Local Content Assurance Bureau Inc. Issues CORE Certification to Heliene Inc. for the Production of Solar Photovoltaic Modules in Ontario

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 10, 2011) - The Local Content Assurance Bureau Inc. (LCAB) announced today that it has completed a rigorous independent review of Heliene Inc.'s manufacturing facilities and products. As a result of that review, LCAB has issued a CORE Certification to Heliene, indicating that Heliene- produced solar photovoltaic modules at their Sault Ste-Marie plant are in accordance with its Ontario domestic content requirements.

LCAB's Contributor to Ontario Renewable Energy Program (CORE Program) is an industry led, voluntary certification process developed to help Ontario manufacturers, suppliers, professional services firms, and individuals meet domestic content requirements set out by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) in the OPA's Feed-In Tariff Program (FIT Program).

This CORE certification required a detailed onsite review of Heliene's production facilities in order to verify a wide variety of aspects of Heliene's production practices, capacity, documentation and techniques. Based on this detailed review and further analysis, LCAB can say with confidence that Heliene's products fulfill in our opinion the domestic content requirements set forth in the FIT Program, specifically with regards to activity 4 of both Table 2 and Table 4.

"We are delighted to issue a CORE Certification to Heliene," said Etienne Lecompte, Managing Director of LCAB. "Heliene is an example of a company that is putting jobs and investment dollars into Ontario. We applaud the Ontario provincial government and the OPA for implementing the FIT Program, which has created incentives for companies like Heliene to make these investments. Without the government's leadership, these opportunities would not be possible."

Martin Pochtaruk, president of Heliene said: "Guaranteeing and ensuring that Ontario Domestic Content rules are followed by each one of us is a fundamental part of our industry's accountability and a necessary step to ensure Ontario Manufacturer's sustainability. LCAB will help us achieve that goal through the proper control of manufacturing practices, bringing to FIT Contract holders the required certainty that domestic content requirements are met."

About Local Content Assurance Bureau Inc.

LCAB provides supply chain, manufacturing, and process assessments to certify that business activities are local. The company's flagship program, the CORE Program, is designed to help Ontario businesses meet domestic content requirements under the OPA's FIT Program. Note that the CORE Program is owned and managed by LCAB and is not directly affiliated with the Ontario Power Authority.

About Heliene

Heliene is based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada and manufactures high-efficiency, maximum-yield photovoltaic solar panels.