UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2015

 

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transaction period from ___________ to ___________

 

Commission File Number: 0-25248

 

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

CAYMAN ISLANDS   98-0619652
(State or other jurisdiction of   (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
incorporation or organization)    
     
Regatta Office Park    
Windward Three, 4th Floor, West Bay Road    
P.O. Box 1114    
Grand Cayman KY1-1102    
Cayman Islands   N/A
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(345) 945-4277

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

 

Yes   x No   ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

 

Yes    x No    ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer ¨   Accelerated filer x
Non-accelerated filer   ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x

 

As of May 4, 2015, 14,734,272 shares of the registrant’s common stock, with US$0.60 par value, were outstanding.

 

 
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Description   Page
PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION   4
Item 1 Financial Statements   4
  Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   4
  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   5
  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   6
  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   7
  Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)   8
Item 2 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations   20
Item 3 Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk   29
Item 4 Controls and Procedures   29
PART II OTHER INFORMATION   29
Item 1A Risk Factors   29
Item 2 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds   31
Item 6 Exhibits   32
       
SIGNATURES   33

 

2
 

  

NOTE REGARDING CURRENCY AND EXCHANGE RATES

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all references to “$” or “US$” are to United States dollars.

 

The exchange rate for conversion of Cayman Island dollars (CI$) into US$, as determined by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, has been fixed since April 1974 at US$1.20 per CI$1.00.

 

The exchange rate for conversion of Belize dollars (BZE$) into US$, as determined by the Central Bank of Belize, has been fixed since 1976 at US $0.50 per BZE$1.00.

 

The exchange rate for conversion of Bahamas dollars (B$) into US$, as determined by the Central Bank of The Bahamas, has been fixed since 1973 at US$1.00 per B$1.00.

 

The official currency of the British Virgin Islands is the United States dollar.

 

Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.’s Netherlands subsidiary conducts business in US$ and euros, its Indonesian subsidiary conducts business in US$ dollars and Indonesian rupiahs, and its Mexico subsidiary conducts business in US$ and Mexican pesos. The exchange rates for conversion of euros, rupiahs and Mexican pesos into US$ vary based upon market conditions.

 

3
 

 

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

    March 31,     December 31,  
    2015     2014  
    (Unaudited)        
ASSETS              
Current assets              
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 36,754,928   $ 35,713,689  
Certificate of deposit     5,000,000     5,000,000  
Restricted cash     442,955     456,083  
Accounts receivable, net     12,535,264     11,773,744  
Inventory     1,790,103     1,738,382  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     1,530,915     1,961,385  
Current portion of loans receivable     1,754,498     1,726,310  
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings - construction project     869,539     1,090,489  
Total current assets     60,678,202     59,460,082  
Property, plant and equipment, net     55,064,046     56,396,988  
Construction in progress     2,195,456     1,900,016  
Inventory, non-current     4,433,571     4,240,977  
Loans receivable     5,161,530     5,610,867  
Investment in OC-BVI     5,000,083     5,208,603  
Intangible assets, net     888,877     927,900  
Goodwill     3,499,037     3,499,037  
Investment in land     20,558,424     20,558,424  
Other assets     2,554,454     2,656,937  
Total assets   $ 160,033,680   $ 160,459,831  
               
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY              
Current liabilities              
Accounts payable and other current liabilities   $ 4,914,993   $ 5,962,015  
Dividends payable     1,191,703     1,190,325  
Demand loan payable     8,500,000     9,000,000  
Total current liabilities     14,606,696     16,152,340  
Other liabilities     224,827     224,827  
Total liabilities     14,831,523     16,377,167  
Commitments and contingencies              
Equity              
Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders' equity              
Redeemable preferred stock, $0.60 par value. Authorized 200,000 shares;              
    issued and outstanding 36,840 and 36,840 shares, respectively     22,104     22,104  
Class A common stock, $0.60 par value. Authorized 24,655,000 shares;              
     issued and outstanding 14,734,272 and 14,715,899 shares, respectively     8,840,563     8,829,539  
Class B common stock, $0.60 par value. Authorized 145,000 shares;              
    none issued     -     -  
Additional paid-in capital     83,994,765     83,779,292  
Retained earnings     49,814,648     49,000,621  
Cumulative translation adjustment     (516,160 )   (482,388 )
Total Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders' equity     142,155,920     141,149,168  
Non-controlling interests     3,046,237     2,933,496  
Total equity     145,202,157     144,082,664  
Total liabilities and equity   $ 160,033,680   $ 160,459,831  

  

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

4
 

 

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(UNAUDITED)

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2015   2014 
Retail water revenues  $6,135,638   $6,112,961 
Bulk water revenues   8,382,316    9,959,736 
Services revenues   148,158    275,913 
Total revenues   14,666,112    16,348,610 
           
Cost of retail revenues   2,876,788    2,931,376 
Cost of bulk revenues   5,449,512    7,111,545 
Cost of services revenues   284,887    335,264 
Total cost of revenues   8,611,187    10,378,185 
Gross profit   6,054,925    5,970,425 
General and administrative expenses   3,799,589    5,342,633 
Income from operations   2,255,336    627,792 
           
Other income (expense):          
Interest income   233,582    172,932 
Interest expense   (69,532)   (295,737)
Profit sharing income from OC-BVI   26,325    20,250 
Equity in earnings of OC-BVI   75,155    54,489 
Impairment of investment in OC-BVI   (310,000)   - 
Other   (175,087)   198,296 

Other income (expense), net

   (219,557)   150,230 
Net income   2,035,779    778,022 
Income attributable to non-controlling interests   114,518    123,113 
Net income attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders  $1,921,261   $654,909 
           
Basic earnings per common share attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. common stockholders  $0.13   $0.04 
Diluted earnings per common share attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. common stockholders  $0.13   $0.04 
Dividends declared per common share  $0.075   $0.075 
           
Weighted average number of common shares used in the determination of:          
Basic earnings per share   14,718,757    14,686,744 
Diluted earnings per share   14,764,169    14,766,985 

  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

5
 

 

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(UNAUDITED)

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2015   2014 

Net income

  $2,035,779   $778,022 
Other comprehensive income (loss)          
Foreign currency translation adjustment   (35,549)   100,456 
Total other comprehensive income (loss)   (35,549)   100,456 
Comprehensive income   2,000,230    878,478 
Comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests   112,741    128,136 
Comprehensive income attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders  $1,887,489   $750,342 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

6
 

 

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2015   2014 
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities  $2,479,647   $(2,126,048)
           
Cash flows from investing activities          
Additions to property, plant and equipment and construction in progress   (520,756)   (661,662)
Proceeds from sale of equipment   600    - 
Distribution of earnings from OC-BVI   -    727,200 
Collections on loans receivable   421,149    467,816 
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities   (99,007)   533,354 
           
Cash flows from financing activities          
Dividends paid   (1,105,856)   (1,103,587)
Proceeds received from exercise of stock options   145,147    - 
Principal repayments of long term debt   -    (5,301,327)

Repayment of demand loan payable

   (500,000)   - 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities   (1,460,709)   (6,404,914)
           
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash   121,308    64,103 
           
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   1,041,239    (7,933,505)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period   35,713,689    33,626,516 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period  $36,754,928   $25,693,011 
           
Interest paid in cash  $39,962   $110,330 
           
Non-cash investing and financing activities          
Issuance of 0 and 12,302, respectively, shares of common stock for services rendered  $-   $173,458 
Dividends declared but not paid  $1,107,834   $1,105,193 

Transfers from (to) inventory to (from) property, plant and equipment and construction in progress

  $(647)  $57,543 
Transfer from costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings - construction project to accounts receivable  $239,400   $- 
Transfers from construction in progress to property, plant and equipment  $95,786   $329,265 
Transfer from construction in progress to  costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings - construction project  $77,841   $- 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

7
 

  

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(UNAUDITED)

 

1. Principal activity

 

Consolidated Water Co. Ltd., and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) use reverse osmosis technology to produce potable water from seawater. The Company processes and supplies water to its customers in the Cayman Islands, Belize, The Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands and Indonesia. The Company sells water to a variety of customers, including public utilities, commercial and tourist properties, residential properties and government facilities. The base price of water supplied by the Company, and adjustments thereto, are determined by the terms of a retail license and bulk water supply contracts, which provide for adjustments based upon the movement in the government price indices specified in the license and contracts, as well as monthly adjustments for changes in the cost of energy. The Company also provides engineering and design services for water plant construction, and manages and operates water plants owned by others.

 

2. Accounting policies

 

Basis of presentation: The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company’s (i) wholly-owned subsidiaries, Aquilex, Inc., Cayman Water Company Limited (“Cayman Water”), Consolidated Water (Belize) Limited (“CW-Belize”), Ocean Conversion (Cayman) Limited (“OC-Cayman”), DesalCo Limited (“DesalCo”), Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A. (“CW-Cooperatief”); (ii) majority-owned subsidiaries Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Ltd. (“CW-Bahamas”), Consolidated Water (Asia) Pte. Limited, PT Consolidated Water Bali (“CW-Bali”) and N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”). The Company’s investment in its affiliate, Ocean Conversion (BVI) Ltd. (“OC-BVI”), is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

 

The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited. These condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (which are of a normal recurring nature) that, in the opinion of management, are necessary to fairly present the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows as of and for the periods presented. The results of operations for these interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for future periods, including the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015.

 

These condensed consolidated financial statements and notes are presented in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) relating to interim financial statements and in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”). Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP have been condensed or omitted in these condensed financial statements pursuant to SEC rules and regulations, although the Company believes that the disclosures made herein are adequate to make the information not misleading. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

Foreign currency: The Company’s reporting currency is the United States dollar (“US$”). The functional currency of the Company and its foreign operating subsidiaries (other than its majority-owned subsidiary, NSC) is the currency for each respective country. The functional currency for NSC is the US$. The exchange rates between the Cayman Islands dollar, the Belize dollar, the Bahamian dollar are fixed to the US$. CW-Cooperatief conducts business in US$ and euros, CW-Bali conducts business in US$ and Indonesian rupiahs, and NSC conducts business in US$ and Mexican pesos. The exchange rates for conversion of euros, rupiahs and Mexican pesos into US$ vary based upon market conditions. Net foreign currency gains (losses) arising from transactions conducted in foreign currencies were ($175,095) and $161,733 for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and are included in “Other income (expense)” in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income.

 

Comprehensive income: Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity during a period from transactions and other events from non-owner sources. Comprehensive income (loss) is the total of net income and other comprehensive income (loss) which, for the Company, is comprised entirely of foreign currency translation adjustments related to CW-Bali.

 

Cash and cash equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits at banks and highly liquid deposits at banks with an original maturity of three months or less. As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, this balance includes $5.1 million and $3.0 million, respectively, of certificates of deposits with an original maturity of three months or less.

 

Transfers from the Company’s Bahamas and Belize bank accounts to Company bank accounts in other countries require the approval of the Central Bank of the Bahamas and Belize, respectively.

 

Comparative amounts:

Certain amounts reported in the financial statements issued in prior periods have been reclassified herein to conform to the current period’s presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on consolidated net income.

 

8
 

 

3. Fair value measurements

 

As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other current liabilities, and dividends payable approximate their fair values due to the short term maturities of these instruments. Management considers that the carrying amounts for loans receivable and long term debt as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 approximate their fair value.

 

Under US GAAP, fair value is defined as the exit price, or the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date. The US GAAP guidance also establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the factors market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability. The guidance establishes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

 

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 - Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

 

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

 

Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements. The Company reviews its fair value hierarchy classifications on a quarterly basis. Changes in the observability of valuation inputs may result in a reclassification of levels for certain securities within the fair value hierarchy.

