ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves risks. Before investing in our common stock, you should consider carefully the factors discussed below and the information contained in this Annual Report. Each of these risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial, could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, and cause the value of our common stock to decline, which may result in the loss of part, or all, of your investment.
Our exclusive license to provide water to retail customers in the Cayman Islands has not been expressly extended and we are presently unable to predict the outcome of our on-going negotiations relating to this license.
We sell water through our retail operations under a license issued in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government (the “1990 license”) that granted Cayman Water the exclusive right to provide potable water to customers within its licensed service area. Although the 1990 license has not been expressly extended after January 2018, we continue to supply water under the terms of the 1990 license, as discussed in the following paragraphs. Pursuant to the 1990 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 Island: Seven Mile Beach and West Bay. In 2023 and 2022, we generated approximately 17% and 27%, respectively, of our consolidated revenue and 26% and 44%, respectively, of our consolidated gross profit from the retail water operations conducted under the 1990 license.
The 1990 license was originally scheduled to expire in July 2010 but was 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 express extension of the license expired on January 31, 2018. We continue to operate under the terms of the 1990 license, providing water services to the level and quality specified in the 1990 license and in accordance with our understanding of its legal obligations, treating those obligations set forth in the 1990 license as operative notwithstanding the expiration of the express extension. We continue to pay a royalty of 7.5% of the revenue we collect as required under the 1990 license.
In October 2016, the Government of the Cayman Islands passed legislation which created a new utilities regulation and competition office (“OfReg”). OfReg is an independent and accountable regulatory body with a view of protecting the rights of consumers, encouraging affordable utility services, and promoting competition. OfReg, which began operations in January 2017, has the ability to supervise, monitor and regulate multiple utility undertakings and markets. Supplemental legislation was passed by the Government of the Cayman Islands in April 2017, which transferred responsibility for economic regulation of the water utility sector and the negotiations with us for a new retail license from the WAC to OfReg
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in May 2017. We began license negotiations with OfReg in July 2017 and such negotiations are ongoing. We have been informed during our retail license negotiations, both by OfReg and its predecessor in these negotiations, that the Cayman Islands government seeks to restructure the terms of our license in a manner that could significantly reduce the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail license.
We are presently unable to determine what impact the resolution of our retail license negotiations will have on our cash flows, financial condition or results of operations but such resolution could result in a material reduction (or the loss) of the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail operations and could require us to record impairment losses to reduce the carrying values of our retail segment assets. Such impairment losses could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.
Periodically, our Bahamas subsidiary experiences substantial delays in the collection of its accounts receivable. As a result, our Bahamas subsidiary could have insufficient liquidity to continue operations, and our consolidated financial results could be materially adversely affected.
CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable balances (which include accrued interest) due from the WSC amounted to $26.9 million as of December 31, 2023. Approximately 80% of this December 31, 2023 accounts receivable balance was delinquent as of that date. The delay in collecting these accounts receivable has adversely impacted the liquidity of this subsidiary.
From time to time (including presently), CW-Bahamas has experienced delays in collecting its accounts receivable from the WSC. When these delays occur, we hold discussions and meetings with representatives of the WSC and The Bahamas government, and as a result, payment schedules are developed for WSC’s delinquent accounts receivable. All previous delinquent accounts receivable from the WSC, including accrued interest thereon, were eventually paid in full. Based upon this payment history, we have not provided for a material allowance for credit losses for CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable from the WSC as of December 31, 2023.
In a report dated October 6, 2022, Moody’s Investor Services (“Moody’s”) downgraded the Government of The Bahamas’ long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings to B1 from Ba3. Moody’s also lowered The Bahamas’ local currency ceiling to Baa3 from Baa2 and its foreign currency ceiling to Ba1 from Baa3. Moody’s iterated these ratings in April and October 2023, noting that such ratings are “stable.”
If CW-Bahamas is unable to collect a significant portion of its delinquent accounts receivable, one or more of the following events may occur: (i) CW-Bahamas may not have sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations; (ii) we may be required to cease the recognition of revenue on CW-Bahamas’ water supply agreements with the WSC; and (iii) we may be required to provide a material allowance for credit losses for CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable. Any of these events could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
The profitability of our contracts is dependent upon our ability to accurately estimate construction and operating costs.
The cost estimates we prepare in connection with the construction and operation of our water plants, the water infrastructure we construct and sell to third parties, and our manufacturing contracts, are subject to inherent uncertainties. Additionally, the terms of our water supply contracts may require us to guarantee the price of water on a per unit basis, subject to certain annual inflation and monthly energy cost adjustments, and to assume the risk that the costs associated with producing this water may be greater than anticipated. Because we base our contract prices in part on our estimation of future construction, manufacturing and operating costs, the profitability of our plants and our manufacturing and operations and maintenance contracts is dependent on our ability to estimate these costs accurately. The cost of materials and services and the cost of the delivery of such services may increase significantly after we submit our bid for contract, which could cause the gross profit for a contract to be less than we anticipated when the bid was made. The profit margins we initially expect to generate from an operations and maintenance contract could be further reduced if future operating costs for that contract exceed our estimates of such costs. Any construction, manufacturing, and operating costs for our contracts that significantly exceed our initial estimates could have a material adverse impact our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
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Certain of PERC’s contracts with its customers may be terminated at any time at the customer’s convenience or with relatively short advance notice. The termination of any of these contracts prior to their full performance may result in us realizing less than the full consideration payable under the contract and may negatively impact our financial results.
Certain of PERC’s contracts with its customers, and substantially all of its contracts with governments or municipalities, may be terminated at any time at the customer’s convenience with no or relatively short advance notice. Our business is highly dependent on the purchase of our products and services by government and municipalities, and we believe that contracts with similar termination provisions will continue to be a source of a substantial portion of our revenue for the foreseeable future.
If a customer terminates one of our contracts for convenience, we generally may recover, at most, our incurred or committed costs, settlement expenses, and payment for work completed or products delivered prior to the termination. As such, the termination of any of these contracts prior to their stated term may result in us realizing less than the full consideration payable under the contract. If any such contract is terminated prior to us performing a substantial portion of the work to be performed or delivering a substantial portion of the products to be delivered, prior to the termination, such termination may have a material adverse impact on our consolidated results of operations.
A significant portion of our consolidated revenue is derived from our water supply agreements with the WSC. The loss of the WSC as a customer would adversely affect us.
One bulk water customer, the WSC, accounted for approximately 17% of our consolidated revenue for 2023. If, for financial or other reasons, the WSC does not comply with the terms of our water supply agreements our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
Our operations are affected by tourism and are subject to seasonal fluctuations and other factors beyond our control that could affect the demand for our water.
Demand for our water in the Cayman Islands and The Bahamas is affected by variations in the level of tourism and local weather, primarily rainfall. Tourism in our service areas is affected by the economies of the tourists’ home countries, primarily the United States and Europe, terrorist activity and perceived threats thereof, global health concerns such as COVID-19, and increased costs of fuel and airfare. In the Cayman Islands, we normally sell more water during the first and second quarters of the year, when the number of tourists is greater and local rainfall is less than in the third and fourth quarters. A downturn in tourism or greater than expected rainfall in the locations we serve could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting cessation of tourism to the Cayman Islands through August 2022 significantly reduced demand for our water.
Performance shortfalls under any of our bulk supply contracts could result in penalties or cancellation of the contract.
Our bulk water supply agreements require us to meet specified minimum quality, quantity and energy consumption guarantees. Membrane fouling or other technical problems could occur at any of our plants, and if we are unable to meet the guarantees due to such technical problems, we could be in default of the supply agreement and subject to various adverse consequences, including financial penalties or cancellation of the agreement.
Our operations could be harmed by natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes.
A natural disaster could cause major damage to our equipment and properties and the properties of our customers, including the large tourist properties in our areas of operation. For example, in January 2020, Grand Cayman experienced an earthquake which damaged three of our eight storage tanks. Any future disaster could cause us to lose use of our equipment and properties and incur additional repair costs. Damage to our customers’ properties and the adverse impact on tourism could result in a decrease in water demand. A natural disaster could also disrupt the delivery of equipment and supplies,
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including electricity, necessary to our operations. These and other possible effects of natural disasters could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Contamination of our water may cause disruption in our services and adversely affect our revenue.
Our feed water and/or processed water may become contaminated by natural occurrences and by inadvertent or intentional human interference, including acts of terrorism. If our feed water and/or processed water becomes contaminated, we may have to interrupt our supply of desalinated potable water until we are able to install treatment equipment or substitute the flow of water from an uncontaminated water source. In addition, we may incur significant costs in order to treat contaminated feed or processed water through expansion of our current treatment facilities, or development of new treatment methods. An inability by us to substitute feed water from an uncontaminated water source or to adequately treat the contaminated plant feed water or our processed water in a cost-effective manner may have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Potential government decisions, actions and regulations could negatively affect our operations.
