ORMAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. - Annual Report: 2009 (Form 10-K)

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

 

 

Commission file number: 001-32347

ORMAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

6225 Neil Road, Reno, Nevada 89511-1136

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(775) 356-9029

 

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

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 þ     No o

 

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 o     No o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  o

 

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

 

 

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

 

As of June 30, 2009, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $804,492,831 based on the closing price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

 

The number of outstanding shares of common stock of the registrant, as of March 4, 2010, was 45,430,886.

 

Documents Incorporated by Reference: Part III (Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14) incorporates by reference portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed not later than 120 days after December 31, 2009.

 

 

ORMAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

 

FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2009

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Glossary of Terms

 

When the following terms and abbreviations appear in the text of this report, they have the meanings indicated below:

 

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

This annual report includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this report that address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future, including such matters as our projections of annual revenues, expenses and debt service coverage with respect to our debt securities, future capital expenditures, business strategy, competitive strengths, goals, development or operation of generation assets, market and industry developments and the growth of our business and operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this annual report, the words “may”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “predicts”, “projects”, “potential”, or “contemplate” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such words or expressions. The forward-looking statements in this report are primarily located in the material set forth under the headings “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained in Part II, Item 7, “Risk Factors” contained in Part I, Item IA, and “Notes to Financial Statements” contained in Part II, Item 8 of this annual report, but are found in other locations as well. These forward-looking statements generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for future operations and are based upon management’s current estimates and projections of future results or trends. Although we believe that our plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we may not achieve these plans or objectives. You should read this annual report completely and with the understanding that actual future results and developments may be materially different from what we expect due to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. We will not update forward-looking statements even though our situation may change in the future.

 

Specific factors that might cause actual results to differ from our expectations include, but are not limited to:

 

 

 

 

Certain Definitions

 

Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this annual report to “Ormat”, “the Company”, “we”, “us”, “our company”, “Ormat Technologies”, or “our” refer to Ormat Technologies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. A glossary of certain terms and abbreviations used in this annual report appears at the beginning of this report.

 

Overview

 

We are a leading vertically integrated company engaged in the geothermal and recovered energy power business. We design, develop, build, own, and operate clean, environmentally friendly geothermal and recovered energy-based power plants, usually using equipment that we design and manufacture. Our geothermal power plants include both power plants that we have built and power plants that we have acquired, while all of our recovered energy-based plants have been constructed by us. We conduct our business activities in two business segments, which we refer to as our Electricity Segment and Product Segment. In our Electricity Segment, we develop, build, own and operate geothermal and recovered energy-based power plants in the United States and geothermal power plants in other countries around the world and sell the electricity they generate. In our Product Segment, we design, manufacture and sell equipment for geothermal and recovered energy-based electricity generation, remote power units and other power generating units and provide services relating to the engineering, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of geothermal and recovered energy power plants.

The map below shows our current worldwide portfolio of operating geothermal power plants and recovered energy plants, as well as the geothermal and recovered energy-based power plants that are under construction and in development.

 

 

The charts below show the relative contributions of the Electricity Segment and the Product Segment to our consolidated revenues and the geographical breakdown of our segment revenues for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2009. Additional information concerning our segment operations, including year-to-year comparisons of revenues, the geographical breakdown of revenues, cost of revenues, results of operations, and trends and uncertainties is provided below in Item 7 — “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Item 8 — “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”.

The following chart sets forth a breakdown of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2009:

 

 

The following chart sets forth the geographical breakdown of the revenues attributable to our Electricity Segment for the year ended December 31, 2009:

 

The following chart sets forth the geographical breakdown of the revenues attributable to our Product Segment for the year ended December 31, 2009:

 

 

Most of the power plants that we currently own or operate produce electricity from geothermal energy sources. Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable and generally sustainable form of energy derived from the natural heat of the earth. Unlike electricity produced by burning fossil fuels, electricity produced from geothermal energy sources is produced without emissions of certain pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, and with far lower emissions of other pollutants such as carbon dioxide. Therefore, electricity produced from geothermal energy sources contributes significantly less to local and regional incidences of acid rain and global warming than energy produced by burning fossil fuels. Geothermal energy is also an attractive alternative to other sources of energy as part of a national diversification strategy to avoid dependence on any one energy source or politically sensitive supply sources.

 

In addition to our geothermal energy business, we manufacture products that produce electricity from recovered energy or so-called “waste heat”. We also construct, own, and operate recovered energy power plants. Recovered energy represents residual heat that is generated as a by-product of gas turbine-driven compressor stations and a variety of industrial processes, such as cement manufacturing. Such residual heat, which would otherwise be wasted, may be captured in the recovery process and used by recovered energy power plants to generate electricity without burning additional fuel and without additional emissions.

 

Company Contact and Sources of Information

 

We file annual, quarterly and periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may obtain and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an internet website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and other information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Our SEC filings are accessible via the internet at that website.

 

Our reports on Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available through our website at www.ormat.com for downloading, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after these reports are filed with the SEC. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Code of Ethics Applicable to Senior Executives, Audit Committee Charter, Corporate Governance Guidelines, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter, Compensation Committee Charter, and Insider Trading Policy, as amended, are also available at our website address mentioned above. The content of our website, however, is not part of this annual report.

You may request a copy of our SEC filings, as well as the foregoing corporate documents, at no cost to you, by writing to the Company address appearing in this annual report or by calling us at (775) 356-9029.

 

Our Power Generation Business

 

Power Plants in Operation

 

The table below summarizes certain key non-financial information relating to our power plants as of February 28, 2010.

 

 

 

 

Substantially all of the revenues that we currently derive from the sale of electricity are pursuant to long-term power purchase agreements. Approximately 62% of our total revenues in the year ended December 31, 2009 from the sale of electricity by our domestic power plants were derived from power purchasers that currently have investment grade credit ratings. The purchasers of electricity from our foreign power plants are either state-owned or private entities.

 

New Power Plants

 

We are currently in various stages of development of new power plants, construction of new power plants and expansion of existing power plants. Our growth plan includes approximately 260 MW in generating capacity from geothermal power plants and from recovered energy power plants in the United States that are expected to come on-line in the next four years.

 

We have various leases and concessions for geothermal resources of approximately 290,000 acres in 22 sites. We have started or plan to start exploration activity at a number of these sites.

 

In addition, we have approximately 55 MW of solar PV projects under development in Israel (including 36 MW in a joint venture with Sunday Energy).

 

Our Product Business

 

We design, manufacture and sell products for electricity generation and provide the related services described below. Generally, we manufacture products only against customer orders and do not manufacture products for our own inventory.

 

Power Units for Geothermal Power Plants.  We design, manufacture and sell power units for geothermal electricity generation, which we refer to as OECs. Our customers include contractors and geothermal power plant owners and operators.

 

Power Units for Recovered Energy-Based Power Generation.  We design, manufacture and sell power units used to generate electricity from recovered energy, or so-called “waste heat.” This heat is generated as a residual by-product of gas turbine-driven compressor stations and a variety of industrial processes, such as cement manufacturing, and is not otherwise used for any purpose. Our existing and target customers include interstate natural gas pipeline owners and operators, gas processing plant owners and operators, cement plant owners and operators, and other companies engaged in other energy-intensive industrial processes.

 

EPC of Power Plants.  We engineer, procure, and construct, as an EPC contractor, geothermal and recovered energy power plants on a turnkey basis, using power units we design and manufacture. Our customers are geothermal power plant owners as well as the same customers described above that we target for the sale of our power units for recovered energy-based power generation. Unlike many other companies that provide EPC services, we have an advantage in that we are using our own manufactured equipment and thus have better control over the timing and delivery of required equipment and its related costs.

 

Remote Power Units and Other Generators.  We design, manufacture and sell fossil fuel powered turbo-generators with a capacity ranging between 200 watts and 5,000 watts, which operate unattended in extreme climate conditions, whether hot or cold. Our customers include contractors installing gas pipelines in remote areas. In

addition, we design, manufacture, and sell generators for various other uses, including heavy duty direct-current generators.

 

History

 

We were formed as a Delaware corporation by Ormat Industries Ltd. (also referred to in this annual report as the “Parent”, “Ormat Industries”, “the parent company”, or “our parent”) in 1994. Ormat Industries was one of the first companies to focus on the development of equipment for the production of clean, renewable and generally sustainable forms of energy. Ormat Industries owns approximately 56.0% of our outstanding common stock.

 

Industry Background

 

Geothermal Energy

 

Most of our power plants in operation produce electricity from geothermal energy. There are several different sources or methods to obtain geothermal energy, which are described below.

 

Hydrothermal geothermal-electricity generation — Hydrothermal geothermal energy is derived from naturally occurring hydrothermal reservoirs that are formed when water comes sufficiently close to hot rock to heat the water to temperatures of 300 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The heated water then ascends toward the surface of the earth where, if geological conditions are suitable for its commercial extraction, it can be extracted by drilling geothermal wells. The energy necessary to operate a geothermal power plant is typically obtained from several such wells which are drilled using established technology that is in some respects similar to that employed in the oil and gas industry. Geothermal production wells are normally located within approximately one to two miles of the power plant as geothermal fluids cannot be transported economically over longer distances due to heat and pressure loss. The geothermal reservoir is a renewable source of energy if natural ground water sources and reinjection of extracted geothermal fluids are adequate over the long-term to replenish the geothermal reservoir following the withdrawal of geothermal fluids and if the well field is properly operated. Geothermal energy power plants typically have higher capital costs (primarily as a result of the costs attributable to well field development) but tend to have significantly lower variable operating costs (principally consisting of maintenance expenditures) than fossil fuel-fired power plants that require ongoing fuel expenses. In addition, because geothermal energy power plants produce 24hr/day weather independent power, the variable operating costs are lower.

 

EGS — An EGS has been broadly defined as a subsurface system that may be artificially created to extract heat from hot rock where the characteristics required for a hydrothermal system, i.e., permeability and aquifers, are non-existent. A geothermal power plant that uses EGS techniques would recover the thermal energy from the subsurface rocks by creating or accessing a system of open fractures in the rock through which water can be injected, heated through contact with the hot rock, returned to the surface in production wells and transferred to a power unit.

 

Co-produced Geothermal from Oil and Gas fields, geo-pressurized resources — Another source of geothermal energy is hot water produced from oil and gas production. This application is referred to as “Co-produced Fluids”. In some oil and gas fields, water is produced as a by-product of the oil and gas extraction. When the wells are deep the fluids are often at high temperatures and if the water volume is significant, the hot water can be used for power generation in equipment similar to a geothermal power plant.

 

Geothermal Power Plant Technologies

 

Geothermal power plants generally employ either binary systems or conventional flash design systems, as described below. In our geothermal power plants, we also employ our proprietary technology of combined geothermal cycle systems.

 

Binary System

 

In a geothermal power plant using a binary system, geothermal fluid, either hot water (also called brine) or steam or both, is extracted from the underground reservoir and flows from the wellhead through a gathering system of insulated steel pipelines to a heat exchanger, which heats a secondary working fluid which has a low boiling point. This is typically an organic fluid, such as isopentane or isobutene, which is vaporized and is used to drive the

turbine. The organic fluid is then condensed in a condenser which may be cooled by air or by water from a cooling tower. The condensed fluid is then recycled back to the heat exchanger, closing the cycle within the sealed system. The cooled geothermal fluid is then reinjected back into the reservoir. The binary technology is depicted in the graphic below.

