Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. - Quarter Report: 2018 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2018

OR

For the transaction period from ___________ to ___________

Commission File Number: 0-25248

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

(345) 945-4277

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes       x     No       ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).   Yes         x     No         ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer  ¨     Accelerated filer  x

Non-accelerated filer  ¨  (do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company  ¨    Emerging growth company        ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.           ¨

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

As of May 4, 2018, 14,959,309 shares of the registrant’s common stock, with US$0.60 par value, were outstanding.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Note Regarding Currency and Exchange Rates

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

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

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

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

The official currency of the British Virgin Islands is the US$.

Our Netherlands subsidiary conducts business in US$ and euros, our Indonesian subsidiary conducts business in US$ and Indonesian rupiahs, and our Mexico subsidiary conducts business in US$ and Mexican pesos. The exchange rates for conversion of euros, rupiahs and Mexican pesos into US$ vary based upon market conditions.

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

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

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(UNAUDITED)

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

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

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

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(UNAUDITED)

1. Principal activity

Consolidated Water Co. Ltd., and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) use reverse osmosis technology to produce potable water from seawater. The Company processes and supplies water and provides water-related products and services to its customers in the Cayman Islands, Belize, The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the United States and Indonesia. The Company sells water to a variety of customers, including public utilities, commercial and tourist properties, residential properties and government facilities. The base price of water supplied by the Company, and adjustments thereto, are determined by the terms of a retail license and bulk water supply contracts which provide for adjustments based upon the movement in the government price indices specified in the license and contracts as well as monthly adjustments for changes in the cost of energy. The Company also manufactures and services a wide range of products and provides design, engineering, management, operating and other services applicable to commercial, municipal and industrial water production, supply and treatment.

2. Accounting policies

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

The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited. These condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (which are of a normal recurring nature) that, in the opinion of management, are necessary to fairly present the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows as of and for the periods presented. The results of operations for these interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for future periods, including the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018.

These condensed consolidated financial statements and notes are presented in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) relating to interim financial statements and in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”). Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP have been condensed or omitted in these condensed financial statements pursuant to SEC rules and regulations, although the Company believes that the disclosures made herein are adequate to make the information not misleading. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Foreign currency: The Company’s reporting currency is the United States dollar (“US$”). The functional currency of the Company and its foreign operating subsidiaries (other than NSC, AdR, CW-Cooperatief and CW-Bali) is the currency for each respective country. The functional currency for NSC, AdR, CW-Cooperatief and CW-Bali is the US$. NSC and AdR conduct business in US$ and Mexican pesos, CW-Cooperatief conducts business in US$ and euros, and CW-Bali conducts business in US$ and Indonesian rupiahs. The exchange rates for the Cayman Islands dollar, the Belize dollar and the Bahamian dollar are fixed to the US$. The exchange rates for conversion of Mexican pesos, euros and rupiahs into US$ vary based upon market conditions. Net foreign currency gains arising from transactions and re-measurements were $103,555 and $65,147 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and are included in “Other income (expense) - Other” in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income.

Cash and cash equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits at banks and highly liquid deposits at banks with an original maturity of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 include $13.6 million and $15.9 million, respectively, of certificates of deposit with an original maturity of three months or less.

Transfers from the Company’s Bahamas and Belize bank accounts to Company bank accounts in other countries require the approval of the Central Bank of the Bahamas and Belize, respectively. As of March 31, 2018, the equivalent United States dollar cash balances for deposits held in the Bahamas and Belize were approximately $11.9 million and $6.0 million, respectively.

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

Revenue recognition: Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the Company’s customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.

The following table presents the Company’s revenues disaggregated by revenue source (in millions, unaudited).

Retail revenues

The Company produces and supplies water to end-users, including residential, commercial and government customers in the Cayman Islands under an exclusive retail license issued to Cayman Water by the Cayman Islands government to provide water in two of the three most populated and rapidly developing areas on Grand Cayman Island. CW-Bali owns and operates a desalination plant in Bali, Indonesia that sells water to resort and residential properties. Customers are billed on a monthly basis based on metered consumption and bills are typically collected within 30 to 35 days after the billing date. Receivables not collected within 45 days subject the customer to disconnection from water service. In 2017, 2016 and 2015, bad debts represented less than 1% of the Company’s total annual retail sales.

The Company recognizes revenues from water sales at the time water is supplied to the customer’s facility or storage tank. The amount of water supplied is determined based upon water meter readings performed at the end of each month. All retail water contracts are month-to-month contracts and revenue is recorded as invoiced.

Bulk revenues

The Company produces and supplies water to government-owned distributors in the Cayman Islands, Belize and the Bahamas.

OC-Cayman provides bulk water to the Water Authority - Cayman (“WAC”), a government-owned utility and regulatory agency, under various agreements. The WAC in turn distributes such water to properties in Grand Cayman outside of Cayman Water’s retail license area.

In Belize, CW-Belize is the exclusive provider of water in Ambergris Caye to Belize Water Services Ltd. (“BWSL”), a government-controlled entity which distributes the water through its own pipeline system to residential, commercial and tourist properties. BWSL distributes the Company’s water primarily to residential properties, small hotels, and businesses that serve the tourist market.

The Company sells bulk water in the Bahamas through its majority-owned subsidiary CW-Bahamas to the Water and Sewerage Corporation of the Bahamas, which distributes such water through its own pipeline system to residential, commercial and tourist properties on the Island of New Providence. The Company also sells water to a private resort on Bimini.

The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its bulk water sale contracts and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice.

Manufacturing revenues

The Company, through its 51% owned subsidiary Aerex, is a custom and specialty manufacturer of water treatment-related systems and products and provides design, engineering, management, operating and other services applicable to commercial, municipal and industrial water production. Substantially all of Aerex’s customers are U.S. companies.

The Company recognizes manufacturing revenues over time under the input method using costs incurred (which represents work performed) to date relative to total estimated costs at completion to measure progress toward satisfying its performance obligations as such measure best reflects the transfer of control of the promised good to the customer. Contract costs include labor, material and overhead. The Company follows this method since it can make reasonably dependable estimates of the revenue and costs applicable to various stages of a contract. Under this input method, the Company records revenue and recognizes profit or loss as work on the contract progresses. The Company estimates total project costs and profit to be earned on each long-term, fixed price contract prior to commencement of work on the contract and updates 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 comprises of estimated total contract costs. If, as work progresses, the actual contract costs exceed estimates, the profit recognized on revenue from that contract decreases. The Company recognizes the full amount of any estimated loss on a contract at the time the estimates indicate such a loss. Any costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings are classified as current assets. Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts, if any, are classified as current liabilities.

Practical Expedients and Exemptions

The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (i) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (ii) contracts for which the Company recognizes revenue at the amount to which it has the right to invoice for services performed.

3. Segment information 

The Company has four reportable segments: retail, bulk, services and manufacturing. The retail segment primarily operates the water utility for the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas of Grand Cayman Island pursuant to an exclusive license granted by the Cayman Islands government. The bulk segment supplies potable water to government utilities in Grand Cayman, the Bahamas and Belize under long-term contracts. The services segment provides desalination plant management and operating services to affiliated companies and designs, constructs and sells desalination plants to third parties. The manufacturing segment manufactures a wide range of custom and specialty water treatment-related systems and products and provides design, engineering, management, operating and other services applicable to commercial, municipal and industrial water production, supply and treatment.

Consistent with prior periods, the Company records all non-direct general and administrative expenses in its retail business segment and does not allocate any of these non-direct costs to its other three business segments.

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

The Company’s segments are strategic business units that are managed separately because each segment sells different products and/or services, serves customers with distinctly different needs and generates different gross profit margins.

Depreciation and amortization expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2018 for the retail, bulk, services and manufacturing segments were $503,013, $809,148, $7,638 and $399,294, respectively.

Depreciation and amortization expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2017 for the retail, bulk, services and manufacturing segments were $509,820, $826,779, $22,019 and $406,489, respectively.

4. Earnings per share

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

The following summarizes information related to the computation of basic and diluted EPS:

5. Investment in OC-BVI

The Company owns 50% of the outstanding voting common shares and a 43.53% equity interest in the profits of Ocean Conversion (BVI) Ltd. (“OC-BVI”). The Company also owns certain profit sharing rights in OC-BVI that raise its effective interest in the profits of OC-BVI to approximately 45%. Pursuant to a management services agreement, OC-BVI pays the Company monthly fees for certain engineering and administrative services. OC-BVI’s sole customer is the Ministry of Communications and Works of the Government of the British Virgin Islands (the “Ministry”) to which it sells bulk water.

The Company’s equity investment in OC-BVI amounted to $2,892,825 and $2,783,882 as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.

Until 2009, substantially all of the water sold by OC-BVI to the Ministry was supplied by one desalination plant with a capacity of 1.7 million gallons per day located at Baughers Bay, Tortola (the “Baughers Bay plant”). As discussed later in this Note (see “Baughers Bay litigation”), the BVI government assumed the operating responsibilities for the Baughers Bay plant in March 2010. During 2007, OC-BVI completed the construction of a desalination plant with a capacity of 720,000 gallons per day located at Bar Bay, Tortola (the “Bar Bay plant”). OC-BVI began selling water to the Ministry from this plant in January 2009 and on March 4, 2010, OC-BVI and the BVI government executed a seven-year contract for the Bar Bay plant (the “Bar Bay agreement”). The Bar Bay agreement was extended by 14 years on February 14, 2017. Under the terms of the Bar Bay agreement, OC-BVI delivers up to 600,000 gallons of water per day to the BVI government from the Bar Bay plant. The Bar Bay agreement required OC-BVI to complete a storage reservoir on a BVI government site by no later than March 4, 2011. OC-BVI has not commenced construction of this storage reservoir due to the BVI government’s failure to pay (i) the full amount of invoices for the water provided by the Bar Bay plant on a timely basis; and (ii) the full amount ordered pursuant to a court ruling relating to the Baughers Bay litigation (see discussion that follows).

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for the investment in OC-BVI for the three months ended March 31, 2018 is as follows:

The Company recognized $80,593 and $26,866 in earnings from its equity investment in OC-BVI for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Company recognized $28,350 and $10,125 in profit sharing income from its profit sharing agreement with OC-BVI for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recognized approximately $123,763 and $130,252, respectively, in revenues from its management services agreement with OC-BVI. Amounts payable by OC-BVI to the Company were $74,945 and $123,807 as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The Company's deferred revenues from OC-BVI, included in other current liabilities in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets, were $180,510 and $181,328 as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.

