’s Hydrogen Strategy and Portugal’s investment in a green hydrogen economy. If there are any delays in the rollout of legislation or changes to Portugal’s Hydrogen Strategy, this could materially impact our business.

Fusion Fuel Portugal has its principal offices in Portugal, and all of its initial projects are located in Portugal and other jurisdictions in Southern Europe. All of our projects in Portugal will be impacted by the Portuguese laws governing the energy sector generally and the use of hydrogen specifically (including whether as a gas or fuel, and as pertains to production, storage, transportation, safety, and taxation). Delays in the rollout of legislation or changes to any existing legislation could have a material financial impact on Fusion Fuel Portugal and could cause delays to on-going projects and negotiations. Furthermore, economic difficulties or political changes in Portugal and other portions of Southern Europe could alter these governments’ intentions with respect to projects to which they have not yet formally committed. These same issues could have an impact in any new market into which we enter. 

Any disruption to or elimination of Portugal’s and Spain´s Hydrogen Strategy and other strategic plans for hydrogen production in could reduce demand for our products, lead to a reduction in our revenues and adversely impact our operating results and liquidity.  

We believe that the demand of our hydrogen energy technologies is impacted by Portugal’s and Spain´s Hydrogen Strategy and other strategic plans for hydrogen production that are emerging in Europe and around the world. These plans could be reduced or discontinued for other reasons, and the reduction, elimination, or expiration of these plans may result in the diminished economic competitiveness of our products to our customers and could materially and adversely affect the growth of alternative energy technologies, including our products, as well as our future operating results and liquidity. 

Our business may become subject to increased government regulation.

Our products are subject to laws and regulations, including, for example, state and local ordinances relating to building codes, public safety, electrical and gas pipeline connections, hydrogen transportation and siting and related matters. In certain jurisdictions, these regulatory requirements may be more stringent than in other jurisdictions. Further, as products are introduced into the market commercially, governments may impose new regulations. We do not know the extent to which any such regulations may impact our ability to manufacture, distribute, install and service our products. Any regulation of our products in any of the jurisdictions in which we intend to operate, including any regulations relating to the production, operation, installation, and servicing of our products may increase our costs and the price of our products, and noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations could subject us to investigations, sanctions, enforcement actions, fines, damages, civil and criminal penalties or injunctions. If any governmental sanctions are imposed, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and an increase in professional fees. Enforcement actions and sanctions could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Risks Relating to Legal Matters and Regulations

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations that could impose substantial costs upon us and cause delays in the delivery and installation of our units.

We are subject environmental laws and regulations as well as environmental laws in each jurisdiction in which we operate. Environmental laws and regulations can be complex and may often change. These laws can give rise to liability for administrative oversight costs, cleanup costs, property damage, bodily injury, fines, and penalties. Capital and operating expenses needed to comply with environmental laws and regulations can be significant, and violations may result in substantial fines and penalties or third-party damages. In addition, ensuring we are in compliance with applicable environmental laws requires significant time and management resources and could cause delays in our ability to build out, equip and operate our facilities as well as service our fleet, which would adversely impact our business, our prospects, our financial condition, and our operating results. If contamination is discovered in the future at properties formerly owned or operated by us or currently owned or operated by us, or properties to which hazardous substances were sent by us, it could result in our liability under environmental laws and regulations. Many of our customers have high sustainability standards, and any environmental noncompliance by us could harm our reputation and impact a current or potential customer’s buying decision. Additionally, in many cases we contractually commit to performing all necessary installation work on a fixed-price basis, and unanticipated costs associated with environmental remediation and/or compliance expenses may cause the cost of performing such work to exceed our revenue. The costs of complying with environmental laws, regulations, and customer requirements, and any claims concerning noncompliance or liability with respect to contamination in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or our operating results.  

The installation and operation of hydrogen production units and renewable energy systems is subject to environmental laws and regulations in various jurisdictions, and there is uncertainty with respect to the interpretation of how certain environmental laws and regulations apply to our technology, especially as these regulations evolve over time.

We are committed to compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations including health and safety standards, and we continually review the operation of our units for health, safety, and environmental compliance. Maintaining compliance with laws and regulations can be challenging given the changing patchwork of environmental laws and regulations that prevail at the federal, state, regional, and local level. Most existing environmental laws and regulations preceded the introduction of our innovative fuel cell technology and were adopted to apply to technologies existing at the time (i.e., large coal, oil, or gas-fired power plants). Currently, there is generally little guidance from these agencies on how certain environmental laws and regulations may or may not be applied to our technology. Furthermore, we have not yet determined whether our units will satisfy regulatory requirements in locations in which we do not currently sell our solution but may pursue in the future. While we have determined that the HEVO-Solar units do not present any significant health hazard, based on our modelling, testing methodology, and measurements, we cannot assure you that regulators or governments in the regions where we sell and intend to be present will reach the same conclusions. We may not be able to adapt to changing laws and regulations, or changing interpretations of existing laws and regulations. Any such failure could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. 

We may become subject to product liability claims which could harm our financial condition and liquidity if we are not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims.

We may in the future become subject to product liability claims. Our technology produces flammable gases and therefore must operate in accordance with the required safety standards and rules applicable in each jurisdiction. These claims could require us to incur significant costs to defend. Furthermore, any successful product liability claim could require us to pay a substantial monetary award. Moreover, a product liability claim could generate substantial negative publicity about our Company and our product, which could harm our brand, our business prospects, and our operating results. 

Future litigation or administrative proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, our financial condition and our results of operations.

From time to time, we may be involved in legal proceedings, administrative proceedings, claims, and other litigation that could arise in the ordinary course of business. We may incur costs and expenses in connection with defending ourselves or in connection with the payment of any settlement or judgment or compliance with any ruling in connection therewith. The expense of defending litigation may be significant. The amount of time to resolve lawsuits is unpredictable and defending ourselves may divert management’s attention from the day to day operations of our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Unfavorable outcomes or developments relating to proceedings to which we are a party or transactions involving our products such as judgments for monetary damages, injunctions, or denial or revocation of permits, could have a material adverse effect on our business, our financial condition, and our results of operations. In addition, settlement of claims could adversely affect our financial condition and our results of operations.

In addition, since the HEVO is a new type of product in a nascent market, we may in the future need to seek the amendment of existing regulations, or in some cases the development of new regulations, in order to operate our business in some jurisdictions. Such regulatory processes may require public hearings concerning our business, which could expose us to subsequent litigation. 

Changes in tax laws or regulations or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. 

As we continue to expand internationally, we will be subject to income taxes in various jurisdictions. Given that the Fusion Fuel’s owned plants have a life span of 25 years a number of factors may adversely affect our future effective tax rates, such as the jurisdictions in which our profits are determined to be earned and taxed; changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; adjustments to estimated taxes upon finalization of various tax returns; changes in available tax credits, grants and other incentives; changes in stock-based compensation expense; the availability of loss or credit carryforwards to offset taxable income; changes in tax laws, regulations, accounting principles or interpretations thereof; or examinations by jurisdictions that disagree with interpretations of tax rules and regulations in regard to positions taken on tax filings. A change in our effective tax rate due to any of these factors may adversely affect our future results from operations.