 

 

Flash Design System

 

In a geothermal power plant using flash design, geothermal fluid is extracted from the underground reservoir and flows from the wellhead through a gathering system of insulated steel pipelines to flash tanks and/or separators. There, the steam is separated from the brine and is sent to a demister in the plant, where any remaining water droplets are removed. This produces a stream of dry saturated steam, which drives a turbine generator to produce electricity. In some cases, the brine at the outlet of the separator is flashed a second time (dual flash), providing additional steam at lower pressure used in the low pressure section of the steam turbine to produce additional electricity. Steam exhausted from the steam turbine is condensed in a surface or direct contact condenser cooled by cold water from a cooling tower. The non-condensable gases (such as carbon dioxide) are removed through the removal system in order to optimize the performance of the steam turbines. The condensate is used to provide

make-up water for the cooling tower. The hot brine remaining after separation of steam is injected back into the geothermal resource through a series of injection wells. The flash technology is depicted in the graphic below.

 

 

In some instances, the wells directly produce dry steam (the flashing occurring underground). In such cases, the steam is fed directly to the steam turbine and the rest of the system is similar to the flash power plant described above.

 

Ormat’s Proprietary Technology

 

Our proprietary technology may be used in power plants operating according to the Organic Rankine Cycle only or in combination with, various other commonly used thermodynamic technologies that convert heat to mechanical power. It can be used with a variety of thermal energy sources, such as geothermal, recovered energy, biomass, solar energy and fossil fuels. Specifically, our technology involves original designs of turbines, pumps, and heat exchangers, as well as formulation of organic motive fluids. All of our motive fluids are non-ozone-depleting substances. Using advanced computerized fluid dynamics and other computer aided design software as well as our test facilities, we continuously seek to improve power plant components, reduce operations and maintenance costs, and increase the range of our equipment and applications. In particular, we are examining ways to increase the output of our plants by utilizing evaporative cooling, cold reinjection, performance simulation programs, and topping turbines. In the geothermal as well as the recovered energy (waste heat) areas, we are examining two-level recovered energy systems and new motive fluids.

We also construct combined cycle geothermal power plants in which the steam first produces power in a backpressure steam turbine and is subsequently condensed in a vaporizer of a binary plant, which produces additional power. Our combined cycle technology is depicted in the graphic below.

 

 

In the conversion of geothermal energy into electricity, our technology has a number of advantages compared with conventional geothermal steam turbine plants. A conventional geothermal steam turbine plant consumes significant quantities of water, causing depletion of the aquifer, and also requires cooling water treatment with chemicals and thus a need for the disposal of such chemicals. A conventional geothermal steam turbine plant also creates a significant visual impact in the form of an emitted plume from the cooling tower during cold weather. By contrast, our binary and combined cycle geothermal power plants have a low profile with minimum visual impact and do not emit a plume when they use air cooled condensers. Our binary and combined cycle geothermal power plants reinject all of the geothermal fluids utilized in the respective processes into the geothermal reservoir. Consequently, such processes generally have no emissions.

 

Other advantages of our technology include simplicity of operation and easy maintenance, low round per minute, temperature and pressure in the OEC, a high efficiency turbine, and the fact that there is no contact between the turbine itself and often corrosive geothermal fluids.

 

We use the same elements of our technology in our recovered energy products. The heat source may be exhaust gases from a simple cycle gas turbine, low pressure steam, or medium temperature liquid found in the process industry. In most cases, we attach an additional heat exchanger in which we circulate thermal oil to transfer the heat into the OEC’s own vaporizer in order to provide greater operational flexibility and control. Once this stage of each recovery is completed, the rest of the operation is identical to the OEC used in our geothermal power plants. The same advantages of using the Organic Rankine Cycle apply here as well. In addition, our technology allows for better load following than conventional steam turbines exhibit, requires no water treatment as it is air cooled, and does not require the continuous presence of a steam licensed operator on site.

Our REG technology is depicted in the graphic below.

 

 

Patents

 

More than 75 United States patents (and about 18 pending patents) cover our products (mainly power units based on the Organic Rankine Cycle) and systems (mainly geothermal power plants and industrial waste heat recovery for electricity production). The systems-related patents cover not only a particular component but also the overall effectiveness of the plant’s systems from the “fuel” (e.g., geothermal fluid, waste heat, biomass or solar) to generated electricity. The duration of such patents ranges from one year to fifteen years. No single patent on its own is material to our business.

 

The products-related patents cover components such as turbines, heat exchanges, seals and controls. The system patents cover subjects such as disposal of non-condensable gases present in geothermal fluids, power plants for very high pressure geothermal resources, and use of two-phase fluids as well as processes related to EGS. A number of patents cover the combined cycle geothermal power plants, in which the steam first produces power in a backpressure steam turbine and is subsequently condensed in a vaporizer of a binary plant, which produces additional power.

 

Research and Development

 

We are conducting research and development of new EGS technologies and their application to our power plants. We are undertaking this development effort in cooperation with GeothermEx Inc., the University of Utah Energy & Geoscience Institute, the University of Nevada-Reno, and the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, with funding support from the DOE, at our Desert Peak 2 and Brady power plants in Nevada.

 

We are developing an OEC unit for a REG plant designed to use the residual energy from the vaporization process of LNG in LNG receiving terminals. The power plant takes advantage of the available hot and cold sources (sea water and LNG at minus 238 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively) in the regasification process to generate electrical power from unused heat energy.

In another activity we are examining modifications to the cooling towers and equipment design that will help to reduce the water consumption and costs for cooling towers operating in existing power plants and future projects.

 

Market Opportunity

 

Interest in geothermal energy in the United States has increased as production costs for electricity generated from geothermal resources have become more competitive relative to fossil fuel-based electricity generation and as legislative and regulatory incentives have become more prevalent, as described below.

 

Although electricity generation from geothermal resources is currently concentrated in California, Nevada, Hawaii, Idaho and Utah, there are opportunities for development in other states such as Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico and Oregon due to the availability of geothermal resources and, in some cases, a favorable regulatory environment in such states.

 

The Western Governors Association estimates that 13,000 MW of identified resources will be developed by 2025. In a report issued in January 2009, the Geothermal Energy Association identified 132 new geothermal projects under various phases of development in 14 U.S. States that have between 4,250 MW and 6,400 MW potential capacity. Approximately 45% of the identified capacity is in the initial phase of exploration.

 

An additional factor fueling recent growth in the renewable energy industry is global concern about the environment. Power plants that use fossil fuels generate higher levels of air pollution and their emissions have been linked to acid rain and global warming. In response to an increasing demand for “green” energy, many countries have adopted legislation requiring, and providing incentives for, electric utilities to sell electricity generated from renewable energy sources. In the United States, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Colombia have all adopted RPS, renewable portfolio goals, or similar laws requiring or encouraging electric utilities in such states to generate or buy a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable energy sources or recovered heat sources.

 

Twenty-eight states (including California, Nevada, and Hawaii, where we have been the most active in our geothermal energy development and in which all of our U.S. geothermal power plants are located) and the District of Columbia define geothermal resources as “renewable”.

 

According to the EPA, fourteen states have enacted RPS and Alternative Portfolio Standards that include some form of combined heat and power and/or waste heat recovery. The fourteen states are: Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia.

 

We believe that these legislative measures and initiatives present a significant market opportunity for us. For example, California generally requires that each investor-owned electric utility company operating within the state increase the amount of renewable generation in its resource mix by at least 1% of its retail sales annually so that 20% of its retail sales are procured from eligible renewable energy sources by 2010. In November 2008, California, by Executive Order, adopted a goal for all retailers of electricity to serve 33% of their load with renewable energy by 2020. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order on September 15, 2009, directing the California Air Resources Board to adopt regulations increasing California’s RPS to 33% by 2020. California’s three large electric utilities collectively served 13% of their 2008 electricity retail sales with renewable power. Nevada’s RPS requires each Nevada electric utility to obtain 12% of its annual energy requirements from renewable energy sources in 2009-2010, which requirement thereafter increases by 3% every two years until 2015, when 20% of such annual energy requirements must be provided from renewable energy sources or energy efficiency projects. As of March 2009, 9% of the electricity retail sales in Nevada were from renewable energy sources. Hawaii’s RPS requires each Hawaiian electric utility to obtain 10% of its net electricity sales from renewable energy sources by December 31, 2010, 15% by December 31, 2015 and 20% by December 31, 2020. In 2008, Hawaiian Electric Company and its subsidiaries achieved a consolidated RPS of 17.8%.

On the federal level, climate change legislation has been approved in the House of Representatives and similar legislation has been proposed in the Senate. In 2009, the EPA issued an “endangerment” finding under the Clean Air Act for greenhouse gases. This finding allows EPA to promulgate regulations in connection with emissions of greenhouse gases.

 

Regional initiatives are also being developed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop trading systems for renewable energy credits. For example, ten Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States are part of the RGGI, a regional cap-and-trade system to limit carbon dioxide. The RGGI is the first mandatory, market-based carbon dioxide emissions reduction program in the United States. The first-in-the-nation auction of carbon dioxide allowances was held in September 2008. Under RGGI, the ten participating states plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by 10% by 2018.

 

In addition to RGGI, other states have also established the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord and the Western Climate Initiative. Although individual and regional programs will take some time to develop, their requirements, particularly the creation of any market-based trading mechanism to achieve compliance with emissions caps, should be advantageous to in-state and in-region (and, in some cases, such as RGGI and the state of California, inter-regional) energy generating sources that have low carbon emissions such as geothermal energy. Although it is currently difficult to quantify the direct economic benefit of these efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we believe they will prove advantageous to us.

 

The federal government also encourages production of electricity from geothermal resources through certain tax subsidies. Under the ARRA, we are permitted to claim 30% of the qualified cost of the equipment and construction of each new geothermal power plant in the United States, when such plant is placed in service as an ITC against our federal income taxes. Alternatively, we are permitted to claim a PTC, which in 2009 was 2.1 cents per kWh and which is adjusted annually for inflation. The PTC may be claimed for ten years on the electricity output from any new geothermal power plants put into service prior to December 31, 2013. The owner of the power plant must choose between the PTC and the 30% ITC described above. In either case, under current tax rules, any unused tax credit has a one-year carry back and a twenty-year carry forward. Another alternative available is a cash grant in lieu of the tax credits (ITC and PTC), for the amount of the ITC. That option will be available for projects placed in service in 2010, or that started construction during 2009 or 2010 and are completed by 2013. There have been several legislative efforts to extend this cash grant program, one of which would use a refundable tax credit modeled on the grant program. Whether we claim the PTC or the ITC, we are also permitted to depreciate most of the plant for tax purposes over five years on an accelerated basis, meaning that more of the cost may be deducted in the first few years than during the remainder of the depreciation period. If we claim the ITC or receive the cash grant, our tax basis in the plant that we can recover through depreciation must be reduced by half of the tax credit or cash grant; if we claim a PTC, there is no reduction in the tax basis for depreciation.

