ClearEdge Power, the California fuel-cell maker that had its manufacturing operations in South Windsor, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday, court records show.
ClearEdge said in the filing in San Jose, Calif., that it owes more than $16.6 million to its 20 largest unsecured creditors, including a mechanical company in Chicopee, Mass., that is owed more than $2 million.
ClearEdge lists numerous Connecticut residents, government agencies and companies who are owed undisclosed amounts.
They include UConn and Western Connecticut State University, which have each purchased one or more fuel cells from ClearEdge or its predecessor, UTC Power.
Others include the Connecticut Science Center, Eastern Connecticut State University, the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
DECD officials said ClearEdge informed them in April that it was no longer interested in a $1.5 million grant-loan package it had been negotiating.
Asked Friday why DECD was on ClearEdge’s list of unsecured creditors, DECD Spokesman Jim Watson said that his agency made the list for notice purposes only.
“The company did not receive any part of the financial assistance,” Watson said.Â
ClearEdge shut its doors abruptly on April 24 and sent employees home. An attorney for the company wrote to state officials the next day to explain that ClearEdge had been hoping to sign a significant contract with a customer, but it got delayed, creating a cash shortage for the company.
DOWNLOAD PDFs
Largest 20 unsecured claims against ClearEdge
Read more
ClearEdge buyer to revamp S. Windsor plant with smaller workforce