We are subject to the local regulations of the countries in which we operate, all of which are subject to change. Any government that regulates our operations may issue legislation or adopt new regulations, including but not limited to:
●restricting foreign ownership (by us);
●providing for the expropriation of our assets by the government;
●providing for nationalization of public utilities by the government;
●providing for different water quality standards;
●unilaterally changing or renegotiating our license and agreements;
●restricting the transfer of U.S. currency; or
●causing currency exchange fluctuations/devaluations or enacting changes in tax laws.
As new laws and regulations are issued, we may be required to modify our operations and business strategy, which we may be unable to do in a cost-effective manner. Failure by us to comply with applicable regulations could result in the loss of our authorizations to operate, the assessment of penalties or fines, or otherwise may have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Unforeseen environmental costs could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations concerning environmental protection, including laws addressing water quality and contamination, the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, and the cleanup of contaminated sites. In particular, we face increasing complexity in our operations as we adjust to new and future requirements relating to water quality, the composition of our other products, their safe use, the energy consumption associated with our operations, and climate change laws and regulations. If we were to violate or become liable under environmental laws or if our products become non-compliant with environmental laws, we could incur substantial costs or face other sanctions, which may include restrictions on operating in certain jurisdictions. Our potential exposure includes fines and civil or criminal sanctions, third-party property damage, personal injury claims and clean-up costs. Further, liability under some environmental laws relating to contaminated sites can be imposed retroactively on a joint and several basis, and without any finding of noncompliance or fault. The amount and timing of costs to comply with environmental laws are difficult to predict. In addition, any complaints or lawsuits against us based on water quality and contamination may receive negative publicity that can damage our reputation and adversely affect our business and trading price of our common stock.
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If we fail to abide by laws, rules and regulations relating to human and workers’ rights, we could be subject to various actions and our reputation, business and financial results could be adversely affected.
We are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations concerning human rights, including laws prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and forced or child labor, and establishing wage and hour standards. If we were to violate or become liable under human or workers’ laws, we could incur substantial costs or face other sanctions. Our potential exposure includes fines and civil or criminal sanctions or liability. The amount and timing of costs to comply with human and workers’ rights laws are difficult to predict. Additionally, the success of our business depends on earning and maintaining the trust and confidence of our customers, suppliers, stockholders and the communities in which we operate, our ability to compete for future opportunities, and our reputation among existing and potential clients and partners. Our reputation is critical to our business and could be impacted by events that may be difficult or impossible to control, and costly or impossible to remediate. For example, alleged or actual failures by us or our employees to comply with applicable human or workers’ rights laws, rules or regulations, expectations and perceptions of our employment and environmental, social and governance practices, threatened or actual litigation against us or our employees, or the public announcement and potential publicity surrounding any of these issues, even if inaccurate, satisfactorily addressed, or if no violation or wrongdoing actually occurred, could adversely impact our reputation and relationships with customers, suppliers, stockholders and the communities in which we operate, and our ability to renew or negotiate new agreements for projects. Any such failure or reputational harm could have an adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We rely on the efforts of key employees. Our failure to retain these employees could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our success depends upon the abilities of our Executive Officers. In particular, the loss of the services of Frederick W. McTaggart, our President and Chief Executive Officer, could be detrimental to our operations and our continued success. Mr. McTaggart has an employment agreement expiring on December 31, 2026. Each year, the term of this agreement may be extended for an additional year. However, we cannot guarantee that Mr. McTaggart will continue to work for us during the term of his agreement or will extend his employment agreement with us.
Our business could be adversely affected by cyber threats or other interruptions in information technology, communications networks and operations.
As part of our operations, we rely on computer systems to process transactions and communicate with our customers, suppliers and other third parties. We rely on continued and unimpeded access to secure network connections to communicate between locations and on reliable internet connections to communicate with external parties. We have physical, technical and procedural safeguards in place that are designed to protect information and protect against security and data breaches as well as fraudulent transactions and other activities. Despite these safeguards and our other security processes and protections, we cannot be assured that all our systems and processes are free from vulnerability to evolving and increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks, to other physical breaches or to inadvertent data disclosure by third parties or by us. A significant data security breach, including misappropriation of customer, supplier or confidential employee information, could cause us to incur significant costs, which may include potential costs of investigations, legal, forensic and consulting fees and expenses, costs and diversion of management attention required for investigation, remediation and litigation, substantial repair or replacement costs. We could also experience data losses that would impair our ability to manage our business operations, including accounting and project costs, manage our water and distribution systems or process transactions and have a negative impact on our reputation and loss of confidence of our customers, suppliers and others, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows and our business in general.
We are exposed to credit risk through our relationships with several customers.
We are subject to credit risk posed by possible defaults in payment by our bulk water customers in the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands. We are also subject to credit risk posed by possible defaults in payment by our customers in the United States. Adverse economic conditions affecting, or financial difficulties of, those parties could impair their ability to pay us or cause them to delay payment. We depend on these parties to pay us on a timely basis. Our
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outstanding accounts receivable are not covered by collateral or credit insurance. Any delay or default in payment could adversely affect our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
We are exposed to the risk of variations in currency exchange rates.
Although we report our results in United States dollars, a significant portion of our revenue is earned in other currencies. These currencies have been fixed to the United States dollar for more than 20 years. Consequently, we do not employ hedging strategies against the foreign currency exchange rate risk associated with conducting business in foreign currencies while reporting in United States dollars. If any of the existing fixed exchange rates for these other currencies becomes a floating exchange rate and any of these currencies depreciate against the U.S. dollar, our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
We may not pay dividends in the future. If dividends are paid, they may be in lesser amounts than past dividends.
Our shareholders may receive dividends out of legally available funds if, and when, they are declared by our Board of Directors. We have paid dividends in the past but may cease to do so at any time. We may incur increased operating or development expenses or capital requirements or indebtedness in the future that may restrict our ability to pay dividends. We may also be restricted from paying dividends in the future due to restrictions imposed by applicable corporate laws, our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, covenants contained in financing agreements, and other factors considered by our Board of Directors. We may not continue to pay dividends in the future or, if dividends are paid, they may not be in amounts comparable to past dividends.
Service of process and enforcement of legal proceedings commenced against us in the United States may be difficult to obtain.
We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and most of our assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, six of our 14 Directors and Officers reside outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to execute service of process within the United States upon us and such other persons, or to enforce judgments obtained against such persons in United States courts, and bring any action, including actions predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the United States securities laws. In addition, it may be difficult for investors to enforce, in original actions brought in courts or jurisdictions located outside of the United States, rights predicated upon the United States securities laws.
Based on the advice of our Cayman Islands legal counsel, we believe no reciprocal statutory enforcement of foreign judgments exists between the United States and the Cayman Islands, and that foreign judgments originating from the United States are not directly enforceable in the Cayman Islands. A prevailing party in a United States proceeding against us or our Directors and Officers would have to initiate a new proceeding in the Cayman Islands using the United States judgment as evidence of the party’s claim. A prevailing party could rely on the summary judgment procedures available in the Cayman Islands, subject to available defenses in the Cayman Islands courts, including, but not limited to, the lack of competent jurisdiction in the United States courts, lack of due service of process in the United States proceeding and the possibility that enforcement or recognition of the United States judgment would be contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands.
Depending on the nature of damages awarded, civil liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (or the Securities Act), or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (or the Exchange Act), for original actions instituted outside the Cayman Islands may or may not be enforceable. For example, a United States judgment awarding remedies unobtainable in any legal action in the courts of the Cayman Islands, such as treble damages, would likely not be enforceable under any circumstances.
The relatively low trading volume of our stock may adversely impact the ability to sell our shares.
The average daily trading volume of our common stock in 2023 was approximately 131,600 shares, a much lower trading volume than that of many other companies listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. A public trading market having the desired characteristics of depth, liquidity and orderliness depends on the presence in the market of willing buyers and
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sellers of our common stock at any given time. This presence in turn depends on the individual decisions of investors and general economic and market conditions over which we have no control. Due to the limited volume of trading in our common stock, an investor in our stock may have difficulty selling larger volumes of our common stock in the manner, or at the price, that might be attainable if our common stock were more actively traded.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy
Our information technology (“IT”) and cybersecurity programs are crucial to maintaining secure operations, which enable us to deliver on our promise to customers and maintain stakeholder trust. Our Vice President of Information Technology (“VP IT”) is responsible for establishing, implementing, and executing our cybersecurity program and strategy. Our VP IT has more than 25 years of IT, IT audit, and cybersecurity experience, and is involved in assessing the latest developments in cybersecurity, including potential threats and innovative risk management techniques. All IT staff are obliged to include cybersecurity as part of their everyday considerations and tasks.
