Exhibit
99.1
GrandBridge
Corporation and PowerBank Corporation Announce
Co-Development Agreement for Solar Energy and
Battery Storage Projects in Ontario
Cambridge
and Toronto, ON (March 3, 2026) – GrandBridge Corporation (“GrandBridge”) and PowerBank Corporation (NASDAQ:
SUUN; Cboe CA: SUNN, FSE: 103) (“PowerBank” or the “Company”) are pleased to announce an agreement to jointly
develop and invest in solar energy and battery storage projects in Ontario (the “Agreement”).
Highlights
of the Co-Development Agreement:
| ● | Types
of Projects: Development of solar and battery storage projects, located within the service
territory of GrandBridge’s electricity distribution company, GrandBridge Energy, for
submission under the IESO’s Long-Term Procurement and Local Generation Programs.
|
| | | |
| ● | Commercialization
Opportunities: Pursuit of projects through alternative commercialization opportunities,
including Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs), Net Metering, and other procurement
programs and mechanisms. |
| | | |
| ● | Roles
and Investment Structure: PowerBank will lead project development and construction. GrandBridge
will provide development and construction capital and co-own the projects with PowerBank. |
Quotes
Sarah
Hughes, President and CEO, GrandBridge Corporation, commented:
“GrandBridge
is committed to developing solutions that enable immediate capacity growth while preserving our ability to connect future customers.
We are taking a proactive approach in response to significant growth in energy consumption and peak demand experienced by our electricity
distribution company, GrandBridge Energy, driven by electrification and growth in our communities.”
“Solar
generation and battery storage solutions can be developed in relatively short timeframes and at competitive costs, alleviating the pressure
of securing incremental transmission capacity. Combined with other innovative grid solutions — including GridShare, GrandBridge
Energy’s new Local Capacity Auction program, which provides price signals for customers to participate in local grid events —
these resources can form part of an affordable toolkit to help limit grid congestion.”
“PowerBank
is a like-minded and experienced partner in renewable energy and battery storage, and we are excited to co-invest in energy solutions
that support our customers while enhancing the performance, reliability and resiliency of the electricity grid in Southwest Ontario.”
Dr.
Richard Lu, President and CEO, PowerBank Corporation, commented:
“We
are proud to sign this co-development agreement with GrandBridge Corporation, marking a significant milestone for PowerBank’s presence
in the Ontario market. PowerBank has a long history in Ontario, beginning operations here in 2013, and this partnership reflects our
commitment to deploying our development and construction expertise to meet the province’s rapidly evolving energy needs. GrandBridge’s
deep roots in the communities they serve, combined with PowerBank’s expertise in solar and battery storage development, creates
a powerful partnership to deliver clean, reliable energy solutions. PowerBank has developed over 100 megawatts of renewable energy projects
across North America, and we look forward to bringing that experience to this partnership. Together, we are well-positioned to respond
to the growing demand for local generation capacity and contribute to the long-term resilience of Southwest Ontario’s electricity
grid.”
Key
Terms of the Co-Development Agreement
The
Agreement establishes a collaborative framework for developing electricity storage and generation projects with nameplate capacity of
2 MWac or greater within GrandBridge Energy’s service territory in Ontario, Canada. The projects are intended to be developed for
submission under Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) Request for Proposals (RFPs), Local Generation Programs, and alternative
procurement opportunities including Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs).
Under
the Agreement, PowerBank and GrandBridge will collaborate exclusively during a three-year development period on qualifying projects within
the defined territory, which encompasses the City of Brantford, the City of Cambridge, the Township of North Dumfries and the County
of Brant.
The
partnership features an 80/20 ownership structure, with GrandBridge Corporation holding an 80% ownership interest and PowerBank Corporation
holding a 20% ownership interest in projects upon Financial Close. This structure may be adjusted if First Nation partners participate,
in which case the 80/20 split would apply to the remaining ownership after First Nation participation.
About
GrandBridge Corporation
GrandBridge
Corporation is a municipally owned investment holding company. GrandBridge Corporation has a 100% ownership in GrandBridge
Energy Inc., GrandBridge Group Inc. and GrandBridge Solutions Inc.
GrandBridge
Energy is a regulated utility company that delivers safe and reliable electricity to 115,000 customers in the City of Brantford,
the City of Cambridge, the Township of North Dumfries and the County of Brant.
GrandBridge Group includes Netoptiks, a tele-communications division, and Enersure, a home comfort rental division.
To
learn more about GrandBridge Corporation, visit grandbridgecorporation.com.