In addition, as our business grows, we are required to comply with increasingly complex taxation rules and practices. We will be subject to tax in additional jurisdictions as we continue to expand internationally. The development of our tax strategies requires additional expertise and may impact how we conduct our business. If our tax strategies are ineffective or we are not in compliance with domestic and international tax laws, our financial position, operating results and cash flows could be adversely affected.

Risks Relating to our Intellectual Property

Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights may undermine our competitive position, and litigation to protect our intellectual property rights may be costly.

Our ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary technologies and processes. Although we have taken many protective measures to protect our trade secrets including agreements, limited access, segregation of knowledge, password protections, and other measures, policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology can be difficult and expensive. Also, litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Such litigation may result in our intellectual property rights being challenged, limited in scope, or declared invalid or unenforceable. We cannot be certain that the outcome of any litigation will be in our favor, and an adverse determination in any such litigation could impair our intellectual property rights, our business, our prospects, and our reputation. 

We rely primarily on patent, trade secret, and non-disclosure, confidentiality, and other types of contractual restrictions to establish, maintain, and enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights. However, our rights under these laws and agreements afford us only limited protection and the actions we take to establish, maintain, and enforce our intellectual property rights may not be adequate. For example, our trade secrets and other confidential information could be disclosed in an unauthorized manner to third parties, our owned or licensed intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, infringed, or misappropriated or our intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to provide us with a competitive advantage, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results. In addition, the laws of some countries do not protect proprietary rights as fully as do the laws of the United States or countries across Europe. As a result, we may not be able to protect our proprietary rights adequately abroad. 

Our patent applications may not result in issued patents, and our issued patents may not provide adequate protection, either of which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to prevent others from commercially exploiting products similar to ours.

We cannot be certain that our pending patent applications will result in issued patents or that any of our issued patents will afford protection against a competitor. The status of patents involves complex legal and factual questions, and the breadth of claims allowed is uncertain. As a result, we cannot be certain that the patent applications that we file will result in patents being issued or that our patents and any patents that may be issued to us in the future will afford protection against competitors with similar technology. In the case of patents to be issued, we do not know that the claims allowed will be sufficiently broad to protect our technology or processes. Even if all of our patent applications are issued and are sufficiently broad, our patents may be challenged or invalidated. We could incur substantial costs in prosecuting or defending patent infringement suits or otherwise protecting our intellectual property rights. Furthermore, even if these patent applications are accepted and the associated patents issued, some foreign countries provide significantly less effective patent enforcement than in the United States or countries across Europe.

In addition, patents issued to us may be infringed upon or designed around by others and others may obtain patents that we need to license or design around, either of which would increase costs and may adversely affect our business, our prospects, and our operating results.

We may need to defend ourselves against claims that we infringed, misappropriated, or otherwise violated the intellectual property rights of others, which may be time-consuming and would cause us to incur substantial costs.

The tools, techniques, methodologies, processes, programs, and components that we use to provide our solutions may infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. Companies, organizations, or individuals, including our competitors, may hold or obtain patents or other proprietary rights that they may in the future believe are infringed by our products or services. Although we are not currently subject to any claims related to intellectual property, these companies holding patents or other intellectual property rights allegedly relating to our technologies could, in the future, make claims or bring suits alleging infringement, misappropriation, or other violations of such rights, or otherwise assert their rights and by seeking licenses or injunctions. Infringement claims generally result in significant legal and other costs and may distract our management from running our core business. We also generally indemnify our customers against claims that the products we supply infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate third party intellectual property rights, and we therefore may be required to defend our customers against such claims. If a claim is successfully brought in the future and we or our products are determined to have infringed, misappropriated, or otherwise violated a third party’s intellectual property rights, we may be required to do one or more of the following: 

Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition. In addition, any litigation or claims, whether or not valid, could harm our reputation, result in substantial costs and divert resources and management attention. We may need to pursue lawsuits or legal action in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, and to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. If third parties prepare and file applications for trademarks used or registered by us, we may oppose those applications and be required to participate in proceedings to determine the priority of rights to the trademark. Similarly, competitors may have filed applications for patents, may have received patents and may obtain additional patents and proprietary rights relating to products or technology that block or compete with ours. We may have to participate in interference proceedings to determine the priority of invention and the right to a patent for the technology. Litigation and interference proceedings, even if they are successful, are expensive to pursue and time consuming, and we could use a substantial amount of our management and financial resources in either case.

Confidentiality agreements to which we are party may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. Our trade secrets may also be known without breach of such agreements or may be independently developed by competitors. Our inability to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology and processes could allow our competitors to limit or eliminate any competitive advantages we may have.

Risks Relating to our Financial Condition and Operating Results

We are required to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting. Our management previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. This material weakness was still under remediation as of December 31, 2022. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.   

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the rules and regulations of the applicable listing standards of the Nasdaq Global Market. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Our current controls and any new controls that we develop may become inadequate because of changes in conditions in our business. Further, weaknesses in our disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting may be discovered in the future. Any failure to develop or maintain effective controls or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement could harm our results of operations or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and may result in a restatement of our consolidated financial statements for prior periods. Any failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could also adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations and annual independent registered public accounting firm attestation reports regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting that we will eventually be required to include in our periodic reports that will be filed with the SEC. Ineffective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial and other information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our ordinary shares. In addition, if we are unable to continue to meet these requirements, we may not be able to remain listed on the Nasdaq Global Market.

Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, this Annual Report on Form 20-F includes a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting. However, while we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. In connection with achieving compliance with Section 404 within the prescribed period, we engaged in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which was both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. 

Our management previously identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting primarily related to (i) clearly defined control processes, roles and segregation of duties and sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel within our business processes to ensure appropriate financial reporting, and (ii) the design and operating effectiveness of IT general controls for information systems that are significant to the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We have worked to remediate these material weaknesses and other deficiencies. We re-designed key processes and included significant measures to develop an effective internal control over financial reporting. In implementing these processes, we have engaged the assistance of external advisors with expertise in these matters. Additionally, we have and continue to train our accounting and finance staff and hired financial reporting personnel to develop and implement appropriate internal controls and reporting procedures. These remediation measures, which continue as of December 31, 2022 have been time consuming and costly and there is no assurance that these initiatives will remediate all issues.

 Moreover, because of the inherent limitations of any control system, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis, or at all. If we are unable to provide reliable and timely financial reports in the future, our business and reputation may be further harmed. Failures in internal control may also cause us to fail to meet reporting obligations, negatively affect investor confidence in our management and the accuracy of our financial statements and disclosures, or result in adverse publicity and concerns from investors, any of which could have a negative effect on the price of our securities, subject us to regulatory investigations and penalties or shareholder litigation, and have a material adverse impact on our financial condition. 