 

Collectively, these tax benefits (to the extent fully utilized) have a present value equivalent to approximately 30% to 40% of the capital cost of a new power plant.

 

Production of electricity from geothermal resources is also supported under the new “Temporary Program For Rapid Deployment of Renewable Energy and Electric Power Transmission Projects” established with the DOE as part of the DOE’s existing Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program. The new program (i) extends the scope of the existing federal loan guarantee program to cover renewable energy projects, renewable energy component manufacturing facilities and electricity transmission projects that embody established commercial, as well as innovative, technologies; and (ii) provides an appropriation to cover the “credit subsidy costs” of such projects (meaning the estimated average costs to the federal government from issuing the loan guarantee, equivalent to a lending bank’s loan loss reserve).

 

To be eligible for a guarantee under the new program, a supported project must break ground, and the guarantee must be issued by September 30, 2011. A project supported by the federal guarantee under the new program must pay prevailing federal wages.

 

Operations outside of the United States may be subject to and/or benefit from requirements under the Kyoto Protocol.

On December 7, 2009 the United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the fifth Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The U.S., China, India, Brazil, and South Africa signed up to the Copenhagen Accord which recognized that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the present day and that actions should be taken to keep any temperature increases to below 2 degrees Celsius. While the document is not legally binding and does not contain any legally binding commitments for reducing CO₂ emissions, the conference is another step in the direction of a binding agreement on climate change and may be consolidated at the next Conference of the Parties meeting in Mexico City later this year.

 

Outside of the United States, the majority of power generating capacity has historically been owned and controlled by governments. Since the early 1990s, however, many foreign governments have privatized their power generation industries through sales to third parties and have encouraged new capacity development and/or refurbishment of existing assets by independent power developers. These foreign governments have taken a variety of approaches to encourage the development of competitive power markets, including awarding long-term contracts for energy and capacity to independent power generators and creating competitive wholesale markets for selling and trading energy, capacity, and related products. Some countries have also adopted active governmental programs designed to encourage clean renewable energy power generation. Several Latin American countries have rural electrification programs and renewable energy programs. For example, Guatemala, where our Zunil and Amatitlan power plants are located, approved in November 2003 a law which created incentives for power generation from renewable energy sources by, among other things, providing economic and fiscal incentives such as exemptions from taxes on the importation of relevant equipment and various tax exemptions for companies implementing renewable energy projects. Another example is New Zealand, where Ormat has been actively designing and supplying geothermal power solutions since 1986. The New Zealand government’s policies to fight climate change include a target for greenhouse gas emissions reductions of between 10% and 20% below 1990 levels by 2020 and the target of increasing renewable electricity generation to 90% of New Zealand’s total electricity generation by 2025. In Indonesia, the government has implemented policies and regulations intended to accelerate the development of renewable energy and geothermal projects in particular. These include designating approximately 4,000 MW of geothermal projects in its 2nd phase of power acceleration projects to be implemented by 2014, of which the majority is IPP projects and the remaining state utility PLN projects. For the IPP, geothermal projects regulations have been implemented providing for incentives such as investment tax credits and accelerated depreciation, and pricing guidelines intended to allow preferential power prices from generators. In addition, there is a regulation providing feed-in tariffs for small scale renewable energy projects up to 10 MW. On a macro level, the Government of Indonesia has committed at the United Natopn Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 20% by 2020, which is intended to be achieved mainly through prevention of deforestation and accelerated renewable energy development. Another example is Chile, where we were recently awarded an exploration concession. The Chilean Renewable Energy Act of 2008 requires that 5% of electricity sold come from renewable sources beginning in 2010, increasing gradually to 10% by 2024.

 

We believe that these developments and governmental plans will create opportunities for us to acquire and develop geothermal power generation facilities internationally, as well as create additional opportunities for our Product Segment.

 

In addition to our geothermal power generation activities, we are pursuing recovered energy-based power generation opportunities in North America and the rest of the world. We believe recovered energy-based power generation will benefit from the increased attention to energy efficiency. For example, in the United States, the FERC has expressed its position that the primary goal of natural gas pipeline design should be the efficient, low-cost transportation of fuel, including through the use of waste heat (recovered energy) from combustion turbines or reciprocating engines that drive station compressors to generate electricity for use at compressor stations or for commercial sale. FERC has requested natural gas pipeline operators filing for a certificate of approval for new pipeline construction or expansion projects to discuss “opportunities to enhance efficiencies for any energy consumption processes in the development and operation” of the new pipeline. We have initially targeted the North American market, where we have begun to build power plants which generate electricity from “waste heat”

from gas turbine-driven compressor stations along interstate natural gas pipelines, from midstream gas processing facilities, and from processing industries in general.

 

Further supporting recovered energy-based power generation, several states, as well as the federal government, have recognized the environmental benefits of recovered energy-based power generation. For example, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington allow electric utilities to include recovered energy-based power generation in calculating their compliance with RPS. In addition, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (through the Rural Utilities Service) have approved recovered energy-based power generation units as renewable energy resources, which qualifies recovered energy-based power generators (whether in those two states or elsewhere in the United States) for federally funded, low interest loans, but currently do not qualify for ITC. Recovery of waste heat is also considered “environmentally friendly” in the western Canadian provinces. We believe that the European market has similar potential and we expect to leverage our early success in North America in order to expand into Europe and other markets worldwide. In North America alone, we estimate the potential total market for recovered energy-based power generation to be over 1,000 MW. However, much of this potential is in states where the cost of electricity is relatively low, which creates marketing challenges.

 

Competitive Strengths

 

Competitive Assets.  Our assets are competitive for the following reasons:

 

 

 

 

 

Although we are confident in our competitive position in light of the strengths described above, we face various challenges in the course of our business operations, including as a result of the risks described in Item 1A — “Risk Factors” below, the trends and uncertainties discussed under Item 7 — “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” below, and the competition we face in our different business segments described under “Competition” below.

 

Business Strategy

 

Our strategy is to continue building a geographically balanced portfolio of geothermal and recovered energy assets, and to continue to be a leading manufacturer and provider of products and services related to renewable energy. We intend to implement this strategy through:

 

 

 

We are also considering various opportunities in the solar energy market in addition to our activity in research and development in the solar field. There are several reasons for this including:

 

 

Among other things, we have considered, and expect to continue considering, a number of different opportunities including:

 

 

 

For example, as noted below, we entered into a joint venture with Sunday Energy for 36 MW PV energy systems in Israel. We have considered, and expect to continue to consider, various acquisition opportunities of companies engaged in various segments of the solar energy power generation business.

 

Recent Developments

 

 

 

Operations of our Power Generation Segment

 

How We Own Our Power Plants.  We customarily establish a separate subsidiary to own interests in each power plant. Our purpose in establishing a separate subsidiary for each plant is to ensure that the plant, and the revenues generated by it, will be the only source for repaying indebtedness, if any, incurred to finance the construction or the acquisition (or to refinance the acquisition) of the relevant plant. If we do not own all of the interest in a power plant, we enter into a shareholders agreement or a partnership agreement that governs the management of the specific subsidiary and our relationship with our partner in connection with the specific power plant. Our ability to transfer or sell our interest in certain power plants may be restricted by certain purchase options or rights of first refusal in favor of our power plant partners or the power plant’s power purchasers and/or certain change of control and assignment restrictions in the underlying power plant and financing documents. All of our domestic power plants, with the exception of the Puna power plant, which is an Exempt Wholesale Generator, are Qualifying Facilities under the PURPA, and are eligible for regulatory exemptions from most provisions of the FPA and certain state laws and regulations.

 

How We Explore and Evaluate Geothermal Resources.  Since 2006, we have expanded our exploration activities, particularly in Nevada. These activities generally involve:

 

 

It normally takes us one to two years from the time we start active exploration of a particular geothermal resource to the time we have an operating production well, assuming we conclude the resource is commercially viable.

 

Initial Evaluation.  As part of our initial evaluation, we generally follow the following process, although our process can vary from site to site depending on the particular circumstances involved:

 

 

Our initial evaluation is usually conducted by our own staff, although we might engage outside service providers for some tasks from time to time. The costs associated with an initial evaluation vary from site to site, based on various factors, including the acreage involved and the costs, if any, of obtaining information from private databases or other sources. On average, our expenses for an initial evaluation of a site range from $20,000 to $100,000.

 

If we conclude, based on the information considered in the initial evaluation, that the geothermal resource can support a commercially viable power plant, taking into account various factors described below, we proceed to Land Acquisition.

 

Land Acquisition.  For domestic power plants, we either lease or own the sites on which our power plants are located. In our foreign power plants, our lease rights for the plant site are generally contained in the terms of a concession agreement or other contract with the host government or an agency thereof. In certain cases, we also enter into one or more geothermal resource leases (or subleases) or a concession or other agreement granting us the exclusive right to extract geothermal resources from specified areas of land, with the owners (or sublessors) of such land. This documentation will usually give us the right to explore, develop, operate, and maintain the geothermal field, including, among other things, the right to drill wells (and if there are existing wells in the area, to alter them) and build pipelines for transmitting geothermal fluid. In certain cases, the holder of rights in the geothermal resource is a governmental entity and in other cases a private entity. Usually the duration of the lease (or sublease) and concession agreement corresponds to the duration of the relevant PPA, if any. In certain other cases, we own the land where the geothermal resource is located, in which case there are no restrictions on its utilization. Leasehold interests in federal land in the United States are regulated by the BLM and the Minerals Management Service. These agencies have rules governing the geothermal leasing process as discussed under the heading “Description of Our Leases and Lands”.

 

For most of our current exploration sites in Nevada, we acquire rights to use geothermal resource through land leases with the BLM, with various states, or through private leases. Under these leases, we typically pay an up-front non-refundable bonus payment, which is a component of the competitive lease process. In addition, we undertake to pay nominal, fixed annual rent payments for the period from the commencement of the lease through the completion of construction. Upon the commencement of power generation, we begin to pay to the lessors long-term royalty payments based on the use of the geothermal resources as defined in the respective agreements. These payments are contingent on the power plant’s revenues. There is a summary of our typical lease terms under the heading “Description of our Leases and Lands”.

 

The up-front bonus and royalty payments vary from site to site and are based, among other things, on current market conditions.

 

Surveys.  Following the acquisition of land rights for a potential geothermal resource, we conduct surface water analyses and soil surveys to determine proximity to possible heat flow anomalies and up-flow/permeable zones and augment our digital database with the results of those analyses. We then initiate a suite of geophysical surveys (e.g., gravity, magnetics, resistivity, magnetotellurics, and spectral surveys) to assess surface and sub-surface structure (e.g., faults and fractures) and develop a roadmap of fluid-flow conduits and overall permeability. All pertinent geophysical data are then used to create three-dimensional geothermal reservoir models that are used to identify drill locations.

 

We make a further determination of the commercial viability of the geothermal resource based on the results of this process, particularly the results of the geochemical and geophysical surveys. If the results from the geochemical and geophysical surveys are poor (i.e., low derived resource temperatures or poor permeability), we will re-evaluate the commercial viability of the geothermal resource and may not proceed to exploratory drilling.