Baughers Bay Litigation

Through March 2010, OC-BVI supplied water to the BVI government from a plant located at Baughers Bay, Tortola, under the terms of a water supply agreement dated May 1990 (the “1990 Agreement”) with an initial seven-year term that expired in May 1999. The 1990 Agreement provided that such agreement would automatically be extended for another seven-year term unless the BVI government provided notice, at least eight months prior to such expiration, of its decision to purchase the plant from OC-BVI at the agreed upon amount under the 1990 Agreement of approximately $1.42 million. In correspondence between the parties from late 1998 through early 2000, the BVI government indicated that it intended to purchase the plant but would be amenable to negotiating a new water supply agreement and that it considered the 1990 Agreement to be in force on a monthly basis until negotiations between the BVI government and OC-BVI were concluded. OC-BVI continued to supply water from the plant and expended approximately $4.7 million between 1995 and 2003 to significantly expand the production capacity of the plant beyond that contemplated in the 1990 Agreement.

In 2006, the BVI government took the position that the seven-year extension of the 1990 Agreement had been completed and that it was entitled to ownership of the Baughers Bay plant and during 2007 the BVI government filed a lawsuit with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (the “Court”) seeking ownership of the Baughers Bay plant. OC-BVI counterclaimed to the Court that it was entitled to continued possession and operation of the Baughers Bay plant until the BVI government paid OC-BVI approximately $4.7 million, which OC-BVI believed represented the value of the Baughers Bay plant at its expanded production capacity.

The Court ruled on this litigation in 2009, awarding ownership of the Baughers Bay plant to the BVI government without compensation to OC-BVI. Both OC-BVI and the BVI subsequently filed appeals with the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals (the “Appellate Court”) asking the Appellate Court to review certain rulings by the Court with respect to this litigation.

In June 2012, the Appellate Court issued the final ruling with respect to the Baughers Bay litigation. This ruling reversed a previous ruling of the Court and awarded OC-BVI compensation for improvements made to the plant in the amount equal to the difference between (i) the value of the Baughers Bay plant at the date OC-BVI transferred possession of the plant to the BVI government and (ii) $1.42 million (the purchase price for the Baughers Bay plant under the 1990 Agreement).

OC-BVI and the BVI government engaged a mutually approved valuation expert to complete a valuation of the Baughers Bay plant at the date it was transferred to the BVI government in accordance with the Appellate Court ruling. In June 2016, OC-BVI received the final valuation report from this valuation expert, which set forth a value for the Baughers Bay plant of $13.0 million as of the date OC-BVI transferred possession of the plant to the BVI government. Applying the valuation determined by the valuation expert to the formula set forth by the Appellate Court in its ruling, OC-BVI would be entitled to $11.58 million from the BVI government for the Baughers Bay plant. The BVI government has disagreed with the valuation methodology used by the valuation expert and the resulting valuation for the Baughers Bay plant. OC-BVI cannot presently determine if the Appellate Court will uphold the Baughers Bay plant valuation or when, or to what extent, any amount for the value of the Baughers Bay plant will be paid by the BVI government to OC-BVI. Consequently, any amount due for the Baughers Bay plant valuation will not be included in OC-BVI’s results of operations until such amount, if any, is paid by the BVI government.

6. NSC and AdR Project Development

In May 2010, the Company acquired, through its wholly-owned Netherlands subsidiary, CW-Cooperatief, a 50% interest in NSC, a development stage Mexican company. The Company has since purchased, through the conversion of a loan it made to NSC, sufficient shares to raise its ownership interest in NSC to 99.99%. NSC was formed to pursue a project (the “Project”) that originally encompassed the construction, operation and minority ownership of a 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico and accompanying pipelines to deliver water to the Mexican potable water system. As discussed in paragraphs that follow, during 2015 the scope of the Project was defined by the State of Baja California (the “State”) to consist of a first phase consisting of a 50 million gallon per day plant and a pipeline that connects to the Mexican potable water infrastructure and a second phase consisting of an additional 50 million gallons of production capacity.

Through a series of transactions completed in 2012-2014, NSC purchased 20.1 hectares for approximately $20.6 million on which the proposed Project’s plant would be constructed.

In November 2012, NSC entered into a lease with an effective term of 20-years from the date of full operation of the Project’s desalination plant, with the Comisión Federal de Electricidad for approximately 5,000 square meters of land on which it plans to construct the water intake and discharge works for the plant. The amounts due on this lease are payable in Mexican pesos at an amount that is currently equivalent to approximately $15,000 per month. This lease may be cancelled by NSC should NSC ultimately not proceed with the Project.

In August 2014, the State enacted new legislation to regulate Public-Private Association projects which involve the type of long-term contract between a public-sector authority and a private party that NSC is seeking to complete the Project. Pursuant to this new legislation, in January 2015, NSC submitted an expression of interest for its project to the Secretary of Infrastructure and Urban Development of the State of Baja California (“SIDUE”). SIDUE accepted NSC’s expression of interest and requested that NSC submit a detailed proposal for the Project that complies with requirements of the new legislation. NSC submitted this detailed proposal (the “APP Proposal”) to SIDUE in late March 2015. The new legislation required that such proposal be evaluated by SIDUE and submitted to the Public-Private Association Projects State Committee (the “APP Committee”) for review and authorization. If the Project was authorized the State would be required to conduct a public tender for the Project.

In response to its APP Proposal, in September 2015 NSC received a letter dated June 30, 2015 from the Director General of the Comisión Estatal del Agua de Baja California (“CEA”), the State agency with responsibility for the Project, stating that (i) the Project is in the public interest with high social benefits and is consistent with the objectives of the State development plan; and (ii) that the Project should proceed, and the required public tender should be conducted. In November 2015, the State officially commenced the tender for the Project, the scope of which the State defined as a first phase to be operational in 2019 consisting of a 50 million gallon per day plant and a pipeline that connects to the Mexican potable water infrastructure and a second phase to be operational in 2024 consisting of an additional 50 million gallons per day of production capacity. A consortium comprised of NSC, NuWater S.A.P.I. de C.V. and Degremont S.A. de C.V. (the “Consortium”) 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.

Due to the amount of capital the Project requires, NSC will ultimately need an equity partner or partners for the Project. Consequently, NSC’s tender to the State for the Project was based upon the following: (i) NSC will sell or otherwise transfer the land and other Project assets to a new company (“Newco”) that would build and own the Project; (ii) NSC’s potential partners would provide the majority of the equity for the Project and thereby would own the majority interest in Newco; (iii) NSC would maintain a minority ownership position in Newco; and (iv) Newco would enter into a long-term management and technical services contract for the Project with an entity partially owned by NSC or another Company subsidiary.

In August 2016, NSC and NuWater incorporated Newco under the name Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”), a special project company, to complete 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 operations and (ii) AdR would enter into a Management and Technical Services Agreement with NSC effective on the first day that the Project begins commercial operations. As of December 31, 2017, NSC owned 99.6% of the equity of AdR.

On August 22, 2016, the Public Private Partnership Agreement for public private partnership number 002/2015, contest number SIDUE-CEA-APP-2015-002 (“APP Contract”), was executed between AdR, CEA, the Government of Baja California represented by the Secretary of Planning and Finance and the Public Utilities Commission of Tijuana (“CESPT”). The APP Contract requires AdR to design, construct, finance and operate a seawater desalination plant (and accompanying aqueducts) 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 and an aqueduct to a second delivery point in Tijuana. The first phase must be operational within 36 months of commencing construction and the second phase must be operational by the end of 2024. The APP Contract further requires AdR to operate and maintain the plant and aqueducts for a period of 37 years starting from the commencement of operation of the first phase. At the end of the operating period, the plant and aqueducts will be transferred to CEA. The total Project cost for Phase 1 of the Project is presently estimated at approximately 9.1 billion Mexican pesos.

The APP Contract does not become effective until the following conditions are met:

In December 2016, the Congress of the State of Baja California, Mexico passed Decreto #57 which, among other things, ratified and authorized the payment obligations of the corresponding public entities under the APP Contract. During 2017, following consultations between representatives of the State of Baja California and the Ministry of Finance of the Federal Government of Mexico, it was determined that certain amendments to Decreto #57 were required in order to comply with recent changes to the Federal Financial Discipline Law for Federative Entities and Municipalities. In addition, it was necessary to amend Decreto #57 to authorize the inclusion of revenues from the CESPT in the primary payment trust for the Project. These amendments were included in Decreto # 168, which was approved by the Congress of the State of Baja California in December 2017. Following its issuance, two actions were filed in Mexican Courts against Decreto #168. While neither NSC nor AdR have been named as a party in these actions, based upon publicly available information the Company believes (1) one of these actions consists of a challenge filed by certain members of the Congress of the State of Baja California alleging certain elements of Decreto #168 are contrary to the Mexican constitution; and (2) that the other action represents an amparo (i.e. a constitutional appeal) filed by certain members of indigenous groups that alleges Decreto #168 violates certain of the human rights and individual guarantees they are afforded under the Mexican constitution. With respect to the action mentioned in (1), the Company cannot presently determine what impact, if any, it will have upon the Project. With respect to the action mentioned in number (2), according to publicly available information, the Company understands that on March 27, 2018, a resolution dismissing such proceeding was issued (and subsequently published in the official lists of the corresponding court on April 16, 2018), as the claimants were not able to evidence their legal interest. On May 3, 2018, the court deciding on such action determined this resolution to be final, as the claimants did not file a remedy against it.

Both the exchange rate for the Mexico peso relative to the dollar and general macroeconomic conditions in Mexico have varied since the execution of the APP Contract. These changes have adversely impacted the estimated construction, operating, and financing costs for the Project. The APP Contract and the APP Law allow for the parties to negotiate (but do not guarantee) modifications to the water tariff in the event of such significant macroeconomic condition changes. On February 10, 2017 AdR submitted proposals to the CEA requesting an increase to the water tariff to compensate for changes in foreign exchange rates, lending rates and certain changes in law which have impacted the Project. If AdR is unable to obtain this requested increase in the water tariff it may be unable to obtain the debt and equity financing required for the Project. The Company is currently unable to say whether or not such water tariff increase will be approved.

In February 2018, AdR executed a subscription agreement (the “Agreement”) for the equity funding required for the Project. The Agreement calls for NSC to retain a minimum of 25% of the equity in AdR. One or more affiliates of Greenfield SPV VII, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“Greenfield”), a Mexico company managed by an affiliate of a U.S. asset manager, will acquire a minimum of 55% of the equity of AdR. The Agreement also provides Suez Medio Ambiente México, S.A. de C.V. (“Suez”), a subsidiary of SUEZ International, S.A.S., with the option to purchase 20% of the equity of AdR. If Suez does not exercise this option, NSC will retain 35% of the equity of AdR and Greenfield will acquire 65% of the equity of AdR. The Agreement will become effective when the additional conditions related to the Project are met, including but not limited to those conditions discussed previously. The aggregate investment to be made by the equity partners in the Project, in the form of equity and subordinated shareholder loans, is presently estimated at approximately 20% of the total cost of Phase 1 of the Project.

In February 2018, CW-Holdings acquired the remaining 0.4% of AdR’s equity interest previously held by NuWater.