Our cybersecurity program is a critical component of our enterprise risk management process overseen by our Board of Directors, and we have integrated cybersecurity-related risks into our overall enterprise risk management framework. Additionally, cybersecurity-related risks are included in the risk universe that the risk management function evaluates to assess top risks to the enterprise on an annual basis.
Our IT department proactively identifies, manages, and mitigates cyber risk in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:
a. A formal enterprise-wide cybersecurity policy and related standards;
b. Cybersecurity training and employee phishing simulations;
c. Ongoing vulnerability assessment, identification, and remediation;
d. Cyber incident response, IT disaster recovery, and business continuity plans;
e. Identity and access management controls;
f. Automated patch management and security updates;
g. Network isolation of key operations environments; and
h. Email filtering with attachment inspection and targeted threat protection.
The standards set in our cybersecurity program include the implementation of controls that are aligned with industry guidelines and applicable regulations to identify threats, deter attacks, and protect our information security assets. These standards are guided, in part, by the relevant National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and American Water Works Association (AWWA) frameworks and guidance. We use various tools, security measures and technologies to aid in seeking to protect our network perimeter and internal systems from unauthorized access, intrusion, or disruption. Assessments are conducted across our systems, networks, and data infrastructure to identify potential cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities.
We have policies and procedures in place for selecting and managing our relationships with third-party service providers and other business partners, including monitoring compliance with our agreements and regulatory and legal requirements. We also actively engage with industry participants and related communities as part of our continuing efforts to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of our information security policies and procedures. In addition, a monitoring and detection system has been implemented to help identify cybersecurity threats and incidents. Our cybersecurity program also focuses on providing training and awareness to our employees and contractors on cybersecurity best practices.
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Cybersecurity Governance
Our Board of Directors considers cybersecurity risk as part of its risk oversight function and has delegated to the Audit Committee oversight of cybersecurity and other IT risks. The Audit Committee oversees management’s implementation of our cybersecurity risk management program.
The Audit Committee oversees the management of our cybersecurity risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such exposures. At each quarterly meeting, the Audit Committee receives an update from our VP IT and other members of management on relevant topics, including cybersecurity program maturity progress, new capabilities implemented, testing results, key cyber risk metrics (e.g., simulated phishing testing and vulnerability management) and notable incidents or events should they occur. On an annual basis, our Board of Directors meets with our VP IT and our third-party cybersecurity consultant to review our cybersecurity strategy. In accordance with our cybersecurity incident response plan, our Board of Directors is promptly informed of potentially material cybersecurity incidents, including with respect to our third-party service providers.
Although we have experienced cybersecurity incidents from time to time that have not had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations, there can be no assurance that a cyber-attack, security breach, or other cybersecurity incident will not have a material adverse effect on us in the future.
Our management team supervises efforts to prevent, detect, mitigate, and remediate cybersecurity risks and incidents through various means, which may include briefings from internal security personnel; threat intelligence and other information obtained from governmental, public or private sources, including external consultants engaged by us; and alerts and reports produced by security tools deployed in the IT environment.
For a discussion regarding risks from cybersecurity threats that have or are reasonably likely to affect the company, see the risk factor titled “Our business could be adversely affected by cyber threats or other interruptions to information technology, communications networks and operations.” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Cayman Islands Properties
Abel Castillo Water Works
We own and operate our Abel Castillo Water Works, which is located in the Seven Mile Beach area and encompasses 12,812 square feet of buildings, two seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants with an aggregate capacity of 3.0 million gallons per day, a high service distribution pump house, warehouse space and three potable water storage tanks each with a capacity of 1.0 million gallons and one potable water storage tank with a capacity of 2.0 million gallons. The site is located on 4.2 acres, including 485 feet of waterfront.
West Bay Plant
In 2023, we commissioned a new seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in the West Bay area and decommissioned the previous plant located on the same property. The new plant began operating in November 2023, with a capacity of 1,000,000 gallons per day and is expandable to 2,000,000 gallons per day. This site contains a 5,000 square foot concrete building which houses our water production facility, a 2,400 square foot building which houses the potable water distribution pumps, a water quality testing laboratory, and office space and water storage capacity consisting of three potable water tanks each with a capacity of 1.0 million gallons.
Britannia Plant
Although we own our Britannia seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant which is located in the Seven Mile Beach area, this plant is not currently operational. However, we still have and operate a potable water storage tank with a capacity
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of 840,000 gallons, potable water high service pumps, and various ancillary equipment. We have leased the site (comprised of 0.73 acres) and steel frame building which houses the plant for a term that ends in 2027 at an annual rent of $1.00.
Distribution System
We own our Seven Mile Beach and West Bay potable water distribution systems in Grand Cayman which consist of potable water pipes, valves, curb stops, meter boxes, and water meters. We have the legal right to maintain (and expand or contract as necessary) these systems on public and private land within our licensed service area.
Corporate Office
We occupy approximately 5,700 square feet of office space at the Regatta Office Park, West Bay Road, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands under a lease that expires in April 2024. We expect to renew this lease.
Other Property
In October 2022, Cayman Water purchased for $2.94 million approximately 2.8 acres of land in the West Bay area of Grand Cayman. Cayman Water expects to use this site for the construction of a new headquarters, emergency operations center and warehouse facility at some point in the future.
Bahamas Properties
Windsor Plant
Our Windsor water production facility, located in Nassau, New Providence, has a production capacity of 2.8 million gallons per day. The plant is powered by a combination of diesel engine-driven high-pressure pumps and electrical power purchased from Bahamas Power and Light to power all other loads in the plant. The plant is contained within a 12,000 sq. ft. steel building, and a warehouse, workshop and offices are contained within a 2,600 sq. ft. concrete building. The buildings are located on land owned by the WSC and our water sales agreement gives us a license to use the land throughout the term of that agreement, which expires in 2033. We also own and maintain a 5.0 million gallon welded steel water storage tank that was constructed by us and is operated by the WSC.
Blue Hills Plant
Our Blue Hills plant in Nassau, New Providence consists of two production facilities. The first facility was completed in July 2006, has a production capacity of 7.2 million gallons per day, and is powered by a combination of diesel engine-driven high-pressure pumps and electrical power purchased from Bahamas Power and Light to power all other loads in the plant. The plant is contained within a concrete and steel building with a footprint of 16,000 square feet that also contains a warehouse, workshop and offices. It is located on land owned by the WSC and our 20-year water sales agreement gives us a license to use the land throughout the term of that agreement.
The Blue Hills plant water supply agreement was amended in January 2011 and extended through 2032. Pursuant to this amendment, we added a second production facility to increase the total production capacity of the Blue Hills plant to 12.0 million gallons per day. The second facility was completed in March 2012 and is powered by a combination of diesel engine-driven high-pressure pumps and electrical power purchased from Bahamas Power and Light to power all other loads in the plant. The second facility is contained within a steel building with a footprint of 10,640 square feet located adjacent to the initial production facility on land owned by the WSC. We also own and maintain a 1.0 million gallon welded steel elevated water storage tank that was constructed by us and is operated by the WSC.
U.S. Properties
Aerex owns a 30,000 square foot manufacturing facility located on 6.4 acres of land in Fort Pierce, Florida and has approximately 6,000 square feet of office space in downtown Fort Pierce under a lease that expires on June 30, 2026.
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Our Aquilex warehouse consists of 4,100 square feet located in Sunrise, Florida that has been leased through September 2025. Our Aquilex office consists of 6,500 square feet located in Coral Springs, Florida that has been leased through March 2026.
PERC leases approximately 4,100 square feet of office space in Fountain Valley, California that serves as its corporate headquarters. This lease expired in August 2021 and is currently on a month-to-month basis.
RECleases approximately 7,500 square feet of office space in Frederick, Colorado that serves as its corporate headquarters under a lease that expires on October 1, 2029.
Mexico Properties
NSC and AdR own 20.1 hectares and 0.18 hectares of land, respectively, in Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Mexico Project litigation
a) EWG request of precautionary measures
In January 2018, EWG Water LLC (“EWG”) initiated an ordinary mercantile claim against, among others, N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”) and Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A. (“CW-Cooperatief”) (with Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”) being named as a third party to be called to trial) before the Tenth Civil Judge in Tijuana, Baja California for Mercantile Matters (the “Tenth Civil Judge”).
In such claim, EWG challenged, among other things, the transactions contemplated under a certain option agreement (entered into in 2012), and therefore, the capital investment transactions occurring in May 2013 that increased the ownership interest of CW-Cooperatief in NSC to 99.99%. On October 1, 2020, and following an order from a Federal Judge obtained by NSC, the Tenth Civil Judge resolved to (i) move the claim of EWG to arbitration, and (ii) suspend the corresponding ordinary mercantile procedure. Within the above-mentioned claim, the Tenth Civil Judge granted EWG certain preliminary measures against NSC, which were later overturned by an Upper Court.
