News

NEC Changing Strategic Focus from Batteries to Micro Grids and Storage Systems

August 02, 2018 by Paul Shepard

NEC Corporation announced today that NEC has determined to transfer (i) all shares of NEC Energy Devices, Ltd. owned by NEC to Envision Electrodes Corporation Ltd, a member of Envision Group, a renewable energy company, and (ii) all shares of Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) owned by NEC and NEC Energy Devices to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., thereby enabling Nissan to transfer all shares of AESC to Envision.

The transfer of NEC Energy Devises shares to Envision and AESC shares to Nissan is subject to the fulfillment of the conditions outlined in the transfer of shares. If these transfers are executed, capital gain will occur.

NEC is focusing on Solutions for Society businesses. In the smart energy field, NEC is shifting towards services for the construction, operation, and maintenance of electric storage systems to support goals such as stabilizing power grids and improving the efficiency of companies' energy use.

Based on this policy, NEC had determined to transfer all shares of AESC owned by NEC and NEC Energy Devices to Nissan, thereby enabling Nissan to transfer all shares of AESC, as well as Nissan's electric battery operations and production facilities, to GSR Capital (GSR), a private investment fund.

Those transactions were scheduled to be executed on June 29, 2018 as all precedent conditions were fulfilled, however, those transactions were not executed as GSR failed to fulfill the purchaser's payment obligations under those transactions, due to lack of funds.

After that, Nissan and NEC entered into negotiations with Envision and, as Nissan and NEC agreed to deal with Envision, NEC has determined to transfer NEC Energy Devices shares and AESC shares as described in the share transfer summary.

Share Transfer Summary:

  • Transferred shares and transferee
    • NEC Energy Devices shares
      • Number of transferred shares: 4,000 shares (percent ownership: 100%)
      • Transferee: Envision Electrodes Corporation Ltd
    • AESC shares
      • Number of transferred shares: 45,962 shares
      • Portion owned by NEC: 39,396 shares (percent ownership: 42%)
      • Portion owned by NEC Energy Devices: 6,566 shares (percent ownership: 7%)
      • Transferee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    • Scheduled Transfer Date
      • March 29, 2019

The transfer of NEC Energy Devices shares to the Company and AESC shares owned by NEC and NEC Energy Devices to Nissan is respectively subject to

  1. the fulfillment of the closing conditions of the other share transfer agreement, and
  2. the fulfillment of the closing conditions of the share transfer between Nissan and Envision.

The transfer of NEC Energy Devices shares to the Company and AESC shares owned by NEC and NEC Energy Devices to Nissan is scheduled to be executed on the same day as the transfer of AESC shares to Envision by Nissan.

Future Outlook

Approximately 10.0 billion yen in operating profit upon execution of the transfer of the NEC Energy Devices shares and approximately 10 billion yen in non-operating income upon execution of the transfer for AESC shares are expected to be recorded in the consolidated financial statement for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019. This profit and income, however, has already been incorporated in the financial forecasts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019.