If AdR is ultimately unable to proceed with the Project, the land NSC has purchased and the right of way deposits may lose their strategic importance derived from their association with the Project and consequently may decline in value. If AdR does not proceed with the Project, NSC may ultimately be unable to sell this land or recoup their right of way deposits for amounts at least equal to its current carrying values of approximately $20.6 million and $1.3 million, respectively. Any loss on sale of the land, or impairment losses NSC may be required to record as a result of a decrease in the (1) fair value of the land; or (2) value of the rights of way arising from the inability to complete the Project could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations.

Included in the Company’s results of operations are general and administrative expenses from NSC and AdR, consisting of organizational, legal, accounting, engineering, consulting and other costs relating to Project development activities. Such expenses amounted to approximately $648,000 and $720,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The assets and liabilities of NSC and AdR included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets amounted to approximately $23.7 million and $305,000, respectively, as of March 31, 2018 and approximately $23.1 million and $173,000 respectively, as of December 31, 2017.

Project Litigation Initiated by EWG

Tecate Claim: 

Immediately following CW-Cooperatief’s acquisition of its initial 50% ownership in NSC, the remaining 50% ownership interest in NSC was held by an unrelated company, Norte Sur Agua, S. de R.L. de C.V. (“NSA”). NSA subsequently transferred ownership of half of its shares in NSC to EWG Water LLC (“EWG”) and the other half of its shares in NSC to Alejandro de la Vega (the “individual shareholder”). In February 2012, the Company paid $300,000 to enter into an agreement (the “Option Agreement”) that provided it with an option, exercisable through February 7, 2014, to purchase the shares of NSC owned by the individual shareholder for a price of $1.0 million along with an immediate power of attorney to vote those shares. Such shares constituted 25% of the ownership of NSC as of February 2012. In May 2013, NSC repaid a $5.7 million loan payable to CW-Cooperatief by issuing additional shares of its stock. As a result of this share issuance to CW-Cooperatief, the Company acquired 99.99% of the ownership of NSC. The Option Agreement contained an anti-dilution provision that required the Company to issue new shares in NSC of an amount sufficient to maintain the individual shareholder’s 25% ownership interest in NSC if (i) any new shares of NSC were issued subsequent to the execution of the Option Agreement; and (ii) the Company did not exercise its share purchase option by February 7, 2014. The Company exercised its option and paid the $1.0 million to the individual shareholder to purchase the Option Agreement shares in February 2014.

In October 2015, the Company learned that EWG filed a lawsuit against the individual shareholder, NSC, NSA, CW-Cooperatief, other third parties, and the Public Registry of Commerce of Tijuana, Baja California in the Civil Court located in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. In this lawsuit, EWG challenged, among other things, the capital investment transactions that increased the Company’s ownership interest in NSC to 99.99%. EWG requested that the court, as a preliminary matter: (a) suspend the effectiveness of the challenged transactions; (b) order public officials in Mexico to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records; and (c) appoint an inspector for NSA and NSC to oversee its commercial activities. The court granted, ex-parte, the preliminary relief sought by EWG, which resulted in the placement of inscriptions for the lawsuit on NSC’s public records.

EWG also sought an order directing, among other things: (i) NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief to refrain from carrying out any transactions with respect to the Project; and (ii) NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief, and the partners thereof, to refrain from transferring any interests in NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief.

On April 5, 2016, NSC filed a motion for reconsideration with the Tecate, Mexico court asking, among other things, that the court; (i) reverse its order to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records; (ii) cancel the appointment of the inspector; and (iii) allow NSC to provide a counter-guarantee to suspend the effects of the court’s order regarding the challenged transactions. On April 26, 2016, the Tecate, Mexico court issued an interlocutory judgment (i) ordering the cancellation of the inscriptions on NSC’s public records; and (ii) rejecting NSC’s motion for cancellation of the appointment of the inspector.

On April 26, 2016, NSC filed a full answer to EWG’s claims rejecting every claim made by EWG.

On May 17, 2016, NSC filed a claim with the Third District Court in Matters of Amparo and Federal Trials in the City of Tijuana, Baja California (the “Amparo Court”) challenging the Tecate, Mexico court ex-parte order which appointed an inspector over NSC’s commercial activities. On July 29, 2016, the Amparo Court found that such appointment is unconstitutional and reversed the Tecate, Mexico court’s appointment of an inspector.

On September 6, 2016, the Tecate, Mexico court issued a decree granting the counter-guaranty requested by NSC. Such counter-guaranty was fixed in the amount of 300,000 Mexican pesos and was given to the court on October 13, 2016 at which time all remaining ex-parte restrictions on NSC related to the challenged transactions were suspended.

On May 2, 2017, the Tecate, Mexico court declared that the initial filing of this lawsuit had expired due to EWG’s lack of activity with respect to certain actions required to proceed to trial. However, EWG can appeal the expiration or refile the lawsuit.

Tijuana Claim – Amparo:

In addition to the Tecate Claim, the Company understands from publicly available information that during 2018, EWG initiated an ordinary mercantile claim against the individual shareholder named in the Tecate Claim, NSC and CW-Cooperatief, (with 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”).

Neither NSC nor CW-Cooperatief have been officially served with such claim, nor has AdR been notified that it has to appear for such trial. However, the Company understands that this claim is similar to the Tecate Claim in the petitions sought by EWG. In this claim, EWG challenged, among other things, the transactions contemplated under the Option Agreement, and therefore, the capital investment transactions that increased the ownership interest of CW-Cooperatief in NSC to 99.99%, as a consequence of the Option Agreement. EWG requested that the court, as a preliminary matter: (a) suspend the effectiveness of the challenged transactions; (b) order public officials in Mexico to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records (including a special request to register a lien over the real estate owned by NSC); (c) appoint an inspector for NSC to oversee its commercial activities; and (d) order public officials in Mexico and credit institutions abroad to refrain from authorizing or executing any legal act related with the activities of the plaintiff, the co-defendants and the third party called to trial to avoid damages to third parties, including those with whom negotiations or any form of commercial or administrative activities, or activities of any other nature related with the “Rosarito” water desalination project, are being carried out. The Company understands that the Tenth Civil Judge granted, ex-parte, the preliminary relief sought by EWG, which resulted in the issuance of official writs to several governmental/public entities involved with the Project. AdR and NSC are in the process of preparing legal responses to this claim under the belief they will be officially served in the near future.

On April 25, 2018, AdR filed an amparo (i.e. a constitutional appeal) against the official writs issued by the Tenth Civil Judge to two governmental entities. On May 2, the Third District Court in Amparo and Federal Trials in the State of Baja California granted a provisional suspension, whereby the effects and consequences of the claimed official writs were temporarily suspended. On May 4, 2018, the amparo claim was amended to also request protection against additional official writs issued by the Tenth Civil Judge to two other governmental entities and one banking institution. AdR is awaiting the incidental hearing on this amparo amendment.

The Company cannot presently determine what impact the resolution of this litigation may have on the Project.

7. Fair value measurements

As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other current liabilities, the note payable to related party, the demand loan payable and dividends payable approximate their fair values due to the short-term maturities of these instruments. Management considers that the carrying amounts for loans receivable as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 approximate their fair value as the stated interest rates approximate market rates.

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

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

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

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

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

The following table presents the Company’s fair value hierarchy for assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

The activity for the Level 3 asset for the three months ended March 31, 2018:

8. Contingencies

Cayman Water

The Company sells water through its retail operations under a license issued in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government that grants Cayman Water the exclusive right to provide potable water to customers within its licensed service area. As discussed below, this license was set to expire in July 2010 but has since been extended while negotiations for a new license take place. Pursuant to the license, Cayman Water has the exclusive right to produce potable water and distribute it by pipeline to its licensed service area, which consists of two of the three most populated areas of Grand Cayman, the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas. For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company generated approximately 42% and 41%, respectively, of its consolidated revenues and 55% and 56%, respectively, of its consolidated gross profit from the retail water operations conducted pursuant to Cayman Water’s exclusive license.

The license was originally scheduled to expire in July 2010 but has been extended several times by the Cayman Islands government in order to provide the parties with additional time to negotiate the terms of a new license agreement. The most recent extension of the license expired on January 31, 2018. The Company continues to provide water subsequent to January 31, 2018 on the assumption that the license has been further extended to allow the parties to continue negotiations without interruption to an essential service.

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. The Company began license negotiations with OfReg in July 2017 and such negotiations are continuing.

Under its present license, Cayman Water pays a royalty to the government of 7.5% of its gross retail water sales revenues (excluding energy cost adjustments). The selling prices of water sold to its customers are determined by the license and vary depending upon the type and location of the customer and the monthly volume of water purchased. The license provides for an automatic adjustment for inflation or deflation on an annual basis, subject to temporary limited exceptions, and an automatic adjustment for the cost of electricity on a monthly basis. The WAC, on behalf of the government, previously reviewed and confirmed the calculations of the price adjustments for inflation and electricity costs. Regulatory responsibility for the water utility sector was transferred from the WAC to OfReg in May 2017, and all reviews and confirmations of calculations of the price adjustments for inflation and electricity costs are now performed by OfReg. If Cayman Water wants to adjust its prices for any reason other than inflation or electricity costs, Cayman Water has to request prior approval of the Cabinet of the Cayman Islands government. Disputes regarding price adjustments would be referred to arbitration.

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

The Company is presently unable to determine what impact the resolution of its retail license negotiations will have on its cash flows, financial condition or results of operations but such resolution could result in a material reduction of the operating income and cash flows the Company has historically generated from its retail operations and could require the Company to record an impairment loss to reduce the carrying value of its goodwill. Such impairment loss could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations.

OC-Cayman

Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, OC-Cayman, the Company provides bulk water to the WAC, a government-owned utility and regulatory agency, under various agreements. The WAC in turn distributes that water to properties in Grand Cayman outside of Cayman Water’s retail license area.

The water OC-Cayman sells to the WAC is produced at three reverse osmosis seawater conversion plants in Grand Cayman owned by the WAC but designed, built and operated by OC-Cayman: the North Sound, Red Gate and North Side Water Works plants. The current operating agreements for the North Sound, Red Gate and North Side Water Works plants expire in July 2018, July 2018, and June 2019, respectively. The Company has been informed by the WAC that they intend to conduct a public bidding process for the North Sound and Red Gate plants and the Company plans to submit a bid for both of these contracts.

The Company generated total revenues of approximately $1.8 million, $1.9 million and $7.2 million from these three plants during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 and the year ended December 31, 2017, respectively.

If the Company does not obtain new bulk water supply agreements for these three plants, or if such new agreements are obtained on terms less favorable than the Company’s existing agreements, its results of operations and cash flows will be adversely affected.