 

Exploratory Drilling.  If we proceed to exploratory drilling, we generally will use outside contractors to create access roads to drilling sites. After obtaining drilling permits, we generally drill temperature gradient holes and/or slim holes using either our own drilling equipment or outside contractors. However, exploration of some geothermal resources can require drilling a full-size well, particularly where the resource is deep underground. If the slim hole is “dry”, it may be capped and the area reclaimed if we conclude that the geothermal resource will not

support a commercially viable power project. If the slim hole supports a conclusion that the geothermal resource will support a commercially viable power plant, it may either be:

 

 

The costs we incur for exploratory drilling vary from site to site based on various factors, including market demand for drilling contractors and equipment (which may be affected by on-shore oil and gas exploration activities, etc.), the accessibility of the drill site, the geology of the site, and the depth of the resource, among other things. However, on average, exploration drilling costs approximately $5 million for each site.

 

At various points during our exploration activities, we re-assess whether the geothermal resource involved will support a commercially viable power plant. In each case, this re-assessment is based on information available at that time. Among other things, we consider the following factors:

 

 

If we conclude that the geothermal resource involved will support a commercially viable power plant, we proceed to constructing a power plant at the site.

 

How We Construct Our Power Plants.  The principal phases involved in constructing one of our power plants are as follows:

 

 

It generally takes approximately two years from the time we drill a Production Well until the power plant becomes operational.

 

Drilling Production Wells.  As noted above, we consider drilling the first Production Well as the beginning of our construction phase for a power plant. The number of Production Wells varies from plant to plant depending, among other things, on the geothermal resource, the projected capacity of the power plant, the power generation equipment to be used and the way geothermal fluids will be re-injected to maintain the geothermal resource and surface conditions. The Production Wells are normally drilled by our own drilling equipment. In some cases we use outside contractors, generally firms that service the on-shore oil and gas industry.

 

The cost for each Production Well varies depending, among other things, on the depth and size of the well and market conditions affecting the supply and demand for drilling equipment, labor and operators. On average, however, our costs for each Production Well range from $3 million to $5 million.

Design.  We use our own employees to design the well field and the power plant, including equipment that we manufacture. The designs vary based on various factors, including local laws, required permits, the geothermal resource, the expected capacity of the power plant and the way geothermal fluids will be re-injected to maintain the geothermal resource and surface conditions.

 

Permits.  We use our own employees and outside consultants to obtain any required permits and licenses for our power plants that are not already covered by the terms of our site leases. The permits and licenses required vary from site to site, and are described below under the heading “Environmental Permits”.

 

Manufacturing.  Generally, we manufacture most of the power generating unit equipment we use at our power plants. Multiple sources of supply are available for all other equipment we do not manufacture.

 

Construction.  We use our own employees to manage the construction work. For site grading, civil, mechanical, and electrical work we use subcontractors.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2009, two sites moved from the exploration stage into construction, compared to one site during the year ended December 31, 2008. For 2009, these sites were Carson Lake, where a full-sized Production Well was drilled, and McGinness Hills. For 2008, this site was Jersey Valley. During the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2009, we discontinued exploration activities at two sites and one site, respectively, after drilling slim holes and concluding that the geothermal resource at those sites would not support commercially viable power plants at this time. Those sites are Buffalo Valley, Grass Valley and Rock Hills, all in northern Nevada. The costs associated with exploration activities at those sites were expensed during the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2009, respectively (see “Write-off of Unsuccessful Exploration Activities” under Item 7 — “Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”). Six new sites were added to our exploration activities in 2009, compared with five sites that were added to our exploration activities in 2008.

 

How We Operate and Maintain Our Power Plants.  We usually employ one of our subsidiaries (Ormat Nevada, for our domestic power plants) to act as operator of our power plants pursuant to the terms of an operation and maintenance agreement. Our operations and maintenance practices are designed to minimize operating costs without compromising safety or environmental standards while maximizing plant flexibility and maintaining high reliability. Our operations and maintenance practices seek to preserve the sustainable characteristics of the geothermal resources we use to produce electricity and maintain steady-state operations within the constraints of those resources reflected in our relevant geologic and hydrologic studies. Our approach to plant management emphasizes the operational autonomy of our individual plant or complex managers and staff to identify and resolve operations and maintenance issues at their respective power plants; however, each power plant or complex draws upon our available collective resources and experience, and that of our subsidiaries. We have organized our operations such that inventories, maintenance, backup, and other operational functions are pooled within each power plant complex and provided by one operation and maintenance provider. This approach enables us to realize cost savings and enhances our ability to meet our power plant availability goals.

 

Safety is a key area of concern to us. We believe that the most efficient and profitable performance of our power plants can only be accomplished within a safe working environment for our employees. Our compensation and incentive program includes safety as a factor in evaluating our employees, and we have a well-developed reporting system to track safety and environmental incidents at our power plants.

 

How We Sell Electricity.  In the United States, the purchasers of power from our power plants are typically investor-owned electric utility companies. Outside of the United States, the purchaser is either a state-owned utility or a privately-owned entity and we typically operate our facilities pursuant to rights granted to us by a governmental agency pursuant to a concession agreement. In each case, we enter into long-term contracts (typically called PPAs) for the sale of electricity or the conversion of geothermal resources into electricity. A power plant’s revenues under a PPA used to consist of two payments — energy payments and capacity payments, however our recent PPAs provide for energy payments only. Energy payments are normally based on a power plant’s electrical output actually delivered to the purchaser measured in kilowatt hours, with payment rates either fixed or indexed to the power purchaser’s “avoided” power costs (i.e., the costs the power purchaser would have incurred itself had it produced the power it is purchasing from third parties, such as us) or rates that escalate at a predetermined percentage each year. Capacity payments are normally calculated based on the generating capacity or the declared capacity of a power

plant available for delivery to the purchaser, regardless of the amount of electrical output actually produced or delivered. In addition, most of our domestic power plants located in California are eligible for capacity bonus payments under the respective PPAs upon reaching certain levels of generation.

 

How We Finance Our Power Plants.  Historically we have funded our power plants with a combination of non-recourse or limited recourse debt, lease financing, parent company loans, and internally generated cash, which includes funds from operation, as well as proceeds from loans under corporate credit facilities, sale of securities, and other sources of liquidity. Such leveraged financing permits the development of power plants with a limited amount of equity contributions, but also increases the risk that a reduction in revenues could adversely affect a particular power plant’s ability to meet its debt obligations. Leveraged financing also means that distributions of dividends or other distributions by plant subsidiaries to us are contingent on compliance with financial and other covenants contained in the financing documents.

 

Non-recourse debt or lease financing refers to debt or lease arrangements involving debt repayments or lease payments that are made solely from the power plant’s revenues (rather than our revenues or revenues of any other power plant) and generally are secured by the power plant’s physical assets, major contracts and agreements, cash accounts and, in many cases, our ownership interest in our affiliate that owns that power plant. These forms of financing are referred to as “project financing.” Project financing transactions generally are structured so that all revenues of a power plant are deposited directly with a bank or other financial institution acting as escrow or security deposit agent. These funds are then payable in a specified order of priority set forth in the financing documents to ensure that, to the extent available, they are used to first pay operating expenses, senior debt service (including lease payments) and taxes, and to fund reserve accounts. Thereafter, subject to satisfying debt service coverage ratios and certain other conditions, available funds may be disbursed for management fees or dividends or, where there are subordinated lenders, to the payment of subordinated debt service.

 

In the event of a foreclosure after a default, our affiliate that owns the power plant would only retain an interest in the assets, if any, remaining after all debts and obligations have been paid in full. In addition, incurrence of debt by a power plant may reduce the liquidity of our equity interest in that power plant because the interest is typically subject both to a pledge in favor of the power plant’s lenders securing the power plant’s debt and to transfer and change of control restrictions set forth in the relevant financing agreements.

 

Limited recourse debt refers to project financing as described above with the addition of our agreement to undertake limited financial support for our affiliate that owns the power plant in the form of certain limited obligations and contingent liabilities. These obligations and contingent liabilities may take the form of guarantees of certain specified obligations, indemnities, capital infusions and agreements to pay certain debt service deficiencies. To the extent we become liable under such guarantees and other agreements in respect of a particular power plant, distributions received by us from other power plants and other sources of cash available to us may be required to be used to satisfy these obligations. To the extent of these limited recourse obligations, creditors of a project financing of a particular power plant may have direct recourse to us.

 

We have also used a financing structure to monetize PTCs and other favorable tax benefits derived from the financed power plants and an operating lease arrangement for one of our power plants.

 

For the next few years we expect to qualify for non-recourse or limited recourse debt financings under the DOE loan guaranty program under the ARRA.

 

The continuing effects of the economic crisis of 2009 could adversely affect our ability to obtain the kind of financing arrangements we have used in the past, and even if those arrangements are still available, the pricing and other terms of such arrangements may not be as favorable to us as in the past.

 

How We Mitigate International Political Risk.  We generally purchase insurance policies to cover our exposure to certain political risks involved in operating in developing countries, as described below under the heading “Insurance”. To date, our political risk insurance contracts are with MIGA, a member of the World Bank Group, and Zurich Re, a private insurance and re-insurance company. Such insurance policies generally cover, subject to the limitations and restrictions contained therein, 80% to 90% of our revenue loss derived from a specified governmental act such as confiscation, expropriation, riots, the inability to convert local currency into hard

currency, and, in certain cases, the breach of agreements. We have obtained such insurance for all of our foreign power plants in operation.

 

Description of Our Leases and Lands

 

We have domestic leases on approximately 398,300 acres of federal, state, and private land in California, Nevada, Utah, Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Idaho. The approximate breakdown between federal, state, and private leases is as follows:

 

 

Each of the leases within each of the categories has standard terms and requirements, as summarized below.

 

We own approximately 5,400 acres of land in Nevada and California.

 

Internationally, our land position includes approximately 27,220 acres.

 

Bureau of Land Management Geothermal Leases

 

Certain of our domestic project subsidiaries have entered into geothermal resources leases with the U.S. government, pursuant to which they have obtained the right to conduct their geothermal development and operations on federally-owned land. These leases are made pursuant to the Geothermal Steam Act and the lessor under such leases is the U.S. government, acting through the BLM.

 

BLM geothermal leases grant the geothermal lessee the right and privilege to drill for, extract, produce, remove, utilize, sell, and dispose of geothermal resources on certain lands, together with the right to build and maintain necessary improvements thereon. The actual ownership of the geothermal resources and other minerals beneath the land is retained in the federal mineral estate. The geothermal lease does not grant to the geothermal lessee the exclusive right to develop the lands, although the geothermal lessee does hold the exclusive right to develop geothermal resources within the lands. The geothermal lessee does not have the right to develop minerals unassociated with geothermal production and cannot prohibit others from developing the minerals present in the lands. The BLM may grant multiple leases for the same lands and, when this occurs, each lessee is under a duty to not unreasonably interfere with the development rights of the other. Because BLM leases do not grant to the geothermal lessee the exclusive right to use the surface of the land, BLM may grant rights to others for activities that do not unreasonably interfere with the geothermal lessee’s uses of the same land; such other activities may include recreational use, off-road vehicles, and/or wind or solar energy developments.