Our financial condition and results of operations and other key metrics are likely to fluctuate on a quarterly basis in future periods, which could cause our results for a particular period to fall below expectations, resulting in a severe decline in the price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.

Our financial condition and results of operations and other key metrics may fluctuate due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, the amount of product revenue we will recognize in a given period is materially dependent on the volume of installations of our units in that period and the type of financing used by the customer. 

In addition to the other risks described herein, the following factors could also cause our financial condition and results of operations to fluctuate on a quarterly basis: 

Fluctuations in our operating results and cash flow could, among other things, give rise to short-term liquidity issues. In addition, our revenue, key operating metrics, and other operating results in future quarters may fall short of the expectations of investors and financial analysts, which could have an adverse effect on the price of the Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants.

If we fail to manage our growth effectively, our business and operating results may suffer.

Our current growth and future growth plans may make it difficult for us to efficiently operate our business, challenging us to effectively manage our capital expenditures and control our costs while we expand our operations to increase our revenue. If we experience a significant growth in orders without improvements in automation and efficiency, we may need additional manufacturing capacity and we and some of our suppliers may need additional and capital intensive equipment. Any growth in manufacturing must include a scaling of quality control as the increase in production increases the possible impact of manufacturing defects. In addition, any growth in the volume of sales of our units may outpace our ability to engage sufficient and experienced personnel to manage the higher number of installations and to engage contractors to complete installations on a timely basis and in accordance with our expectations and standards. Any failure to manage our growth effectively could materially and adversely affect our business, our prospects, our operating results, and our financial condition. Our future operating results depend to a large extent on our ability to manage this expansion and growth successfully.

The accounting treatment related to our revenue-generating transactions is expected to be complex, and if we are unable to attract and retain highly qualified accounting personnel to evaluate the accounting implications of our complex or non-routine transactions, our ability to accurately report our financial results may be harmed.

Our revenue-generating transactions include traditional leases, Managed Services Agreements, technology sales and PPA transactions, all of which will be accounted for differently in our financial statements in future years. Many of the accounting rules related to our financing transactions are complex and require experienced and highly skilled personnel to review and interpret the proper accounting treatment with respect thereto. If we are unable to recruit and retain personnel with the required level of expertise to evaluate and accurately classify our revenue-producing transactions, our ability to accurately report our financial results may be harmed.

Changes in or new interpretations of tax law and currency/repatriation controls could impact the determination of our income tax liabilities for a tax year. 

We are subject to the jurisdiction of taxing authorities in all countries in which we operate. The income earned in these various jurisdictions may be taxed on differing bases, including net income actually earned, net income deemed earned, and revenue-based tax withholding. The final determination of our income tax liabilities involves the interpretation of local tax laws, tax treaties and related authorities in each jurisdiction, as well as the significant use of estimates and assumptions regarding the scope of future operations and results achieved and the timing and nature of income earned and expenditures incurred. Changes in the operating environment, including changes in or new interpretations of tax law and currency/repatriation controls, could impact the determination of our income tax liabilities for the tax year.  

Parent expects to experience foreign currency gains and losses. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates can adversely affect its profitability.  

Parent expects to incur foreign currency transaction gains and losses, primarily related to foreign currency exposures that may arise from its financial reporting in euros and holding significant assets in U.S. dollars.

A sizeable portion of Parent’s consolidated operating expenses is in foreign currencies. As a result, Parent will be subject to potential limitations that might be imposed on its ability to reinvest earnings from operations in one country to fund the capital needs of our operations in other countries.

Risks Relating to our Operations 

If Fusion Fuel is unable to attract and retain key employees and hire qualified management, technical, engineering, and sales personnel, our ability to compete and successfully grow our business could be harmed.

We believe that our success and our ability to reach our strategic objectives are highly dependent on the contributions of our key management, technical, engineering, and sales personnel. The loss of members of Fusion Fuel’s senior management team and other key employees, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, could significantly limit Fusion Fuel’s ability to achieve its strategic objectives by delaying the development and introduction of its products and services and negatively impact our business, prospects, and operating results. Our future success also depends on Fusion Fuel’s ability to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled employees, particularly employees with electrical and/or mechanical engineering skills or gas management specialties that would enable Fusion Fuel to effectively deliver its green hydrogen solutions to its clients on time and on budget, as well as client relationship managers with relevant regional and international experience. Competition for these executives in Fusion Fuel’s industry is intense and Fusion Fuel may experience difficulty in recruiting and retaining such individuals. Many of the companies with which Fusion Fuel competes for experienced executives and key personnel also have greater resources than it has. As a result, Fusion Fuel may be unable to attract or retain the green energy industry professionals that are critical to its success, resulting in harm to its key client relationships, loss of key information, expertise or know-how and unanticipated recruitment and retaining costs. Additionally, our ability to achieve revenue growth in the future will depend, in part, on Fusion Fuel’s success in recruiting and retaining client development executives. Such executives may require significant on-boarding time and effort in order to achieve full productivity which may impair business and revenue growth. Additionally, the loss of the services of Fusion Fuel’s senior management could make it more difficult to successfully operate its business and pursue Fusion Fuel’s business goals. In addition, we do not have “key person” life insurance policies covering any of Fusion Fuel’s officers or other key employees.

A breach or failure of our networks or computer or data management systems could damage our operations and our reputation.

Our business is dependent on the security and efficacy of our networks and computer and data management systems. For example, all of our hydrogen production units are connected to and controlled and monitored by our centralized remote monitoring service, and we rely on our internal computer networks for many of the systems we use to operate our business generally. Although we take protective measures and endeavor to modify them as circumstances warrant, the security of our infrastructure, including the network that connects our plants to the remote monitoring service, may be vulnerable to breaches, unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses, or other malicious code and cyber-attacks that could have a material adverse impact on our business. A breach or failure of our networks or computer or data management systems due to intentional actions such as cyber-attacks, negligence, or other reasons could seriously disrupt our operations or could affect our ability to control or to assess the performance of our units in the field and could result in disruption to our business and potentially legal liability. In addition, if certain of our IT systems failed, our production line might be affected, which could impact our business and operating results. These events, in addition to impacting our financial results, could result in significant costs or reputational consequences.

Parent is a holding company. Its material assets are its cash balances and equity interest in its direct and indirect subsidiaries and it is accordingly dependent upon distributions from them to pay taxes and cover its corporate and other overhead expenses.

We are a holding company and will have no material assets other than our cash balances and equity interest in our direct and indirect subsidiaries. We have no independent means of generating revenue. To the extent that we need funds and a subsidiary is restricted from making such distributions or payment under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of any financing arrangements due to restrictive covenants or otherwise, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, our liquidity and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Fusion Fuel’s ability to generate revenues is substantially dependent upon it entering into satisfactory hydrogen purchase agreements with third parties.