CW-Belize

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

On December 8, 2017, CW-Belize received a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court of Belize stating that (i) the claims by the PUC in the Order and the Second Order were unlawful, null and void and of no effect; and (ii) stated that the PUC is prohibited from taking any steps or proceedings or making any further Order in respect of the said Order. However, on February 20, 2018, the PUC filed an appeal of this ruling with the Belize Court of Appeal, the results of which are pending. The Company is presently unable to determine what impact the resolution of this matter will have on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

CW-Bali

In October 2017, CW-Bali’s sole remaining customer filed a lawsuit in the district court of Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia against CW-Bali, CW-Bali’s President and the Company’s Chief Financial Officer in his capacity as the President of CW-Bali’s Board of Commissioners (i.e. Directors) seeking compensatory damages of 57.1 billion rupiahs and punitive damages of 26 billion rupiahs as a result of the anticipated breach of this customer’s water supply agreement that will arise from CW-Bali’s planned cessation of operations. Such damages were equivalent to approximately $4.1 million and $1.9 million, respectively, based upon the exchange rate between the dollar and rupiah as of March 31, 2018. In April 2018, the Densapar court ruled that it had no authority to adjudicate the case due to a clause in the water supply agreement that requires all disputes to be handled through arbitration in Singapore. However, the customer immediately filed an appeal with respect to the Denpasar court ruling. The Company cannot presently determine the outcome of the appeal or what effect the resolution of this matter will have on its consolidated financial statements.

9. Impact of recent accounting standards

Adoption of new accounting standards:

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 requires revenue recognition to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 prescribes a five-step framework in accounting for revenues from contracts within its scope, including (a) identification of the contract, (b) identification of the performance obligations under the contract, (c) determination of the transaction price, (d) allocation of the transaction price to the identified performance obligations and (e) recognition of revenues as the identified performance obligations are satisfied. ASU 2014-09 also prescribes additional disclosures and financial statement presentations. ASU 2014-09 may be adopted retrospectively or under a modified retrospective method where the cumulative effect is recognized at the date of initial application. This amendment was originally effective January 1, 2017. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which defers the effective date by one year to January 1, 2018. Early application is permitted but not before January 1, 2017.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net), that amends the principal versus agent guidance in ASU 2014-09. ASU 2016-08 clarifies that the analysis must focus on whether the entity has control of the goods or services before they are transferred to the customer. ASU 2016-08 also provides additional guidance about how to apply the control principle when services are provided and when goods or services are combined with other goods or services.

In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, that amends the revenue guidance in ASU 2014-09 on identifying performance obligations and accounting for licenses of intellectual property. ASU 2016-10 changed the FASB's previous proposals on renewals of right-to-use licenses and contractual restrictions. The effective date of the standard for the Company will coincide with ASU 2014-09 during the first quarter 2018. 

In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-11, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Rescission of SEC Guidance Because of Accounting Standards Updates 2014-09 and 2014-16 Pursuant to Staff Announcements at the March 3, 2016 EITF Meeting. ASU 2016-11 rescinds several SEC Staff Announcements that are codified in Topic 605, including, among other items, guidance relating to accounting for shipping and handling fees and freight services.

In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, which clarifies implementation guidance around collectability, sales taxes collected from customers, noncash considerations, contract modifications at transition, and completed contracts at transition.

In December 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-20, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which amended the guidance on performance obligation disclosures and makes technical corrections and improvements to the new revenue standard. The standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, and permits early adoption on a limited basis. The update permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method.

The effective dates of ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-11, ASU 2016-12 and ASU 2016-20 are the same as ASU 2015-14 discussed above. On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Topic 606 using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. There was no impact to opening retained earnings as of January 1, 2018 as a result of the adoption of this standard.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, which provides guidance for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial assets and financial liabilities. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-03, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, that clarifies the guidance in ASU No. 2016-01 on equity securities and certain fair value option liabilities among other things. ASU 2016-01 and ASU 2018-03 are effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017 and, for most provisions, is effective using the cumulative-effect transition approach. Early application is permitted for certain provisions. The adoption of ASU 2016-01 and ASU 2018-03 did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which clarifies how certain cash receipts and payments are presented in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-15 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2018. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, the adoption resulted in a reclass of approximately $1.1 million from investing activities to operating activities in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows related to the distribution of earnings from OC-BVI.

Effect of newly issued but not yet effective accounting standards:

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which provides guidance for accounting for leases. The new guidance requires companies to recognize the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leased assets. The accounting guidance for lessors will remain relatively largely unchanged. In January 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-01, Leases (Topic 842), which provides an optional transition practical expedient for the adoption of ASU 2016-02 that, if elected, would not require an organization to reconsider their accounting for existing land easements that are not currently accounted for under the old leases standard and clarify that new or modified land easements should be evaluated under ASU 2016-02, once an entity has adopted the new standard. ASU 2016-02 and ASU 2018-01 are effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this amendment will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements, however, the Company expects that the adoption of the new lease standard will have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities principally for certain leases currently accounted for as operating leases.

10. Subsequent events

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

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

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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

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

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

References herein to “we,” “our,” “ours” and “us” refer to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. and its subsidiaries.

Critical Accounting Estimates

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

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

Our critical accounting estimates relate to the valuations of our (i) goodwill and intangible assets; and (ii) long-lived assets.

Goodwill and intangible assets

Goodwill represents the excess cost over the fair value of the assets of an acquired business. Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a business combination accounted for as a purchase and determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized but are tested for impairment at least annually. Intangible assets with estimable useful lives are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives to their estimated residual values and reviewed periodically for impairment. We evaluate the possible impairment of goodwill annually as part of our reporting process for the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Management identifies our reporting units, which consist of our retail, bulk, services and manufacturing operations, 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 the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, an impairment loss is recorded.

For the year ended December 31, 2017, we estimated the fair value of our reporting units by applying the discounted cash flow method, the guideline public company method, and the mergers and acquisitions method.

The discounted cash flow method relied upon seven-year discrete projections of operating results, working capital and capital expenditures, along with a terminal value subsequent to the discrete period. These seven-year projections were based upon historical and anticipated future results, general economic and market conditions, and considered the impact of planned business and operational strategies. The discount rates for the calculations represented the estimated cost of capital for market participants at the time of each analysis.

We also estimated the fair value of each of our reporting units for the year ended December 31, 2017 through reference to the guideline companies and the market multiples implied by guideline merger and acquisition transactions.

We weighted the fair values estimated for each of our reporting units under each method and summed such weighted fair values to estimate the overall fair value for each reporting unit. The respective weightings we applied to each method as of December 31, 2017 were as follows:

The fair values we estimated for our retail and bulk units exceeded their carrying amounts by 121% and 59%, respectively, as of December 31, 2017. The carrying amount we estimated for our manufacturing unit exceeded its fair value by 12% as of December 31, 2017, and as discussed in the paragraph that follows, we recorded an impairment loss to reduce the carrying value of the goodwill for this segment.

On February 11, 2016, we acquired 51% ownership interest in Aerex. In connection with this acquisition we recorded goodwill of $8,035,211. Aerex’s actual results of operations for the six months in 2016 following the acquisition fell significantly short of the projected results that were included in the overall cash flow projections we utilized to determine the purchase price for Aerex and the fair values of its assets and liabilities. Due to this shortfall in Aerex’s results of operations, we tested Aerex’s goodwill for possible impairment as of September 30, 2016 by estimating its fair value using the discounted cash flow method. As a result of this impairment testing, we determined that the carrying value of our Aerex goodwill exceeded its fair value and recorded an impairment loss of $1,750,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2016 to reduce the carrying value of this goodwill to $6,285,211. As part of our annual impairment testing of goodwill performed during the fourth quarter, in 2017 we updated our projections for Aerex’s future cash flows, determined that the carrying value of our Aerex goodwill exceeded its fair value, and recorded an impairment loss of $1,400,000 for the three months ended December 31, 2017 to further reduce the carrying value of this goodwill to $4,885,211. We may be required to record additional impairment losses to reduce the carrying value of our Aerex goodwill in future periods if we determine it likely that Aerex’s results of operations will fall short of our most recent projections of its future cash flows.

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.

Through our subsidiary, CW-Bali, we have built and presently operate a seawater reverse osmosis plant with a productive capacity of approximately 264,000 gallons per day located in Nusa Dua, one of the primary tourist areas of Bali, Indonesia. Since its inception, we have recorded operating losses for CW-Bali as the sales volumes for its plant have not been sufficient to cover its operating costs. In 2017 and 2016, we determined, based upon probability-weighted scenarios for CW-Bali’s future undiscounted cash flows, that the carrying values of CW-Bali’s long-lived assets and our investment in CW-Bali were not recoverable. We recorded impairment losses of $1.6 million and $2.0 million, for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, to reduce the carrying values of these assets to their fair values.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included under Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report and our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 (“2017 Form 10-K”) and the information set forth under Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our 2017 Form 10-K.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2017

Consolidated Results

Net income attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders for 2018 was $2,092,525 ($0.14 per share on a fully-diluted basis), as compared to $2,631,228 ($0.18 per share on a fully-diluted basis) for 2017.

Total revenues for 2018 decreased to $15,336,395 from $15,677,106 in 2017 as a result of lower revenues for our manufacturing segment. Gross profit for 2018 was $6,604,518 (43% of total revenues) as compared to $6,833,568 (44% of total revenues) for 2017. For further discussion of revenues and gross profit see the “Results by Segment” analysis that follows.

General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses on a consolidated basis remained relatively consistent at $4,767,444 and $4,797,192 for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Net other income for 2018 was $144,910, as compared to $393,752 for 2017. The decrease in this net component of our results of operations results from a net unrealized loss of ($206,000) recorded in 2018, as compared to a net unrealized gain of $165,000 recorded in 2017, for the revaluation to fair value of the put/call options arising from the Aerex acquisition.

Results by Segment

Retail Segment:

The retail segment contributed $522,971 and $789,058 to our income from operations for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Revenues generated by our retail water operations decreased slightly to $6,431,348 in 2018 from $6,476,604 in 2017, while the volume of water sold increased by approximately 3% from 2017 to 2018. The slight decrease in revenues for 2018 is attributable to a shift in the relative sales volumes in Grand Cayman to larger customers with a lower effective water rate.

Retail segment gross profit was $3,669,794 (57% of retail revenues) and $3,792,318 (59% of retail revenues) for 2018 and 2017, respectively. The slight decline in retail gross profit as a percentage of revenues from 2017 to 2018 is attributable to the decrease in revenues and an increase in employee costs in 2018.

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 for 2018 and 2017 remained relatively consistent at $3,145,483 and $3,012,860, for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Bulk Segment:

The bulk segment contributed $2,489,957 and $2,373,537 to our income from operations for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Bulk segment revenues were $8,228,515 and $7,690,402 for 2018 and 2017, respectively. The increase in bulk revenues from 2017 to 2018 is attributable to our Bahamas operations, which generated approximately $555,000 in incremental revenues due to a significant increase in the prices of diesel fuel and electricity from 2017 to 2018, which increased the energy component of our bulk water rates in the Bahamas.

Gross profit for our bulk segment was $2,831,924 (34% of bulk revenues) and $2,674,613 (35% of bulk revenues) for 2018 and 2017, respectively. Gross profit as a percentage of revenues decreased in 2018 as compared to 2017 due to higher energy prices, as energy expense for our bulk operations was approximately $361,000 more in 2018 than in 2017.