 

The following table presents the Company’s fair value hierarchy for assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:

 

   March 31, 2015 
   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total 
Assets:                    
Recurring                    
Restricted cash  $442,955   $-   $-   $442,955 
Certificate of deposit   -    5,000,000    -    5,000,000 
Total recurring  $442,955   $5,000,000   $-   $5,442,955 
                     
Nonrecurring                    
Investment in OC-BVI  $-   $-   $5,000,083   $5,000,083 

 

   December 31, 2014 
   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total 
Assets:                    
Recurring                    
Restricted cash  $456,083   $-   $-   $456,083 
Certificate of deposit   -    5,000,000    -    5,000,000 
Total recurring  $456,083   $5,000,000   $-   $5,456,083 
                     
Nonrecurring                    
Investment in OC-BVI  $-   $-   $5,208,603   $5,208,603 

 

9
 

 

The activity for Level 3 investments for the three months ended March 31, 2015 was as follows:

 

Balance as of December 31, 2014  $5,208,603 
Profit sharing and equity from earnings of OC-BVI   101,480 
Distributions received from OC-BVI   - 
Impairment of investment in OC-BVI (See Note 6)   (310,000)
Balance as of March 31, 2015  $5,000,083 

 

4. Segment information

 

The Company has three reportable segments: retail, bulk and services. The retail segment operates the water utility for the Seven Mile Beach and the West Bay area of Grand Cayman Island pursuant to an exclusive license granted by the Cayman Islands government and also sells water to resort properties in Bali, Indonesia. The bulk segment supplies potable water to government utilities in Grand Cayman, The Bahamas and Belize under long-term contracts. The services segment develops, designs, constructs and sells desalination plants and provides desalination plant management and operating services to affiliated companies. Consistent with prior periods, the Company records all non-direct general and administrative expenses in its retail business segment and does not allocate any of these non-direct expenses to its other two business segments.

 

The accounting policies of the segments are consistent with those described in Note 2. The Company evaluates each segment’s performance based upon its income (loss) from operations. All intercompany transactions are eliminated for segment presentation purposes.

 

The Company’s segments are strategic business units that are managed separately because, while all segments derive their revenues from desalination-related activities, each segment sells different products and/or services, serves customers with distinctly different needs and generates different gross profit margins.

 

   Three Months Ended March  31, 2015 
   Retail   Bulk   Services   Total 
 Revenues  $6,135,638   $8,382,316   $148,158   $14,666,112 
 Cost of revenues   2,876,788    5,449,512    284,887    8,611,187 
 Gross profit (loss)   3,258,850    2,932,804    (136,729)   6,054,925 
 General and administrative expenses   2,805,038    417,364    577,187    3,799,589 
 Income (loss) from operations  $453,812   $2,515,440   $(713,916)   2,255,336 

 Other income (expense), net

                  (219,557)
 Net income                  2,035,779 
 Income attributable to non-controlling interests                  114,518 
 Net income attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders                 $1,921,261 

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2015 for the retail, bulk and services segments were $606,589, $778,177 and $22,474, respectively.

 

   Three Months Ended March  31, 2014 
   Retail   Bulk   Services   Total 
Revenues  $ 6,112,961   $ 9,959,736   $ 275,913   $ 16,348,610 
Cost of revenues   2,931,376    7,111,545    335,264    10,378,185 
Gross profit (loss)   3,181,585    2,848,191    (59,351)   5,970,425 
General and administrative expenses   2,888,229    434,969    2,019,435    5,342,633 
Income (loss) from operations  $293,356   $2,413,222   $(2,078,786)   627,792 
Other income (expense), net                  150,230 
Net income                  778,022 
Income attributable to non-controlling interests                  123,113 
Net income attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders                 $654,909 

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2014 for the retail, bulk and services segments were $633,273, $785,901 and $34,974, respectively.

  

10
 

 

   As of March 31, 2015 
   Retail   Bulk   Services   Total 
Property plant and equipment, net  $26,366,522   $28,595,565   $101,959   $55,064,046 
Construction in progress   1,050,956    1,144,500    -    2,195,456 
Goodwill   1,170,511    2,328,526    -    3,499,037 
Investment in land   -    -    20,558,424    20,558,424 
Total assets   48,515,695    87,791,413    23,726,572    160,033,680 

 

   As of December 31, 2014 
   Retail   Bulk   Services   Total 
Property plant and equipment, net  $26,978,259   $29,318,534   $100,195   $56,396,988 
Construction in progress   902,656    997,360    -    1,900,016 
Goodwill   1,170,511    2,328,526    -    3,499,037 
Investment in land   -    -    20,558,424    20,558,424 
Total assets   51,770,206    84,612,482    24,077,143    160,459,831 

  

5. Earnings per share

 

Earnings per share (“EPS”) are computed on a basic and diluted basis. Basic EPS is computed by dividing net income (less preferred stock dividends) available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The computation of diluted EPS assumes the issuance of common shares for all potential common shares outstanding during the reporting period and, if dilutive, the effect of stock options as computed under the treasury stock method.

 

The following summarizes information related to the computation of basic and diluted EPS for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2015   2014 
Net income attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Common stockholders  $1,921,261   $654,909 
Less: preferred stock dividends   (2,763)   (2,806)
Net income available to common shares in the determination of basic earnings per common share  $1,918,498   $652,103 
           
Weighted average number of common shares in the determination of basic earnings per common share attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. common stockholders   14,718,757    14,686,744 
Plus:          
Weighted average number of preferred shares outstanding during the period   36,840    37,408 
Potential dilutive effect of unexercised options   8,572    42,833 
Weighted average number of shares used for determining diluted earnings per common share attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. common stockholders   14,764,169    14,766,985 

 

6. Investment in OC-BVI

 

The Company owns 50% of the outstanding voting common shares and a 43.5% equity interest in the profits of Ocean Conversion (BVI) Ltd. (“OC-BVI”). The Company also owns certain profit sharing rights in OC-BVI that raise its effective interest in the profits of OC-BVI to approximately 45%. Pursuant to a management services agreement, OC-BVI pays the Company monthly fees for certain engineering and administrative services. OC-BVI’s sole customer is the Ministry of Communications and Works of the Government of the British Virgin Islands (the “Ministry”) to which it sells bulk water.

 

The Company’s equity investment in OC-BVI amounted to $5,000,083 and $5,208,603 as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

 

Until 2009, substantially all of the water sold by OC-BVI to the Ministry was supplied by one desalination plant with a capacity of 1.7 million gallons per day located at Baughers Bay, Tortola (the “Baughers Bay plant”). As discussed later in this Note (see “Baughers Bay litigation”), the BVI government assumed the operating responsibilities for the Baughers Bay plant in March 2010. During 2007, OC-BVI completed the construction of a desalination plant with a capacity of 720,000 gallons per day located at Bar Bay, Tortola (the “Bar Bay plant”). OC-BVI began selling water to the Ministry from this plant in January 2009 and on March 4, 2010, OC-BVI and the BVI government executed a seven-year contract for the Bar Bay plant (the “Bar Bay agreement”). Under the terms of the Bar Bay agreement, OC-BVI is required to deliver and the Ministry is required to purchase 600,000 gallons of water per day from the Bar Bay plant. The Bar Bay agreement includes a seven-year extension option exercisable by the BVI government and required OC-BVI to complete a storage reservoir on a BVI government site by no later than March 4, 2011. OC-BVI has not commenced construction of this storage reservoir due to the BVI government’s failure to pay (i) the full amount of invoices for the water provided by the Bar Bay plant on a timely basis; and (ii) the full amount ordered pursuant to a court ruling relating to the Baughers Bay litigation  (see discussion that follows).

 

11
 

 

Summarized financial information of OC-BVI is presented as follows:

 

   March 31,   December 31, 
   2015   2014 
Current assets  $3,168,940   $2,547,542 
Non-current assets   5,116,946    5,297,904 
Total assets  $8,285,886   $7,845,446 
           

 

   March 31,   December 31, 
   2015   2014 
Current liabilities  $624,794   $427,269 
Non-current liabilities   1,445,849    1,393,200 
Total liabilities  $2,070,643   $1,820,469 

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2015   2014 
Revenues  $1,068,901   $1,175,129 
Cost of revenues   581,644    721,149 
Gross profit   487,257    453,980 
General and administrative expenses   244,342    266,677 
Income (loss) from operations   242,915    187,303 
Other income (expense), net   (52,649)   (54,954)
Net income   190,266    132,349 

Income attributable to non-controlling interests

   17,614    7,173 
Net income attributable to controlling interests  $172,652   $125,176 

 

The Company recognized $75,155 and $54,489 in earnings from its equity investment in OC-BVI for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The Company recognized $26,325 and $20,250 in profit sharing income from its profit sharing agreement with OC-BVI for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company recognized $128,775 and $275,913, respectively, in revenues from its management services agreement with OC-BVI, which are included in services revenues in the condensed consolidated statements of income. The Company’s remaining unamortized balance recorded for this management services agreement, which is reflected as an intangible asset on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, was approximately $173,000 and $196,000 as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

 

Baughers Bay Litigation

 

Under the terms of a water supply agreement dated May 1990 (the “1990 Agreement”) between OC-BVI and the Government of the British Islands (the “BVI Government”), upon the expiration of its initial seven-year term in May 1999, the 1990 Agreement would automatically be extended for another seven-year term unless the BVI government provided notice, at least eight months prior to such expiration, of its decision to purchase the plant from OC-BVI at the agreed upon amount under the 1990 Agreement of approximately $1.42 million. In correspondence between the parties from late 1998 through early 2000, the BVI government indicated that it intended to purchase the plant but would be amenable to negotiating a new water supply agreement, and that it considered the 1990 Agreement to be in force on a monthly basis until negotiations between the BVI government and OC-BVI were concluded. Occasional discussions were held between the parties since 2000 without resolution of the matter. OC-BVI continued to supply water from the plant and expended approximately $4.7 million between 1995 and 2003 to significantly expand the production capacity of the plant beyond that contemplated in the 1990 Agreement.

 

In 2006, the BVI government took the position that the seven-year extension of the 1990 Agreement had been completed and that it was entitled to ownership of the Baughers Bay plant. In response, OC-BVI disputed the BVI government’s contention that the original terms of the 1990 Agreement remained in effect.

 

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During 2007, the BVI government significantly reduced the amount and frequency of its payments for the water being supplied by OC-BVI and filed a lawsuit with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (the “Court”) seeking ownership of the Baughers Bay plant. OC-BVI counterclaimed to the Court that it was entitled to continued possession and operation of the Baughers Bay plant until the BVI government paid OC-BVI approximately $4.7 million, which OC-BVI believed represented the value of the Baughers Bay plant at its expanded production capacity. OC-BVI subsequently filed claims with the Court seeking payment for water sold and delivered to the BVI government through May 31, 2009 at the contract prices in effect before the BVI government asserted its purported right of ownership of the plant.

 

The Court ruled on this litigation in 2009, determining that (i) the BVI government was entitled to immediate ownership and possession of the Baughers Bay plant and dismissed OC-BVI’s claim for compensation of approximately $4.7 million for the expenditures made to expand the production capacity of the plant; (ii) OC-BVI was entitled to full payment of water invoices issued up to December 20, 2007, which had been calculated under the terms of the original 1990 Agreement; and (iii) OC-BVI was entitled to the amount of $10.4 million for water produced by OC-BVI from the Baughers Bay plant subsequent to December 20, 2007. The BVI government made a payment of $2.0 million to OC-BVI under the Court order during the fourth quarter of 2009, a second payment of $2.0 million under the Court order during 2010 and a third payment under the Court order of $1.0 million in 2011.

 

OC-BVI filed an appeal with the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals (the “Appellate Court”) in October 2009 asking the Appellate Court to review the September 17, 2009 ruling by the Court as it related to OC-BVI’s claim for compensation for expenditures made to expand the production capacity of the Baughers Bay plant. In October 2009, the BVI government also filed an appeal with the Appellate Court requesting the Appellate Court to reduce the $10.4 million awarded by the Court to OC-BVI for water supplied subsequent to December 20, 2007 to an amount equal to the cost of producing such water.

 

In March 2010, OC-BVI vacated the Baughers Bay plant and the BVI government assumed direct responsibility for the plant’s operations.