In July 2023, EWG filed a motion before a local court in Playas de Rosarito, Baja California (the “Rosarito Court”) to obtain precautionary measures consisting of the securing of assets owned by NSC (particularly real estate), as a procedure prior to the commencement of an arbitration that allegedly would be initiated by EWG against NSC to claim the payment of an indemnification for damages derived from a so-called simulation of legal acts. In the opinion of the Rosarito Court, such motion did not require notification to NSC or the presentation of counterarguments by NSC to the motion prior to securing the assets of NSC.
On July 28, 2023, the Rosarito Court issued a resolution in which it: (i) granted the precautionary measures requested by EWG, subject to the posting of a bond in the amount of MXN$1,500,000 (One Million Five Hundred Thousand Mexican Pesos), and (ii) ordered that once the precautionary measures were executed, EWG would have three business days counted as from the posting of the bond, to initiate and prove to the Rosarito Court that it initiated the arbitration. To the Company’s knowledge EWG has not posted the bond. Consequently, NSC has not been summoned to an arbitration procedure.
As EWG has apparently not posted the bond set by the Rosarito Court (i) the precautionary measures have not been enforced, (ii) no securing or attachment has been registered against the real estate of NSC; and (iii) NSC has not been formally summoned to this procedure. As stated previously, NSC is unaware of any arbitration commenced by EWG regarding this matter.
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b) NSC amparo lawsuit
On August 16, 2023, NSC filed an amparo suit (i.e. application for constitutional relief) before the Eleventh Federal District Court in Tijuana (“Federal District Court in Tijuana”) against the precautionary measures granted to EWG by the Rosarito Court.
In its amparo suit, NSC also requested the Federal District Court in Tijuana to grant an order to put on hold said precautionary measures. A preliminary order to stay was granted by the Federal District Court in Tijuana, followed by a definitive injunction, subject to the posting of a guarantee. NSC has submitted the guarantee to the court.
NSC subsequently filed an extension of the amparo suit introducing new arguments aiming to strengthen NSC ́s position. The amparo extension was admitted through a resolution published on November 7, 2023.
The Federal District Court in Tijuana has not been able to summon EWG on this amparo suit, as it has not been able to determine nor obtain information on an address where EWG can be summoned. As such, the Federal District Court in Tijuana has requested various authorities to provide information on any domicile where EWG can be summoned.
The responses of some authorities are in process of being received by the Federal District Court in Tijuana. NSC is waiting until all the authorities provide their official response to determine if there is a viable alternative for summoning EWG.
NSC offered certain evidence consisting of the docket of amparo file number 74/2020, which was processed by the Twelfth Civil District Court in Tijuana. The Amparo Law provides that any documentary evidence offered by the parties shall be issued without any cost. Therefore, NSC requested the Court to grant the expedition of said copies for free.
However, this request was denied by the Federal District Court in Tijuana. Therefore, NSC filed an appeal for review against said decision, which was admitted by the Federal District Court in Tijuana and sent to the Second Collegiate Circuit Court in Tijuana, acting as Court of Appeals, which confirmed the admission of the appeal remedy through a resolution published on January 26, 2024. The judgment is still pending resolution.
We cannot presently determine what impact the resolution of this matter may have on our consolidated financial statements.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II
Market Information
Our Class A common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and trades under the symbol “CWCO”.
No trading market exists for our redeemable preferred stock, which is only issued to, or purchased by, long-term employees of our company.
On January 3, 2023, March 31, 2023 and January 2, 2024, we issued a total of 25,986 shares, 13,797 shares and 29,392 shares of our common stock, respectively, to Executive Officers under our 2008 Equity Incentive Plan. On December 12, 2023, we issued a total of 22,831 shares of our common stock to our Directors under our Non-Executive Directors’ Share Plan in consideration for their service on our Board of Directors and the committees thereof. See “ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION”.
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Currently 2,023,850 Bahamian Depository Receipts (“BDRs”) that constitute ownership of 404,770 shares of our common stock are listed and traded on the Bahamian International Stock Exchange. Our common shares that underlie these BDRs are held in a custodial account in The Bahamas. The BDRs are entitled to dividend payments, when declared, on our common stock in proportion to the BDRs’ relative value to our common stock.
Holders
As of March 20, 2024, we had 706 holders of record of our common stock.
Dividends
Our Board of Directors declares and approves any and all dividends.
We have paid dividends to owners of our common stock and redeemable preferred stock 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.
Listed below, for each quarter of the last two fiscal years, are the per share dividends declared on our issued and outstanding shares of common shares and redeemable preferred stock.
Exchange Controls and Other Limitations Affecting Security Holders
Our Company is not subject to any governmental laws, decrees or regulations in the Cayman Islands which restrict the export or import of capital, or that affect the remittance of dividends, interest or other payments to non-resident holders of our securities. The Cayman Islands does not impose any limitations on the right of non-resident owners to hold or vote our common stock. There are no exchange control restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
The information required by Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K is provided under ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS of this Annual Report.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
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Overview
Our water production operations and activities, and those of our affiliate OC-BVI, are conducted at 10 plants in three countries: the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and the British Virgin Islands. The following table sets forth the comparative combined production capacity of our retail and bulk segments and our affiliate as of December 31 of each year.
Comparative Operations
Location Plants Capacity (1) Location Plants Capacity (1)
Cayman Islands 6 9.3 Cayman Islands 7 9.9
British Virgin Islands 2 0.8 British Virgin Islands 2 0.8
(1) In millions of gallons per day.
Effective October 1, 2023, the Company purchased, through its wholly-owned subsidiary PERC, a 100% ownership interest in Ramey Environmental Compliance, Inc., a Colorado company that operates and maintains water and wastewater treatment facilities and provides technical services to clients throughout the Rocky Mountain and Eastern Plains Regions of Colorado. PERC acquired REC in November 2023 for approximately $4.1 million and recorded goodwill and intangible assets of $2,436,391 and $1,108,390, respectively, as of October 1, 2023 as a result of this acquisition.
The following table sets forth the comparative combined estimated production capacity of our services segment as of December 31 of each year.
Comparative Operations
Location Plants Capacity (1) Location Plants Capacity (1)
(1) In estimated millions of gallons per day.
As of December 31, 2023, REC performed operations, maintenance, and monitoring services for 72 wastewater and water treatment plants located in the Rocky Mountain and Eastern Plains Regions of Colorado.
Cayman Islands
We have been operating our business on Grand Cayman since 1973 and have been using reverse osmosis technology to convert seawater to potable water since 1989. The Cayman Islands have a limited natural supply of fresh water. We have an exclusive license from the Cayman Islands government to process potable water from seawater and then sell and distribute that water by pipeline to the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas of Grand Cayman. This license expired in January 2018 but as discussed in the following paragraph we continue to provide water under the terms of this license. Our Grand Cayman operations consist of three company-owned seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants which provide water to approximately 8,095 retail residential and commercial connections within a government licensed area and three government-owned seawater reverse osmosis plants which supply bulk water to the WAC. Our pipeline system on Grand Cayman Island covers the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas of Grand Cayman and consists of approximately 100 miles of potable water pipe.
Our exclusive license from the Cayman Islands government was originally scheduled to expire in July 2010 but was 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 express extension of the license expired on January 31, 2018. We
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continue to operate under the terms of the 1990 license, providing water services to the level and quality specified in the 1990 license and in accordance with our understanding of its legal obligations, treating those obligations set forth in the 1990 license as operative notwithstanding the expiration of the express extension. We continue to pay the royalty required under the 1990 license. We have been informed during our retail license negotiations that the Cayman Islands government seeks to restructure the terms of our license in a manner that could significantly reduce the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail license. Our retail license negotiations have also been impacted by the passage of new legislation and the establishment of a new water regulatory body in the Cayman Islands. See further discussion of this matter at ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS – Material Commitments, Expenditures and Contingencies – Cayman Water Retail License.
The Bahamas
CW-Bahamas produces potable water from two seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants. The Windsor plant and the Blue Hills plant are located in Nassau, New Providence and have a total installed capacity of 14.8 million gallons per day. CW-Bahamas supplies water from these plants to the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas (“WSC”) under long-term supply agreements. During 2023, we supplied approximately 4.8 billion gallons of water to the WSC from these plants, as compared to 4.6 billion gallons during 2022.