 

Certain BLM leases issued before August 8, 2005 include covenants that require the projects to conduct their operations under the lease in a workmanlike manner and in accordance with all applicable laws and BLM directives and to take all mitigating actions required by the BLM to protect the surface of and the environment surrounding the land. Additionally, certain leases contain additional requirements, some of which concern the mitigation or avoidance of disturbance of any antiquities, cultural values or threatened or endangered plants or animals, the payment of royalties for timber, and the imposition of certain restrictions on residential development on the leased land.

 

BLM leases entered into after August 8, 2005 require the geothermal lessee to conduct operations in a manner that minimizes impacts to the land, air, water, to cultural, biological, visual, and other resources, and to other land uses or users. The BLM may require the geothermal lessee to perform special studies or inventories under guidelines prepared by the BLM. The BLM reserves the right to continue existing leases and to authorize future uses upon or in the leased lands, including the approval of easements or rights-of-way. Prior to disturbing the surface of the leased lands, the geothermal lessee must contact the BLM to be apprised of procedures to be followed and modifications or reclamation measures that may be necessary. Subject to BLM approval, geothermal lessees may enter into unit agreements to cooperatively develop a geothermal resource. The BLM reserves the right to specify rates of development and to require the geothermal lessee to commit to a communitization or unitization agreement if a common geothermal resource is at risk of being overdeveloped.

Typical BLM leases issued to geothermal lessees before August 8, 2005 have a primary term of ten years and will renew so long as geothermal resources are being produced or utilized in commercial quantities, but cannot exceed a period of forty years after the end of the primary term. If at the end of the forty-year period geothermal steam is still being produced or utilized in commercial quantities and the lands are not needed for other purposes, the geothermal lessee will have a preferential right to renew the lease for a second forty-year term, under terms and conditions as the BLM deems appropriate.

 

BLM leases issued after August 8, 2005 have a primary term of ten years. If the geothermal lessee does not reach commercial production within the primary term the BLM may grant two five-year extensions if the geothermal lessee: (i) satisfies certain minimum annual work requirements prescribed by the BLM for that lease, or (ii) makes minimum annual payments. Additionally, if the geothermal lessee is drilling a well for the purposes of commercial production, the primary term (as it may have been extended) may be extended for five years and as long thereafter as steam is being produced and used in commercial quantities (meaning the geothermal lessee either begins producing geothermal resources in commercial quantities or has a well capable of producing geothermal resources in commercial quantities and is making diligent efforts to utilize the resource) for thirty-five years. If, at the end of the extended thirty-five year term, geothermal steam is still being produced or utilized in commercial quantities and the lands are not needed for other purposes, the geothermal lessee will have a preferential right to renew the lease for fifty-five years, under terms and conditions as the BLM deems appropriate.

 

For BLM leases issued before August 8, 2005, the geothermal lessee is required to pay an annual rental fee (on a per acre basis), which escalates according to a schedule described therein, until production of geothermal steam in commercial quantities has commenced. After such production has commenced, the geothermal lessee is required to pay royalties (on a monthly basis) on the amount or value of (i) steam, (ii) by-products derived from production, and (iii) commercially de-mineralized water sold or utilized by the project (or reasonably susceptible to such sale or use).

 

For BLM leases issued after August 8, 2005, (i) a geothermal lessee who has obtained a lease through a non-competitive bidding process will pay an annual rental fee equal to $1.00 per acre for the first ten years and $5.00 per acre each year thereafter, and (ii) a geothermal lessee who has obtained a lease through a competitive process will pay a rental equal to $2.00 per acre for the first year, $3.00 per acre for the second through tenth year and $5.00 per acre each year thereafter. Rental fees paid before the first day of the year for which the rental is owed will be credited towards royalty payments for that year. For BLM leases issued, effective, or pending on August 5, 2005 or thereafter, royalty rates are fixed between 1-2.5% of the gross proceeds from the sale of electricity during the first ten years of production under the lease. The royalty rate set by the BLM for geothermal resources produced for the commercial generation of electricity but not sold in an arm’s length transaction is 1.75% for the first ten years of production and 3.5% thereafter. The royalty rate for geothermal resources sold by the geothermal lessee or an affiliate in an arm’s length transaction is 10% of the gross proceeds from the arm’s length sale. The BLM may readjust the rental or royalty rates at not less than twenty year intervals beginning thirty-five years after the date geothermal steam is produced.

 

In the event of a default under any BLM lease, or the failure to comply with any of the provisions of the Geothermal Steam Act or regulations issued under the Geothermal steam Act or the terms or stipulations of the lease, the BLM may, 30 days after notice of default is provided to the relevant project, (i) suspend operations until the requested action is taken, or (ii) cancel the lease.

 

Private Geothermal Leases

 

Certain of our domestic project subsidiaries have entered into geothermal resources leases with private parties, pursuant to which they have obtained the right to conduct their geothermal development and operations on privately owned land. In many cases, the lessor under these private geothermal leases owns only the geothermal resource and not the surface of the land.

 

Typically, the leases grant our project subsidiaries the exclusive right and privilege to drill for, produce, extract, take and remove from the leased land water, brine, steam, steam power, minerals (other than oil), salts, chemicals, gases (other than gases associated with oil), and other products produced or extracted by such project subsidiary. The project subsidiaries are also granted certain non-exclusive rights pertaining to the construction and operation of plants, structures, and facilities on the leased land. Additionally, the project subsidiaries are granted the right to

dispose of waste brine and other waste products as well as the right to reinject into the leased land water, brine, steam, and gases in a well or wells for the purpose of maintaining or restoring pressure in the productive zones beneath the leased land or other land in the vicinity. Because the private geothermal leases do not grant to the lessee the exclusive right to use the surface of the land, the lessor reserves the right to conduct other activities on the leased land in a manner that does not unreasonably interfere with the geothermal lessee’s uses of the same land, which other activities may include agricultural use (farming or grazing), recreational use and hunting, and/or wind or solar energy developments.

 

The leases provide for a term consisting of a primary term in the range of five to 30 years, depending on the lease, and so long thereafter as lease products are being produced or the project subsidiary is engaged in drilling, extraction, processing, or reworking operations on the leased land.

 

As consideration under most of our project subsidiaries’ private leases, the project subsidiary must pay to the lessor a certain specified percentage of the value “at the well” (which is not attributable to the enhanced value of electricity generation), gross proceeds, or gross revenues of all lease products produced, saved, and sold on a monthly basis. In certain of our project subsidiaries’ private leases, royalties payable to the lessor by the project subsidiary are based on the gross revenues received by the lessee from the sale or use of the geothermal substances, either from electricity production or the value of the geothermal resource “at the well.”

 

In addition, pursuant to the leases, the project subsidiary typically agrees to commence drilling, extraction or processing operations on the leased land within the primary term, and to conduct such operations with reasonable diligence until lease products have been found, extracted and processed in quantities deemed “paying quantities” by the project subsidiary, or until further operations would, in such project subsidiary’s judgment, be unprofitable or impracticable. The project subsidiary has the right at any time within the primary term to terminate the lease and surrender the relevant land. If the project subsidiary has not commenced any such operations on said land (or on the unit area, if the lease has been unitized), or terminated the lease within the primary term, the project subsidiary must pay to the lessor, in order to maintain its lease position, annually in advance, a rental fee until operations are commenced on the leased land.

 

If the project subsidiary fails to pay any installment of royalty or rental when due and if such default continues for a period of fifteen days specified in the lease, for example, after its receipt of written notice thereof from the lessor, then at the option of the lessor, the lease will terminate as to the portion or portions thereof as to which the project subsidiary is in default. If the project subsidiary defaults in the performance of any obligations under the lease, other than a payment default, and if, for a period of 90 days after written notice is given to it by the lessor of such default, the project subsidiary fails to commence and thereafter diligently and in good faith take remedial measures to remedy such default, the lessor may terminate the lease.

 

We do not regard any property that we lease as material unless and until we begin construction of a power plant on the property, that is, until we drill a production well on the property.

 

Description of Our Power Plants

 

Domestic Power Plants

 

The following descriptions summarize certain industry metrics for our domestic power plants:

 

Foreign Power Plants

 

The following descriptions summarize certain industry metrics for our foreign power plants:

 

 

Projects under Construction

 

We are in varying stages of construction or enhancement of domestic and foreign projects. Based on our current construction schedule, we have new generating capacity of approximately 125 MW under construction in California, Nevada, Minnesota, and Hawaii.

 

The following is a description of the projects currently undergoing construction:

 

 

Projects under Exploration and Development and Future Projects

 

We also have other projects under various stages of development in the United States, Guatemala, Chile, and Indonesia. We expect to continue to explore these and other opportunities for expansion so long as they continue to meet our business objectives and investment criteria. The following is a description of the projects currently under various stages of development and for which we are able to estimate their expected generation capacity. Upon completion of these projects, their combined generating capacity would be approximately 184 MW.

 

Mammoth Phase II (U.S.)

 

We are currently developing Phase II of the Mammoth complex located in Mammoth Lakes, California. We have a 50% ownership interest in the power plant and the other 50% is owned by an unrelated third party.

 

We were unable to finalize a PPA based on a proposal short-listed by Southern California Edison last year, and recently resubmitted a new proposal for this power plant. An interconnection study is under way. In addition, we are negotiating certain modifications to our joint venture agreement with our 50% partner in this project.

 

Assuming the successful resolution of the negotiations described above and that we obtain the permits required to commence construction without delays, we anticipate that commercial operation of a 25 MW power plant will occur in 2013.

 

Olkaria III Phase 3 (Kenya)

 

We are currently developing Phase 3 of the Olkaria III complex located in Naivasha, Kenya. We recently signed a letter of intent with the off-taker, KPLC, to expand the Olkaria III complex by up to 52 MW (from 48 MW to up to 100MW) within the framework of the existing PPA.

 

The expansion is to be developed in two phases. Phase I will be comprised of 36 MW within 3.5 years from finalizing the amendment to the existing PPA. An optional phase II may be comprised of up to 16 MW within 4.5 years from finalizing the amendment to the existing PPA. The amendment to the existing PPA is subject to applicable governmental approvals and the consent of the lenders that provided the financing to the existing power plant.

 

Solar PV Projects (Israel)

 

We are currently in the process of developing solar PV projects. The following are projects we plan to develop together with Sunday Energy under a joint venture agreement we signed in October 2009. Our ownership interest in these projects is 70%:

 

 

 

Sarulla Project (Indonesia)

 

We are a member of a consortium which is in the process of developing a geothermal power project in Indonesia of approximately 340 MW. We own 12.75% of the Indonesian special purpose entity that will operate the project.

 

The project, located in Tapanuli Utara, North Sumatra, represents the largest single-contract geothermal power project to date, and reflects the large scale, high productivity and potential of Indonesian geothermal resources. The project will be owned and operated by the consortium members under the framework of a Joint Operating Contract with PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy, and is to be constructed in three phases over five years, with each phase utilizing Ormat’s 110 MW to 120 MW combined cycle geothermal plants in which the steam first produces power in a backpressure steam turbine and is subsequently condensed in a vaporizer of a binary plant, which produces additional power.