Fusion Fuel plans to own and operate some of the hydrogen farms it develops and will require a hydrogen off-taker (a buyer) to purchase the green hydrogen produced as an output over the first 10-15 years of the hydrogen projects developed. Notwithstanding that Fusion Fuel has entered into some commercial arrangements to date, there is no guarantee that future satisfactory commercial arrangements with third parties for its green hydrogen solutions will be entered into. Because Fusion Fuel’s business plan is substantially dependent on it entering into hydrogen purchase and technology sale agreements with third parties, if Fusion Fuel is unable to enter into such agreements, its results of operations and financial condition would suffer. 

Fusion Fuel’s activities are subject to a number of development risks, operational hazards, regulatory approvals and other risks which may not be fully covered by insurance, and which could cause cost overruns and delays that could have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects.

Siting, development, and delivery of Fusion Fuel’s green hydrogen solution are subject to the risks of delay or cost overruns inherent in any industrial development project resulting from numerous factors, including but not limited to the following: 

Delays beyond the estimated development periods, as well as cost overruns, could increase the cost of completion beyond the amounts that are currently estimated, which could require Parent to obtain additional sources of financing to fund the activities until the proposed project operational (which could cause further delays). The need for more financing may also make the project uneconomic. Delays could also trigger penalties or termination of our agreements with third parties, cause a delay in receipt of revenues projected from the Project or cause a loss of one or more clients. As a result, any significant delay, whatever the cause, could have a material adverse effect on Parent’s business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects. 

Increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of raw materials, including membranes and concentrating lenses, could harm our business.

We may experience increases in the cost or a sustained interruption in the supply or shortage of raw materials, including membranes, concentrating lenses, semiconductors, and integrated circuits. Any such increase or supply interruption could materially impact our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. We have experienced, and may continue in the future to experience, certain supply chain constraints, including with respect to membranes, concentrating lenses, integrated circuits, and displays. Certain production-ready components such as chipsets and displays may not arrive at our facilities in accordance with our production schedule, which has and may continue to cause delays in testing and qualification of these components, which would in turn create a delay in the availability of our units.

We use various raw materials including aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, non-ferrous metals (such as copper), and cobalt. The prices for these raw materials, as well as other components such as membranes and concentrating lenses, fluctuate depending on market conditions and global demand and could adversely affect our business and operating results.

Any disruption in the supply of components such as membranes, concentrating lenses, semiconductors, or integrated circuits could temporarily disrupt our production until a different supplier is fully qualified. Furthermore, fluctuations or shortages in petroleum and other economic conditions may cause us to experience significant increases in freight charges and raw material costs. Substantial increases in the prices for our raw materials and key components would increase our operating costs and could reduce our margins if the increased costs cannot be recouped through increased hydrogen prices. There can be no assurance that we will be able to recoup increasing costs of raw materials by increasing green hydrogen prices.

We may experience significant delays in the design, manufacture, launch, and financing of our technology, including in the build out of our manufacturing plant, which could harm our business and prospects.

Any delay in the financing, design, manufacture, and launch of our product, including the build-out of our manufacturing plant in Benavente, could materially damage our brand, business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. Machinery manufacturers often experience delays in the design, manufacture, and commercial release of new and made-to-order products. To the extent the launch of our manufacturing plant is delayed, our growth prospects could be adversely affected as we may fail to grow our market share. Furthermore, we rely on third party suppliers for the provision and development of many of the key components and materials we use. To the extent our suppliers experience any delays in providing us with or developing necessary components, we could experience delays in delivering on our timelines.

If our manufacturing plant in Benavente becomes inoperable, we will be unable to produce our electrolyzers and our business will be harmed.

We expect to produce a large portion of our electrolyzers at our manufacturing plant in Benavente after completion of the plant. Our plant and the equipment we use to manufacture our electrolyzers would be costly to replace and could require substantial lead time to replace and qualify for use. Our plant may be harmed or rendered inoperable by natural or man-made disasters, including earthquakes, flooding, fire and power outages, or by health epidemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which may render it difficult or impossible for us to manufacture our electrolyzers for some period of time. The inability to produce our electrolyzers or the backlog that could develop if our manufacturing plant is inoperable for even a short period of time may result in the loss of customers or harm our reputation. Although we maintain insurance for damage to our property and the disruption of our business, this insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our potential losses and may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. While we maintain the relationship with outsourced production partners, like MagP, a small amount of units potentially would still be delivered, but this would be unable to cover the projected production requirements if Benavente were to become inoperable.

Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fires, floods, tsunamis, pandemics, and other natural catastrophic events and to interruption by man-made problems such as technogenic catastrophic events, computer viruses or terrorism.

Fusion Fuel’s facilities and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, floods, pandemics, power losses, natural gas explosions, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, acts of war, human errors, break-ins and similar events. For example, a significant natural disaster, such as a hurricane, earthquake, tsunami or flood, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial conditions, and our insurance coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for losses that may occur. In addition, acts of terrorism, which may be targeted at power stations as crucial elements of a country’s infrastructure, could cause disruptions in Fusion Fuel’s or its clients’ business or the economy as a whole. Green hydrogen energy transport IT infrastructure may also be vulnerable to computer viruses, break-ins, denial-of-service attacks and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering with Fusion Fuel’s or its clients’ IT systems, which could lead to interruptions, delays and loss of critical data. We may not have sufficient protection or recovery plans in the event such a disaster should occur. As Fusion Fuel relies heavily on physical infrastructure, computer and communications systems to conduct its business, such disruptions could negatively impact its ability to run its business and either directly or indirectly disrupt its clients’ or supplier’s businesses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Cybersecurity risks and threats could adversely affect our business.

We rely heavily on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic and financial information and to manage a variety of business processes and activities, including communication with our production, manufacturing, financial, logistics, sales, marketing and administrative functions. Additionally, we collect and store data that is sensitive to us and to third parties. Operating these information technology networks and systems and processing and maintaining this data, in a secure manner, are critical to our business operations and strategy. We depend on our information technology infrastructure to communicate internally and externally with employees, customers, suppliers and others. We also use information technology networks and systems to comply with regulatory, legal and tax requirements and to operate our hydrogen farms. These information technology systems, many of which are managed by third parties, may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers or other cybersecurity risks, telecommunication failures, user errors, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other catastrophic events. If any of our significant information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption or shutdown, and our disaster recovery and business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our product sales, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected, and we could experience delays in reporting our financial results, or our hydrogen farm operations may be disrupted, exposing us to performance penalties under our contracts with customers and potential loss of our intellectual property.  

In addition, information technology security threats — from user error to cybersecurity attacks designed to gain unauthorized access to our systems, networks and data — are increasing in frequency and sophistication. Cybersecurity attacks may range from random attempts to coordinated and targeted attacks, including sophisticated computer crime and advanced persistent threats. In addition, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased prevalence of employees working from home may exacerbate the aforementioned cybersecurity risks. These threats pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data.