Bulk segment G&A expenses remained relatively consistent at $341,967 for 2018 as compared to $301,076 for 2017.

Services Segment:

The services segment incurred losses from operations of ($661,743) and ($715,320) for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Services segment revenues remained relatively consistent at $123,764 and $130,252 for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Gross profit (loss) for our services segment was ($11,107) and $28,086 for 2018 and 2017, respectively. The decrease in the services segment’s gross profit from 2017 to 2018 reflects an increase in employee and various other costs.

G&A expenses for the services segment were $650,636 and $743,406 for 2018 and 2017, respectively. The decrease in G&A expenses for 2018 results from a decrease of approximately $72,000 in the project development expenses incurred by our Mexican subsidiaries.

Manufacturing Segment:

The manufacturing segment incurred losses from operations of ($515,451) and ($401,272) for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Manufacturing revenues were $552,768 and $1,379,848 for 2018 and 2017, respectively. Manufacturing revenues decreased from 2017 to 2018 due to Aerex’s production in 2018 of various components to be used by its affiliate, CW-Bahamas, in the refurbishment of CW-Bahamas’ Windsor plant. While the revenues Aerex generated from this work for CW-Bahamas amounted to approximately $700,000, such intercompany revenues are eliminated in consolidation for financial reporting purposes.

Manufacturing segment gross profit was $113,907 (21% of manufacturing revenues) and $338,551 (25% of manufacturing revenues) for 2018 and 2017, respectively. Gross profit for 2018 decreased in dollars and as a percentage of revenues from 2017 due to the allocation of part of Aerex’s production capacity during 2018 to the work performed for CW-Bahamas.

G&A expenses for the manufacturing segment declined to $629,358 for 2018 as compared to $739,850 for 2017 due to non-recurring project development expenses incurred in 2017.

FINANCIAL CONDITION

The significant changes in the consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2018 as compared to December 31, 2017 result from increases in accounts receivable and construction in progress.

The increase in accounts receivable is primarily attributable to an increase in CW-Bahamas’ receivables from the WSC of $3.1 million. The increase in construction in progress reflects capital improvements to CW-Bahamas’ Windsor plant as well as our Abel Castillo Water Works plant in Grand Cayman.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Liquidity Position

Our projected liquidity requirements for the last three quarters of 2018 include capital expenditures for our existing operations of approximately $14.4 million (primarily for capital improvements to the Windsor plant in the Bahamas and for the expansion of the ACWW plant in Grand Cayman), approximately $294,000 for notes payable, approximately $2.8 million to be expended for NSC's and AdR's project development activities and approximately $1.3 million for dividends payable. Our liquidity requirements for 2018 may also include future quarterly dividends, if such dividends are declared by our Board. Our dividend payments amounted to approximately $4.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 and approximately $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. 

In February 2017, we and the former sole shareholder of Aerex loaned Aerex $408,000 and $392,000, respectively, in the form of notes payable which were scheduled to mature on September 30, 2017 and bore interest at 1% per annum. In October 2017, we and the former shareholder of Aerex extended the term of the notes payable issued in February 2017 for an additional six months to a new maturity date of March 31, 2018. Additionally, in October 2017 we and the former shareholder loaned Aerex an additional $306,000 and $294,000, respectively, in the form of notes payable that bore interest at 1% with a maturity date of March 31, 2018. In March 2018, the original notes payable of $408,000 and $392,000 were repaid and the maturity date of the remaining notes payable of $306,000 and $294,00 was extended to September 30, 2018.

As of March 31, 2018, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $43.7 million and working capital of approximately $58.6 million. We are not presently aware of anything that would lead us to believe that we will not have sufficient liquidity to meet our needs for 2018 and thereafter.

CW-Belize Liquidity

Transfers of funds held by our subsidiary CW-Belize, to our parent company, which are accomplished by means of conversion of Belize dollars into U.S. dollars, require the approval of the Central Bank of Belize and are dependent on the amount of U.S. dollars available to Belize banks to execute such transfers. Weakness in the Belize economy and other factors have reduced the amount of U.S. dollars that Belize banks have available for transfer, which has limited the amount of funds we are presently able to transfer from CW-Belize. Our repatriations of funds from CW-Belize to our parent company amounted to $458,000 and $400,000 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, significantly less than the net income and net cash flows CW-Belize generated for those years. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, we repatriated approximately $307,000 in funds from CW-Belize to our parent company. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the equivalent U.S. dollar cash amounts for our bank account deposits in Belize were approximately $6.0 million and $6.3 million, respectively.

We cannot presently determine when we will have an improved ability to transfer funds from CW-Belize. While we presently have sufficient liquidity from other sources, should we need to access our cash balances held by CW-Belize in the future to support our other operations, the majority of such funds may not be available for immediate transfer from Belize.

Discussion of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018

Our cash and cash equivalents decreased to $43.7 million as of March 31, 2018 from $47.2 million as of December 31, 2017.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Our operating activities provided cash of approximately $679,000. This net cash provided reflects net income generated for the three months of approximately $2.1 million 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 approximately $1.7 million and a net increase in accounts receivable of approximately $2.8 million.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash used in our investing activities was approximately $2.5 million. Additions to property, plant and equipment and construction in progress were approximately $2.9 million which was slightly offset by $341,655 in collections on loan receivable.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Our financing activities used approximately $1.7 million in net cash as we paid dividends of approximately $1.3 million and repaid a $392,000 note payable from Aerex’s prior sole stockholder.

Material Commitments, Expenditures and Contingencies

Renewal of Retail License

We sell water through our retail operations under a license issued in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government that grants Cayman Water the exclusive right to provide potable water to customers within its licensed service area. As discussed below, this license was set to expire in July 2010 but has since been extended while negotiations for a new license take place. Pursuant to the license, Cayman Water has the exclusive right to produce potable water and distribute it by pipeline to its licensed service area, which consists of two of the three most populated areas of Grand Cayman, the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas. For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, we generated approximately 42% and 41%, respectively, of our consolidated revenues and 55% and 56%, respectively, of our consolidated gross profit from the retail water operations conducted pursuant to Cayman Water’s exclusive license.

The license was originally scheduled to expire in July 2010 but has been extended several times by the Cayman Islands government in order to provide the parties with additional time to negotiate the terms of a new license agreement. The most recent extension of the license expired on January 31, 2018. We continue to provide water subsequent to January 31, 2018 on the assumption that the license has been further extended to allow the parties to continue negotiations without interruption to an essential service.

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 Water Authority – Cayman (“WAC”) to OfReg in May 2017. We began license negotiations with OfReg in July 2017 and such negotiations are continuing.

Under its present license, Cayman Water pays a royalty to the government of 7.5% of its gross retail water sales revenues (excluding energy cost adjustments). The selling prices of water sold to its customers are determined by the license and vary depending upon the type and location of the customer and the monthly volume of water purchased. The license provides for an automatic adjustment for inflation or deflation on an annual basis, subject to temporary limited exceptions, and an automatic adjustment for the cost of electricity on a monthly basis. The WAC, on behalf of the government, previously reviewed and confirmed the calculations of the price adjustments for inflation and electricity costs. On July 7, 2017, we were advised by OfReg that regulatory responsibility for the water utility sector had been transferred from the WAC to OfReg effective May 22, 2017, and that effective immediately all reviews and confirmations of calculations of the price adjustments for inflation and electricity costs will be performed by OfReg. If Cayman Water wants to adjust its prices for any reason other than inflation or electricity costs, Cayman Water has to request prior approval of the Cabinet of the Cayman Islands government. Disputes regarding price adjustments would be referred to arbitration. 

The Cayman Islands government could ultimately offer a third party a license to service some or all of Cayman Water’s present service area. However, as set forth in the existing 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 of the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail operations and could require us to record an impairment loss to reduce the carrying value of our goodwill. Such impairment loss could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

NSC and AdR Project Development

In May 2010, we acquired, through our wholly-owned Netherlands subsidiary, Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A., (“CW-Cooperatief”) a 50% interest in N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), a development stage Mexican company. We have since purchased, through the conversion of a loan we made to NSC, sufficient shares to raise our ownership interest in NSC to 99.99%. NSC was formed to pursue a project (the “Project”) encompassing the construction, operation and minority ownership of a 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico and accompanying pipelines to deliver water to the Mexican potable water system. As discussed in the paragraphs that follow, during 2015 the scope of the Project was defined by the State of Baja California (the “State”) to consist of a first phase consisting of a 50 million gallon per day plant and a pipeline that connects to the Mexican potable water infrastructure and a second phase consisting of an additional 50 million gallons of production capacity.

Through a series of transactions completed in 2012-2014, NSC purchased 20.1 hectares for approximately $20.6 million on which the proposed Project’s plant would be constructed.

In November 2012, NSC entered into a lease with an effective term of 20 years from the date of full operation of the desalination plant with the Comisión Federal de Electricidad for approximately 5,000 square meters of land on which it plans to construct the water intake and discharge works for the plant. The amounts due on this lease are payable in Mexican pesos at an amount that is currently equivalent to approximately $15,000 per month. This lease may be cancelled by NSC should NSC ultimately not proceed with the Project.

In August 2014, the State enacted new legislation to regulate Public-Private Association projects which involve the type of long-term contract between a public-sector authority and a private party that NSC is seeking to complete the Project. Pursuant to this new legislation, on January 4, 2015, NSC submitted an expression of interest for its project to the Secretary of Infrastructure and Urban Development of the State of Baja California (“SIDUE”). SIDUE accepted NSC’s expression of interest and requested that NSC submit a detailed proposal for the Project that complies with requirements of the new legislation. NSC submitted this detailed proposal (the “APP Proposal”) to SIDUE in late March 2015. The new legislation required that such proposal be evaluated by SIDUE and submitted to the Public-Private Association Projects State Committee (the “APP Committee”) for review and authorization. If the Project was authorized the State would be required to conduct a public tender for the Project.

In response to its APP Proposal, in September 2015 NSC received a letter dated June 30, 2015 from the Director General of the Comisión Estatal del Agua de Baja California (“CEA”), the State agency with responsibility for the Project, stating that (i) the Project is in the public interest with high social benefits and is consistent with the objectives of the State development plan; and (ii) that the Project and accompanying required public tender process should be conducted. In November 2015, the State officially commenced the tender for the Project, the scope of which the State has defined as a first phase to be operational in 2019 consisting of a 50 million gallon per day plant and a pipeline that connects to the Mexican potable water infrastructure and a second phase to be operational in 2024 consisting of an additional 50 million gallons per day of production capacity. A consortium comprised of NSC, NuWater S.A.P.I. de C.V. and Degremont S.A. de C.V. (the “Consortium”) submitted its tender for the Project in April 2016 and in June 2016, the State designated the Consortium as the winner of tender process for the Project.