 

The Sarulla consortium is in negotiations with the state power utility PLN (the off-taker) to adjust the tariff of the PPA, and to introduce other amendments to satisfy lenders’ requirements. The government has allowed PLN to make contract amendments, including to the tariff, for the Sarulla project and a state audit agency team shall review these contract amendments, which shall also require approval of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and Ministry of State Owned Enterprises. From past experience it is hard to estimate when these negotiations will be concluded. Construction is expected to start after the Sarulla Consortium obtains financing, a process which we expect to take approximately one year from completion of the PPA negotiations with PLN.

 

Wister Project (U.S.) (previously known as Imperial Valley)

 

We are currently developing the Wister project on private leases located in Imperial County, California.

 

We reallocated the signed PPA for this project (which contemplated a 30-100 MW power plant) to our East Brawley project in Imperial County, California. We intend to negotiate a new PPA for this project.

 

We secured what we believe to be the appropriate land position for the project. We currently expect the first phase of the project to be 30 MW and expect commercial operation of the first phase in 2012 or 2013.

 

The project received an exploration grant of $4.5 million under the DOE’s Innovative Exploration and Drilling Projects program and the exploration activity under this program has started.

 

In addition to the geothermal projects listed above, we have various leases for geothermal resources, under which we have started exploration activity but we cannot yet determine their expected generating capacity. These geothermal resources are located in Nevada, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Utah in the U.S., and in Guatemala and Chile. These leases are comprised of approximately 290,000 acres, including the following:

 

 

In addition to the geothermal resources listed above, we have leases pending for approximately 16,500 acres.

 

Operations of our Product Segment

 

Power Units for Geothermal Power Plants.  We design, manufacture, and sell power units for geothermal electricity generation, which we refer to as OECs. Our customers include contractors and geothermal plant owners and operators.

 

The consideration for the power units is usually paid in installments, in accordance with milestones set in the supply agreement. Sometimes we agree to provide the purchaser with spare parts (or alternatively, with a non-exclusive license to manufacture such parts). We provide the purchaser with at least a 12-month warranty for such products. We usually also provide the purchaser (often, upon receipt of advances made by the purchaser) with a guarantee, which expires in part upon delivery of the equipment to the site and fully expires at the termination of the warranty period. The guarantees are at times supported by letters of credit. We have not received any claims under the performance guarantees to date.

 

Power Units for Recovered Energy-Based Power Generation.  We design, manufacture, and sell power units used to generate electricity from recovered energy or so-called “waste heat.” Our existing and target customers include interstate natural gas pipeline owners and operators, gas processing plant owners and operators, cement plant owners and operators, and other companies engaged in other energy-intensive industrial processes. We have two different business models for this product line.

The first business model, which is similar to the model utilized in our geothermal power generation business, consists of the development, construction, ownership, and operation of recovered energy-based generation power plants. In this case, we will enter into agreements to purchase industrial waste heat, and enter into long-term PPAs with off-takers to sell the electricity generated by the REG unit that utilizes such industrial waste heat. The power purchasers in such cases generally are investor-owned electric utilities or local electrical cooperatives, such as our PPA with Great River Energy for power from our REG facility on the Northern Border natural gas pipeline.

 

Pursuant to the second business model, we construct and sell the power units for recovered energy-based power generation to third parties for use in “inside-the-fence” installations or otherwise. Our customers include gas processing plant owners and operators, cement plant owners and operators and companies in the process industry. The Neptune recovered energy project is an example of such a model. There, we installed one of our recovered energy-based generation units at Enterprise Product’s Neptune gas processing plant in Louisiana. The unit utilizes exhaust gas from two gas turbines at the plant and is providing electrical power that is consumed internally by the facility (although a portion of the generated electricity is also sold to the local electric utility).

 

Remote Power Units and other Generators.  We design, manufacture and sell fossil fuel powered turbo-generators with a capacity ranging between 200 watts and 5,000 watts, which operate unattended in extreme climate conditions, whether hot or cold. The remote power units supply energy for remote and unmanned installations and along communications lines and cathodic protection along gas and oil pipelines. Our customers include contractors installing gas pipelines in remote areas. In addition, we manufacture and sell generators for various other uses, including heavy duty direct current generators. The terms of sale of the turbo-generators are similar to those for the power units produced for power plants.

 

EPC of Power Plants.  We engineer, procure and construct, as an EPC contractor, geothermal and recovered energy power plants on a turnkey basis, using power units we design and manufacture. Our customers are geothermal power plant owners as well as the same customers described above that we target for the sale of our power units for recovered energy-based power generation. Unlike many other companies that provide EPC services, we have an advantage in that we are using our own manufactured equipment and thus have better control over the timing and delivery of required equipment and its costs. The consideration for such services is usually paid in installments, in accordance with milestones set in the EPC contract and related documents. We usually provide performance guarantees or letters of credit securing our obligations under the contract. Upon delivery of the plant to its owner, such guarantees are replaced with a warranty guarantee, usually for a period ranging from 12 months to 36 months. The EPC contract usually places a cap on our liabilities for failure to meet our obligations thereunder. We also design and construct the REG units on a turnkey basis, and may provide a long-term agreement to supply non-routine maintenance for such units. Our customers are interstate natural gas pipeline owners and operators, gas processing plant owners and operators, cement plant owners and operators, and companies engaged in the process industry.

 

In connection with the sale of our power units for geothermal power plants, power units for recovered energy-based power generation and remote power units and other generators, we, from time to time, enter into sales agreements for the marketing and sale of such products pursuant to which we are obligated to pay commissions to such representatives upon the sale of our products in the relevant territory covered by such agreements by such representatives or, in some cases, by other representatives in such territory.

 

Our manufacturing operations and products are certified ISO 9001, ISO 14001, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and TÜV, and we are an approved supplier to many electric utilities around the world.

Backlog

 

We have a product backlog of approximately $90.0 million as of February 28, 2010, which includes revenues for the period between January 1, 2010 and February 23, 2010, compared to $194.0 million as of February 24, 2009. The following is a breakdown of the Product Segment backlog:

 

 

 

Competition

 

In our Electricity Segment, we face competition from geothermal power plant owners and developers as well as other renewable energy providers.

 

In our Product Segment, we face competition from power plant equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

 

Electricity Segment

 

Our main competitors among geothermal power plant owners and developers in the United States are CalEnergy, Calpine, Terra-Gen Power LLC, ENEL SpA and other smaller-sized pure play developers such as U.S. Geothermal Inc., Nevada Geothermal Power Corp., Raser Technologies Inc., Sierra Geothermal Company, Magma Energy Inc., Ram Power Corp., and Vulcan Power. Some of these companies are also active outside of the United States. Other competitors outside of the United States, aside from these companies, include affiliates of Chevron Corporation, Energy Development Corporation in the Philippines, developers such as Star Energy and Medco Energi in Indonesia, Mighty River Power in New Zealand and Colbus S.A. in Chile. We may also face competition from national electric utilities or state-owned oil companies.

 

Our competitors among renewable energy providers include companies engaged in the power generation business from renewable energy sources other than geothermal energy, such as wind power, biomass, solar power and hydro-electric power. In the last few years, competition from the wind and solar power generation industries has increased significantly. However, current demand for renewable energy is large enough that this increased competition has not materially impacted our ability to obtain new PPAs. We cannot ascertain at this time whether the competition from wind and solar energy will have an impact on electricity prices for new renewable projects.

 

If our plans to become a developer of solar PV power plants succeed, we will be competing with many other developers in this market.

 

Product Segment

 

Our competitors among power plant equipment suppliers are divided into two groups: high enthalpy and low enthalpy competitors. The main high enthalpy competitors are industrial turbine manufacturers such as Mitsubishi, Fuji and Toshiba of Japan, GE/Nuovo Pignone, Ansaldo Energia, and Alstom S.A. of France.

 

The low enthalpy competitors are either binary systems manufacturers using the Organic Rankine Cycle such as Fuji of Japan, United Technologies Company, Mafi Trench, GE Rotoflow of the U.S., and Turboden s.r.l. of Italy, or systems integrators such as Turbine Air Systems and Geothermal Development Associates of the U.S.

In the REG business, our competitors are Siemens AG of Germany, as well as other manufacturers of conventional steam turbines. We believe that our REG system has technological and economical advantages over the Siemens/Kalina technology and, under certain conditions, conventional steam technology.

 

In the remote power unit business, we face competition from Global Thermoelectric, as well as from manufacturers of diesel generator sets.

 

None of our competitors compete with us both in the sale of electricity and in the product business.

 

Customers

 

Most of our revenues from the sale of electricity in the year ended December 31, 2009 were derived from fully-contracted energy and/or capacity payments under long-term PPAs with governmental and private utility companies. Southern California Edison, Sierra Pacific Power Company and Nevada Power Company (subsidiaries of NV Energy, Inc.), HELCO, and SCPPA accounted for 21.0%, 12.9%, 6.3% and 2.1% of revenues, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2009. Based on publicly available information, as of December 31, 2009, the issuer ratings of Southern California Edison, HELCO, Sierra Pacific Power Company, Nevada Power Company, and SCPPA were as set forth below:

 

 

The credit ratings of any power purchaser may change from time to time. There is no publicly available information with respect to the credit rating or stability of the power purchasers under the PPAs for our foreign power plants.

 

Our revenues from the product business are derived from contractors or owners or operators of power plants, process companies, and pipelines, none of which traditionally account for more than 10% of our product segment revenues. However, for the year ended December 31, 2009, Blue Mountain and Las Pailas accounted for more than 57% of our product segment revenues and 22% of our total revenues.

 

Raw Materials, Suppliers and Subcontractors

 

In connection with our manufacturing activities, we use raw materials such as steel and aluminum. We do not rely on any one supplier for the raw materials used in our manufacturing activities, as all of such raw materials are readily available from various suppliers.

 

Since 2005, we have increased the volume of work ordered from subcontractors for some of the manufacturing for our products components and for construction activities of our power plants, which allowed us to expand our construction and development capacity on an as-needed basis. We are not dependent on any one subcontractor and expect to be able to replace any subcontractor, or assume such manufacturing and construction activities of our projects ourselves, without adverse effect to our operations.

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2009, we employed 1,090 employees, of which 472 were located in the United States, 468 were located in Israel and 150 were located in other countries. We expect that future growth in the number of our employees will be mainly attributable to the purchase and/or development of new power plants.

 

None of our employees (other than the Momotombo power plant’s employees) are represented by a labor union, and we have never experienced any labor dispute, strike or work stoppage. We consider our relations with our employees to be satisfactory. We believe our future success will depend on our continuing ability to hire, integrate, and retain qualified personnel.

We have no collective bargaining agreements with respect to our Israeli employees. However, by order of the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement between the Histadrut (the General Federation of Labor in Israel) and the Coordination Bureau of Economic Organizations (which includes the Industrialists Association) may apply to some of our non-managerial, finance and administrative, and sales and marketing personnel. This collective bargaining agreement principally concerns cost of living increases, length of the workday, minimum wages, insurance for work-related accidents, procedures for dismissing employees, annual and other vacation, sick pay, determination of severance pay, pension contributions, and other conditions of employment. We currently provide such employees with benefits and working conditions which are at least as favorable as the conditions specified in the collective bargaining agreement.