Cybersecurity attacks could also include attacks targeting customer data or the security, integrity and/or reliability of the hardware and software installed in our products. We have experienced, and may continue  to experience in the future, cybersecurity attacks that have resulted in unauthorized parties gaining access to our information technology systems and networks. However, to date, no cybersecurity attack has resulted in any material loss of data, interrupted our day-to-day operations or had a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. While we actively manage information technology security risks within our control, there can be no assurance that such actions will be sufficient to mitigate all potential risks to our systems, networks and data. In addition to the direct potential financial risk as we continue to build, own and operate generation assets, other potential consequences of a material cybersecurity attack include reputational damage, litigation with third parties, disruption to systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information, corruption of data, diminution in the value of our investment in research, development and engineering, and increased cybersecurity protection and remediation costs, which in turn could adversely affect our competitiveness, results of operations and financial condition. The amount of insurance coverage we maintain may be inadequate to cover claims or liabilities relating to a cybersecurity attack.

Additionally, the legal and regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy in the U.S. and international jurisdictions is constantly evolving. Violation or non-compliance with any of these laws or regulations, contractual requirements relating to data security and privacy, or our own privacy and security policies, either intentionally or unintentionally, or through the acts of intermediaries could have a material adverse effect on our brand, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as subject us to significant fines, litigation losses, third-party damages and other liabilities.

If Fusion Fuel is unable to keep pace with technology developments in its industry, this could adversely affect its ability to win, maintain and grow market share.

The alternative energy industry is subject to the introduction of new technologies, some of which may be subject to patent or other intellectual property protections. We intend to introduce and integrate new technologies and procedures used by us and our customers; however, we cannot be certain that we will be able to develop and implement new technologies or services on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost. The alternative energy industry is highly competitive and dominated by a few large players that have resources to invest in new technologies. Our ability to continually provide competitive technology, solutions and services can impact our ability to win, maintain and grow our market share and to negotiate acceptable commercial terms with our potential clients. If we are unable to acquire or develop competitive technology or deliver it to our clients in a timely and cost-competitive manner in the markets we serve, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our growth strategy is aggressive and includes operating in more territories.

Our growth plans include offering standard products to more territories. As such, there are risks of compliance, contract risk, health and safety and managing a global operation. The demand for electrolyzer products generating hydrogen exceeds the Group's ability to match supply, potentially granting an advantage to other competitors who have larger supply capacity or who can ramp up faster. As the business increases its capacity and delivery of products, it will have a greater reliance on third parties for installation and maintenance of critical components, including a reliance on the expertise of its partners. Poor selection / management of suppliers & sub-contractors could lead to supply of sub-standard products or services. This could also lead to contractual risk, health and safety risk and reputational risk for if those suppliers do not have appropriate and effective compliance processes in place to manage those.

Our growth strategies depend in part on our ability to further penetrate markets outside Europe, particularly in markets such as Morocco, Australia, the United States and the Middle East, and involve significantly larger and more complex projects, including ammonia and large-scale hydrogen projects, some in regions where there is the potential for significant economic and political disruptions. We are actively investing large amounts of capital and other resources, in some cases through joint ventures, in developing markets, which we believe to have high growth potential. Our operations in these markets may be subject to greater risks than those faced by our operations in mature economies, including political and economic instability, project delay or abandonment due to unanticipated government actions, inadequate investment in infrastructure, undeveloped property rights and legal systems, unfamiliar regulatory environments, relationships with local partners, language and cultural differences and increased difficulty recruiting, training and retaining qualified employees. In addition, our properties and contracts in these locations may be subject to seizure and cancellation, respectively, without full compensation for loss. Successful operation of facilities or execution of projects may be disrupted by civil unrest, acts of war, nationalization efforts, sabotage or terrorism, and other local security concerns. Such concerns may require us to incur greater costs for security or require us to shut down operations for a period.

Furthermore, because a significant portion of our revenue is expected to be generated from sales outside Europe, we are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Our business is primarily exposed to translational currency risk as the results of our foreign operations are translated into Euro at current exchange rates throughout the fiscal period.

We are subject to extensive government regulation in the jurisdictions in which we do business. Regulations addressing, among other things, import/export restrictions, anti-bribery and corruption, and taxes, can negatively impact our financial condition, results of operation, and cash flows.

We are subject to government regulation in Europe and in the foreign jurisdictions where we conduct business. The application of laws and regulations to our business is sometimes unclear. Compliance with laws and regulations may involve significant costs or require changes in business practices that could result in reduced profitability. If there is a determination that we have failed to comply with applicable laws or regulations, we may be subject to penalties or sanctions that could adversely impact our reputation and financial results. Compliance with changes in laws or regulations can result in increased operating costs and require additional, unplanned capital expenditures. Export controls or other regulatory restrictions could prevent us from shipping our products to and from some markets or increase the cost of doing so. Changes in tax laws and regulations and international tax treaties could affect the financial results of our businesses. Increasingly aggressive enforcement of anti-bribery and anti-corruption requirements could subject us to criminal or civil sanctions if a violation is deemed to have occurred. Such restrictions may provide a competitive advantage to competitors who are not subject to comparable restrictions or prevent us from taking advantage of growth opportunities.

Parent’s failure to comply with complex U.S. and foreign laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on its operations.

We are subject to complex U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, and various other anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. We may also be subject to trade control regulations and trade sanctions laws that restrict the movement of certain goods to, and certain operations in, various countries or with certain persons. The internal controls, policies and procedures, and employee training and compliance programs we expect to implement to deter prohibited practices may not be effective in preventing employees, contractors or agents from violating or circumventing such internal policies or violating applicable laws and regulations. Any determination that we have violated or are responsible for violations of anti-bribery, trade control, trade sanctions or anti-corruption laws could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and may result in fines and penalties, administrative remedies or restrictions on business conduct, and could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and our business.

We are subject to an increasing sustainability focus.

The increasing environmental, social and governance requirements from governments and customers as well as potential financing restrictions from governments on carbon emitting processes could result in additional supply chain and operational costs. Additionally, business involvement in sensitive environmental, social or governance activities might be negatively perceived and trigger adverse media attention. This could lead to reputational damage and have an impact on achieving our business goals.

Our business and territories that we operate in are subject to changes of regulations, laws and policies.

As a growing company with operations commencing in new territories, we are exposed to various product- and country-related regulations, laws and policies influencing our business activities and processes. We monitor the political and regulatory landscape in all our key markets to anticipate potential problem areas, with the aim of quickly adjusting our business activities and processes to reflect the changed conditions. However, any changes in regulations, laws and policies could adversely affect our business activities and processes as well as our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Irish Law

A transfer of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants, other than one effected by means of the transfer of book-entry interests in the Depositary Trust Company, may be subject to Irish stamp duty.