 

In June 2012, the Appellate Court issued the final ruling with respect to the Baughers Bay litigation. This ruling dismissed the BVI government’s appeal against the previous judgment of the Court awarding $10.4 million for the water supplied, and also awarded OC-BVI compensation for improvements made to the plant in the amount equal to the difference between (i) the value of the Baughers Bay plant at the date OC-BVI transferred possession of the plant to the BVI government and (ii) $1.42 million (the purchase price for the Baughers Bay plant under the 1990 Agreement). OC-BVI was also awarded all of its court costs at the trial level and two-thirds of such costs incurred on appeal. Prior to the final ruling, the BVI government had paid only $5.0 of the original $10.4 million, and the remaining $5.4 million amount due had increased to approximately $6.7 million by the fourth quarter of 2012 due to the court costs awarded by the Appellate Court and the accrued interest due on the aggregate unpaid balance. The BVI government paid OC-BVI $4.7 million of this amount during the fourth quarter of 2012 and the remaining $2.0 million in January 2013. These amounts paid by the BVI government were recognized in OC-BVI’s earnings in the periods in which they were received. To date, OC-BVI and the BVI government have not reached an agreement on the value of the plant at the date it was transferred to the BVI government. However, during the first quarter of 2015, OC-BVI and the BVI government appointed a mutually approved appraiser to complete a valuation of the Baughers Bay plant in accordance with the Appellate Court ruling.

 

Valuation of Investment in OC-BVI

 

The Company accounts for its investment in OC-BVI under the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock. This method requires recognition of a loss on an equity investment that is other than temporary, and indicates that a current fair value of an equity investment that is less than its carrying amount may indicate a loss in the value of the investment.

 

As a quoted market price for OC-BVI’s stock is not available, to test for possible impairment of its investment in OC-BVI, the Company estimates its fair value through the use of the discounted cash flow method, which relies upon projections of OC-BVI’s operating results, working capital and capital expenditures. The use of this method requires the Company to estimate OC-BVI’s cash flows from (i) the Bar Bay agreement and (ii) the pending amount awarded by the Appellate Court for the value of the Baughers Bay plant previously transferred by OC-BVI to the BVI government.

 

The Company estimates the cash flows OC-BVI will receive from its Bar Bay agreement by (i) identifying various possible future scenarios for this agreement, which include the cancellation of the agreement after its initial seven-year term, and the exercise by the BVI government of the seven-year extension in the agreement; (ii) estimating the cash flows associated with each possible scenario; and (iii) assigning a probability to each scenario. The Company similarly estimates the cash flows OC-BVI will receive from the BVI government for the amount due under the ruling by the Appellate Court for the value of the Baughers Bay plant at the date it was transferred to the BVI government by assigning probabilities to different valuation scenarios.  The resulting probability-weighted sum represents the expected cash flows, and the Company’s best estimate of future cash flows, to be derived by OC-BVI from its Bar Bay agreement and the pending Appellate Court award.

 

The identification of the possible scenarios for the Bar Bay plant agreement and the Baughers Bay plant valuation, the projections of cash flows for each scenario, and the assignment of relative probabilities to each scenario all represent significant estimates made by the Company. While the Company uses its best judgment in identifying these possible scenarios, estimating the expected cash flows for these scenarios and assigning relative probabilities to each scenario, these estimates are by their nature highly subjective and are also subject to material change by the Company’s management over time based upon new information or changes in circumstances.

 

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During the three months ended March 31, 2015, after updating its probability-weighted estimates of OC-BVI’s future cash flows and its resulting estimate of the fair value of its investment in OC-BVI, the Company determined that the carrying value of its investment in OC-BVI exceeded its fair value and recorded an impairment loss on this investment of $310,000. The resulting carrying value of the Company’s investment in OC-BVI of approximately $5.0 million as of March 31, 2015 assumes that the BVI government will honor its obligations under the Bar Bay agreement and also assumes (on a probability-weighted basis) that (i) the BVI government will exercise its option to extend the Bar Bay agreement for seven years beyond its initial term, which expires February 2017, and (ii) OC-BVI will receive the pending amount (as estimated by the Company) awarded by the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals for the value of the Baughers Bay plant previously transferred by OC-BVI to the BVI government.

 

The $5.0 million carrying value of the Company’s investment in OC-BVI as of March 31, 2015 exceeds the Company’s underlying equity in OC-BVI’s net assets by approximately $1.6 million. The Company accounts for this excess as goodwill. The BVI government is OC-BVI’s sole customer and substantially all of OC-BVI’s revenues are generated from its Bar Bay plant. As the Bar Bay agreement matures to its February 2017 expiration date, and OC-BVI receives (or is determined by the valuation expert to not be entitled to receive) the pending court award amount assumed due for the value of the Baughers Bay plant, OC-BVI’s expected future cash flows, and therefore its fair value computed under the discounted cash flow method, will decrease. Unless OC-BVI obtains an extension or modification of its Bar Bay agreement that results in a significant increase in the estimated future cash flows from its Bar Bay plant, the Company will be required to record impairment losses during the remainder of 2015 and in 2016 to reduce the carrying value of its investment in OC-BVI to its then current fair value. These impairment losses will, in the aggregate, at least equal the underlying $1.6 million in goodwill reflected in the carrying value of the Company’s investment in OC-BVI. The losses the Company records for its investment in OC-BVI in the future will exceed this $1.6 million if OC-BVI ultimately ceases operations at its Bar Bay plant, as OC-BVI will be required to record an impairment loss to reduce the carrying value of it Bar Bay plant to its then estimated fair value. OC-BVI’s aggregate carrying value of the assets that comprise its Bar Bay plant was approximately $4.9 million as of March 31, 2015. Future impairment losses for the Company’s investment in OC-BVI and the Company’s equity in any future operating losses incurred by OC-BVI could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations.

 

7. N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V.

 

In May 2010, the Company acquired, through its wholly-owned Netherlands subsidiary, Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A., (“CW-Cooperatief”) a 50% interest in N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), a development stage Mexican company. The Company has since purchased, through the conversion of a loan it made to NSC, sufficient shares to raise its ownership interest in NSC to 99.9%. NSC was formed to pursue a project encompassing the construction, operation and minority ownership of a 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico and an accompanying pipeline to deliver water to the Mexican potable water infrastructure and the U.S. border (the “Project”). The Company believes the Project can be successful due to what it believes is a growing need for a new potable water supply for the areas of northern Baja California, Mexico and Southern California, U.S.

 

NSC has engaged engineering groups with extensive regional and/or technical experience to prepare preliminary designs and cost estimates for the desalination plant and the proposed pipeline and prepare the environmental impact studies for local, state and federal regulatory agencies. NSC is presently seeking contracts with proposed customers in Mexico and the U.S. for the sale of the desalinated water from the Project. NSC will be required to accomplish various additional steps before it can commence construction of the plant and pipeline including, but not limited to, obtaining approvals and permits from various governmental agencies in Mexico, securing contracts with its proposed customers to sell water in sufficient quantities and at prices that make the Project financially viable, and obtaining equity and debt financing for the Project. NSC’s potential customers will also be required to obtain various governmental permits and approvals in order to purchase water from NSC.

 

In February 2012, the Company paid $300,000 to enter into an agreement (the “Option Agreement”) that provided it with an option, exercisable through February 7, 2014, to purchase the shares of one of the other shareholders of NSC, along with an immediate power of attorney to vote those shares, for $1.0 million. Such shares constituted 25% of the ownership of NSC as of February 2012. In May 2013, NSC repaid a $5.7 million loan payable to CW-Cooperatief by issuing additional shares of its stock. As a result of this share issuance to CW-Cooperatief, the Company acquired 99.9% of the ownership of NSC. The Option Agreement contained an anti-dilution provision that required the Company to issue new shares in NSC of an amount sufficient to maintain the other shareholder’s 25% ownership interest in NSC if (i) any new shares of NSC were issued subsequent to the execution of the Option Agreement and (ii) the Company did not exercise its share purchase option by February 7, 2014. The Company exercised its option and paid the $1.0 million to purchase the Option Agreement shares in February 2014.

 

NSC entered into a purchase contract for 8.1 hectares of land on which the proposed plant would be constructed and in 2012 obtained an extension of this purchase contract through May 15, 2014 in exchange for prepayments of (i) $500,000 paid at signing of the extension and (ii) a further $500,000 paid in May 2013. NSC paid $7.4 million in May 2014 to complete this land purchase. In 2013, NSC purchased an additional 12 hectares of land for the project for $12 million, of which $2 million was paid. NSC paid the remaining $10 million balance for this land purchase on May 15, 2014. The Company obtained new financing in May 2014 to assist in the funding of NSC’s land purchases in the form of a $10.0 million loan which is payable on demand by the lender. The loan terms require principal and interest payments to be made quarterly under a five year amortization schedule and payment of the remaining principal balance after two years, if the loan is not called before that time. This loan bears interest at LIBOR plus 1.5% and is secured by substantially all of the Company’s assets in the Cayman Islands.

 

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In 2012 and 2013, NSC conducted an equipment piloting plant and water data collection program at the proposed feed water source for the Project under a Memorandum of Understanding (the “EPC MOU”) with a global engineering, procurement and construction contractor for large seawater desalination plants. Under the EPC MOU, the contractor installed and operated an equipment piloting plant and collected water quality data from the proposed feed water source site in Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico. The EPC MOU required that NSC negotiate exclusively with the contractor for the construction of the 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant, and further required payment by NSC to the contractor of up to $500,000 as compensation for the operation and maintenance of the equipment piloting plant should NSC not award the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the Project to the contractor. This first phase of the pilot plant testing program was completed in October 2013. NSC decided not to extend the EPC MOU beyond its February 2014 expiration date and NSC paid the contractor $350,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2014 as compensation for the operation and maintenance of the pilot plant.

 

NSC is currently conducting additional source water sampling protocols to comply with regulatory requirements in the U.S. and Mexico, and is also coordinating with regulators.

 

In November 2012, NSC signed a letter of intent with Otay Water District in Southern California to deliver no less than 20 million and up to 40 million gallons of water per day from the plant to the Otay Water District at the border between Mexico and the U.S. On November 25, 2013, Otay Water District submitted an application to the Department of State of the United States of America for a Presidential Permit authorizing the construction, connection, operation and importation of desalinated seawater at the international boundary between the United States and Mexico in San Diego County, California. The Company understands that this application is currently being reviewed by the relevant authorities.

 

NSC has entered into a 20-year lease, effective November 2012, with the Comisión Federal de Electricidad for approximately 5,000 square meters of land on which it plans to construct the water intake and discharge works for the plant. The amounts due on this lease are payable in Mexican pesos at an amount that is currently equivalent to approximately $20,000 per month. This lease is cancellable should NSC ultimately not proceed with the Project.

 

In August 2014, the State of Baja California enacted new legislation to regulate Public-Private Association projects which involve the type of long-term contract between a public sector authority and a private party that NSC is required to obtain to complete the Project. Pursuant to this new legislation, on January 4, 2015, NSC submitted an expression of interest for its project to the Secretary of Infrastructure and Urban Development of the State of Baja California (“SIDUE”). On January 23, 2015, SIDUE accepted NSC’s expression of interest and requested that NSC submit a detailed proposal for the Project that complies with requirements of the new legislation. NSC submitted this detailed proposal to SIDUE in late March 2015. The new legislation requires that such proposal be evaluated by SIDUE and submitted to the Public-Private Association Projects State Committee (the “APP Committee”) for review and authorization. If the APP Committee grants its authorization, the State of Baja California is required to conduct a public tender for the Project. The Company presently cannot determine if the APP Committee will grant its authorization or, if a public tender process is commenced, when such process will be completed or whether NSC will be awarded the Project.

 

The Company has acknowledged since the inception of the Project that, due to the amount of capital the Project requires, NSC will ultimately need an equity partner or partners for the Project. During the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company concluded that its chances of successfully completing the Project under the new Public-Private Association legislation would be greatly enhanced through the addition of an equity partner for NSC with substantial financial resources and a history of successful capital project investments in Mexico. In February 2015, NSC entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) with such a potential partner. The terms of this LOI will be binding if and only if NSC and its potential partner are ultimately awarded the Project by early February 2016. Pursuant to the LOI, (i) NSC has agreed to sell the land and other Project assets to a new company (“Newco”) that will build and own the Project; (ii) NSC’s potential partner will provide the majority of the equity for the Project and thereby will own the majority interest in Newco; (iii) NSC will maintain a minority ownership position in Newco; and (iv) Newco will enter into a long-term management and technical services contract with NSC for the Project.

 

On February 20, 2015, NSC received notification from the regulatory authorities in Mexico that its federal environmental impact assessment and mitigation plan for the Project’s proposed desalination plant was approved.