 

Insurance

 

We maintain business interruption insurance, casualty insurance, including flood and earthquake coverage, and primary and excess liability insurance, as well as customary worker’s compensation and automobile insurance and such other insurance, if any, as is generally carried by companies engaged in similar businesses and owning similar properties in the same general areas or as may be required by any lease, financing arrangement, or other contract. To the extent any such casualty insurance covers both us and/or our power plants, and any other person and/or plants, we generally have specifically designated as applicable solely to us and our power plants “all risk” property insurance coverage in an amount based upon the estimated full replacement value of our power plants (provided that earthquake and flood coverage may be subject to annual aggregate limits depending on the type and location of the power plant) and business interruption insurance in an amount that also varies from power plant to power plant.

 

We generally purchase insurance policies to cover our exposure to certain political risks involved in operating in developing countries. Political risk insurance policies are generally issued by entities which specialize in such policies, such as the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (a member of the World Bank Group), and from private sector providers, such as Zurich Re and other such companies. To date all of our political risk insurance contracts are with the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and with Zurich Re. We have obtained such insurance for all of our foreign power plants. Such insurance policies generally cover, subject to the limitations and restrictions contained therein, 80% to 90% of our revenue loss derived from a specified governmental act, such as confiscation, expropriation, riots, and the inability to convert local currency into hard currency and, in certain cases, the breach of agreements.

 

Regulation of the Electric Utility Industry in the United States

 

The following is a summary overview of the electric utility industry and applicable federal and state regulations, and should not be considered a full statement of the law or all issues pertaining thereto.

 

PURPA

 

PURPA provides certain benefits described below, if a power plant is a “Qualifying Facility.” A small power production facility is a Qualifying Facility if: (i) the facility does not exceed 80 megawatts; (ii) the primary energy source of the facility is biomass, waste, renewable resources, or any combination thereof, and 75% of the total energy input of the facility is from these sources, and fossil fuel input is limited to specified uses; and (iii) the facility has filed with FERC a notice of self-certification of qualifying status, or has filed with FERC an application for FERC certification of qualifying status, that has been granted. The 80 MW size limitation, however, does not apply to a facility if (i) it produces electric energy solely by the use, as a primary energy input, of solar, wind, waste or geothermal resources; and (ii) an application for certification or a notice of self-certification of qualifying status of the facility was submitted to the FERC prior to December 21, 1994, and construction of the facility commenced prior to December 31, 1999.

 

PURPA exempts Qualifying Facilities from regulation under the PUHCA 2005 and exempts Qualifying Facilities from most provisions of the FPA and state laws relating to the financial, organization and rate regulation of electric utilities. In addition, FERC’s regulations promulgated under PURPA require that electric utilities offer to

purchase electricity generated by Qualifying Facilities at a rate based on the purchasing utility’s incremental cost of purchasing or producing energy (also known as “avoided cost”).

 

Following passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, FERC issued a final rule that requires small power Qualifying Facilities to obtain market-based rate authority pursuant to the FPA for sales of energy or capacity from facilities larger than 20 MW in size that are made (a) pursuant to a contract executed after March 17, 2006 that is not a contract made pursuant to a state regulatory authority’s implementation of PURPA; or (b) not pursuant to another provision of a state regulatory authority’s implementation of PURPA. The practical effect of this final rule is to require Qualifying Facilities that are larger than 20 MW in size that seek to engage in non-PURPA sales of power (i.e., power that is sold in a manner that is not pursuant to a pre-existing contract or state implementation of PURPA) to obtain market-based rate authority from FERC for these non-PURPA sales. However, the rule protects a Qualifying Facility’s rights under any contract or obligation for the sale of energy in effect or pending approval before the appropriate state regulatory authority or non-regulated electric utility on August 8, 2005. Until that contract expires, the Qualifying Facility will not be required to file for market based rates.

 

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 also allows FERC to terminate a utility’s obligation to purchase energy from Qualifying Facilities upon a finding that Qualifying Facilities have nondiscriminatory access to either: (i) independently administered, auction-based day ahead, and real time markets for energy and wholesale markets for long-term sales of capacity; (ii) transmission and interconnection services provided by a FERC-approved regional transmission entity and administered under an open-access transmission tariff that affords nondiscriminatory treatment to all customers, and competitive wholesale markets that provide a meaningful opportunity to sell capacity and energy, including long and short term sales; or (iii) wholesale markets for the sale of capacity and energy that are at a minimum of comparable competitive quality as markets described in (i) and (ii) above. FERC issued a rule to implement these provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This rule gives utilities the right to apply to eliminate the mandatory purchase obligation. The rule also creates a rebuttable presumption that a utility provides nondiscriminatory access if it has an open access transmission tariff in compliance with FERC’s pro forma open access transmission tariff. Further, the rule provides a procedure for utilities that are not members of the four named regional transmission organizations to file to obtain relief from the mandatory purchase obligation on a service territory-wide basis, and establishes procedures for affected Qualifying Facilities to seek reinstatement of the purchase obligation. The rule protects a Qualifying Facility’s rights under any contract or obligation involving purchases or sales that are entered into before FERC has determined that the contracting utility is entitled to relief from the mandatory purchase obligation.

 

In addition, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 eliminated the restriction on utility ownership of a Qualifying Facility. Prior to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, electric utilities or electric utility holding companies could not own more than a 50% equity interest in a Qualifying Facility. Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, electric utilities or holding companies may own up to 100% of the equity interest in a Qualifying Facility.

 

We expect that our power plants in the United States will continue to meet all of the criteria required for Qualifying Facilities under PURPA. However, since the Heber power plants have PPAs with Southern California Edison that require Qualifying Facility status to be maintained, maintaining Qualifying Facility status remains a key obligation. If any of the Heber power plants loses its Qualifying Facility status our operations could be adversely affected. Loss of Qualifying Facility status would eliminate the Heber power plants’ exemption from the FPA and thus, among other things, the rates charged by the Heber power plants in the PPAs with Southern California Edison and SCPPA would become subject to FERC regulation. Further, it is possible that the utilities that purchase power from the power plants could successfully obtain an elimination of the mandatory-purchase obligation in their service territories. If this occurs, the power plants’ existing PPAs will not be affected, but the utilities will not be obligated under PURPA to renew these PPAs or execute new PPAs upon the existing PPAs’ expiration.

 

PUHCA

 

The PUHCA was repealed, effective February 8, 2006, pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Although PUHCA was repealed, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 created the new PUHCA 2005. Under PUHCA 2005, the books and records of a utility holding company, its affiliates, associate companies, and subsidiaries are subject to FERC and state commission review with respect to transactions that are subject to the jurisdiction of either FERC or

the state commission or costs incurred by a jurisdictional utility in the same holding company system. However, if a company is a utility holding company solely with respect to Qualifying Facilities, exempt wholesale generators, or foreign utility companies, it will not be subject to review of books and records by FERC under PUHCA 2005. Qualifying Facilities that make only wholesale sales of electricity are not subject to state commissions’ rate, financial, and organizational regulations and, therefore, in all likelihood would not be subject to any review of their books and records by state commissions pursuant to PUHCA 2005 as long as the Qualifying Facility is not part of a holding company system that includes a utility subject to regulation in that state.

 

FPA

 

Pursuant to the FPA, the FERC has exclusive rate-making jurisdiction over most wholesale sales of electricity and transmission in interstate commerce. These rates may be based on a cost of service approach or may be determined on a market basis through competitive bidding or negotiation. Qualifying Facilities are exempt from most provisions of the FPA. If any of the power plants were to lose its Qualifying Facility status, such power plant could become subject to the full scope of the FPA and applicable state regulations. The application of the FPA and other applicable state regulations to the power plants could require our power plants to comply with an increasingly complex regulatory regime that may be costly and greatly reduce our operational flexibility. Even if a power plant does not lose Qualifying Facility status, if a PPA with a power plant is terminated or otherwise expires, a power plant in excess of 20 MW will become subject to rate regulation under the Federal Power Act.

 

If a power plant in the United States were to become subject to FERC’s ratemaking jurisdiction under the FPA as a result of loss of Qualifying Facility status and the PPA remains in effect, the FERC may determine that the rates currently set forth in the PPA are not appropriate and may set rates that are lower than the rates currently charged. In addition, the FERC may require that the power plant refund a portion of amounts previously paid by the relevant power purchaser to such power plant. Such events would likely result in a decrease in our future revenues or in an obligation to disgorge revenues previously received from the power plant, either of which would have an adverse effect on our revenues.

 

Moreover, the loss of the Qualifying Facility status of any of our power plants selling energy to Southern California Edison could also permit Southern California Edison, pursuant to the terms of its PPA, to cease taking and paying for electricity from the relevant power plant and to seek refunds for past amounts paid. In addition, the loss of any such status would result in the occurrence of an event of default under the indenture for the OFC Senior Secured Notes and the OrCal Senior Secured Notes and hence would give the indenture trustee the right to exercise remedies pursuant to the indenture and the other financing documents.

 

State Regulation

 

Our power plants in California and Nevada, by virtue of being Qualifying Facilities that make only wholesale sales of electricity, are not subject to rate, financial and organizational regulations applicable to electric utilities in those states. The power plants each sell or will sell their electrical output under PPAs to electric utilities (Sierra Pacific Power Company, Nevada Power Company, Southern California Edison or SCPPA). All of the utilities except SCPPA are regulated by their respective state public utility commissions. Sierra Pacific Power Company and Nevada Power Company are regulated by the PUCN. Southern California Edison and a small portion of Sierra Pacific Power Company in the Lake Tahoe area are regulated by the California Public Utility Commission.

 

Under Hawaii law, non-fossil generators are not subject to regulation as public utilities. Hawaii law provides that a geothermal power producer is to negotiate the rate for its output with the public utility purchaser. If such rate cannot be determined by mutual accord, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission will set a just and reasonable rate. If a non-fossil generator in Hawaii is a Qualifying Facility, federal law applies to such Qualifying Facility and the utility is required to purchase the energy and capacity at its avoided cost. The rates for our power plant in Hawaii are established under a long-term PPA with HELCO.

 

Environmental Permits

 

U.S. environmental permitting regimes with respect to geothermal projects center upon several general areas of focus. The first involves land use approvals. These may take the form of Special Use Permits or Conditional Use

Permits from local planning authorities or a series of development and utilization plan approvals and right of way approvals where the geothermal facility is entirely or partly on BLM or U.S. Forest Service lands. Certain federal approvals require a review of environmental impacts in conformance with the federal National Environmental Policy Act. In California, some local permit approvals require a similar review of environmental impacts under a state statute known as the California Environmental Quality Act. These federal and local land use approvals typically impose conditions and restrictions on the construction, scope and operation of geothermal projects.

 

The second category of permitting focuses on the installation and use of the geothermal wells themselves. Geothermal projects typically have three types of wells: (i) exploration wells designed to define and verify the geothermal resource, (ii) production wells to extract the hot geothermal liquids (also known as brine) for the power plant, and (iii) injection wells to reinject the brine back into the subsurface resource. In Nevada and on BLM lands, the well permits take the form of geothermal drilling permits for well installation. Approvals are also required to modify wells, including for use as production or injection wells. Those wells in Nevada to be used for injection will also require Underground Injection Control permits from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. Geothermal wells on private lands in California require drilling permits from the California Department of Conservation’s DOGGR. The eventual designation of these installed wells as individual production or injection wells and the ultimate closure of any wells is also reviewed and approved by DOGGR pursuant to a DOGGR-approved Geothermal Injection Program.