The Irish Revenue Commissioners have confirmed that transfers of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants effected by means of the transfer of book entry interests in the Depositary Trust Company (“DTC”) will not be subject to Irish stamp duty. It is anticipated that the majority of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants will be traded through DTC by brokers who hold such shares on behalf of customers. However, if you hold your Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants directly rather than beneficially through DTC, any transfer of your Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants could be subject to Irish stamp duty. Payment of Irish stamp duty is generally a legal obligation of the transferee. The potential for stamp duty could adversely affect the price of your securities. 

If the Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants are not eligible for deposit and clearing within the facilities of DTC, then transactions in the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants may be disrupted.

The facilities of DTC are a widely-used mechanism that allow for rapid electronic transfers of securities between the participants in the DTC system, which include many large banks and brokerage firms. The Class A Ordinary Shares and the Warrants are eligible for deposit and clearing within the DTC system. On December 10, 2020, we entered into arrangements with DTC whereby we agreed to indemnify DTC for any Irish stamp duty that may be assessed upon it as a result of its service as a depository and clearing agency for the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants and, in consideration for such indemnification, DTC agreed to accept the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants for deposit and clearing within its facilities. 

However, although DTC has initially accepted the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants, it generally will have discretion to cease to act as a depository and clearing agency for the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants. If DTC determines at any time that the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants are not eligible for continued deposit and clearance within its facilities, then we believe the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants would not be eligible for continued listing on a U.S. securities exchange and trading in the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants would be disrupted. While we would pursue alternative arrangements to preserve our listing and maintain trading, any such disruption could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants.

An investment in the Class A Ordinary Shares may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.

An investment in the Class A Ordinary Shares may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. See “Anticipated Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders of Parent Securities”. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding and disposing of the Class A Ordinary Shares. 

In certain limited circumstances, dividends paid by Parent may be subject to Irish dividend withholding tax.

Parent does not intend to pay dividends on its capital stock in the foreseeable future. If Parent were to declare and pay dividends, in certain limited circumstances, dividend withholding tax (currently at a rate of 25%) may arise in respect of dividends paid on the Class A Ordinary Shares. A number of exemptions from dividend withholding tax exist such that shareholders resident in the U.S. and other exempt countries may be entitled to exemptions from dividend withholding tax. 

The Irish Revenue Commissioners have confirmed that shareholders resident in the U.S. that hold their Class A Ordinary Shares through DTC will not be subject to dividend withholding tax, provided the addressees of the beneficial owners of such Class A Ordinary Shares in the records of the brokers holding such Class A Ordinary Shares are recorded as being in the U.S. (and such brokers have further transmitted the relevant information to a qualifying intermediary appointed by Parent). However, other holders of Class A Ordinary Shares may be subject to dividend withholding tax, which could adversely affect the price of their Class A Ordinary Shares.

Dividends received by Irish residents and certain other shareholders may be subject to Irish income tax.

Shareholders entitled to an exemption from Irish dividend withholding tax on dividends received from Parent will not be subject to Irish income tax in respect of those dividends unless they have some connection with Ireland other than their shareholding in Parent (for example, they are resident in Ireland). Shareholders who receive dividends subject to Irish dividend withholding tax will generally have no further liability to Irish income tax on those dividends. 

Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants received by means of a gift or inheritance could be subject to Irish capital acquisitions tax.

Irish capital acquisitions tax (“CAT”) could apply to a gift or inheritance of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants irrespective of the place of residence, ordinary residence or domicile of the parties. This is because Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants will be regarded as property situated in Ireland. The person who receives the gift or inheritance has primary liability for CAT. Gifts and inheritances passing between spouses are exempt from CAT. Children have a tax-free threshold of €335,000 in respect of taxable gifts or inheritances received from their parents.

It is recommended that each shareholder consult his or her own tax advisor as to the tax consequences of holding Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants in, and receiving distributions from, Parent.

Provisions in our Memorandum and Articles of Association and under Irish law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, may limit attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our management, may limit shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with directors, officers, or employees, and may limit the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants.

Provisions in our Memorandum and Articles of Association (“M&A”) may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. The M&A includes provisions that: 

As an Irish public limited company, certain capital structure decisions regarding Parent will require the approval of the shareholders of Parent, which may limit Parent’s flexibility to manage its capital structure. 

Irish law generally provides that a board of directors may allot and issue shares (or rights to subscribe for or convert into shares) if authorized to do so by a company’s constitution or by an ordinary resolution. Such authorization may be granted for up to the maximum of a company’s authorized but unissued share capital and for a maximum period of five years, at which point it must be renewed by another ordinary resolution. Parent’s M&A authorizes the board of directors of Parent to allot shares up to the maximum of Parent’s authorized but unissued share capital until December 31, 2023. This authorization will need to be renewed by ordinary resolution upon its expiration and at periodic intervals thereafter. Under Irish law, an allotment authority may be given for up to five years at each renewal, but governance considerations may result in renewals for shorter periods or for less than the maximum permitted number of shares being sought or approved.

While Irish law also generally provides shareholders with pre-emptive rights when new shares are issued for cash, it is possible for Parent’s M&A, or for shareholders of Parent in a general meeting, to exclude such pre-emptive rights. Parent’s M&A excludes pre-emptive rights until December 31, 2023. This exclusion will need to be renewed by special resolution upon its expiration and at periodic intervals thereafter. Under Irish law, a disapplication of pre-emption rights may be authorized for up to five years at each renewal, but governance considerations may result in renewals for shorter periods or for less than the maximum permitted number of unissued shares being sought or approved. 

Attempted takeovers of Parent will be subject to the Irish Takeover Rules and will be under the supervisory jurisdiction of the Irish Takeover Panel. Accordingly, Parent’s board of directors may be limited by the Irish Takeover Rules in its ability to defend an unsolicited takeover attempt.

Due to the listing of the Class A Ordinary Shares on Nasdaq, Parent is subject to the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997, Irish Takeover Rules 2013 (“Irish Takeover Rules”), under which Parent is not be permitted to take certain actions that might “frustrate” an offer for Class A Ordinary Shares once the board of directors has received an offer, or has reason to believe an offer is or may be imminent, without the approval of more than 50% of shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of our shareholders or the consent of the Irish Takeover Panel. This could limit the ability of Parent’s board of directors to take defensive actions even if it believes that such defensive actions would be in our best interests or the best interests of our shareholders. 

The Irish Takeover Rules are administered by the Irish Takeover Panel, which has supervisory jurisdiction over such transactions. Among other matters, the Irish Takeover Rules operate to ensure that no offer is frustrated or unfairly prejudiced and, in situations involving multiple bidders, that there is a level playing field. For example, pursuant to the Irish Takeover Rules, the board of directors of Parent will not be permitted, without shareholder approval, to take certain actions which might frustrate an offer for Parent Shares once the board of directors of Parent has received an approach that might lead to an offer or has reason to believe that an offer is, or may be, imminent.