 

Included in the Company’s consolidated results of operations are general and administrative expenses from NSC, consisting of organizational, legal, accounting, engineering, consulting and other costs relating to NSC’s project development activities. Such expenses amounted to approximately $561,000 and $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The assets and liabilities of NSC included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets amounted to approximately $22.0 million and $270,000, respectively, as of March 31, 2015 and approximately $22.0 million and $214,000, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.

  

The Company expects to incur additional project development costs on behalf of NSC in 2015.

 

Despite the expenditures made and the activities completed to date, the Company may ultimately be unsuccessful in its efforts to complete the Project.

 

15
 

 

The Mexico tax authority, the Servicio de Administracion Tributaria (“SAT”), assessed NSC 3,184,745 Mexican pesos for taxes relating to payments to foreign vendors on which the SAT contended should have been subject to income tax withholdings during NSC’s 2011 tax year. The SAT also assessed NSC 1,639,001 Mexican pesos in penalties and 913,711 Mexican pesos in surcharges on these payments bringing the total assessment to 5,737,457 Mexican pesos. Such assessment is equivalent to approximately $379,000 as of March 31, 2015 based upon the exchange rate between the US$ and the Mexican peso as of that date.

 

NSC retained the assistance of Mexican tax advisers in this matter, as it believed the assumptions and related work performed by the SAT did not support their tax assessment. As a result, NSC elected to contest this assessment in Mexico federal tax court. NSC was required to provide an irrevocable letter of credit in the amount of 6,712,634 Mexican pesos as collateral in connection with this tax case. The letter of credit amount includes 975,177 Mexican pesos in additional charges calculated by the SAT to adjust the value of the original assessment to its potential future value at the time when the tax court settles the matter.

 

In November 2014, NSC received a favorable judgment from the tax court. Based on this outcome, the SAT filed an appeal shortly thereafter to contest the judgment.

 

The restricted cash balance of $442,955 included in the accompanying consolidated March 31, 2015 balance sheet represents cash on deposit with a bank to secure payment of the irrevocable letter of credit.

 

The Company is presently unable to determine what amount, if any, of this assessment NSC will ultimately be required to pay by the Mexico federal tax court. Consequently, no provision for this potential liability has been made in the accompanying financial statements. Furthermore, if the SAT is successful in its appeal to reverse the November 2014 ruling, the SAT may seek to levy an assessment on payments of a similar nature made by NSC during tax years subsequent to 2011.

 

8. Contingencies

 

Retail License 

 

The Company sells water through its retail operations under a license issued in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government that grants Cayman Water the exclusive right to provide potable water to customers within its licensed service area. As discussed below, this license was set to expire in July 2010 but has since been extended while negotiations for a new license take place. Pursuant to the license, Cayman Water has the exclusive right to produce potable water and distribute it by pipeline to its licensed service area which consists of two of the three most populated areas of Grand Cayman, the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company generated approximately 41% and 37%, respectively, of its consolidated revenues and 56% and 55%, respectively, of its consolidated gross profits from the retail water operations conducted pursuant to Cayman Water’s exclusive license. As discussed later herein, if Cayman Water is not in default of any of its terms, this license provides Cayman Water with the right to renew the license on terms that are no less favorable than those that the government offers to any third party.

  

Under the license, Cayman Water pays a royalty to the government of 7.5% of its gross retail water sales revenues (excluding energy adjustments). The selling prices of water sold to customers are determined by the license and vary depending upon the type and location of the customer and the monthly volume of water purchased. The license provides for an automatic adjustment for inflation or deflation on an annual basis, subject to temporary limited exceptions, and an automatic adjustment for the cost of electricity on a monthly basis. The Water Authority-Cayman (“WAC”), on behalf of the government, reviews and confirms the calculations of the price adjustments for inflation and electricity costs. If Cayman Water wants to adjust its prices for any reason other than inflation or electricity costs, it must request prior approval of the Cabinet of the Cayman Islands government. Disputes regarding price adjustments are referred to arbitration.

 

The license was scheduled to expire in July 2010 but has been extended several times by the Cayman Islands government in order to provide the parties with additional time to negotiate the terms of a new license agreement. The most recent extension of the license expires on June 30, 2015.

 

In February 2011, the Water (Production and Supply) Law, 2011 and the Water Authority (Amendment) Law, 2011 (the “New Laws”) were published and are now in full force and effect. Under the New Laws, the WAC will issue any new license, and such new license could include a rate of return on invested capital model, as discussed in the following paragraph.

 

The Company has been advised in correspondence from the Cayman Islands government and the WAC that: (i) the WAC is now the principal negotiator, and not the Cayman Islands government, in these license negotiations, and (ii) the WAC has determined that a rate of return on invested capital model (“RCAM”) for the retail license is in the best interest of the public and Cayman Water’s customers. RCAM is the rate model currently utilized in the electricity transmission and distribution license granted by the Cayman Islands government to the Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. The Company advised the Cayman Islands government that it disagreed with its position on these two issues.

 

In July 2012, in an effort to resolve several issues relating to its retail license renewal negotiations, the Company filed an Application for Leave to Apply for Judicial Review (the “Application”) with the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (the “Court”), seeking declarations that: (i) certain provisions of the Water Authority (Amendment) Law, 2011 and the Water (Production and Supply) Law, 2011, appear to be incompatible and a determination as to how those provisions should be interpreted, (ii) the WAC’s roles as the principal license negotiator, statutory regulator and the Company’s competitor put the WAC in a position of hopeless conflict, and (iii) the WAC’s decision to replace the rate structure under the Company’s current exclusive license with RCAM was predetermined and unreasonable. In October 2012 the Company was notified that the Court agreed to consider the issues raised in the Application.

 

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Throughout the course of the license renewal negotiations, the Company objected to the use of RCAM on the basis that it believes such a model would not promote the efficient operation of its water utility and could ultimately increase water rates to Cayman Water’s customers.

 

The hearing for this judicial review was held on April 1, 2014. Prior to the commencement of the hearing, the parties agreed that the Court should solely be concerned with the interpretation of the statutory provisions. As part of this agreement, the WAC agreed to consider our submissions on the RCAM model and/or alternative models of pricing. In June 2014, the Court determined that: (i) the renewal of the 1990 License does not require a public bidding process; and (ii) the WAC is the proper entity to negotiate with the Company for the renewal of the 1990 License.

 

The Company’s submissions on the RCAM model and/or alternative models of pricing were made to the WAC on June 9, 2014. The Company received a letter from the WAC dated September 11, 2014, which fully rejected the Company’s submissions and stated that they intend to provide the Company with a draft RCAM license in due course.

 

On November 21, 2014, the Company wrote to the Minister of Works offering to recommence license negotiations on the basis of the RCAM model subject to certain conditions which are: (i) the Government would undertake to amend the current water legislation to provide for an independent regulator and a fair and balanced regulatory regime more consistent with that provided under the electrical utility regulatory regime, (ii) the Government and the Company would mutually appoint an independent referee and chairman of the negotiations, (iii) the Company’s new license would provide exclusivity for the production and provision of all piped water, both potable and non-potable, within its Cayman Islands license area, (iv) the Government would allow the Company to submit its counter proposal to the WAC’s June 2010 RCAM license draft, and (v) the principle of subsidization of residential customer rates by commercial customer rates would continue under a new license. On March 23 2015, the Company received a letter from the Minister of Works with the following responses to the Company’s November 21, 2014 letter: (1) while the Cayman government plans to create a new public utilities commission, the provision of the new retail license will not depend upon the formation of such a commission; (2) any consideration regarding inclusion of the exclusive right to sell non-potable water within the area covered by the retail license will not take place until after the draft license has proceeded through the review process of the negotiations; (3) rather than allow the Company to submit its counter proposal to the WAC’s June 2010 RCAM license draft, the WAC will draft the license with the understanding that the Company will be allowed to propose amendments thereto; and (4) the principle of subsidization of residential customer rates by commercial customer rates would continue under a new license, assuming no minimum volume charge.

 

The Company is presently waiting for the WAC to provide its current draft of the license and to propose dates on which the negotiation process may recommence.

 

The Cayman Islands government could ultimately offer a third party a license to service some or all of Cayman Water’s present service area. However, as set forth in the 1990 license, “the Governor hereby agrees that upon the expiry of the term of this Licence or any extension thereof, he will not grant a licence or franchise to any other person or company for the processing, distribution, sale and supply of water within the Licence Area without having first offered such a licence or franchise to the Company on terms no less favourable than the terms offered to such other person or company.”

 

The terms of any new license agreement offered by the Cayman government may not be as favorable to the Company as the terms under which Cayman Water is presently operating. The resolution of these license negotiations could result in a material reduction of the operating income and cash flows the Company has historically generated from its retail license and could require the Company to record an impairment charge to reduce the $3,499,037 carrying value of its goodwill. Such impairment charge could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations.

 

The Company is presently unable to determine what impact the resolution of this matter will have on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

 

CW-Belize

 

By Statutory Instrument No. 81 of 2009, the Minister of Public Utilities of the government of Belize published an order, the Public Utility Provider Class Declaration Order, 2009 (the “Order”), which as of May 1, 2009 designated CW-Belize as a public utility provider under the laws of Belize. With this designation, the Public Utilities Commission of Belize (the “PUC”) has the authority to set the rates charged by CW-Belize and to otherwise regulate its activities. On November 1, 2010, CW-Belize received a formal complaint from the PUC alleging that CW-Belize was operating without a license under the terms of the Water Industry Act. CW-Belize applied for this license in December 2010. On July 29, 2011, the PUC issued the San Pedro Public Water Supply Quality and Security Complaint Order (the “Second Order”) which among other things requires that (i) CW-Belize and its customer jointly make a submission to the responsible Minister requesting that the area surrounding CW-Belize’s seawater abstraction wells be designated a forest reserve or national park and be designated a Controlled Area under section 58 of the Water Industry Act, (ii) CW-Belize submit an operations manual for CW-Belize’s desalination plant to the PUC for approval, (iii) CW-Belize and its customer modify the water supply agreement between the parties to (a) include new water quality parameters included in the Order and (b) cap the current exclusive water supply arrangement in the agreement at a maximum of 450,000 gallons per day, (iv) CW-Belize keep a minimum number of replacement seawater RO membranes in stock at all times and (v) CW-Belize take possession of and reimburse the PUC for certain equipment which the PUC purchased from a third-party in late 2010. CW-Belize has applied for declaratory judgment and has been granted a temporary injunction to stay the enforcement of the Second Order by the PUC until such time as the Belize courts could hear the matter. The initial hearing on this matter was conducted on October 30 and 31, 2012 with an additional hearing on November 29, 2012. The ruling on this case is pending. The Company is presently unable to determine what impact the Order and the Second Order will have on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

 

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Windsor Plant Water Supply Agreement

 

CW-Bahamas provides bulk water to the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas (“WSC”), which distributes the water through its own pipeline system to residential, commercial and tourist properties on the Island of New Providence. Pursuant to a water supply agreement, CW-Bahamas was required to provide the WSC with at least 16.8 million gallons per week of potable water from the Windsor plant, and the WSC had contracted to purchase at least that amount on a take-or-pay basis. This water supply agreement was scheduled to expire when CW-Bahamas delivered the total amount of water required under the agreement in July 2013, but has been extended on a month-to-month basis. At the conclusion of the agreement, the WSC has the option to:

 

  · extend the agreement for an additional five years at a rate to be negotiated;

 

  · exercise a right of first refusal to purchase any materials, equipment and facilities that CW-Bahamas intends to remove from the Windsor plant site, and negotiate a purchase price with CW-Bahamas; or

 

  · require CW-Bahamas to remove all materials, equipment and facilities from the site.