From time to time (including presently), CW-Bahamas has experienced delays in collecting its accounts receivable. Representatives of the Bahamas government have informed us that their delays in paying our accounts receivables did/do not reflect any type of dispute with us with respect to the amounts owed. To date, all amounts due from CW-Bahamas were eventually paid in full, and we believe that the present accounts receivable from the WSC are fully collectible. Such accounts receivable balances due from The Bahamas government amounted to $26.9 million as of December 31, 2023. See further discussion of this matter at ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES - CW-Bahamas Liquidity.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our critical accounting policies relate to (i) the valuations of our goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets; and (ii) revenue recognition on our construction and manufacturing contracts.
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 revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Our actual results could differ significantly from such estimates and assumptions.
The application of our critical accounting policies involves estimates or assumptions that constitute “critical accounting estimates” for us because:
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill represents the excess cost of an acquired business over the fair value of the assets and liabilities of the acquired business as of the date of acquisition. Goodwill and intangible assets recorded as a result of a business combination and determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized but are tested for impairment annually or upon the identification of a triggering event. 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
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identifies our reporting units for goodwill impairment testing purposes, which consist of Cayman Water, the bulk segment (which is comprised of CW-Bahamas and OC-Cayman), PERC, and the manufacturing segment (i.e., Aerex), 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 these fair values to the carrying amounts of the reporting units. To the extent the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, an impairment loss is recorded.
For 2023, we elected to assess qualitative factors to determine whether it was necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment testing we have conducted in prior years for our reporting units. We assessed the relevant events and circumstances to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair values of such reporting units are less than their carrying values. The events and circumstances assessed for each reporting unit included macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, overall financial performance, and other relevant events. Based upon this qualitative assessment, we determined that it is more likely than not that the fair values of our reporting units exceeded their carrying values as of December 31, 2023.
For 2022, we elected to assess qualitative factors to determine whether it was necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment testing we have conducted in prior years for all reporting units other than the manufacturing unit. We assessed the relevant events and circumstances to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair values of such reporting units are less than their carrying values. The events and circumstances assessed for each unit included macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, expected future results, overall financial performance, and other relevant events. Based upon this qualitative assessment we determined that it is more likely than not that the fair values of our Cayman Water and bulk segment reporting units exceeded their carrying values as of December 31, 2022. Based upon our negotiated, arms-length purchase of the remaining 39% equity interest in PERC from its minority shareholders for $7.8 million in January 2023, the fair value of our PERC reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by 79% as of December 31, 2022.
Due to the factors discussed in the following paragraphs, we elected to test the goodwill associated with our manufacturing reporting unit for possible impairment for 2022 using the quantitative tests applied in prior years.
Approximately 80% of Aerex’s revenue, and 89% of Aerex’s gross profit, for the year ended December 31, 2020 were generated from sales to one customer. While Aerex sells various products to this customer, Aerex’s revenue from this customer had historically been derived primarily from one specialized product. In October 2020, this customer informed Aerex that, for inventory management purposes, it was suspending its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex following 2020 for a period of approximately one year. This customer informed Aerex at that time that it expected to recommence its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex beginning with the first quarter of 2022. As a result of this anticipated loss of revenue for Aerex, we updated our projections for our manufacturing reporting unit’s future cash flows. Such projections assumed, in part, that Aerex’s major customer would recommence its purchases from Aerex in 2022 but at a reduced aggregate amount, as compared to 2020. Based upon these updated projections, we tested our manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill for possible impairment as of December 31, 2020 using the discounted cash flow and guideline public company methods, with a weighting of 80% and 20% applied to these two methods, respectively. As a result of these impairment tests, we determined that the estimated fair value of our manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by approximately 31% as of December 31, 2020.
In late July 2021, this former major customer communicated to Aerex that it expected to recommence its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex in 2022 and subsequent years, but informed Aerex that such purchases would be at substantially reduced annual amounts, as compared to the amounts it had purchased from Aerex in 2020 and prior years. Our updated sales estimate for this customer based on this new information was substantially below the sales we anticipated to this customer for 2022 and subsequent years that we used in the discounted cash flow projections we prepared for purposes of testing our manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill for possible impairment as of December 31, 2020. Furthermore, Aerex’s efforts to replace the revenue previously generated from this customer with revenue from existing and new customers were adversely impacted by negative economic conditions (caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic). These negative economic conditions also increased Aerex’s raw material costs, resulted in raw material shortages and extended delivery times for such materials, and adversely affected the overall financial condition of Aerex’s current and prospective customers. Accordingly, in light of this new information from Aerex’s former major customer, and the on-going weak economic conditions that we believed would continue through 2022, we updated our projections
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of future cash flows for the manufacturing reporting unit and tested its goodwill for possible impairment as of June 30, 2021 using the discounted cash flow and guideline public company methods, with a weighting of 80% and 20% applied to these two methods, respectively. Based upon this testing, we determined that the carrying value of our manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its fair value by $2.9 million, and we recorded an impairment loss to reduce our manufacturing segment’s goodwill by this amount for the three months ended June 30, 2021.
For 2022, we estimated the fair value of our manufacturing reporting unit by applying the discounted cash flow method, which 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 the analysis. We also estimated the fair value of our manufacturing reporting unit for the year ended December 31, 2022 by applying the guideline public company method. We weighted the fair values estimated for our manufacturing reporting unit under each method and summed such weighted fair values to estimate the overall fair value for the reporting unit. The respective weightings we applied to each method for the year ended December 31, 2022 were 80% to the discounted cash flow method and 20% to the guideline public company method.
The fair value we estimated for our manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount by 63% as of December 31, 2022.
Long-lived Assets
We review the carrying amounts of our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets might not be recoverable. Conditions that would necessitate an impairment assessment include a significant decline in the observable market value of an asset, a significant change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used, or a significant adverse change that would indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets is not recoverable. For long-lived assets to be held and used, we recognize an impairment loss only if its carrying amount is not recoverable through its undiscounted cash flows and measure the impairment loss based on the difference between the carrying amount and fair value.
On June 29, 2020, our Mexico subsidiary, AdR, received a letter from the State of Baja California (the “State”) terminating AdR’s contract with the State involving the construction and operation of a desalination plant in Rosarito California and accompanying aqueduct to deliver the water produced by this plant to the Mexican public water system. As a result of the cancellation of this contract, we recorded an impairment loss for rights of way acquired for the contract’s proposed aqueduct of approximately ($3.0 million) in 2020.
Construction and Manufacturing Contract Revenue Recognition
We design, construct, and sell desalination infrastructure through DesalCo, which serves customers in the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and the British Virgin Islands. We design, construct, and sell wastewater and water reuse infrastructure in the U.S. through PERC. Aerex, is a custom and specialty manufacturer in the U.S. of water treatment-related systems and products applicable to commercial, municipal and industrial water production.
We recognize revenue for our construction and our specialized/custom manufacturing contracts over time under the input method using costs incurred (which represents work performed) to date relative to the total estimated costs at completion to measure progress toward satisfying a contract’s performance obligations, as such measure best reflects the transfer of control of the promised good to the customer. Contract costs include labor, materials, subcontractor costs and other expenses. We follow this method since we can make reasonably dependable estimates of the revenue and costs applicable to the various stages of a contract. Under this input method, we record revenue and recognize profit or loss as work on the contract progresses. We estimate total costs to be incurred and profit to be earned on each long-term, fixed price contract prior to commencement of work on the contract and update these estimates as work on the contract progresses. The cumulative amount of revenue recorded on a contract at a specified point in time is that percentage of total estimated revenue that incurred costs to date comprise of estimated total contract costs. Due to the extended time it may take to complete many of our contracts and the scope and nature of the work required to be performed on those contracts, the estimations of total revenue and costs at completion are complicated and subject to many variables and, accordingly, are
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subject to changes. When adjustments in estimated total contract revenue or estimated total contract costs are required, any changes from prior estimates are recognized in the current period for the inception-to-date effect of such changes. We recognize the full amount of any estimated loss on a contract at the time the estimates indicate such a loss.
The cost estimates we prepare in connection with our construction and manufacturing contracts are subject to inherent uncertainties. Because we base our contract prices on our estimation of future construction and manufacturing costs, the profitability of our construction and manufacturing contracts is highly dependent on our ability to estimate these costs accurately, as almost all of our construction and manufacturing contracts are fixed-price contracts. The cost of materials, labor and subcontractors could increase significantly after we sign a construction or manufacturing contract, which could cause the gross profit for a contract to decline from our previous estimates, adversely affecting our recognition of revenue and gross profit for the contract. Construction or manufacturing contract costs that significantly exceed our initial estimates could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included under Part II, ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA, of this Annual Report.
Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022
Discontinued Operations – Mexico Project Development
In 2010, we began the pursuit, through our Netherlands subsidiary, Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A. (“CW-Cooperatief”), and our Mexico subsidiary, N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), of a project (the “Project”) that encompassed the construction, operation and minority ownership of a 100 million gallons per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico and accompanying pipelines to deliver water to the Mexican potable water system.