Under the Irish Takeover Rules, if an acquisition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares were to increase the aggregate holdings of the acquirer (together with its concert parties) to 30% or more of the voting rights of Parent, such acquirer and, in certain circumstances, its concert parties would be required (except with the consent of the Irish Takeover Panel) to make an offer for the outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares at a price not less than the highest price paid by such acquirer or its concert parties for Parent Shares during the previous 12 months. This requirement would also be triggered by the acquisition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares by any person holding (together with its concert parties) between 30% and 50% of the voting rights of Parent if the effect of such acquisition were to increase that person’s voting rights by 0.05% within a 12-month period.

Anti-takeover provisions in Parent’s M&A could make an acquisition of Parent more difficult. Parent’s M&A contains provisions that may delay or prevent a change of control, discourage bids at a premium over the market price of Class A Ordinary Shares, adversely affect the market price of Class A Ordinary Shares, and adversely affect the voting and other rights of shareholders of Parent. These provisions include: (i) permitting the board of directors of Parent to issue preference shares without the approval of Parent’s shareholders, with such rights, preferences and privileges as they may designate; and (ii) allowing the board of directors of Parent to adopt a shareholder rights plan upon such terms and conditions as it deems expedient in the interests of Parent. 

The operation of the Irish Takeover Rules may affect the ability of certain parties to acquire Class A Ordinary Shares.

Under the Irish Takeover Rules if an acquisition of ordinary shares were to increase the aggregate holding of the acquirer and its concert parties to ordinary shares that represent 30% or more of the voting rights of Parent, the acquirer and, in certain circumstances, its concert parties would be required (except with the consent of the Irish Takeover Panel) to make an offer for the outstanding ordinary shares at a price not less than the highest price paid for the ordinary shares by the acquirer or its concert parties during the previous 12 months. This requirement would also be triggered by an acquisition of ordinary shares by a person holding (together with its concert parties) ordinary shares that represent between 30% and 50% of the voting rights in Parent if the effect of such acquisition were to increase that person’s percentage of the voting rights by 0.05% within a 12-month period. Under the Irish Takeover Rules, certain separate concert parties will be presumed to be acting in concert. The board of directors of Parent and their relevant family members, related trusts and “controlled companies” are presumed to be acting in concert with any corporate shareholder who hold 20% or more of Parent. 

The application of these presumptions may result in restrictions upon the ability of any of the concert parties and/or members of Parent’s board of directors to acquire more of our securities, including under the terms of any executive incentive arrangements. Accordingly, the application of the Irish Takeover Rules may frustrate the ability of certain of our shareholders and directors to acquire our ordinary shares. 

Investors may face difficulties in protecting their interests, and their ability to protect their rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited, because Parent is formed under Irish law.

Parent is a company formed under the laws of Ireland, all of its properties are located outside of the United States, a majority of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States and all our assets are and are likely in the future to be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights against us, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgements of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors under United States laws. 

Our corporate affairs will be governed by our M&A, the Irish Companies Act and the common law of Ireland. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Irish law are governed by the Irish Companies Act and the common law of Ireland. The rights of the Parent shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Irish law may not be as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, Ireland has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and some states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. 

The jurisdiction and choice of law clauses set forth in the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, and Parent’s status as an Irish company, may have the effect of limiting a warrant holder’s ability to effectively pursue its legal rights against Parent in any United States court.

The Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement provides that disputes arising under the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement are governed by New York law and that Parent consents to jurisdiction in courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. This provision may limit the ability of warrant holders to bring a claim against Parent other than in courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds more favorable for disputes under the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement. The Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, however, also expressly makes clear that this choice of law and forum provision shall not restrict a warrant holder from bringing a claim under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act in any federal or state court having jurisdiction over such claim. To the extent that any such claims may be based upon federal law claims, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Irrespective of the ability of a warrant holder to bring an action in any such forum, due to the fact that Parent is an Irish company with all of its properties located outside of the United States, if a warrant holder brings a claim against Parent under the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, the Securities Act or Exchange Act, or otherwise, such warrant holder may have difficulty pursuing its legal rights against Parent in any United States courts having jurisdiction over any such claims. 

Parent may be classified as a passive foreign investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors in Parent’s securities.

Based on the current value of Parent’s assets and the composition of Parent’s potential income streams, assets and operations, we do not believe Parent classifies as a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for the taxable year ended on December 31, 2022, and that it will not classify as a PFIC for 2022 either. However, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects and furthermore we cannot assure you that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the IRS, will not take a contrary position. Furthermore, a separate determination must be made after the close of each taxable year as to whether Parent is a PFIC for that year. Accordingly, notwithstanding the current expectation that we will not be classified as a PFIC, we cannot assure you that we have not been a PFIC or that we will not be a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. A non-US company will be considered a PFIC for any taxable year if (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income (including interest income), or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. If we were to be ultimately classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder holds the Class A Ordinary Shares, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. holder, including (i) the treatment of all or a portion of any gain on disposition of the Class A Ordinary Shares as ordinary income, (ii) the application of a deferred interest charge on such gain and the receipt of certain dividends and (iii) the obligation to comply with certain reporting requirements.

Resales of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants, or the perception that such resales might occur, may cause the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants to drop significantly, even if Fusion Fuel’s business is doing well.

As of April 28, 2023 we have an aggregate of 14,532,499 Class A Ordinary Shares and 8,869,633 Warrants outstanding.   While a portion of such shares and warrants are subject to transfer restrictions described elsewhere in this Annual Report, upon expiration of the applicable lock-up periods, large amounts of Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants may be sold in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. Such sales, or the perception in the public markets that such sales will occur, could have the effect of increasing the volatility in the trading price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or the Warrants or putting significant downward pressure on the price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or the Warrants.

Downward pressure on the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or the Warrants that likely will result from sales of Class A Ordinary Shares could encourage short sales of Class A Ordinary Shares and/or the Warrants by market participants. Generally, short selling means selling a security, contract or commodity not owned by the seller. The seller is committed to eventually purchase the financial instrument previously sold. Short sales are used to capitalize on an expected decline in the security’s price. Short sales of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants could have a tendency to depress the price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or the Warrants, respectively, which could further increase the potential for short sales.

We also may issue additional Class A Ordinary Shares, Warrants, or other securities to finance our operations. We cannot predict the size of future issuances of Class A Ordinary Shares, Warrants, or other securities or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of such securities will have on the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares or the Warrants. Sales of substantial amounts of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants, or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices of Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants. 

A substantial number of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be issued upon the exercise of Warrants and options which could adversely affect the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.

We have an aggregate of 8,869,633 Warrants outstanding. Each Warrant is exercisable for one Class A Ordinary Share at a price of $11.50 per share. In addition, we have options to purchase an aggregate of 2,128,554 Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding. If all of the Warrants and options are exercised for cash, we would be required to issue up to 10,998,187 Class A Ordinary Shares, or approximately 76% of our Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding as of April 28, 2023. The warrant and option holders will likely exercise such securities only at a time when it is economically beneficial to do so. Accordingly, the exercise of these securities will dilute our other equity holders and may adversely affect the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares.