Due to the amount of capital the Project requires, NSC will ultimately need an equity partner or partners for the Project. Consequently, NSC’s tender to the State for the Project was based upon the following: (i) NSC will sell or otherwise transfer the land and other Project assets to a new company (“Newco”) that would build and own the Project; (ii) NSC’s potential partners would provide the majority of the equity for the Project and thereby would own the majority interest in Newco; (iii) NSC would maintain a minority ownership position in Newco; and (iv) Newco would enter into a long-term management and technical services contract for the Project with an entity partially owned by NSC or another Company subsidiary. 

In August 2016 NSC and NuWater incorporated Newco under the name Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”), a special purpose company, to complete 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. As of December 31, 2017, NSC owned 99.6% of the equity of AdR.

On August 22, 2016, the Public Private Partnership Agreement for public private partnership number 002/2015, contest number SIDUE-CEA-APP-2015-002 (“APP Contract”), was executed between AdR, CEA, the Government of Baja California represented by the Secretary of Planning and Finance and the Public Utilities Commission of Tijuana (“CESPT”). The APP Contract requires AdR to design, construct, finance and operate a seawater desalination plant (and accompanying aqueducts) 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 and an aqueduct to a second delivery point in Tijuana. The first phase must be operational within 36 months of commencing construction and the second phase must be operational by the end of 2024. The APP Contract further requires AdR to operate and maintain the plant and aqueducts for a period of 37 years starting from the commencement of operation of the first phase. At the end of the operating period, the plant and aqueducts will be transferred to CEA. The total Project cost for Phase 1 of the Project is presently estimated at approximately 9.1 billion Mexican pesos.

The APP Contract does not become effective until the following conditions are met:

In December 2016, the Congress of the State of Baja California, Mexico passed Decreto #57 which, among other things, ratified and authorized the payment obligations of the corresponding public entities under the APP Contract. During 2017, following consultations between representatives of the State of Baja California and the Ministry of Finance of the Federal Government of Mexico, it was determined that certain amendments to Decreto #57 were required in order to comply with recent changes to the Federal Financial Discipline Law for Federative Entities and Municipalities. In addition, it was necessary to amend Decreto #57 to authorize the inclusion of revenues from the CESPT in the primary payment trust for the Project. These amendments were included in Decreto # 168, which was approved by the Congress of the State of Baja, California in December 2017. Following its issuance, two actions were filed in Mexican Courts against Decreto #168. While neither NSC nor AdR have been named as a party in these actions, based upon publicly available information we believe (1) one of these actions consists of a challenge filed by certain members of the Congress of the State of Baja California alleging certain elements of Decreto #168 are contrary to the Mexican constitution; and (2) that the other action represents an amparo (i.e. a constitutional appeal) filed by certain members of indigenous groups that alleges Decreto #168 violates certain of the human rights and individual guarantees they are afforded under the Mexican constitution. With respect to the action mentioned in (1), we cannot presently determine what impact, if any, it will have upon the Project. With respect to the action mentioned in number (2), according to publicly available information, we understand that on March 27, 2018, a resolution dismissing such proceeding was issued (and subsequently published in the official lists of the corresponding court on April 16, 2018), as the claimants were not able to evidence their legal interest. On May 3, 2018, the court deciding on such action determined this resolution to be final, as the claimants did not file a remedy against it.

Both the exchange rate for the Mexico peso relative to the dollar and general macroeconomic conditions in Mexico have varied since the execution of the APP Contract. These changes could adversely impact the estimated construction, operating, and financing costs for the Project. The APP Contract and the APP Law allow for the parties to negotiate (but do not guarantee) modifications to the water tariff in the event of such significant macroeconomic condition changes. On February 10, 2017, AdR submitted proposals to the CEA requesting an increase to the water tariff to compensate for changes in foreign exchange rates, lending rates and certain changes in law which have impacted the Project. If AdR is unable to obtain this requested increase in the water tariff, it may be unable to obtain the debt and equity financing required for the Project. We are currently unable to determine whether or not such water tariff increase will be approved.

In February 2018, AdR executed a subscription agreement (the “Agreement”) for the equity funding required for the Project. The Agreement calls for NSC to retain a minimum of 25% of the equity in AdR. One or more affiliates of Greenfield SPV VII, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“Greenfield”), a Mexico company managed by an affiliate of a leading U.S. asset manager, will acquire a minimum of 55% of the equity of AdR. The Agreement also provides Suez Medio Ambiente México, S.A. de C.V., (“Suez”) a subsidiary of SUEZ International, S.A.S., with the option to purchase 20% of the equity of AdR. If Suez does not exercise this option, NSC will retain 35% of the equity of AdR and Greenfield will acquire 65% of the equity of AdR. The Agreement will become effective when the additional conditions related to the Project are met, including but not limited to those conditions discussed previously. The aggregate funding to be provided by AdR’s shareholders for the Project, in the form of equity and subordinated shareholder loans, is presently estimated at approximately 20% of the total cost of Phase 1 of the Project.

NSC expects to generate a portion of its funding for AdR through the sale to AdR of the land it has purchased for the Project. Under the terms of the Agreement, Suez will design and construct the Project, while a joint venture company between NSC and Suez will operate the Project.

In February 2018, our subsidiary, Consolidated Water U.S. Holdings, acquired the remaining 0.4% of AdR’s equity ownership previously held by NuWater.

If AdR is ultimately unable to proceed with the Project, the land NSC has purchased and the right of way deposits may lose their strategic importance derived from their association with the Project and consequently may decline in value. If AdR does not proceed with the Project, NSC may ultimately be unable to sell this land or recoup its right of way deposits for amounts at least equal to their current carrying values of approximately $20.6 million and $1.3 million, respectively. Any loss on the sale of the land, or impairment losses NSC may be required to record as a result of a decrease in the (i) fair value of the land; or (ii) value of the rights of way arising from the inability to complete the Project could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

Included in our results of operations are general and administrative expenses from NSC and AdR, consisting of organizational, legal, accounting, engineering, consulting and other costs relating to Project development activities. Such expenses amounted to approximately $648,000 and $720,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The assets and liabilities of NSC and AdR included in our consolidated balance sheets amounted to approximately $23.7 million and $305,000, respectively, as of March 31, 2018 and approximately $23.1 million and $173,000 respectively, as of December 31, 2017.

Project Litigation Initiated by EWG

Tecate Claim:

Immediately following CW-Cooperatief’s acquisition of its initial 50% ownership in NSC, the remaining 50% ownership interest in NSC was held by an unrelated company, Norte Sur Agua, S. de R.L. de C.V. (“NSA”). NSA subsequently transferred ownership of half of its shares in NSC to EWG Water LLC (“EWG”) and the other half of its shares in NSC to Alejandro de la Vega (the “individual shareholder”). In February 2012, we paid $300,000 to enter into an agreement (the “Option Agreement”) that provided us with an option, exercisable through February 7, 2014, to purchase the shares of NSC owned by the individual shareholder for a price of $1.0 million along with an immediate power of attorney to vote those shares. Such shares constituted 25% of the ownership of NSC as of February 2012. In May 2013, NSC repaid a $5.7 million loan payable to CW-Cooperatief by issuing additional shares of its stock. As a result of this share issuance to CW-Cooperatief, we acquired 99.99% of the ownership of NSC. The Option Agreement contained an anti-dilution provision that required us to issue new shares in NSC of an amount sufficient to maintain the individual shareholder’s 25% ownership interest in NSC if (i) any new shares of NSC were issued subsequent to the execution of the Option Agreement; and (ii) we did not exercise our share purchase option by February 7, 2014. We exercised our option and paid the $1.0 million to the individual shareholder to purchase the Option Agreement shares in February 2014.

In October 2015, we learned that EWG filed a lawsuit against the individual shareholder, NSC, NSA, CW-Cooperatief, other third parties, and the Public Registry of Commerce of Tijuana, Baja California in the Civil Court located in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. In this lawsuit, EWG challenged, among other things, the capital investment transactions that increased our ownership interest in NSC to 99.99%. EWG requested that the court, as a preliminary matter: (a) suspend the effectiveness of the challenged transactions; (b) order public officials in Mexico to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records; and (c) appoint an inspector for NSA and NSC to oversee its commercial activities. The court granted, ex-parte, the preliminary relief sought by EWG, which resulted in the placement of inscriptions for the lawsuit on NSC’s public records.

EWG also sought an order directing, among other things: (i) NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief to refrain from carrying out any transactions with respect to the Project; and (ii) NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief, and the partners thereof, to refrain from transferring any interests in NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief.

On April 5, 2016, NSC filed a motion for reconsideration with the Tecate, Mexico court asking, among other things, that the court; (i) reverse its order to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records; (ii) cancel the appointment of the inspector; and (iii) allow NSC to provide a counter-guarantee to suspend the effects of the court’s order regarding the challenged transactions. On April 26, 2016, the Tecate, Mexico court issued an interlocutory judgment (i) ordering the cancellation of the inscriptions on NSC’s public records; and (ii) rejecting NSC’s motion for cancellation of the appointment of the inspector.

On April 26, 2016, NSC filed a full answer to EWG’s claims rejecting every claim made by EWG.

On May 17, 2016, NSC filed a claim with the Third District Court in Matters of Amparo and Federal Trials in the City of Tijuana, Baja California (the “Amparo Court”) challenging the Tecate, Mexico court ex-parte order which appointed an inspector over NSC’s commercial activities. On July 29, 2016, the Amparo Court found that such appointment is unconstitutional and reversed the Tecate, Mexico court’s appointment of an inspector.

On September 6, 2016, the Tecate, Mexico court issued a decree granting the counter-guaranty requested by NSC. Such counter-guaranty was fixed in the amount of 300,000 Mexican pesos and was given to the court on October 13, 2016 at which time all remaining ex-parte restrictions on NSC related to the challenged transactions were suspended.

On May 2, 2017, the Tecate, Mexico court declared that the initial filing of this lawsuit had expired due to EWG’s lack of activity with respect to certain actions required to proceed to trial. However, EWG can appeal the expiration or refile the lawsuit.

Tijuana Claim – Amparo:

In addition to the Tecate Claim, we understand from publicly available information that during 2018, EWG initiated an ordinary mercantile claim against the individual shareholder named in the Tecate Claim, NSC and CW-Cooperatief, (with 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”).

Neither NSC nor CW-Cooperatief have been officially served with such claim, nor has AdR been notified that it has to appear for such trial. However, we understand from available information that this claim is similar to the Tecate Claim in the petitions sought by EWG. In this claim, EWG challenged, among other things, the transactions contemplated under the Option Agreement, and therefore, the capital investment transactions that increased the ownership interest of CW-Cooperatief in NSC to 99.99%, as a consequence of the Option Agreement. EWG requested that the court, as a preliminary matter: (a) suspend the effectiveness of the challenged transactions; (b) order public officials in Mexico to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records (including a special request to register a lien over the real estate owned by NSC); (c) appoint an inspector for NSC to oversee its commercial activities; and (d) order public officials in Mexico and credit institutions abroad to refrain from authorizing or executing any legal act related with the activities of the plaintiff, the co-defendants and the third party called to trial to avoid damages to third parties, including those with whom negotiations or any form of commercial or administrative activities, or activities of any other nature related with the “Rosarito” water desalination project, are being carried out. We understand that the Tenth Civil Judge granted, ex-parte, the preliminary relief sought by EWG, which resulted in the issuance of official writs to several governmental /public entities involved with the Project. AdR and NSC are in the process of preparing legal responses to this claim under the belief they will be officially served in the near future.