Through a series of transactions that began in 2012, NSC purchased 20.1 hectares of land for approximately $21.1 million on which the proposed Project’s plant was to be constructed.
Following an assessment by the State of Baja, California (the “State”) of the need for such a desalination plant and the passage of enabling legislation in November 2015, the State officially commenced the required public tender for the Project. A consortium (the “Consortium”) comprised of NSC, Suez Medio Ambiente México, S.A. de C.V. (“Suez MA”), a subsidiary of SUEZ International, S.A.S., and NuWater S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“NuWater”) submitted its tender for the Project in April 2016 and in June 2016, the State designated the Consortium as the winner of the tender process for the Project.
In August 2016, NSC and NuWater incorporated a new company under the name Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”) to pursue completion of the Project and executed a shareholders agreement for AdR agreeing among other things that (i) AdR would purchase the land and other Project assets from NSC on the date that the Project begins commercial operation and (ii) AdR would enter into a Management and Technical Services Agreement with NSC effective on the first day that the Project begins commercial operation. NSC initially owned 99.6% of the equity of AdR. In February 2018, we acquired the remaining 0.4% ownership in AdR from NuWater.
On August 22, 2016, the Public Private Partnership Agreement for the Project (the “APP Contract”) was executed between AdR, the State Water Commission of Baja California (“CEA”), the Government of Baja California as represented by the Secretary of Planning and Finance and the Public Utilities Commission of Tijuana (“CESPT”). The APP Contract required AdR to design, construct, finance and operate a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant (and accompanying aqueduct) with a capacity of up to 100 million gallons per day in two phases: the first with a capacity of 50 million gallons per day and an aqueduct to the Mexican potable water system in Tijuana, Baja California and the second phase with a capacity of 50 million gallons per day. The first phase was to be operational within 36 months of commencing construction and the second phase was to be operational by July 2024. The APP Contract further required AdR to operate and maintain the plant and aqueduct for a period of 37 years starting from the commencement of operation of the first phase. At the end of the operating period, ownership of the plant and aqueduct would have been transferred to CEA. The APP Contract was
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subsequently amended by the parties in June 2018 to increase the scope of Phase 1 and to allow for changes in the water tariff due to the changes in the exchange rate for the peso, interest rates and construction costs that had and would occur from the date the APP Contract was signed to the date construction commenced.
On June 29, 2020, AdR received a letter (the “Letter”) from the Director General of CEA and the Director General of CESPT terminating the APP Contract. The Letter requested that AdR provide an inventory of the assets that comprised the “Project Works” (as defined in the APP Contract) for the purpose of acknowledging and paying the non-recoverable expenses made by AdR in connection with the Project, with such reimbursement to be calculated in accordance with the terms of the APP Contract. The applicable law required that this list of non-recoverable expenses made by AdR in connection with the Project be submitted to CEA and CESPT within 20 business days from the date of receipt of the Letter. AdR initiated an amparo claim before a federal district court in Tijuana, Baja California, to challenge the provision of the applicable law requiring submittal of the list of non-recoverable expenses within the 20 business days term, as AdR considered such term to be unreasonably short due to the magnitude of the Project and the scope of supporting documentation required to be provided with respect to the non-recoverable expenses. AdR obtained an initial provisional suspension of the lapsing of such 20-day term from the court, and on August 10, 2020 the court made such suspension definitive until the completion of the amparo trial. As such, the 20-day term for filing the list of non-recoverable expenses was suspended. Therefore, on August 28, 2020, AdR submitted their list of non-recoverable expenses, including those of NSC, to CEA and CESPT which was comprised of 51,144,525 United States dollars and an additional 137,333,114 Mexican pesos. In February 2021, AdR withdrew this amparo claim, and such withdrawal was accepted by the federal district court in Tijuana. To date, AdR has not received a formal response from CEA or CESPT to its submission of non-recoverable expenses.
We believe CW-Cooperatief, as a Netherlands company, has certain rights relating to its investments in NSC and AdR under the Agreement on Promotion, Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investments between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Mexican States entered into force as of October 1, 1999 (the “Treaty”). On April 16, 2021, CW-Cooperatief submitted a letter to the President of Mexico and other Mexican federal government officials alleging that the State’s termination of the APP Contract constituted a breach by Mexico of its international obligations under the Treaty, entitling CW-Cooperatief to full reparation, including monetary damages. This letter invited Mexico to seek a resolution of this investment dispute through consultation and negotiation, but stated that if the dispute could not be resolved in this manner, CW-Cooperatief would refer the dispute to the International Centre for the Settlement of International Disputes for arbitration, as provided for in the Treaty. On June 29, 2021, the Mexican Ministry of Economy responded to CW-Cooperatief’s letter and proposed to hold a consultation meeting. Two such meetings were held on July 9, 2021 and August 2, 2021 on a confidential basis, without a resolution of our investment dispute.
On February 9, 2022, CW-Cooperatief, filed a Request for Arbitration with the International Centre for Settlement of International Disputes requesting that the United Mexican States pay CW-Cooperatief damages in excess of US$51 million plus MXN$137 million (with the exact amount to be quantified in the proceedings), plus fees, costs and pre- and post-award interest.
CW-Cooperatief intends to pursue vigorously the relief sought in the arbitration, in addition to pursuing all other legal remedies and courses of action available under the operative contracts and applicable law with respect to its rights, damages, fees and expenses. We cannot provide any assurances that CW Cooperatief will be able to obtain the relief sought in the arbitration, and we have incurred and will continue to incur legal and other arbitration-related expenses that are material to our consolidated results of operations and cash flows.
During July 2022, the State initiated discussions with us to potentially resolve the issues related to the cancellation by the government of the Rosarito desalination plant contract as well as potentially addressing the State’s acute water shortage issues. We cannot presently determine the outcome of the discussions and we have not terminated our efforts to obtain relief through the international arbitration process as a result of these discussions.
We cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to obtain reimbursement for any expenses or investments made with respect to the Project.
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As a result of the cancellation of the APP Contract, in 2020 we discontinued all development activities associated with the Project and commenced active marketing efforts to sell the land NSC purchased for the Project. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of CW-Cooperatief, NSC and AdR, as well as the costs for our legal and administrative activities to pursue reimbursement from the State of Baja California following the cancellation of the APP Contract, are classified as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. Our net losses from discontinued operations for 2023 and 2022 were ($1,086,744) and ($2,371,049), respectively.
Consolidated Results
Including discontinued operations, net income attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders for 2023 was $29,585,391 ($1.86 per share on a fully diluted basis), as compared to $5,856,294 ($0.38 per share on a fully diluted basis) for 2022.
The following discussion and analysis of our consolidated results of operations and results of operations by segment for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 relates only to our continuing operations.
Net income from continuing operations attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders for 2023 was $30,672,135 ($1.93 per share on a fully diluted basis), as compared to $8,227,343 ($0.54 per share on a fully diluted basis) for 2022.
Revenue for 2023 increased to $180,211,233 from $94,104,972 in 2022, as all four segments experienced revenue increases. Gross profit for 2023 was $61,927,105 (34% of total revenue) as compared to $30,355,123 (32% of total revenue) for 2022. For further discussion of revenue and gross profit see the “Results by Segment” discussion and analysis that follows.
General and administrative expenses (“G&A expenses”) on a consolidated basis increased to $24,752,366 for 2023 as compared to $21,070,234 for 2022. The most significant increase in G&A expenses for 2023 relates to employee costs, which increased by $2,480,517 from 2022 to 2023 due to increased stock compensation, higher bonus accruals, pay raises and new hires. Professional fees also increased by $251,813 from 2022 to 2023. The remainder of the G&A increase is attributable to increases across a variety of categories including provision for credit losses of $408,489.
Other income, net, increased to $828,313 in 2023, as compared to $464,810 in 2022 due to an increase in interest income of approximately $249,000 primarily due to a higher balance of interest earning assets, and an increase of approximately $68,000 in the equity in earnings of and profit-sharing income from our affiliate, OC-BVI, and an unrealized loss recorded in 2022 of $128,000 for the valuation of the put/call options associated with the initial acquisition of a controlling interest in PERC. We exercised our call option in the fourth quarter of 2022 and acquired the remaining 39% of PERC in January 2023.
Results by Segment
Retail Segment:
The retail segment incurred a loss from operations of ($660,253) for 2023 as compared to a loss from operations of ($1,187,013) for 2022.
Revenue generated by our retail water operations increased to $30,158,051 in 2023 from $25,954,013 in 2022 principally due to a 15% increase in the volume of water sold. The volume of water sold in the Cayman Water license area increased by 14% and the remaining 1% increase in the volume of water sold was due to water sales made by Cayman Water directly to the WAC in the first quarter of 2023. The sales volume increase reflects increased tourist activity on Grand Cayman, as tourism on the island in 2022 was lower than historical levels due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Retail revenue also increased by approximately $1,014,639 due to higher energy costs which increased the energy pass-through component of our retail water rates.