 

At the request of the government of The Bahamas, CW-Bahamas continues to operate and maintain the Windsor plant on a month-to-month basis to provide the government of The Bahamas with additional time to decide whether or not it will extend CW-Bahamas’ water supply agreement for the Windsor plant on a long-term basis. CW-Bahamas generated approximately $1.5 million and $1.7 million in revenues from the operation of this plant during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

North Sound Plant Water Supply Agreement

 

OC-Cayman’s bulk water supply agreement with the WAC for the WAC’s North Sound plant expired on April 1, 2015. OC-Cayman submitted a proposal to continue to operate the plant for an additional 24 months on March 23, 2015. This proposal was tentatively accepted on March 27, 2015, subject to certain additional government approvals. OC-Cayman continues to operate the plant under the same terms and conditions of the expired agreement. OC-Cayman generated approximately $726,000 and $994,000 in revenues from the operation of this plant during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

9. Impact of recent accounting standards

 

Effect of Newly Issued But Not Yet Effective Accounting Standards:

 

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 requires revenue recognition to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 prescribes a five step framework in accounting for revenues from contracts within its scope, including (a) identification of the contract, (b) identification of the performance obligations under the contract, (c) determination of the transaction price, (d) allocation of the transaction price to the identified performance obligations and (e) recognition of revenues as the identified performance obligations are satisfied. ASU 2014-09 also prescribes additional disclosures and financial statement presentations. This amendment is effective for public entities in annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early application is not permitted. ASU 2014-09 may be adopted retrospectively or under a modified retrospective method where the cumulative effect is recognized at the date of initial application. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this standard will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810) - Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. The amendments in this update require management to reevaluate whether certain legal entities should be consolidated. Specifically, the amendments (1) modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) or voting interest entities, (2) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, (3) affect the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships, and (4) provide a scope exception from consolidation guidance for reporting entities with interests in legal entities that are required to comply with or operate in accordance with requirements that are similar to those in Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for registered money market funds. The amendments in this update are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this amendment will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Interest—Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. ASU 2015-03 provides authoritative guidance related to the presentation of debt issuance costs on the balance sheet, requiring companies to present debt issuance costs as a direct deduction from the carrying value of debt. The amendments in this update are effective for public business entities in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The new guidance must be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this amendment will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

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10. Subsequent events

 

The Company’s management evaluated subsequent events through the time of the filing of this report on Form 10-Q. Other than as disclosed in these condensed consolidated financial statements, the Company’s management is not aware of any significant events that occurred subsequent to the balance sheet date but prior to the filing of this report that would have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

 

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding our future revenues, future plans, objectives, expectations and events, assumptions and estimates. Forward-looking statements can be identified by use of the words or phrases “will,” “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “estimate,” “project,” “potential,” “believe,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” or similar expressions and variations of such words. Statements that are not historical facts are based on our current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates, forecasts and projections for our business and the industry and markets related to our business.

 

The forward-looking statements contained in this report are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in such forward-looking statements. Important factors, which may affect these actual outcomes and results, include, without limitation:

 

  · tourism and weather conditions in the areas we serve;

 

  · the economies of the U.S. and other countries we serve;

 

  · our relationships with the governments we serve;

 

  · regulatory matters, including resolution of the negotiations for the renewal of our retail license on Grand Cayman;

 

  · our ability to successfully enter new markets, including Mexico and Asia; and

 

  · other factors, including those “Risk Factors” set forth under Part II, Item 1A in this Quarterly Report and in our 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Each of the forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report speaks as of its date. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this Quarterly Report to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any forward-looking statement is based, except as may be required by law.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, references to “we,” “our,” “ours” and “us” refer to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. and its subsidiaries.

 

Critical Accounting Estimates

 

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Our actual results could differ significantly from such estimates and assumptions.

 

Certain of our accounting estimates or assumptions constitute “critical accounting estimates” for us because:

 

  · the nature of these estimates or assumptions is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the susceptibility of such matters to change; and

 

  · the impact of the estimates and assumptions on financial condition and results of operations is material.

 

Our critical accounting estimates relate to the valuation of our (i) equity investment in our affiliate, OC-BVI; and (ii) goodwill and intangible assets.

 

Valuation of Investment in OC-BVI. We account for our investment in OC-BVI under the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock. This method requires recognition of a loss on an equity investment that is other than temporary, and indicates that a current fair value of an equity investment that is less than its carrying amount may indicate a loss in the value of the investment.

 

As a quoted market price for OC-BVI’s stock is not available, to test for possible impairment of our investment in OC-BVI, we estimate its fair value through the use of the discounted cash flow method, which relies upon projections of OC-BVI’s operating results, working capital and capital expenditures. The use of this method requires us to estimate OC-BVI’s cash flows from (i) its water supply agreement with the BVI government for its Bar Bay plant (the “Bar Bay agreement”); and (ii) the pending amount awarded by the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals for the value of the Baughers Bay plant previously transferred by OC-BVI to the BVI government (see further discussion of the Baughers Bay litigation at Item 1. - Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements - Note 6).

 

We estimate the cash flows OC-BVI will receive from its Bar Bay agreement by (i) identifying various possible future scenarios for this agreement, which include the cancellation of the agreement after its initial seven-year term, and the exercise by the BVI government of the seven-year extension in the agreement; (ii) estimating the cash flows associated with each possible scenario; and (iii) assigning a probability to each scenario. We similarly estimate the cash flows OC-BVI will receive from the BVI government for the amount due under the ruling by the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals for the value of the Baughers Bay plant at the date it was transferred to the BVI government by assigning probabilities to different valuation scenarios. The resulting probability-weighted sum represents the expected cash flows, and our best estimate of future cash flows, to be derived by OC-BVI from its Bar Bay agreement and the pending court award.

 

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The identification of the possible scenarios for the Bar Bay plant agreement and the Baughers Bay plant valuation, the projections of cash flows for each scenario, and the assignment of relative probabilities to each scenario all represent significant estimates made by us. While we use our best judgment in identifying these possible scenarios, estimating the expected cash flows for these scenarios and assigning relative probabilities to each scenario, these estimates are by their nature highly subjective and are also subject to material change by our management over time based upon new information or changes in circumstances.

 

During the three months March 31, 2015, after updating our probability-weighted estimates of OC-BVI’s future cash flows and our resulting estimate of the fair value of our investment in OC-BVI, we determined that the carrying value of our investment in OC-BVI exceeded its fair value and recorded an impairment loss on this investment of $310,000. The resulting carrying value of our investment in OC-BVI of approximately $5.0 million as of March 31, 2015 assumes that the BVI government will honor its obligations under the Bar Bay agreement and also assumes (on a probability-weighted basis) that (i) the BVI government will exercise its option to extend the Bar Bay agreement for seven years beyond its initial term, which expires in February 2017 and (ii) OC-BVI will receive the pending amount (based upon our estimate) awarded by the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals for the value of the Baughers Bay plant previously transferred by OC-BVI to the BVI government.

 

The $5.0 million carrying value of our investment in OC-BVI as of March 31, 2015 exceeds our underlying equity in OC-BVI’s net assets by approximately $1.6 million. We account for this excess as goodwill. The BVI government is OC-BVI’s sole customer and substantially all of OC-BVI’s revenues are generated from its Bar Bay plant. As the Bar Bay agreement matures to its February 2017 expiration date and OC-BVI receives (or is determined by the valuation expert to not be entitled to receive) the pending court award amount assumed due for the value of the Baughers Bay plant, OC-BVI’s expected future cash flows, and therefore its fair value computed under the discounted cash flow method, will decrease. Unless OC-BVI obtains an extension or modification of its Bar Bay agreement that results in a significant increase in the estimated future cash flows from its Bar Bay plant, we will be required to record impairment losses during the remainder of 2015 and in 2016 to reduce the carrying value of our investment in OC-BVI to its then current fair value. These impairment losses will, in the aggregate, at least equal the underlying $1.6 million in goodwill reflected in the carrying value of our investment in OC-BVI. The losses we record for our investment in OC-BVI in the future will exceed this $1.6 million if OC-BVI ultimately ceases operations at its Bar Bay plant, as OC-BVI will be required to record an impairment loss to reduce the carrying value of its Bar Bay plant to its then estimated fair value. OC-BVI’s aggregate carrying value of the assets that comprise its Bar Bay plant was approximately $4.9 million as of March 31, 2015. Future impairment losses for our investment in OC-BVI and our equity in any future operating losses incurred by OC-BVI could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated results of operations.

 

Goodwill and intangible assets. Goodwill represents the excess cost over the fair value of the assets of an acquired business. Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a business combination accounted for as a purchase and determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized, but are tested for impairment at least annually. Intangible assets with estimable useful lives are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives to their estimated residual values and reviewed periodically for impairment. We evaluate the possible impairment of goodwill annually as part of our reporting process for the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Management identifies our reporting units and determines the carrying value of each reporting unit by assigning the assets and liabilities, including the existing goodwill and intangible assets, to those reporting units. We determine the fair value of each reporting unit and compare the fair value to the carrying amount of the reporting unit. To the extent the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, we are required to perform the second step of the impairment test, as this is an indication that the reporting unit goodwill may be impaired. In this step, we compare the implied fair value of the reporting unit goodwill with the carrying amount of the reporting unit goodwill. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined by allocating the fair value of the reporting unit to all the assets (recognized and unrecognized) and liabilities of the reporting unit in a manner similar to a purchase price allocation. The residual fair value after this allocation is the implied fair value of the reporting unit goodwill. If the implied fair value is less than its carrying amount, the impairment loss is recorded.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, we estimated the fair value of our reporting units by applying the discounted cash flow method, the subject company stock price method, the guideline public company method, and the mergers and acquisitions method.

 

The discounted cash flow method relied upon seven-year discrete projections of operating results, working capital and capital expenditures, along with a terminal value subsequent to the discrete period. These seven-year projections were based upon historical and anticipated future results, general economic and market conditions, and considered the impact of planned business and operational strategies. The discount rates for the calculations represented the estimated cost of capital for market participants at the time of each analysis. In preparing these seven-year projections for our retail unit we (i) identified possible outcomes of our on-going negotiations with the Cayman Islands government for the renewal of our retail license; (ii) estimated the cash flows associated with each possible outcome; and (iii) assigned a probability to each outcome and associated estimated cash flows. The weighted average estimated cash flows were then summed to determine the overall fair value of the retail unit under this method. The possible outcomes used for the discounted cash flow method for the retail unit included the implementation of a rate of return on invested capital model, the methodology proposed by Cayman Islands government representatives for the new retail license.

 

We also estimated the fair value of each of our reporting units for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 through reference to the quoted market prices for our Company and guideline companies and the market multiples implied by guideline merger and acquisition transactions.

 

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We weighted the fair values estimated for each of our reporting units under each method and summed such weighted fair values to estimate the overall fair value for each reporting unit. The respective weightings we applied to each method for the year ended December 31, 2014 were consistent with those used for the year ended December 31, 2013 and were as follows:

 

   2014   2013 
Method  Retail   Bulk   Retail   Bulk 
Discounted cash flow   50%   50%   50%   50%
Subject company stock price   30%   30%   30%   30%
Guideline public company   10%   10%   10%   10%
Mergers and acquisitions   10%   10%   10%   10%
    100%   100%   100%   100%

 

The fair values we estimated for our retail and bulk units exceeded their carrying amounts by 47% and 23%, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2013. The fair values we estimated for our retail and bulk units exceeded their carrying amounts by 36% and 29%, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

We also performed an analysis reconciling the conclusions of value for our reporting units to our market capitalization at October 1, 2014. This reconciliation resulted in an implied control premium for our Company of 1%.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included under Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report and our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 (“2014 Form 10-K”) and the information set forth under Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our 2014 Form 10-K.

 

Three Months Ended March 31, 2015 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2014

 

Consolidated Results

 

Net income attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. common stockholders for 2015 was $1,921,261 ($0.13 per share on a fully-diluted basis), as compared to $654,909 ($0.04 per share on a fully-diluted basis) for 2014.

 

Total revenues for 2015 decreased to $14,666,112 from $16,348,610 in 2014 due to decreases in revenues for our bulk and services segments. Gross profit for 2015 was $6,054,925 or 41% of total revenues, as compared to $5,970,425 or 37% of total revenues, for 2014. Gross profit for the retail and bulk segments increased from 2014 to 2015 while gross loss for the services segment increased in 2015 from 2014. For further discussion of revenues and gross profit for 2015, see the “Results by Segment” analysis that follows.

 

General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses on a consolidated basis were $3,799,589 and $5,342,633 for 2015 and 2014, respectively. The decrease in consolidated G&A expenses from 2014 to 2015 is primarily attributable to a $1.4 million decrease in the project development expenses incurred by NSC, our Mexico subsidiary.