On April 25, 2018, AdR filed an amparo (i.e. a constitutional appeal) against the official writs issued by the Tenth Civil Judge to two governmental entities. On May 2, the Third District Court in Amparo and Federal Trials in the State of Baja California granted a provisional suspension, whereby the effects and consequences of the claimed official writs were temporarily suspended. On May 4, 2018, the amparo claim was amended to also request protection against additional official writs issued by the Tenth Civil Judge to two other governmental entities and one banking institution. AdR is awaiting the incidental hearing on this amparo amendment.

We cannot presently determine what impact the resolution of this litigation may have on the Project.

CW-Belize

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

On December 8, 2017, we received a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court of Belize stating that (i) the claims by the PUC in the Order and the Second Order were unlawful, null and void and of no effect; and (ii) the PUC is prohibited from taking any steps or proceedings or making any further Order in respect of the said Order. However, on February 20, 2018, the PUC filed an appeal with the Belize Court of Appeal, the results of which are pending. We are presently unable to determine what impact the resolution of this matter will have on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Adoption of new accounting standards:

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 requires revenue recognition to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 prescribes a five-step framework in accounting for revenues from contracts within its scope, including (a) identification of the contract, (b) identification of the performance obligations under the contract, (c) determination of the transaction price, (d) allocation of the transaction price to the identified performance obligations and (e) recognition of revenues as the identified performance obligations are satisfied. ASU 2014-09 also prescribes additional disclosures and financial statement presentations. ASU 2014-09 may be adopted retrospectively or under a modified retrospective method where the cumulative effect is recognized at the date of initial application. This amendment was originally effective January 1, 2017. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which defers the effective date by one year to January 1, 2018. Early application is permitted but not before January 1, 2017.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net), that amends the principal versus agent guidance in ASU 2014-09. ASU 2016-08 clarifies that the analysis must focus on whether the entity has control of the goods or services before they are transferred to the customer. ASU 2016-08 also provides additional guidance about how to apply the control principle when services are provided and when goods or services are combined with other goods or services.

In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, that amends the revenue guidance in ASU 2014-09 on identifying performance obligations and accounting for licenses of intellectual property. ASU 2016-10 changed the FASB's previous proposals on renewals of right-to-use licenses and contractual restrictions. The effective date of the standard for us will coincide with ASU 2014-09 during the first quarter 2018.

In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-11, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Rescission of SEC Guidance Because of Accounting Standards Updates 2014-09 and 2014-16 Pursuant to Staff Announcements at the March 3, 2016 EITF Meeting. ASU 2016-11 rescinds several SEC Staff Announcements that are codified in Topic 605, including, among other items, guidance relating to accounting for shipping and handling fees and freight services.

In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, which clarifies implementation guidance around collectability, sales taxes collected from customers, noncash considerations, contract modifications at transition, and completed contracts at transition.

In December 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-20, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which amended the guidance on performance obligation disclosures and makes technical corrections and improvements to the new revenue standard. The standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, and permits early adoption on a limited basis. The update permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method.

The effective dates of ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-11, ASU 2016-12 and ASU 2016-20 are the same as ASU 2015-14 discussed above. On January 1, 2018, we adopted Topic 606 using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. There was no impact to opening retained earnings as of January 1, 2018 as a result of the adoption of this standard.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, which provides guidance for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial assets and financial liabilities. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-03, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, that clarifies the guidance in ASU No. 2016-01 on equity securities and certain fair value option liabilities among other things. ASU 2016-01 and ASU 2018-03 are effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017 and, for most provisions, is effective using the cumulative-effect transition approach. Early application is permitted for certain provisions. The adoption of ASU 2016-01 and ASU 2018-03 did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which clarifies how certain cash receipts and payments are presented in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-15 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2018. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, the adoption resulted in a reclass of approximately $1.1 million from investing activities to operating activities in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows related to the distribution of earnings from OC-BVI.

Effect of newly issued but not yet effective accounting standards:

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which provides guidance for accounting for leases. The new guidance requires companies to recognize the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leased assets. The accounting guidance for lessors will remain relatively largely unchanged. In January 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-01, Leases (Topic 842), which provides an optional transition practical expedient for the adoption of ASU 2016-02 that, if elected, would not require an organization to reconsider their accounting for existing land easements that are not currently accounted for under the old leases standard and clarify that new or modified land easements should be evaluated under ASU 2016-02, once an entity has adopted the new standard. ASU 2016-02 and ASU 2018-01 are effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this amendment will have on our consolidated financial statements, however, we expect that the adoption of the new lease standard will have a material impact on our consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities principally for certain leases currently accounted for as operating leases.

Dividends

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

Impact of Inflation

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

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

There have been no material changes in our exposure to market risk from December 31, 2017 to the end of the period covered by this report.

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

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

Changes in Internal Controls

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

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

CW-Bali

In October 2017, CW-Bali’s sole remaining customer filed a lawsuit in the district court of Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia against CW-Bali, CW-Bali’s President and our Chief Financial Officer in his capacity as the President of CW-Bali’s Board of Commissioners (i.e. Directors) seeking compensatory damages of 57.1 billion rupiahs and punitive damages of 26 billion rupiahs as a result of the anticipated breach of this customer’s water supply agreement that will arise from CW-Bali’s planned cessation of operations. Such damages were equivalent to approximately $4.1 million and $1.9 million, respectively, based upon the exchange rate between the dollar and the rupiah as of March 31, 2018. In April 2018, the Densapar court ruled that it had no authority to adjudicate the case due to a clause in the water supply agreement that requires all disputes to be handled through arbitration in Singapore. However, the customer immediately filed an appeal with respect to the Denpasar court ruling. We cannot presently determine the outcome of the appeal or what effect the resolution of this matter will have on our consolidated financial statements.

CW-Belize

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

On December 8, 2017, we received a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court of Belize stating that (i) the claims by the PUC in the Order and the Second Order were unlawful, null and void and of no effect; and (ii) the PUC is prohibited from taking any steps or proceedings or making any further Order in respect of the said Order. However, on February 20, 2018, the PUC filed an appeal with the Belize Court of Appeal for Belize, the results of which are pending. We are presently unable to determine what impact the Order and the Second Order will have on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

NSC and AdR Project Development

Project Litigation Initiated by EWG

Tecate Claim:

Immediately following CW-Cooperatief’s acquisition of its initial 50% ownership in NSC, the remaining 50% ownership interest in NSC was held by an unrelated company, Norte Sur Agua, S. de R.L. de C.V. (“NSA”). NSA subsequently transferred ownership of half of its shares in NSC to EWG Water LLC (“EWG”) and the other half of its shares in NSC to Alejandro de la Vega (the “individual shareholder”). In February 2012, the Company paid $300,000 to enter into an agreement (the “Option Agreement”) that provided it with an option, exercisable through February 7, 2014, to purchase the shares of NSC owned by the individual shareholder for a price of $1.0 million along with an immediate power of attorney to vote those shares. Such shares constituted 25% of the ownership of NSC as of February 2012. In May 2013, NSC repaid a $5.7 million loan payable to CW-Cooperatief by issuing additional shares of its stock. As a result of this share issuance to CW-Cooperatief, the Company acquired 99.99% of the ownership of NSC. The Option Agreement contained an anti-dilution provision that required the Company to issue new shares in NSC of an amount sufficient to maintain the individual shareholder’s 25% ownership interest in NSC if (i) any new shares of NSC were issued subsequent to the execution of the Option Agreement; and (ii) the Company did not exercise its share purchase option by February 7, 2014. The Company exercised its option and paid the $1.0 million to the individual shareholder to purchase the Option Agreement shares in February 2014.

In October 2015, the Company learned that EWG filed a lawsuit against the individual shareholder, NSC, NSA, CW-Cooperatief, other third parties, and the Public Registry of Commerce of Tijuana, Baja California in the Civil Court located in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. In this lawsuit, EWG challenged, among other things, the capital investment transactions that increased the Company’s ownership interest in NSC to 99.99%. EWG requested that the court, as a preliminary matter: (a) suspend the effectiveness of the challenged transactions; (b) order public officials in Mexico to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records; and (c) appoint an inspector for NSA and NSC to oversee its commercial activities. The court granted, ex-parte, the preliminary relief sought by EWG, which resulted in the placement of inscriptions for the lawsuit on NSC’s public records.

EWG also sought an order directing, among other things: (i) NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief to refrain from carrying out any transactions with respect to the Project; and (ii) NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief, and the partners thereof, to refrain from transferring any interests in NSA, NSC and CW-Cooperatief.

On April 5, 2016, NSC filed a motion for reconsideration with the Tecate, Mexico court asking, among other things, that the court; (i) reverse its order to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records; (ii) cancel the appointment of the inspector; and (iii) allow NSC to provide a counter-guarantee to suspend the effects of the court’s order regarding the challenged transactions. On April 26, 2016, the Tecate, Mexico court issued an interlocutory judgment (i) ordering the cancellation of the inscriptions on NSC’s public records; and (ii) rejecting NSC’s motion for cancellation of the appointment of the inspector.

On April 26, 2016, NSC filed a full answer to EWG’s claims rejecting every claim made by EWG.

On May 17, 2016, NSC filed a claim with the Third District Court in Matters of Amparo and Federal Trials in the City of Tijuana, Baja California (the “Amparo Court”) challenging the Tecate, Mexico court ex-parte order which appointed an inspector over NSC’s commercial activities. On July 29, 2016, the Amparo Court found that such appointment is unconstitutional and reversed the Tecate, Mexico court’s appointment of an inspector.

On September 6, 2016, the Tecate, Mexico court issued a decree granting the counter-guaranty requested by NSC. Such counter-guaranty was fixed in the amount of 300,000 Mexican pesos and was given to the court on October 13, 2016 at which time all remaining ex-parte restrictions on NSC related to the challenged transactions were suspended.

On May 2, 2017, the Tecate, Mexico court declared that the initial filing of this lawsuit had expired due to EWG’s lack of activity with respect to certain actions required to proceed to trial. However, EWG can appeal the expiration or refile the lawsuit.

Tijuana Claim – Amparo:

In addition to the Tecate Claim, the Company understands from publicly available information that during 2018, EWG initiated an ordinary mercantile claim against the individual shareholder named in the Tecate Claim, NSC and CW-Cooperatief, (with 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”).