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Retail segment gross profit increased to $16,266,822 (54% of retail revenue) for 2023 as compared to $13,405,250 (52% of retail revenue) for 2022 due to the revenue increase.
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 three business segments. Retail G&A expenses increased to $16,905,010 for 2023 as compared to $14,552,866 for 2022. The most significant increase in G&A expenses for 2023 relates to employee costs, which increased by $1,760,230 due to pay raises, increased stock compensation expense and higher bonus accruals. Business development expenses increased by approximately $182,000 primarily due to the costs associated with the acquisition of REC (which was completed in November 2023).
Bulk Segment:
The bulk segment contributed $8,742,382 and $8,393,729 to our income from operations for 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Bulk segment revenue was $34,595,058 and $32,991,066 for 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in bulk segment revenue from 2022 to 2023 is attributable to a 6% increase in water volume and an increase in energy costs for CW-Bahamas, which increased the energy pass-through component of CW-Bahamas’ rates.
Gross profit for the bulk segment was $10,466,926 (30% of bulk revenue) and $9,958,854 (30% of bulk revenue) for 2023 and 2022, respectively. Gross profit in dollars increased in 2023 as compared to 2022 principally due to the increase in revenue.
Bulk segment G&A expenses increased to $1,737,264 for 2023 as compared to $1,570,732 for 2022 due to relatively small increases in a variety of expense categories.
Services Segment:
The services segment contributed $26,897,080 and $2,424,217 to our income from operations for 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Services segment revenue increased to $97,966,650 for 2023 compared to $28,835,428 for 2022. Construction revenue increased to $77,306,704 in 2023 from $11,616,274 in 2022 with this increase resulting from (i) PERC’s progress on its contract with Liberty Utilities for the construction of a water treatment plant in Goodyear, Arizona; and (ii) progress on our contract with the WAC for the construction of its Red Gate plant. We recognized approximately $64.0 million in revenue for the Liberty Utilities contract in 2023. This contract was certified substantially complete in January 2024 and the remaining work on the plant will be completed by June 2024. Revenue generated under operations and maintenance contracts was $19,368,365 and $14,152,158 in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in operations and maintenance revenue from 2022 to 2023 is attributable to new contracts and increased revenue on existing contracts. Design and consulting revenue generated by the services segment was $1,291,581 and $3,066,996 in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in design and consulting revenue from 2022 to 2023 is attributable to the work performed in 2022 on the design contract for the Liberty Utilities plant currently under construction.
The gross profit for the services segment was $31,168,888 (32% of services revenue) in 2023 as compared to $5,861,794 (20% of services revenue) for 2022. Gross profit increased from 2022 to 2023 due to the increase in revenue. The increase in gross profit as a percentage of revenue from 2022 to 2023 reflects improved margins on both our construction and operations and maintenance activities.
During 2023, we adjusted our prior year estimates of the total costs to be incurred for the Liberty Utilities contract and one other construction contract. These changes in accounting estimates arose as a result of actual construction costs and efficiencies that differed favorably from our previous expectations. These changes in accounting estimates resulted in an increase in the services segment’s revenue, gross profit and income from operations of $2,356,439 for 2023 under the input method we use to account for construction contracts and were a contributing factor in the increase in gross profit as a percentage of services revenue from 2022 to 2023. This adjustment increased basic and diluted earnings per share by $0.11 for the year ended December 31, 2023.
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G&A expenses for the services segment increased to $4,271,808 for 2023 as compared to $3,461,294 for 2022 principally due to an increase of approximately $384,000 in employee costs attributable to pay raises, new hires and increased bonus accruals and the addition of approximately $366,000 in G&A expenses from REC as a result of our acquisition of this company effective October 1, 2023.
Manufacturing Segment:
The manufacturing segment contributed $2,188,418 to our income from operations for 2023 as compared to incurring an operating loss of ($358,748) for 2022.
Manufacturing segment revenue was $17,491,474 and $6,324,465 for 2023 and 2022, respectively. The growth in manufacturing revenue for 2023 reflects increased production activity due to relief in supply chain and economic conditions that had resulted in significant product delivery delays in 2022.
Manufacturing segment gross profit was $4,024,469 (23% of manufacturing revenue) and $1,129,225 (18% of manufacturing revenue) for 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in manufacturing gross profit in dollars reflects the increase in revenue. Gross profit as a percentage of revenue increased due to increased revenue and the resulting reduced impact of fixed factory overhead on this financial measure.
G&A expenses for the manufacturing segment increased to $1,838,284 for 2023 as compared to $1,485,342 for 2022 principally due to an increase of approximately $129,000 in employee costs attributable to pay raises, new hires and increased bonus accruals.
FINANCIAL CONDITION
The significant changes in the components of our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 as compared to December 31, 2022 (other than the change in our cash and cash equivalents, which is discussed later in “LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES”) and the reasons for these changes are discussed in the following paragraphs.
Accounts receivable increased by approximately $11.2 million primarily due to a $10.3 million increase in CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable.
Contract assets increased by approximately $18.6 million primarily due to a $8.2 million increase for the construction of the Red Gate plant for the WAC and a $8.4 million increase for PERC which relates primarily to the Liberties Utilities contract.
Property, plant and equipment, net, increased by approximately $3.4 million primarily due to the commissioning of the West Bay seawater desalination plant at the end of the year.
Construction in progress decreased by approximately $3.2 million primarily due to the commissioning of the West Bay seawater desalination plant at the end of the year.
Goodwill and intangible assets increased due to the acquisition of REC.
Other assets increased by $1.7 million primarily due to prepaid insurance associated with Kalaeloa Desalco’s contract with the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities increased by approximately $3.2 million primarily due to a $4.0 million increase in subcontractor costs payable for PERC’s contract with Liberty Utilities and Kalaeloa Desalco’s contract with the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Contract liabilities decreased by approximately $2.6 million primarily due to a $6.9 million reduction by the services segment in connection with PERC’s contract with Liberty Utilities and a decrease in Aerex’s contract liabilities of $1.6
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million. These decreases were offset by an increase of $6.0 million with Kalaeloa Desalco’s contract with the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Certain transfers from our Bahamas bank accounts to our bank accounts in other countries require the approval of the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
The Cayman Islands does not have a tax treaty with the United States. Consequently, should we be required (or elect) to transfer any profits generated by our U.S. operations to our parent company in the Cayman Islands, the amount of any such funds transferred would be subject to a 30% withholding tax.
Liquidity Position
Our projected liquidity requirements for 2024 include capital expenditures for our existing operations of approximately $9.5 million, which includes $2.8 million to be incurred in 2024 for our new West Bay plant. We paid approximately $1.6 million for dividends in January 2024. Our liquidity requirements may also include future quarterly dividends, if such dividends are declared by our Board.
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $42.6 million and working capital of $88.8 million.
With the exception of the liquidity matter relating to CW-Bahamas that is discussed in the paragraphs that follow, we are not presently aware of anything that would lead us to believe that we will not have sufficient liquidity to meet our needs.
CW-Bahamas Liquidity
CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable balance (which include accrued interest) due from the WSC amounted to $26.9 million as of December 31, 2023. Approximately 80% of the December 31, 2023 accounts receivable balance was delinquent as of that date. The delay in collecting these accounts receivable has adversely impacted the liquidity of this subsidiary. CW-Bahamas has been unable to pay a dividend to its shareholders since August 2022 due to liquidity constraints.
From time to time (including presently), CW-Bahamas has experienced delays in collecting its accounts receivable from the WSC. When these delays occur, we hold discussions and meetings with representatives of the WSC and The Bahamas government, and as a result, payment schedules are developed for WSC’s delinquent accounts receivable. All previous delinquent accounts receivable from the WSC, including accrued interest thereon, were eventually paid in full. Based upon this payment history, we have not provided for a material allowance for credit losses for CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable from the WSC as of December 31, 2023. As of February 29, 2024, this receivable amounted to $24.6 million.
CW-Bahamas held discussions with the WSC in March 2024 during which the WSC stated that the Government intends to substantially reduce CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable from the WSC over the course of 2024.
In a report dated October 6, 2022, Moody’s Investor Services (“Moody’s”) downgraded the Government of The Bahamas’ long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings to B1 from Ba3. Moody’s also lowered The Bahamas’ local currency ceiling to Baa3 from Baa2 and its foreign currency ceiling to Ba1 from Baa3. Moody’s iterated these ratings in April and October 2023, noting that such ratings are “stable.” Based upon our review of this Moody’s correspondence, we continue to believe that no material allowance for credit losses is required for CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable from the WSC.