 

The decrease in interest expense to ($69,532) for 2015 from ($295,737) in 2014 reflects the prepayment premium paid for the early redemption on February 17, 2014 of the remaining outstanding balance on our bonds payable and the amortization of the related bond discount and deferred issuance costs at the time of prepayment.

 

We reported other expense of ($175,087) for 2015 as compared to other income of $198,296 for 2014. The fluctuation in these amounts results principally from foreign currency gains and losses recorded for CW-Bali.

 

Results by Segment

 

Retail Segment:

 

The retail segment contributed $453,812 and $293,356 to our income from operations for 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

Revenues generated by our retail water operations were $6,135,638 and $6,112,961 for 2015 and 2014, respectively. The slight rise in retail revenues in 2015 is attributable to an increase in the gallons of water sold of 2% from 2014 to 2015 for our Cayman Water retail operations. This increase in volume of water sold for 2015 was more than offset by a decrease in electricity prices from 2014 to 2015 that reduced the energy component of our retail water rates for 2015.

 

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Retail segment gross profit was $3,258,850 (53% of retail revenues) and $3,181,585 (52% of retail revenues) for 2015 and 2014, respectively. The slight improvement in retail gross profit as a percentage of revenues from 2014 to 2015 is due principally to lower electricity prices that reduced energy expense in 2015 by approximately $95,000.

 

Consistent with prior periods, we record all non-direct G&A expenses in our retail segment and do not allocate any of these non-direct costs to our other two business segments. Retail G&A expenses for 2015 and 2014 were $2,805,038 and $2,888,229, respectively. G&A expenses declined from 2014 to 2015 as a result of a decrease of approximately $100,000 in professional fees primarily due to incremental consulting and legal fees incurred in 2014 for the judicial review conducted in conjunction with our retail license negotiations.

 

CW-Bali owns and operates a seawater reverse osmosis plant with a productive capacity of approximately 790,000 gallons per day located in Nusa Dua, one of the primary tourist areas of Bali, Indonesia. We built this plant based upon our belief that future water shortages in this area of Bali will eventually enable us to sell all of this plant’s production. We sold approximately 8.7 million and 1.7 million gallons to customers on a month-to-month basis during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. As of March 31, 2015, capitalized costs for this plant reflected on our consolidated balance sheet were approximately $3.0 million. The revenues we generated from this plant amounted to $71,000 and $23,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. CW-Bali’s operating losses were approximately ($161,000) and ($157,000) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

Bulk Segment:

 

The bulk segment contributed $2,515,440 and $2,413,222 to our income from operations for 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

Bulk segment revenues were $8,382,316 and $9,959,736 for 2015 and 2014, respectively. The decrease in bulk revenues from 2014 to 2015 is primarily attributable to our Bahamas operations, which generated approximately $1,437,000 less in revenues in 2015 than in 2014. The 2015 revenue decrease for our Bahamas operations resulted from a significant decrease in the prices of diesel fuel and electricity from 2014 to 2015, which reduced the energy component of our bulk water rates for the Bahamas. The revenues for our Cayman Islands and Belize bulk operations were slightly lower in 2015 than in 2014, also as a result of reduced energy prices.

 

Gross profit for our bulk segment was $2,932,804 and $2,848,191 for 2015 and 2014, respectively. Gross profit as a percentage of bulk revenues was approximately 35% and 29% for 2015 and 2014, respectively. Both total gross profit dollars and gross profit as a percentage of revenues for 2015 benefited from the reduced energy prices, as energy expense for our bulk operations was approximately $1,575,000 less in 2015 than in 2014.

 

Bulk segment G&A expenses remained relatively consistent at $417,364 and $434,969 for 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

Services Segment:

 

The services segment incurred losses from operations of ($713,916) and ($2,078,786) for 2015 and 2014, respectively. We anticipate that the services segment will continue to incur losses from operations while we continue to fund the project development activities of NSC and/or until such time as we obtain significant new management services or plant construction contracts.

 

Services segment revenues were $148,158 and $275,913 for 2015 and 2014, respectively. Services revenues decreased in 2015 due to a decrease in the purchasing fees charged to our affiliate OC-BVI.

 

Gross profit (loss) for our services segment was ($136,729) and ($59,351) for 2015 and 2014, respectively. The increase in the service segment’s gross loss from 2014 to 2015 reflects a decrease in the purchasing fees charged to OC-BVI.

 

G&A expenses for the services segment were $577,187 and $2,019,435 for 2015 and 2014, respectively. The decrease in G&A expenses for 2015 as compared to 2014 reflects a decrease of approximately $1.4 million in the project development expenses incurred by our Mexican subsidiary, NSC.

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES 

 

Liquidity Position

 

Our projected liquidity requirements for the remainder of 2015 include capital expenditures for our existing operations of approximately $4.5 million, approximately $1.6 million for debt service on our demand loan payable and approximately $1.6 million for NSC’s project development activities. Our liquidity requirements for the rest of 2015 may also include quarterly dividends, if such dividends are declared by our Board. Our dividend payments amounted to approximately $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 and approximately $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015.

 

During May 2014, we obtained new financing (the proceeds from which were used to fund NSC’s land purchases in May 2014) in the form of a $10.0 million demand loan payable. Assuming the loan is not called by the lender, payments on this loan are due quarterly under a five year amortization schedule with the remaining principal balance due after two years. This loan bears interest at LIBOR plus 1.5%. The outstanding balance on this demand loan payable was $8.5 million as of March 31, 2015.

 

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As of March 31, 2015, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $36.8 million and working capital of approximately $46.0 million. We are not presently aware of anything that would lead us to believe that we will not have sufficient liquidity to meet our needs for the remainder of 2015 and thereafter.

 

Transfers from the Company’s Bahamas and Belize bank accounts to Company bank accounts in other countries require the approval of the Central Bank of the Bahamas and Belize, respectively.

 

Material Commitments, Expenditures and Contingencies

 

Retail License

 

We sell water through our retail operations under a license issued in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government that grants Cayman Water the exclusive right to provide potable water to customers within its licensed service area. As discussed below, this license was set to expire in July 2010 but has since been extended while negotiations for a new license take place. Pursuant to the license, we have the exclusive right to produce potable water and distribute it by pipeline to our licensed service area which consists of two of the three most populated areas of Grand Cayman, the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company generated approximately 41% and 37%, respectively, of its consolidated revenues and 56% and 55%, respectively, of our consolidated gross profits from the retail water operations conducted pursuant to our exclusive license. As discussed later herein, if we are not in default of any of its terms, this license provides us with the right to renew the license on terms that are no less favorable than those that the government offers to any third party.

 

Under our license, we pay a royalty to the government of 7.5% of our gross retail water sales revenues (excluding energy cost adjustments). The selling prices of water sold to our customers are determined by the license and vary depending upon the type and location of the customer and the monthly volume of water purchased. The license provides for an automatic adjustment for inflation or deflation on an annual basis, subject to temporary limited exceptions, and an automatic adjustment for the cost of electricity on a monthly basis. The Water Authority-Cayman (“WAC”), on behalf of the government, reviews and confirms the calculations of the price adjustments for inflation and electricity costs. If we want to adjust our prices for any reason other than inflation or electricity costs, we have to request prior approval of the Cabinet of the Cayman Islands government. Disputes regarding price adjustments would be referred to arbitration.

 

The license was scheduled to expire in July 2010 but has been extended several times by the Cayman Islands government in order to provide the parties with additional time to negotiate the terms of a new license agreement. The most recent extension of the license expires on June 30, 2015.

 

In February 2011, the Water (Production and Supply) Law, 2011 and the Water Authority (Amendment) Law, 2011 (the “New Laws”) were published and are now in full force and effect. Under the New Laws, the WAC will issue any new license, and such new license could include a rate of return on invested capital model, as discussed in the following paragraph.

 

We have been advised in correspondence from the Cayman Islands government and the WAC that: (i) the WAC is now the principal negotiator, and not the Cayman Islands government, in these license negotiations, and (ii) the WAC has determined that a rate of return on invested capital model (“RCAM”) for the retail license is in the best interest of the public and our customers. RCAM is the rate model currently utilized in the electricity transmission and distribution license granted by the Cayman Islands government to the Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. We have advised the Cayman Islands government that we disagree with its position on these two issues.

 

In July 2012, in an effort to resolve several issues relating to our retail license renewal negotiations, we filed an Application for Leave to Apply for Judicial Review (the “Application”) with the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (the “Court”), seeking declarations that: (i) certain provisions of the Water Authority (Amendment) Law, 2011 and the Water (Production and Supply) Law, 2011, appear to be incompatible and a determination as to how those provisions should be interpreted, (ii) the WAC’s roles as the principal license negotiator, statutory regulator and our competitor put the WAC in a position of hopeless conflict, and (iii) the WAC’s decision to replace the rate structure under our current exclusive license with RCAM was predetermined and unreasonable. In October 2012, we were notified that the Court agreed to consider the issues raised in the Application.

 

Throughout the course of the license renewal negotiations, we have objected to the use of RCAM on the basis that we believe such a model would not promote the efficient operation of our water utility and could ultimately increase water rates to our customers.

 

The hearing for this judicial review was held on April 1, 2014. Prior to the commencement of the hearing, the parties agreed that the Court should solely be concerned with the interpretation of the statutory provisions. As part of this agreement, the WAC agreed to consider our submissions on the RCAM model and/or alternative models of pricing. In June 2014, the Court determined that: (i) the renewal of the 1990 License does not require a public bidding process; and (ii) the WAC is the proper entity to negotiate with us for the renewal of the 1990 License.

 

Our submissions on the RCAM model and/or alternative models of pricing were made to the WAC on June 9, 2014. We received a letter from the WAC dated September 11, 2014, which fully rejected our submissions and stated that the WAC intend to provide us with a draft RCAM license in due course.

 

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On November 21, 2014, we wrote to the Minister of Works offering to recommence license negotiations on the basis of the RCAM model subject to certain conditions which are: (i) the Government would undertake to amend the current water legislation to provide for an independent regulator and a fair and balanced regulatory regime more consistent with that provided under the electrical utility regulatory regime, (ii) the Government and we would mutually appoint an independent referee and chairman of the negotiations, (iii) our new license would provide exclusivity for the production and provision of all piped water, both potable and non-potable, within our Cayman Islands license area, (iv) the Government would allow us to submit our counter proposal to the WAC’s June 2010 RCAM license draft, and (v) the principle of subsidization of residential customer rates by commercial customer rates would continue under a new license. On March 23 2015, we received a letter from the Minister of Works with the following responses to our November 21, 2014 letter: (1) that while the Cayman government plans to create a public utilities commission, the provision of a new license will not depend upon the formation of such a commission; (2) any consideration regarding inclusion of the exclusive right to sell non-potable water within the area covered by the retail license will not take place until after the draft license has proceeded through the review process of the negotiations; (3) rather than allow us to submit a counter proposal to the WAC’s June 2010 RCAM license draft, the WAC will draft the license with the understanding that we will be allowed to propose amendments thereto; and (4) the principle of subsidization of residential customer rates by commercial customer rates would continue under a new license, assuming no minimum volume charge.

 

We are presently waiting for the WAC to provide its current draft of the license and to propose dates on which the negotiation process may recommence.

 

The Cayman Islands government could ultimately offer a third party a license to service some or all of our present service area. However, as set forth in the 1990 license, “the Governor hereby agrees that upon the expiry of the term of this Licence or any extension thereof, he will not grant a licence or franchise to any other person or company for the processing, distribution, sale and supply of water within the Licence Area without having first offered such a licence or franchise to the Company on terms no less favourable than the terms offered to such other person or company.”

 

The terms of any new license agreement offered by the Cayman government may not be as favorable to us as the terms under which we are presently operating. The resolution of these license negotiations could result in a material reduction of the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail license and could require us to record an impairment charge to reduce the $3,499,037 carrying value of our goodwill. Such impairment charge could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

 

We are presently unable to determine what impact the resolution of this matter will have on our cash flows, financial condition or results of operations.

 

N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V.