Neither NSC nor CW-Cooperatief have been officially served with such claim, nor has AdR been notified that it has to appear for such trial. However, the Company understands that this claim is similar to the Tecate Claim in the petitions sought by EWG. In this claim, EWG challenged, among other things, the transactions contemplated under the Option Agreement, and therefore, the capital investment transactions that increased the ownership interest of CW-Cooperatief in NSC to 99.99%, as a consequence of the Option Agreement. EWG requested that the court, as a preliminary matter: (a) suspend the effectiveness of the challenged transactions; (b) order public officials in Mexico to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records (including a special request to register a lien over the real estate owned by NSC); (c) appoint an inspector for NSC to oversee its commercial activities; and (d) order public officials in Mexico and credit institutions abroad to refrain from authorizing or executing any legal act related with the activities of the plaintiff, the co-defendants and the third party called to trial to avoid damages to third parties, including those with whom negotiations or any form of commercial or administrative activities, or activities of any other nature related with the “Rosarito” water desalination project, are being carried out. We understand that the Tenth Civil Judge granted, ex-parte, the preliminary relief sought by EWG, which resulted in the issuance of official writs to several governmental/public entities involved with the Project. AdR and NSC are in the process of preparing legal responses to this claim under the belief they will be officially served in the near future.

On April 25, 2018, AdR filed an amparo (i.e. a constitutional appeal) against the official writs issued by the Tenth Civil Judge to two governmental entities. On May 2, the Third District Court in Amparo and Federal Trials in the State of Baja California granted a provisional suspension, whereby the effects and consequences of the claimed official writs were temporarily suspended. On May 4, 2018, the amparo claim was amended to also request protection against additional official writs issued by the Tenth Civil Judge to two other governmental entities and one banking institution. AdR is awaiting the incidental hearing on this amparo amendment.

We cannot presently determine what impact the resolution of this litigation may have on the Project.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our business faces significant risks. These risks include those disclosed in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 as supplemented by the additional risk factors included below. If any of the events or circumstances described in the referenced risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected and such events or circumstances could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this report. These risks should be read in conjunction with the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report as well as in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and in our other periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.

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

In the Cayman Islands, we provide water to retail customers under a license issued in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government that grants our subsidiary, Cayman Water, the exclusive right to provide water to retail customers within our licensed service area. Pursuant to the license, we have the exclusive right to produce potable water and distribute it by pipeline to our licensed service area, which consists of two of the three most populated areas of Grand Cayman, the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas. For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, we generated approximately 42% and 41%, respectively, of our consolidated revenues and 55% and 56%, respectively, of our consolidated gross profit from the retail water operations conducted pursuant to Cayman Water’s exclusive license.

The license was originally scheduled to expire in July 2010 but has been extended several times by the Cayman Islands government in order to provide the parties with additional time to negotiate the terms of a new license agreement. The most recent extension of the license expired on January 31, 2018. We continue to provide water subsequent to January 31, 2018 on the assumption that the license has been further extended to allow the parties to continue negotiations without interruption to an essential service.

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 which transferred responsibility for economic regulation of the water utility sector and the retail license negotiations from the Water Authority - Cayman (“WAC”) to OfReg in May 2017. We began license negotiations with OfReg for a new retail license in July 2017 and such negotiations continue.

The resolution of these license negotiations could result in a material reduction of the operating income and cash flows we have historically generated from our retail operations and could require us to record an impairment loss to reduce the carrying value of our goodwill. Such impairment loss could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

Our bulk water supply agreements in the Cayman Islands may not be renewed or may be renewed on terms less favorable to us.

All of our bulk water supply agreements are for fixed terms, and such agreements for plants that we operate but are owned by our customers provide for our customers to take over the operations of the plant upon expiration of the agreements.

Our bulk water supply agreements with the WAC for their North Sound and Red Gate plants expire in July 2018 and July 2018, respectively. Our bulk water supply agreement with the WAC for their North Side Water Works plant expires in June 2019.

We generated total revenues of approximately $1.8 million and $7.2 million from these three plants during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017, respectively.

If we do not obtain new bulk water supply agreements for these three plants, or if such new agreements are obtained on terms less favorable to us than our existing agreements, our results of operations and cash flows will be adversely affected.

We have paid $22.0 million for land, rights of way and equipment and incurred development expenses of approximately $24.3 million to date for a possible project in Mexico. We expect to expend significant additional funds in 2018 to continue to pursue this project. However, we may not be successful in completing this project. 

We own 99.99% of N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), a development stage Mexico company formed to pursue a project encompassing the construction, operation and minority ownership of a 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico and an accompanying pipeline to deliver water to the Mexican potable water system (the “Project”). As of March 31, 2018, our consolidated balance sheet includes purchases for the Project of approximately $22.0 million for land, rights of way and equipment. The Project development activities we have conducted, which include conducting an equipment piloting plant and water data collection program at the proposed feed water source, completing various engineering studies and obtaining various governmental permits, have resulted in additional developmental expenses totaling $24.3 million from 2010 through March 31, 2018.

In August 2014, the State of Baja California (the “State”) enacted new legislation to regulate Public-Private Association projects which involve the type of long-term contract between a public-sector authority and a private party that NSC is seeking to complete the Project. Pursuant to this new legislation, in November 2015 the State officially commenced a tender process for the Project, the scope of which the State defined as a first phase to be operational in 2019 consisting of a 50 million gallon per day plant and a pipeline that connects to the Mexican potable water infrastructure and a second phase to be operational in 2024 consisting of an additional 50 million gallons per day of production capacity. A consortium comprised of NSC, NuWater S.A.P.I. de C.V. and Degremont S.A. de C.V. (the “Consortium”) submitted its tender for the Project in April 2016 and in June 2016, the State designated the Consortium as the winner of tender process for the Project.

Due to the amount of capital the Project requires, NSC will ultimately need an equity partner or partners for the Project. Consequently, NSC’s tender to the State for the Project was based upon the following: (i) NSC will sell or otherwise transfer the land and other Project assets to a new company (“Newco”) that would build and own the Project; (ii) NSC’s potential partners would provide the majority of the equity for the Project and thereby would own the majority interest in Newco; (iii) NSC would maintain a minority ownership position in Newco; and (iv) Newco would enter into a long-term management and technical services contract for the Project with an entity partially owned by NSC or another Company subsidiary.

On August 17, 2016, NSC and NuWater incorporated Newco under the name Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”), a special purpose company, to complete the Project and executed a shareholders agreement 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. As of December 31, 2017, NSC owned 99.6% of the equity of AdR.

On August 22, 2016, the Public Private Partnership Agreement for public private partnership number 002/2015, contest number SIDUE-CEA-APP-2015-002 (“APP Contract”), was executed between AdR, the State Water Commission of Baja California (“CEA”), the Government of Baja California represented by the Secretary of Planning and Finance and the Public Utilities Commission of Tijuana (“CESPT”). The APP Contract requires AdR to design, construct, finance and operate a seawater desalination plant (and accompanying aqueducts) 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 and an aqueduct to a second delivery point in Tijuana. The first phase must be operational within 36 months of commencing construction and the second phase must be operational by the end of 2024. The APP Contract further requires AdR to operate and maintain the plant and aqueducts for a period of 37 years starting from the commencement of operation of the first phase. At the end of the operating period, the plant and aqueducts will be transferred to CEA. The total cost for Phase 1 of the Project is presently estimated at approximately 9.1 billion Mexican pesos.

The APP Contract does not become effective until the following conditions are met:

Both the exchange rate for the Mexico peso relative to the dollar and general macroeconomic conditions in Mexico have varied since the execution of the APP Contract. These changes could adversely impact the estimated construction, operating, and financing costs for the Project. The APP Contract and the APP Law allow for the parties to negotiate (but do not guarantee) modifications to the water tariff in the event of such significant macroeconomic condition changes. In February 2017, AdR submitted proposals to the CEA requesting an increase to the water tariff to compensate for changes in foreign exchange rates, lending rates and certain changes in law which have impacted the Project. If AdR is unable to obtain this requested increase in the water tariff, it may be unable to obtain the debt and equity financing required for the Project. We are currently unable to determine whether or not such water tariff increase will be approved.

In February 2018, AdR executed a subscription agreement (the “Agreement”) for the equity funding required for the Project. The Agreement calls for NSC to retain a minimum of 25% of the equity in AdR. One or more affiliates of Greenfield SPV VII, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“Greenfield”), a Mexico company managed by an affiliate of a leading U.S. asset manager, will acquire a minimum of 55% of the equity of AdR. The Agreement also provides Suez Medio Ambiente México, S.A. de C.V., (“Suez”), a subsidiary of SUEZ International, S.A.S., with the option to purchase 20% of the equity of AdR. If Suez does not exercise this option, NSC will retain 35% of the equity of AdR and Greenfield will acquire 65% of the equity of AdR. The Agreement will become effective when the additional conditions related to the Project are met, including but not limited to those conditions discussed previously with respect to this risk factor. The aggregate investment to be made by the equity partners in the Project, in the form of equity and subordinated shareholder loans, is presently estimated at approximately 20% of the total cost of Phase 1 of the Project.

If AdR is ultimately unable to proceed with the Project, the land NSC has purchased and the right of way deposits may lose their strategic importance derived from their association with the Project and consequently may decline in value. If AdR does not proceed with the Project, NSC may ultimately be unable to sell this land or recoup its right of way deposits for amounts at least equal to their current carrying values of approximately $20.6 million and $1.3 million, respectively. Any loss on the sale of the land, or impairment losses NSC may be required to record as a result of a decrease in the (i) fair value of the land; or (ii) value of the rights of way arising from the inability to complete the Project could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

We have been required to record impairment losses to reduce the carrying value of the goodwill arising from our acquisition of Aerex in February 2016. If Aerex’s future financial performance falls short of our most recent financial projections for this subsidiary, we may be required to record additional impairment losses to reduce the carrying value of this goodwill.

In February 2016, we acquired a 51% ownership interest in Aerex. In connection with this acquisition, we recorded initial goodwill of $8,035,211. Aerex’s actual results of operations in the six months following our acquisition of this company fell significantly short of the projected results that were included in the overall cash flow projections we utilized to determine the purchase price for Aerex and the fair values of its assets and liabilities. Due to this shortfall in Aerex’s results of operations, we updated our projections for Aerex’s future cash flows and tested Aerex’s goodwill for possible impairment as of September 30, 2016 by estimating its fair value using the discounted cash flow method. As a result of this impairment testing, we determined that the carrying value of our Aerex goodwill exceeded its fair value and recorded an impairment loss of $1,750,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2016 to reduce the carrying value of this goodwill to $6,285,211. As part of our annual impairment testing of goodwill performed during the fourth quarter of each year, we updated our projections for Aerex’s future cash flows, determined that the carrying value of our Aerex goodwill exceeded its fair value, and recorded an impairment loss of $1,400,000 for the three months ended December 31, 2017 to further reduce the carrying value of this goodwill to $4,885,211. We may be required to record additional impairment losses to reduce the carrying value of our Aerex goodwill in future periods if we determine it likely that Aerex’s results of operations will fall short of our most recent projections of its future cash flows. Such impairment losses could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

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

There were no unregistered sales of equity securities during the three months ended March 31, 2018.

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

SIGNATURES

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

Date: May 10, 2018