We may issue additional Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities without seeking shareholder approval, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares.

An aggregate of 8,869,633 Warrants is outstanding. In addition, we had 2,245,449 Class A ordinary shares available for issuance, and not subject to outstanding awards, under our Plan. Further, we may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future for any reason or in connection with, among other things, future acquisitions, the redemption of outstanding Warrants, or repayment of outstanding indebtedness, without shareholder approval, in a number of circumstances. 

Our issuance of additional Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank would have the following effects:

If the Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants are de-listed from Nasdaq, we could face significant material adverse consequences.

We may be unable to maintain the listing of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants on in the future. If Nasdaq delists our Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

The trading price of the Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants may be volatile, and holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants could incur substantial losses. 

The stock market in general has experienced extreme volatility in the wake of recent public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and political turmoil such as the war in Ukraine that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, our shareholders may not be able to sell their Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants at or above the price paid for such securities. The market price for the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants may be influenced by many factors, including the factors discussed elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section and:

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants and trading volume could decline.

The market price for the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If industry analysts cease coverage of us, the trading price for the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants would be negatively affected. In addition, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the Class A Ordinary Share and/or Warrant price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants could decrease, which might cause the Class A Ordinary Share and/or Warrant price and trading volume to decline. 

An active trading market of the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants may not be sustained, and investors may not be able to resell their Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants at or above the price for which they purchased such securities.

An active trading market for the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants may not be sustained. In the absence of an active trading market for the Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants, investors may not be able to sell their Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants, respectively, at or above the price they paid at the time that they would like to sell. In addition, an inactive market may impair our ability to raise capital by selling shares or equity securities and may impair our ability to acquire business partners by using the Class A Ordinary Shares as consideration, which, in turn, could harm our business. 

Because we currently do not have plans to pay cash dividends on the Class A Ordinary Shares, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your Class A Ordinary Shares for a price greater than that which you paid.

We currently do not expect to pay any cash dividends on Class A Ordinary Shares. Any future determination to pay cash dividends or other distributions on Class A Ordinary Shares will be at the discretion of the board of directors and will be dependent on our earnings, financial condition, operating results, capital requirements, and contractual, regulatory and other restrictions, including restrictions contained in the agreements governing any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur, on the payment of dividends by our subsidiaries to us, and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in the Class A Ordinary Shares unless you sell the Class A Ordinary Shares for a price greater than that which you paid for them.

General Risks

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from a number of rules under the Exchange Act, we are permitted to file less information with the SEC than domestic companies, and we will be permitted to follow home country practice in lieu of the listing requirements of Nasdaq, subject to certain exceptions. Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information concerning us than there is for issuers that are not foreign private issuers.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from certain rules under the Exchange Act, including certain disclosure and procedural requirements applicable to proxy solicitations under Section 14 of the Exchange Act, our board of directors, officers and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act but are not foreign private issuers. Foreign private issuers are also not required to comply with Regulation FD, which restricts the selective disclosure of material non-public information. Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information concerning us than there is for companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act but are not foreign private issuers, and such information may not be provided as promptly as it is provided by such companies. 

In addition, certain information may be provided by us in accordance with Irish law, which may differ in substance or timing from such disclosure requirements under the Exchange Act. As a foreign private issuer, under Nasdaq rules we are subject to less stringent corporate governance requirements. Subject to certain exceptions, the rules of Nasdaq permit a foreign private issuer to follow its home country practice in lieu of certain of the listing requirements of Nasdaq. We have elected to follow corporate governance practices under Irish law in lieu of the requirements of Nasdaq Rule 5635(c) and 5635(d)(2), which require companies to obtain shareholder approval prior to the issuance of securities to officers, directors, employees or consultants under certain circumstances and when it seeks to engage in a transaction, other than a public offering, involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares, which alone or together with sales by officers, directors or substantial shareholders of the company, equals 20% or more of the ordinary shares or 20% or more of the voting power outstanding before the issuance at a price below a certain price indicated in such Nasdaq Rule. Irish law and generally accepted business practices in Ireland do not require that shareholders approve such transactions. Accordingly, shareholder approval is not required for these types of transactions by Parent.

Parent is an “emerging growth company” and it cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make the Class A Ordinary Shares less attractive to investors.

Parent is an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, Parent is not required to obtain auditor attestation of its reporting on internal control over financial reporting, has reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation and is not required to hold non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation. This allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of these accounting standards until they would otherwise apply to private companies. Parent has elected to take advantage of such extended transition period. Parent cannot predict whether investors will find the Class A Ordinary Shares to be less attractive as a result of its reliance on these exemptions. If some investors find the Class A Ordinary Shares to be less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for the Class A Ordinary Shares and the price of the Class A Ordinary Shares may be more volatile.

Parent will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of: (i) the end of the fiscal year in which Parent has total annual gross revenue of $1.23 billion; (ii) the last day of Parent’s fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date on which HL consummated its initial public offering; (iii) the date on which Parent issues more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period; or (iv) the end of the fiscal year in which the market value of the Parent Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of its most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

Further, there is no guarantee that the exemptions available to Parent under the JOBS Act will result in significant savings. To the extent that Parent chooses not to use exemptions from various reporting requirements under the JOBS Act, it will incur additional compliance costs, which may impact Parent’s financial condition. 

We incur significant costs and devote substantial management time as a result of being subject to reporting requirements in the United States, which may adversely affect the operating results of Parent in the future.

As a company subject to reporting requirements in the United States, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that Parent would not have incurred as a private Irish company. For example, Parent is subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and is required to comply with the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. Compliance with these requirements increases Parent’s legal and financial compliance costs and makes some activities more time consuming and costly, while also diverting management attention. In particular, Parent expects to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will increase when it is no longer an emerging growth company as defined by the JOBS Act. 

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable and accurate financial reports and effectively prevent fraud. Our compliance with the annual internal control report requirement depends on the effectiveness of our financial reporting and data systems and controls. Inferior internal controls increase the possibility of errors and could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock and our access to capital. 

In addition, our internal control systems rely on people trained in the execution of the controls. Loss of these people or our inability to replace them with similarly skilled and trained individuals or new processes in a timely manner could adversely impact our internal control mechanisms.

Future changes in U.S. and foreign tax laws could adversely affect us.

The U.S. Congress, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and government agencies in jurisdictions where we and our affiliates do business have focused on issues related to the taxation of multinational corporations. In particular, specific attention has been paid to “base erosion and profit shifting”, where payments are made between affiliates from a jurisdiction with high tax rates to a jurisdiction with lower tax rates. As a result, the tax laws in Ireland, Portugal and other countries in which we and our affiliates do business could change on a prospective or retroactive basis, and any such change could adversely affect us.