 

In May 2010, we acquired, through our wholly-owned Netherlands subsidiary, Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A., (“CW-Cooperatief”) a 50% interest in N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), a development stage Mexican company. We have since purchased, through the conversion of a loan we made to NSC, sufficient shares to raise our ownership interest in NSC to 99.9%. NSC was formed to pursue a project encompassing the construction, operation and minority ownership of a 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico and an accompanying pipeline to deliver water to the Mexican potable water infrastructure and the U.S. border (the “Project”). We believe the Project can be successful due to what we believe is a growing need for a new potable water supply for the areas of northern Baja California, Mexico and Southern California, U.S.

 

NSC has engaged engineering groups with extensive regional and/or technical experience to prepare preliminary designs and cost estimates for the desalination plant and the proposed pipeline and prepare the environmental impact studies for local, state and federal regulatory agencies. NSC is presently seeking contracts with proposed customers in Mexico and the U.S. for the sale of the desalinated water from the Project. NSC will be required to accomplish various additional steps before it can commence construction of the plant and pipeline including, but not limited to, obtaining approvals and permits from various governmental agencies in Mexico, securing contracts with its proposed customers to sell water in sufficient quantities and at prices that make the project financially viable, and obtaining equity and debt financing for the Project. NSC’s potential customers will also be required to obtain various governmental permits and approvals in order to purchase water from NSC.

 

In February 2012, we paid $300,000 to enter into an agreement (the “Option Agreement”) that provided us with an option, exercisable through February 7, 2014, to purchase the shares of one of the other shareholders of NSC, along with an immediate power of attorney to vote those shares, for $1.0 million. Such shares constituted 25% of the ownership of NSC as of February 2012. In May 2013, NSC repaid a $5.7 million loan payable to CW-Cooperatief by issuing additional shares of its stock. As a result of this share issuance to CW-Cooperatief, we acquired 99.9% of the ownership of NSC. The Option Agreement contained an anti-dilution provision that required us to issue new shares in NSC of an amount sufficient to maintain the other shareholder’s 25% ownership interest in NSC if (i) any new shares of NSC were issued subsequent to the execution of the Option Agreement and (ii) we did not exercise our share purchase option by February 7, 2014. In order to avoid dilution of our increased ownership interests in NSC, we exercised our option and paid the $1.0 million to purchase the Option Agreement shares in February 2014.

 

NSC entered into a purchase contract for 8.1 hectares of land on which the proposed plant would be constructed and in 2012 obtained an extension of this purchase contract through May 15, 2014 in exchange for prepayments of (i) $500,000 paid at signing of the extension and (ii) a further $500,000 paid in May 2013. NSC paid $7.4 million in May 2014 to complete this land purchase. In 2013, NSC purchased an additional 12 hectares of land for the project for $12 million, of which $2 million was paid. NSC paid the remaining $10 million balance for this land purchase on May 15, 2014. We obtained new financing in May 2014 to assist in the funding of NSC’s land purchases in the form of a $10.0 million loan which is payable on demand by the lender. The loan terms require principal and interest payments to be made quarterly under a five year amortization schedule and payment of the remaining principal balance after two years, if the loan is not called before that time. This loan bears interest at LIBOR plus 1.5% and is secured by substantially all of our assets in the Cayman Islands.

 

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In 2012 and 2013, NSC conducted an equipment piloting plant and water data collection program at the proposed feed water source for the Project under a Memorandum of Understanding (the “EPC MOU”) with a global engineering, procurement and construction contractor for large seawater desalination plants. Under the EPC MOU, the contractor installed and operated an equipment piloting plant and collected water quality data from the proposed feed water source site in Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico. The EPC MOU required that NSC negotiate exclusively with the contractor for the construction of the 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant, and further required payment by NSC to the contractor of up to $500,000 as compensation for the operation and maintenance of the equipment piloting plant should NSC not award the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the Project to the contractor. This first phase of the pilot plant testing program was completed in October 2013. NSC decided not to extend the EPC MOU beyond its February 2014 expiration date and NSC paid the contractor $350,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2014 as compensation for the operation and maintenance of the pilot plant.

 

NSC is currently conducting additional source water sampling protocols to comply with regulatory requirements in the U.S. and Mexico, and is also coordinating with regulators to assess the need, if any, for further process and equipment piloting.

 

In November 2012, NSC signed a letter of intent with Otay Water District in Southern California to deliver no less than 20 million and up to 40 million gallons of water per day from the plant to the Otay Water District at the border between Mexico and the U.S. On November 25, 2013, Otay Water District submitted an application to the Department of State of the United States of America for a Presidential Permit authorizing the construction, connection, operation and importation of desalinated seawater at the international boundary between the United States and Mexico in San Diego County, California. We understand that this application is currently being reviewed by the relevant authorities.

 

NSC entered into a 20-year lease, effective November 2012, with the Comisión Federal de Electricidad for approximately 5,000 square meters of land on which it plans to construct the water intake and discharge works for the plant. The amounts due on this lease are payable in Mexican pesos at an amount that is currently equivalent to approximately $20,000 per month. This lease is cancellable should NSC ultimately not proceed with the Project.

 

In August 2014, the State of Baja California enacted new legislation to regulate Public-Private Association projects which involve the type of long-term contract between a public sector authority and a private party that NSC is required to obtain to complete the Project. Pursuant to this new legislation, on January 4, 2015, NSC submitted an expression of interest for its project to the Secretary of Infrastructure and Urban Development of the State of Baja California (“SIDUE”). On January 23, 2015, SIDUE accepted NSC’s expression of interest and requested that we submit a detailed proposal for the project that complies with requirements of the new legislation. NSC submitted this detailed proposal to SIDUE in late March 2015. The new legislation requires that such proposal be further evaluated by SIDUE and submitted to the Public-Private Association Projects State Committee (the “APP Committee”) for review and authorization. If the APP Committee grants its authorization, the State of Baja California is required to conduct a public tender for the Project. We presently cannot determine if the APP Committee will grant its authorization or, if a public tender process is commenced, when such process will be completed or whether NSC will be awarded the Project.

 

We have acknowledged since the inception of the Project that, due to the amount of capital the Project requires, we will ultimately need an equity partner or partners for the Project. During the fourth quarter of 2014, we concluded that our chances of successfully completing the Project under the new Public-Private Association legislation would be greatly enhanced through the addition of an equity partner for NSC with substantial financial resources and a history of successful capital project investments in Mexico. In February 2015, NSC entered into a Letter of Intent (“LOI”) with such a potential partner. The terms of this LOI will be binding if and only if NSC and its potential partner are ultimately awarded the Project by early February 2016. Pursuant to the LOI, (i) NSC has agreed to sell the land and other Project assets to a new company (“Newco”) that will build and own the Project; (ii) NSC’s potential partner will provide the majority of the equity for the Project and thereby will own the majority interest in Newco; (iii) NSC will maintain a minority ownership position in Newco; and (iv) Newco will enter into a long-term management and technical services contract with NSC for the Project.

 

On February 20, 2015, NSC received notification from the regulatory authorities in Mexico that its federal environmental impact assessment and mitigation plan for the Project’s proposed desalination plant was approved.

 

Included in our consolidated results of operations are general and administrative expenses from NSC, consisting of organizational, legal, accounting, engineering, consulting and other costs relating to NSC’s project development activities. Such expenses amounted to approximately $561,000 and $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The assets and liabilities of NSC included in the consolidated balance sheets amounted to approximately $22.0 million and $270,000, respectively, as of March 31, 2015 and approximately $22.0 million and $214,000, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.

  

We expect to incur project development costs on behalf of NSC. We presently expect these costs to total approximately $1.6 million during the remainder of 2015.

 

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Despite the expenditures made and the activities completed to date, we may ultimately be unsuccessful in our efforts to complete the Project.

 

The Mexico tax authority, the Servicio de Administracion Tributaria (“SAT”), assessed NSC 3,184,745 Mexican pesos for taxes relating to payments to foreign vendors on which the SAT contended should have been subject to income tax withholdings during NSC’s 2011 tax year. The SAT also assessed NSC 1,639,001 Mexican pesos in penalties and 913,711 Mexican pesos in surcharges on these payments bringing the total assessment to 5,737,457 Mexican pesos. Such assessment is equivalent to approximately $379,000 as of March 31, 2015 based upon the exchange rate between the US$ and the Mexican peso as of that date.

 

NSC retained the assistance of Mexican tax advisers in this matter, as it believed the assumptions and related work performed by the SAT did not support their tax assessment. As a result, NSC elected to contest this assessment in Mexico federal tax court. NSC was required to provide an irrevocable letter of credit in the amount of 6,712,634 Mexican pesos as collateral in connection with this tax case. The letter of credit amount includes 975,177 Mexican pesos in additional charges calculated by the SAT to adjust the value of the original assessment to its potential future value at the time when the tax court settles the matter.

 

In November 2014, NSC obtained a favorable judgment by the court. Based on this outcome, the SAT filed an appeal shortly thereafter to contest the judgment.

 

The restricted cash balance of $442,955 included in the accompanying consolidated March 31, 2015 balance sheet represents cash on deposit with a bank to secure payment of the irrevocable letter of credit.

 

We are presently unable to determine what amount, if any, of this assessment NSC will ultimately be required to pay by the Mexico federal tax court. Consequently, no provision for this potential liability has been made in our financial statements. Furthermore, if the SAT is successful in its appeal to reverse the 2014 ruling, the SAT may seek to levy an assessment on payments of a similar nature made by NSC during tax years subsequent to 2011.

 

CW-Belize

 

By Statutory Instrument No. 81 of 2009, the Minister of Public Utilities of the government of Belize published an order, the Public Utility Provider Class Declaration Order, 2009 (the “Order”), which as of May 1, 2009 designated CW-Belize as a public utility provider under the laws of Belize. With this designation, the Public Utilities Commission of Belize (the “PUC”) has the authority to set the rates charged by CW-Belize and to otherwise regulate its activities. On November 1, 2010, CW-Belize received a formal complaint from the PUC alleging that CW-Belize was operating without a license under the terms of the Water Industry Act. CW-Belize applied for this license in December 2010. On July 29, 2011, the PUC issued the San Pedro Public Water Supply Quality and Security Complaint Order (the “Second Order”) which among other things requires that (i) CW-Belize and its customer jointly make a submission to the responsible Minister requesting that the area surrounding CW-Belize’s seawater abstraction wells be designated a forest reserve or national park and be designated a Controlled Area under section 58 of the Water Industry Act, (ii) CW-Belize submit an operations manual for CW-Belize’s desalination plant to the PUC for approval, (iii) CW-Belize and its customer modify the water supply agreement between the parties to (a) include new water quality parameters included in the Order and (b) cap the current exclusive water supply arrangement in the agreement at a maximum of 450,000 gallons per day, (iv) CW-Belize keep a minimum number of replacement seawater RO membranes in stock at all times and (v) CW-Belize take possession of and reimburse the PUC for certain equipment which the PUC purchased from a third-party in late 2010. CW-Belize has applied for declaratory judgment and has been granted a temporary injunction to stay the enforcement of the Second Order by the PUC until such time as the Belize courts could hear the matter. The initial hearing on this matter was conducted on October 30 and 31, 2012 with an additional hearing on November 29, 2012. The ruling on this case is pending. We are presently unable to determine what impact the Order and the Second Order will have on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

 

Windsor Plant Water Supply Agreement

 

Our subsidiary CW-Bahamas provides bulk water to the WSC, which distributes the water through its own pipeline system to residential, commercial and tourist properties on the Island of New Providence. Pursuant to a water supply agreement, we are required to provide the WSC with at least 16.8 million gallons per week of potable water from the Windsor plant, and the WSC had contracted to purchase at least that amount on a take-or-pay basis. This water supply agreement was scheduled to expire when we delivered the total amount of water required under the agreement in July 2013, but has been extended on a month-to-month basis. At the conclusion of the agreement, the WSC has the option to:

 

  · extend the agreement for an additional five years at a rate to be negotiated;

 

  · exercise a right of first refusal to purchase any materials, equipment and facilities that CW-Bahamas intends to remove from the Windsor plant site, and negotiate a purchase price with CW-Bahamas; or

 

  · require CW-Bahamas to remove all materials, equipment and facilities from the site.

