Manufacturing Output, Capacity and Expansion: We have made progress in advancing our carbonate and solid oxide platform capacity expansion plans.
Carbonate Platform: During the twelve months ended October 31, 2023, we operated at an annualized production rate of approximately 32.7 MW, compared to an annualized production rate for the twelve months ended October 31, 2022 of 39.3 MW. This reduction in annualized production rate is primarily due to reduced staffing levels in our Torrington facility. The Company continuously evaluates its production rate and staffing levels and has determined that the current levels are sufficient to satisfy the current demand for carbonate fuel cell modules.
The Company continues to invest in capability with the goal of reducing production bottlenecks and driving productivity, including investments in automation, laser welding, and the construction of additional integrated conditioning capacity. The Company also constructed a SureSource 1500 in Torrington during fiscal year 2022, which operates as a testing facility for qualifying new supplier components and performance testing and validation of continued platform innovations. During fiscal year 2023, the Company made investments to add engineered carbon separation capability to the onsite SureSource 1500. This addition is expected to be completed in fiscal 2024. This product enhancement will allow potential customers to observe the operating plant and, given the targeted market of food and beverage companies, will allow for the sampling and testing of separated CO2 to verify quantity, quality or purity requirements.
Solid Oxide Platform: The Company continues to invest in product development and manufacturing scale up for two solid oxide platforms: power generation and electrolysis. Both platforms are based on the Company’s differentiated thin, lightweight, electrode supported cells, which are configured into compact, lightweight stacks. The thin electrode structure minimizes electrolyte materials, leading to very low use of rare earth minerals compared to other solid oxide technologies, and the electrodes do not require the platinum group materials that lower temperature systems require. The thin electrodes also have very low electrical resistance, leading to high efficiency in both power generation and electrolysis applications. We provide integrated products with the goal of offering complete customer solutions. Our electrolysis platform includes integrated steam generation and hydrogen drying systems, so it will be fed with water, not steam, and will provide dried hydrogen. A steam supply can optionally be used to increase the electrical efficiency of the system from 90% to 100% (based on higher heating value). Our power generation platform can operate on natural gas, biogas, hydrogen, or fuel blends, and is capable of combined heat and power operation at up to 80% efficiency (based on lower heating value).
During the twelve months ended October 31, 2023, Versa Power Systems Ltd. (“Versa Ltd.”), a subsidiary of FuelCell Energy, entered into a lease expansion, extension and amending agreement which expanded the space leased by Versa Ltd. in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to include an additional approximately 48,000 square feet, for a total of approximately 80,000 square feet of space. The Company took possession of part of the additional space on April 1, 2023 and took possession of the rest of the additional space on June 1, 2023 after certain leasehold improvements were made to support increased manufacturing. In addition, long-lead process equipment has been ordered to facilitate the expansion of manufacturing capacity for the solid oxide platforms in Calgary. Upon the completion of the Calgary capacity expansion, the Company expects that it will be able to increase annual production capacity and that it will be capable of delivering up to 40 MW of annualized solid oxide electrolysis cell (“SOEC”) production per year. During the