If CW-Bahamas is unable to collect a sufficient portion of its delinquent accounts receivable, one or more of the following events may occur: (i) CW-Bahamas may not have sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations; (ii) we may be required to cease the recognition of revenue on CW-Bahamas’ water supply agreements with the WSC; and (iii) we may be required to provide a material allowance for credit losses for CW-Bahamas’ accounts receivable. Any of these events could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
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Discussion of Cash Flows for the Year Ended December 31, 2023
Our cash and cash equivalents decreased to $42,621,898 as of December 31, 2023 from $50,711,751 as of December 31, 2022.
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash provided by our operating activities was $7,970,762. This net cash provided reflects net income generated for the year ended December 31, 2023 of $30,159,182 as adjusted for (i) various items included in the determination of net income that do not affect cash flows during the year; and (ii) changes in the other components of working capital. The more significant of such items and changes in working capital components included depreciation and amortization of $6,576,454, an increase in accounts receivable of $10,970,521 attributable principally to CW-Bahamas, an increase in contract assets of $18,639,335 due primarily to the Red Gate and Liberty Utilities construction contracts, a decrease in contract liabilities of $2,566,910 and an increase in accounts payable, accrued expenses and accrued compensation of $3,161,386.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash used by our investing activities was $10,887,019. Cash used for additions to property, plant and equipment and construction in progress was $5,047,884. We purchased the remaining 39% ownership interest in PERC for $2,440,027 and 368,383 shares of the Company’s common stock, and we acquired REC for a net cash outflow (i.e. the purchase price paid in cash less the cash held by REC at the acquisition date) of $3,419,916.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash used by our financing activities was $5,524,565, almost all of which related to the payment of dividends.
Revolving Credit Facility
In September 2022, Cayman Water entered into an agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with Scotiabank & Trust (Cayman) Ltd. (the “Bank”) for a revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $10.0 million (the “Credit Facility”). We expect to utilize the funds obtained from the Credit Facility for general working capital purposes.
The Credit Facility matures two years following the date of the initial advance (the “Maturity Date”). All amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility are due and payable upon the earlier of the Maturity Date, demand from the bank or the acceleration of the Credit Facility upon an event of default.
The principal balance of the Credit Facility bears interest at a rate of 2.0% plus the secured overnight financing rate (“SOFR”) as determined by the SOFR Administrator for a one-month period on the day that is two days prior to the first day of the interest period. All interest calculations will be made based on a 360-day year. So long as the Bank has not demanded repayment, interest will be payable monthly, commencing one month from the initial advance, with the outstanding balance due on the Maturity Date, unless the Bank agrees to renew the Credit Facility for an additional period.
Cayman Water’s obligations under the Credit Agreement are secured by a first priority lien on all its fixed and floating assets and an assignment of insurance proceeds with respect to its fixed assets. Further, the Company has guaranteed the repayment of all of Cayman Water’s present and future debts and liabilities owed to the Bank.
The Credit Agreement requires Cayman Water to meet certain financial covenants.
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Cayman Water has not yet utilized any of its available borrowings under the Credit Facility.
Material Commitments, Expenditures and Contingencies
Cayman Water Retail License
We sell water through our retail operations under a license issued in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government (the “1990 license”) that granted Cayman Water the exclusive right to provide potable water to customers within its licensed service area. Although the 1990 license has not been expressly extended after January 2018, we continue to supply water under the terms of the 1990 license, as discussed in the following paragraphs. Pursuant to the 1990 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 Island: Seven Mile Beach and West Bay. In 2023 and 2022, we generated approximately 17% and 27%, respectively, of our consolidated revenue and 26% and 44%, respectively, of our consolidated gross profit from the retail water operations conducted under the 1990 license.
The 1990 license was originally scheduled to expire in July 2010 but was extended several times by the Cayman Islands government to provide the parties with additional time to negotiate the terms of a new license agreement. The most recent express extension of the license expired on January 31, 2018. We continue to operate under the terms of the 1990 license, providing water services to the level and quality specified in the 1990 license and in accordance with our understanding of its legal obligations, treating those obligations set forth in the 1990 license as operative notwithstanding the expiration of the express extension. We continue to pay a royalty of 7.5% of the revenue we collect as required under the 1990 license.
In October 2016, the Government of the Cayman Islands passed legislation which created a new utilities regulation and competition office (“OfReg”). OfReg is an independent and accountable regulatory body with a view of protecting the rights of consumers, encouraging affordable utility services and promoting competition. OfReg, which began operations in January 2017, has the ability to supervise, monitor and regulate multiple utility undertakings and markets. Supplemental legislation was passed by the Government of the Cayman Islands in April 2017, which transferred responsibility for economic regulation of the water utility sector and the retail license negotiations from the WAC to OfReg in May 2017. We began license negotiations with OfReg in July 2017 and such negotiations are continuing. We have been informed during our retail license negotiations, both by OfReg and its predecessor in these negotiations, that the Cayman Islands government seeks to restructure the terms of our license in a manner that could significantly reduce the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail license.
The Cayman Islands government could seek to grant 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.”
We are presently unable to determine what impact the resolution of our retail license negotiations will have on our cash flows, financial condition or results of operations but such resolution could result in a material reduction (or the loss) of the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail operations and could require us to record impairment losses to reduce the carrying value of our retail segment assets. Such impairment losses could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.
CW-Bahamas Performance Guarantees
Our contracts to supply water to the WSC from our Blue Hills and Windsor plants require us to guarantee delivery of a minimum quantity of water per week. If the WSC requires the water and we do not meet this minimum, we are required to pay the WSC for the difference between the minimum and actual gallons delivered at a per gallon rate equal to the price per gallon that WSC is currently paying us under the contract. The Blue Hills contract expires in 2032 and requires us to deliver 63.0 million gallons of water each week. The Windsor contract expires in 2033 and requires us to deliver 16.8 million gallons of water each week.
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Adoption of New Accounting Standards
Financial Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, and related amendments, introduces new guidance which makes substantive changes to the accounting for credit losses. This guidance introduces the current expected credit losses (“CECL”) model which applies to financial assets subject to credit losses and measured at amortized cost, as well as certain off-balance sheet credit exposures. The CECL model requires an entity to estimate credit losses expected over the life of an exposure, considering information about historical events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts and is generally expected to result in earlier recognition of credit losses. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2023 using the modified retrospective approach. The impact of this adoption was not material to our consolidated financial statements.
Effect of Newly Issued but not yet Effective Accounting Standards
In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. This ASU updates reportable segment disclosure requirements by requiring disclosures of significant reportable segment expenses that are regularly provided to the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) and included within each reported measure of a segment's profit or loss. This ASU also requires disclosure of the title and position of the individual identified as the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measures of a segment’s profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. The ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this guidance.
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The ASU requires disaggregated information about a reporting entity’s effective tax rate reconciliation as well as additional information on income taxes paid. The ASU is effective on a prospective basis for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this guidance.
Dividends
We have paid dividends to owners of our common stock and redeemable preferred stock since we began declaring dividends in 1985. Our 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 plan is available to our shareholders, who may reinvest all or a portion of their common stock 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 plan.
Impact of Inflation
Under the terms of our Cayman Islands license and our water sales agreements in The Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands, our water rates are automatically adjusted for inflation on an annual basis. Therefore, the impact of inflation on
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our gross profit, measured in consistent dollars, historically has not been material. However, we have not increased our retail water rates since January 2018 (despite the inflation that has occurred since that date) due to the lack of a resolution of our negotiations with OfReg for a new retail license. This lack of a rate increase has contributed to a decline in the gross profit generated by our retail segment. Furthermore, our manufacturing segment has been adversely impacted by recent significant increases in raw material costs and our services segment could suffer similar adverse impacts in the future. Should the current inflationary trend continue, our consolidated results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In general, our operating and maintenance contracts are adjusted annually for the impacts of inflation.
While PERC’s operations and maintenance contracts are generally adjusted for inflation on an annual basis, such adjustment for some of these contracts is limited to 3% annually.
Kalaeloa Desalco, which is jointly owned by PERC and CW-Holdings, has signed a definitive agreement with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to design, build, operate and maintain a 1.7 million gallons per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in Oahu, Hawaii. Approximately 80% of the $150 million price for the construction of this plant is subject to adjustment based upon changes in inflation indices from the date the contract was executed to the date construction begins.
Increases in fuel and energy costs and other items could create additional credit risks for us, as our customers’ ability to pay our invoices could be adversely affected by such increases.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not applicable.
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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Page
CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 688) 42-43
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 44
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 48
Schedule II, Valuation and Qualifying Accounts, is omitted because the information is included in the financial statements and notes.
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.
Opinion on the Financial Statements