 

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At the request of the government of The Bahamas, we continue to operate and maintain the Windsor plant on a month-to-month basis to provide the government of The Bahamas with additional time to decide whether or not it will extend CW-Bahamas’ water supply agreement for the Windsor plant on a long-term basis. CW-Bahamas generated approximately $1.5 million and $1.7 million in revenues from the operation of this plant during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

North Sound Plant Water Supply Agreement

 

OC-Cayman’s bulk water supply agreement with the WAC for the WAC’s North Sound plant expired on April 1, 2015. OC-Cayman submitted a proposal to continue to operate the plant for an additional 24 months on March 23, 2015. This proposal was tentatively accepted on March 27, 2015, subject to certain additional government approvals. OC-Cayman continues to operate the plant under the same terms and conditions of the expired agreement. OC-Cayman generated approximately $726,000 and $994,000 in revenues from the operation of this plant during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

Effect of Newly Issued But Not Yet Effective Accounting Standards:

 

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 requires revenue recognition to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 prescribes a five step framework in accounting for revenues from contracts within its scope, including (a) identification of the contract, (b) identification of the performance obligations under the contract, (c) determination of the transaction price, (d) allocation of the transaction price to the identified performance obligations and (e) recognition of revenues as the identified performance obligations are satisfied. ASU 2014-09 also prescribes additional disclosures and financial statement presentations. This amendment is effective for public entities in annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early application is not permitted. ASU 2014-09 may be adopted retrospectively or under a modified retrospective method where the cumulative effect is recognized at the date of initial application. We are currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810) - Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. The amendments in this update require management to reevaluate whether certain legal entities should be consolidated. Specifically, the amendments (1) modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) or voting interest entities, (2) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, (3) affect the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships, and (4) provide a scope exception from consolidation guidance for reporting entities with interests in legal entities that are required to comply with or operate in accordance with requirements that are similar to those in Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for registered money market funds. The amendments in this update are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this amendment will have on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Interest—Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. ASU 2015-03 provides authoritative guidance related to the presentation of debt issuance costs on the balance sheet, requiring companies to present debt issuance costs as a direct deduction from the carrying value of debt. The amendments in this update are effective for public business entities in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The new guidance must be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented. We are currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this amendment will have on our consolidated financial statements.

 

Dividends

 

  · On January 31, 2015, we paid a dividend of $0.075 to shareholders of record on January 1, 2015.

 

  · On February 10, 2015, our Board declared a dividend of $0.075 payable on April 30, 2015 to shareholders of record on April 1, 2015.

 

We have paid dividends to owners of our common shares and redeemable preferred shares since we began declaring dividends in 1985. However, the payment of any future cash dividends will depend upon our earnings, financial condition, cash flows, capital requirements and other factors our Board of Directors deems relevant in determining the amount and timing of such dividends.

 

Dividend Reinvestment and Common Stock Purchase Plan

 

This program is available to our shareholders, who may reinvest all or a portion of their common stock cash dividends into shares of common stock at prevailing market prices and may also invest optional cash payments to purchase additional shares at prevailing market prices as part of this program.

 

Impact of Inflation

 

Under the terms of our Cayman Islands license and our water sales agreements in Belize, Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands, our water rates are automatically adjusted for inflation on an annual basis, subject to temporary exceptions. We, therefore, believe that the impact of inflation on our gross profit, measured in consistent dollars, will not be material. However, significant increases in items such as fuel and energy costs could create additional credit risks for us, as our customers’ ability to pay our invoices could be adversely affected by such increases.

 

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ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

There have been no material changes in our exposure to market risk from December 31, 2014 to the end of the period covered by this report.

 

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our management has evaluated, with the participation of its principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

 

Changes in Internal Controls

 

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation of such internal control that occurred during the Company’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

 

Our business faces significant risks. These risks include those disclosed in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 as supplemented by the additional risk factors included below. If any of the events or circumstances described in the referenced risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected and such events or circumstances could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this report. These risks should be read in conjunction with the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report as well as in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and in our other periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.

 

Our exclusive license to provide water to retail customers in the Cayman Islands may not be renewed in the future.

 

In the Cayman Islands, we provide water to retail customers under a license issued to us in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government that grants us the exclusive right to provide water to retail customers within our licensed service area. Our service area is comprised of an area on Grand Cayman that includes the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas, two of the three most populated areas in the Cayman Islands. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, we generated approximately 41% and 37%, respectively, of our consolidated revenues and 56% and 55%, respectively, of our consolidated gross profits from the retail water operations conducted pursuant to our exclusive license. If we are not in default of any of its terms, the license provides us with the right to renew the license on terms that are no less favorable than those that the government offers to any third party.  

 

This license was set to expire on July 10, 2010; however, the Cayman Islands government and we have extended the license several times in order to provide sufficient time to negotiate the terms of a new license agreement. The most recent extension of our license expires June 30, 2015.

 

In February 2011, the Water (Production and Supply) Law, 2011 and the Water Authority (Amendment) Law, 2011 (the “New Laws”) were published and are now in full force and effect. Under the New Laws, the Water Authority-Cayman (“WAC”) will issue any new license, and such new license could include a rate of return on invested capital model, as discussed in the following paragraph.

 

We have been advised in correspondence from the Cayman Islands government and the WAC that: (i) the WAC is now the principal negotiator, and not the Cayman Islands government, in these license negotiations, and (ii) the WAC has determined that a rate of return on invested capital model (“RCAM”) for the retail license is in the best interest of the public and our customers.  RCAM is the rate model currently utilized in the electricity transmission and distribution license granted by the Cayman Islands government to the Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. We have advised the Cayman Islands government that we do not agree with its position on these two matters.

 

In July 2012, in an effort to resolve several issues relating to our retail license renewal negotiations, we filed an Application for Leave to Apply for Judicial Review (the “Application”) with the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (the “Court”), stating that: (i) certain provisions of the Water Authority Law, 2011 and the Water (Production and Supply) Law, 2011, appear to be incompatible, (ii) the WAC’s roles as the principal license negotiator, statutory regulator and our competitor put the WAC in a position of hopeless conflict, and (iii) the WAC’s decision to replace the rate structure under our current exclusive license with RCAM was predetermined and unreasonable. In October 2012, we were notified that the Court agreed to consider the issues outlined in the Application.

 

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Throughout the course of the retail license renewal negotiations, we have objected to the use of RCAM on the basis that we believe such a model would not promote the efficient operation of our water utility and could ultimately increase water rates to our customers.

 

The hearing for this judicial review was held on April 1, 2014. Prior to the commencement of the hearing, the parties agreed that the Court should solely be concerned with the interpretation of the statutory provisions. As part of this agreement, the WAC agreed to consider our submissions on the RCAM model and/or alternative models of pricing. In June 2014, the Court determined that: (i) the renewal of the 1990 License does not require a public bidding process; and (ii) the WAC is the proper entity to negotiate with us for the renewal of the 1990 License.

 

Our submissions on the RCAM model and/or alternative models of pricing were made to the WAC on June 9, 2014. We received a letter from the WAC dated September 11, 2014, which fully rejected our submissions and stated that the WAC intend to provide us with a draft RCAM license in due course.

 

On November 21, 2014, we wrote to the Minister of Works offering to recommence license negotiations on the basis of the RCAM model subject to certain conditions which are: (i) the Government would undertake to amend the current water legislation to provide for an independent regulator and a fair and balanced regulatory regime more consistent with that provided under the electrical utility regulatory regime, (ii) the Government and we would mutually appoint an independent referee and chairman of the negotiations, (iii) our new license would provide exclusivity for the production and provision of all piped water, both potable and non-potable, within our Cayman Islands license area, (iv) the Government would allow us to submit our counter proposal to the WAC’s June 2010 RCAM license draft, and (v) the principle of subsidization of residential customer rates by commercial customer rates would continue under a new license. On March 23 2015, we received a letter from the Minister of Works with the following responses to our November 21, 2014 letter: (1) that while the Cayman government plans to create a public utilities commission, the provision of a new license will not depend upon the formation of such a commission; (2) any consideration regarding inclusion of the exclusive right to sell non-potable water within the area covered by the retail license will not take place until after the draft license has proceeded through the review process of the negotiations; (3) rather than allow us to submit a counter proposal to the WAC’s June 2010 RCAM license draft, the WAC will draft the license with the understanding that we will be allowed to propose amendments thereto; and (4) the principle of subsidization of residential customer rates by commercial customer rates would continue under a new license, assuming no minimum volume charge.

 

We are presently waiting for the WAC to provide its current draft of the license and to propose dates on which the negotiation process may recommence.

 

The Cayman Islands government could ultimately offer a third party a license to service some or all of our present service area. However, as set forth in the 1990 license, “the Governor hereby agrees that upon the expiry of the term of this Licence or any extension thereof, he will not grant a licence or franchise to any other person or company for the processing, distribution, sale and supply of water within the Licence Area without having first offered such a licence or franchise to the Company on terms no less favourable than the terms offered to such other person or company.”

 

The terms of any new license agreement offered by the Cayman government may not be as favorable to us as the terms under which we are presently operating. The resolution of these license negotiations could result in a material reduction of the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail license and could require us to record an impairment charge to reduce the $3,499,037 carrying value of our goodwill. Such impairment charge could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

 

We have spent approximately $35.8 million to fund the development costs for a possible project in Mexico and expect to expend significant additional funds in 2015 and 2016 to continue to pursue this project. However, we may not be successful in completing this project.

 

We own (through our wholly-owned Netherlands subsidiary, Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A.) a 99.9% interest in N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), a development stage Mexico company formed to pursue a project encompassing the construction, operation and minority ownership of a 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico and an accompanying pipeline to deliver water to the Mexican potable water system and the U.S. border (the “Project”). NSC has conducted an equipment piloting plant and water data collection program at the proposed feed water source and is presently seeking contracts with customers in Mexico and the U.S. for the sale of desalinated water from the project. NSC will be required to accomplish various additional steps before it can commence construction of the plant and pipeline including, but not limited to, obtaining approvals and permits from various governmental agencies in Mexico, securing contracts with its proposed customers to sell water in sufficient quantities and at prices that make the project financially viable, and obtaining equity and debt financing for the project. NSC’s potential customers will also be required to obtain various governmental permits and approvals in order to purchase water from NSC. As of March 31, 2015, we have spent approximately $35.8 million on the Project. Our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2015 includes $20.7 million of capitalized costs for this project that consist of land and property, plant and equipment.

  

In August 2014, the State of Baja California enacted new legislation to regulate Public-Private Association projects which involve the type of long-term contract between a public sector authority and a private party NSC is required to obtain to complete the Project. Pursuant to this new legislation, on January 4, 2015, NSC submitted an expression of interest for its project to the Secretary of Infrastructure and Urban Development of the State of Baja California (“SIDUE”). On January 23, 2015, SIDUE accepted NSC’s expression of interest and requested that we submit a detailed proposal for the project that complies with requirements of the new legislation. NSC submitted this detailed proposal to SIDUE in late March 2015. The new legislation requires that such proposal be further evaluated by SIDUE and submitted to the Public-Private Association Projects State Committee (the “APP Committee”) for review and authorization. If the APP Committee grants its authorization, the State of Baja California is required to conduct a public tender for the Project. We presently cannot determine if the APP Committee will grant its authorization or, if a public tender process is commenced, when such process will be completed or whether NSC will be awarded the Project.

 

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Despite the expenditures we have made and the activities we have completed to date, we may ultimately be unsuccessful in our efforts to complete the Project.

 

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

There were no unregistered sales of equity securities during the three months ended March 31, 2015.

 

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ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit      
Number   Exhibit Description  
       
31.1   Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer  
       
31.2   Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer  
       
32.1   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer  
       
32.2   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Financial Officer  
       
101.INS   XBRL Instance Document  
       
101.SCH   XBRL Taxonomy Schema  
       
101.CAL   XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase  
       
101.DEF   XBRL Taxonomy Definition Linkbase  
       
101.LAB   XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase  
       
101.PRE   XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase  

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.  
   
By: /s/ Frederick W. McTaggart  
  Frederick W. McTaggart  
  Chief Executive Officer  
  (Principal Executive Officer)  
     
By: /s/ David W. Sasnett  
  David W. Sasnett  
  Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer  
  (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)  

 

Date: May 11, 2015

 

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