About PowerBank Corporation
PowerBank
Corporation is an independent renewable and clean energy project developer and owner focusing on distributed and community solar projects
in Canada and the USA.
The
Company develops solar and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects that sell electricity to utilities, commercial, industrial,
municipal and residential off-takers. The Company maximizes returns via a diverse portfolio of projects across multiple leading North
America markets including projects with utilities, host off-takers, community solar, and virtual net metering projects.
The
Company has a potential development pipeline of over one gigawatt and has developed renewable and clean energy projects with a combined
capacity of over 100 megawatts built.
To
learn more about PowerBank, please visit www.powerbankcorp.com.
Media
Contacts
GrandBridge
Corporation
Sheri
Ojero
Director,
Corporate Communications & Community Relations
Office:
(519) 621-3530 Ext. 5268 Mobile: 226-387-4730
Email:
sojero@grandbridgeenergy.com
PowerBank
Corporation
Tracy
Zheng
Phone:
416.494.9559
Email:
tracy.zheng@powerbankcorp.com
Cautionary
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This
news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation
(collectively, “forward-looking statements”) that relate to the Company’s current expectations and views of future
events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events
or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as “will likely result”, “are expected
to”, “expects”, “will continue”, “is anticipated”, “anticipates”, “believes”,
“estimated”, “intends”, “plans”, “forecast”, “projection”, “strategy”,
“objective” and “outlook”) are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements and may involve estimates,
assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking
statements. In particular and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the Company’s
expectations regarding its industry trends and overall market growth; details of the Agreement, the potential projects that might be
developed by the parties, intended economic ownership of projects, involvement of first nations partners and the size of the Company’s
development pipeline. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements
included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.
Forward-looking
statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of the experience and perception of historical
trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate, and are subject to risks and
uncertainties. In making the forward looking statements included in this news release, the Company has made various material assumptions,
including but not limited to: obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals; that regulatory requirements will be maintained; general
business and economic conditions; the Company’s ability to successfully execute its plans and intentions; the availability of financing
on reasonable terms; the Company’s ability to attract and retain skilled staff; market competition; the products and services offered
by the Company’s competitors; that the Company’s current good relationships with its service providers and other third parties
will be maintained; and government subsidies and funding for renewable energy will continue as currently contemplated. Although the Company
believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure
that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors
should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
Whether actual results, performance or achievements will conform to the Company’s expectations and predictions is subject to a
number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, including those listed under “Forward-Looking
Statements” and “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recently completed Annual Information Form, and
other public filings of the Company, which include: the Company may be adversely affected by volatile solar power market and industry
conditions; the execution of the Company’s growth strategy depends upon the continued availability of third-party financing arrangements;
the Company’s future success depends partly on its ability to expand the pipeline of its energy business in several key markets;
governments may revise, reduce or eliminate incentives and policy support schemes for solar and battery storage power; general global
economic conditions may have an adverse impact on our operating performance and results of operations; the Company’s project development
and construction activities may not be successful; developing and operating solar projects exposes the Company to various risks; the
Company faces a number of risks involving Power Purchase Agreements (“PPAs”) and project-level financing arrangements; any
changes to the laws, regulations and policies that the Company is subject to may present technical, regulatory and economic barriers
to the purchase and use of solar power; the markets in which the Company competes are highly competitive and evolving quickly; an anti-circumvention
investigation could adversely affect the Company by potentially raising the prices of key supplies for the construction of solar power
projects; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; a change in the Company’s effective tax rate can have a significant adverse impact
on its business; seasonal variations in demand linked to construction cycles and weather conditions may influence the Company’s
results of operations; the Company may be unable to generate sufficient cash flows or have access to external financing; the Company
may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future; the Company is subject to risks from supply chain issues; risks related
to inflation and tariffs; unexpected warranty expenses that may not be adequately covered by the Company’s insurance policies;
if the Company is unable to attract and retain key personnel, it may not be able to compete effectively in the renewable energy market;
there are a limited number of purchasers of utility-scale quantities of electricity; compliance with environmental laws and regulations
can be expensive; corporate responsibility may adversely impose additional costs; the future impact of any global pandemic on the Company
is unknown at this time; the Company has limited insurance coverage; the Company will be reliant on information technology systems and
may be subject to damaging cyberattacks; the Company may become subject to litigation; there is no guarantee on how the Company will
use its available funds; the Company will continue to sell securities for cash to fund operations, capital expansion, mergers and acquisitions
that will dilute the current shareholders; and future dilution as a result of financings.
The
Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the
Company to predict all of them, or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors,
may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements
contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.