 

A third category of permits involves the regulation of potential air emissions associated with the construction and operation of wells and surface water discharges associated with construction activities. Each well requires a preconstruction air permit before it can be drilled. In addition, the wells that are to be used for production require and those used for injection may require air emissions permits to operate. Combustion engines and other air pollutant emissions sources at the projects may also require air emissions permits. For our projects, these permits are typically issued at the state or county level. Permits are also required to manage storm water during project construction and to manage drilling muds from well construction, as well as to manage certain discharges to surface impoundments, if any.

 

A fourth category of permits, that are required in both California and Nevada, includes ministerial permits such as hazardous materials storage and management permits and pressure vessel operating permits. We are also required to obtain water rights permits in Nevada and may be required to obtain groundwater permits in California to use groundwater resources for makeup water. In addition to permits, there are various regulatory plans and programs that are required, including risk management plans (federal and state programs) and hazardous materials management plans (in California).

 

In some cases our projects may also require permits, issued by the applicable federal agencies or authorized state agencies, regarding threatened or endangered species, permits to impact wetlands or other waters and notices of construction of structures which may have an impact on airspace. Environmental laws and regulations may change in the future, which may lead to increases in the time to receive such permits and associated costs of compliance.

 

As of the date of this report, all of the material environmental permits and approvals currently required for our power plants have been obtained. Although there are some environmental permits and approvals that will be required in the future, we believe that we will be able to obtain those environmental permits and approvals without material delay and without incurring additional material costs.

 

Our operations are designed and conducted to comply with applicable environmental permit and approval requirements. Non-compliance with any such requirements could result in fines or other penalties.

 

Environmental Laws and Regulations

 

Our facilities are subject to a number of environmental laws and regulations relating to development, construction and operation of geothermal facilities. In the United States, these may include the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and related state laws and regulations.

Our operations involve significant quantities of brine (substantially, all of which we reinject into the subsurface) and scale, both of which can contain materials (such as arsenic, lead, and naturally occurring radioactive materials) in concentrations that exceed regulatory limits used to define hazardous waste. We also use various substances, including isopentane and industrial lubricants, that could become potential contaminants and are generally flammable. Hazardous materials are also used in our equipment manufacturing operations in Israel. As a result, our projects are subject to domestic and foreign federal, state and local statutory and regulatory requirements regarding the use, storage, fugitive emissions, and disposal of hazardous substances. The cost of remediation activities associated with a spill or release of such materials could be significant.

 

Although we are not aware of any mismanagement of these materials, including any mismanagement prior to the acquisition of some of our power plants, that has materially impaired any of the power plant sites, any disposal or release of these materials onto the power plant sites, other than by means of permitted injection wells, could lead to contamination of the environment and result in material cleanup requirements or other responsive obligations under applicable environmental laws. We believe that at one time there may have been a gas station located on the Mammoth complex site (which we lease), but because of significant surface disturbance and construction since that time further physical evaluation of the environmental condition of the former gas station site has been impractical. We believe that, given the subsequent surface disturbance and construction activity in the vicinity of the suspected location of the service station, it is likely that environmental contamination, if any, associated with the former facilities and any associated underground storage tanks would have already been encountered if they still existed.

 

Regulation of the Electric Utility Industry in our Foreign Countries of Operation

 

The following is a summary overview of certain aspects of the electric industry in the foreign countries in which we have an operating geothermal power plant and should not be considered a full statement of the laws in such countries or all of the issues pertaining thereto.

 

Nicaragua.  In 1998, two laws were approved by Nicaraguan authorities, Law No. 272-98 and Law No. 271-98, which define the structure of the energy sector in the country. Law No. 272-98 provides for the establishment of the CNE, which is responsible for setting policies, strategies and objectives as well as approving indicative plans for the energy sector. Law No. 271-98 formally assigned regulatory, supervisory, inspection, and oversight functions to the INE.

 

In 2002, the National Congress enacted Law No. 443 to regulate the granting of exploration and exploitation concessions for geothermal fields. The INE adopted this law.

 

In 2007, Nicaragua passed Law No. 612 amending Law No. 290, which governs the organization of the executive branch. Among other matters, the new law established a new ministry of energy and mining, which has assumed all of the functions and responsibilities of the CNE. The new Ministry of Energy and Mining is responsible for administrating Law No. 443 described above, and is also responsible for granting concessions and permits relating to the exploration or exploitation of any energy source, as well as concessions and licensing for generation, transmission, and distribution of energy.

 

The Nicaraguan energy sector has been restructured and partially privatized. Following such restructuring and privatization, the government retained title and control of the transmission assets and created the ENATREL, which is in charge of the operation of the transmission system in the country and of the new wholesale market. As part of the restructuring, most of the distribution facilities previously owned by the Nicaraguan Electricity Company, the government-owned vertically-integrated monopoly, were transferred to two companies, DISNORTE and DISSUR, which in turn were privatized and acquired by an affiliate of Union Fenosa, a large Spanish utility. Following such privatization, the PPA for our Momotombo power plant was assigned by the Nicaraguan Electricity Company to DISNORTE and DISSUR. In addition, a National Dispatch Center was created to work with ENATREL and provide for dispatch and wholesale market administration.

 

Guatemala.  The General Electricity Law of 1996, Decree 93-96, created a wholesale electricity market in Guatemala and established a new regulatory framework for the electricity sector. The law created a new regulatory commission, the CNEE, and a new wholesale power market administrator, the AMM, for the regulation and administration of the sector. The AMM is a private not-for-profit entity. The CNEE functions as an independent

agency under the Ministry of Energy and Mines and is in charge of regulating, supervising, and controlling compliance with the electricity law, overseeing the market and setting rates for transmission services, and distribution to medium and small customers. All distribution companies must supply electricity to such customers pursuant to long-term contracts with electricity generators. Large customers can contract directly with the distribution companies, electricity generators or power marketers, or buy energy in the spot market. Guatemala has approved a Law of Incentives for the Development of Renewable Energy Power plants, Decree 52-2003, in order to promote the development of renewable energy power plants in Guatemala. This law provides certain benefits to companies utilizing renewable energy, including a 10-year exemption from corporate income tax and VAT on imports and customs duties.

 

Kenya.  Kenya’s Power Act restructured the electricity sector in the country. Among other things, the Power Act provides for the licensing of electricity power producers and public electricity suppliers or distributors. KPLC is the only licensed public electricity supplier and has a monopoly in the transmission and distribution of electricity in the country. The Power Act permitted IPPs to install power generators and sell electricity to KPLC, which is owned by various private, and government entities, and which currently purchases energy and capacity from two other IPPs in addition to our Olkaria III complex. The Power Act also created the Electricity Regulation Board, as an independent regulator for the electricity sector. KPLC’s retail electricity rates are subject to approval by the Electricity Regulation Board. The Power Act was repealed by the Energy Act, which came into effect on July 7, 2007. One of the main changes introduced by the Energy Act was the reconstitution of the Electricity Regulatory Board as the Energy Regulatory Commission, with an expanded mandate to regulate not just the electric power sector but the entire energy sector in Kenya. Further re-organization of KPLC has been made with the formation of a new company known as KETRACO to undertake power transmission. KPLC will continue to undertake power distribution. This re-organization is in accordance with the National Energy Policy (Sessional Paper No. 4 of 2004). No announcement has been made as to whether KPLC’s transmission assets will be transferred to KETRACO. Another highlight of the Sessional Paper was the establishment of the state owned GDC which has now been formed and is operational. GDC is charged with the responsibility of geothermal assessment, drilling of steam wells, and sale of steam to future IPPs and to KenGen for electricity generation.

 

The Electricity Industry Reform Act 1998 requires full ownership separation between electricity lines (distribution) businesses, and electricity generation and retail businesses. Since the introduction of the Electricity Industry Reform Act 1998, however, amendments have allowed lines businesses to own some generation and to sell the output from those generation plants directly to consumers.

 

Regulation of Solar PV in Israel

 

The PUA published on December 12, 2009 regulations for medium-size solar PV power systems that are larger than 50 KW. According to the regulations, the capacity of the installed solar power systems may not exceed the feasible connection to the distribution network.

 

The PUA approved a feed-in-tariff for medium-sized power systems. This incentive is available for up to 300 MW of medium-sized power systems initiated prior to an expiry date in 2017. Rates under the feed-in-tariff are guaranteed for 20 years.

 

The feed-in-tariff rates awarded to new projects are set based on the year in which the PUA approval of such projects is obtained, as shown in the table below. If the capacity cap in a certain year is met, projects in excess of the cap will be awarded the feed-in-tariff for the following year.

 

 

 

 

The licensing process designed by the PUA includes several stages.

 

Developers that are interested in applying for a production license are required at the first stage to obtain a temporary license that will be given to candidates who can demonstrate they meet the following requirements:

 

 

Appropriate experience and capabilities for design, construction and operation of solar PV power plants according to the power plant size declared in the temporary license.

 

A request that demonstrates compliance with the above requirements will be reviewed by PUA staff and will require the approval of the PUA plenum followed by the approval of the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructures.

 

Upon the signature of the conditional license by the Ministry of National Infrastructures, the developer of a facility with a capacity higher than 1 MW must provide the PUA with a bank guarantee in an amount equal to $1.80 per installed KV. In the event the developer subsequently fails to not meet the milestones specified in the conditional license for financial closing, the PUA may draw 35% of the bank guarantee.

 

A developer that receives a temporary license will have 42 months to obtain all required permits to operate the power plant and attain a production license.

 

The PUA regulations outline the milestones that the developer must follow including a site-specific statutory planning route that will be determined by the National Planning Council of the Israeli Ministry of Interior.

 

Following the statutory approval, the developer will receive a provisional tariff approval valid for 90 days which ensures the developer’s place under the cap. During that period the developer must close the financing terms. Once the financing terms are finalized the provisional tariff approval will become permanent, the tariff will be secured for 20 years from commercial operation and the developer can commence the construction and installation of the power plant upon receipt of the production license.

 

In addition to statutory approval, for lands owned by the ILA, the developer must obtain the consent of the ILA to build the power plants and will need to meet further conditions that will be required based on the land determination.

 

 

Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our business, operating results or financial condition, past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods.

 

Our financial performance depends on the successful operation of our geothermal power and REG plants, which is subject to various operational risks.

 

Our financial performance depends on the successful operation of our subsidiaries’ geothermal and REG power plants. In connection with such operations, we derived approximately 61.6% of our total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2009 from the sale of electricity. The cost of operation and maintenance and the operating performance of our subsidiaries’ geothermal power and REG plants may be adversely affected by a variety of factors, including some that are discussed elsewhere in these risk factors and the following:

 

 

 

Any of these events could significantly increase the expenses incurred by our power plants or reduce the overall generating capacity of our power plants and could significantly reduce or entirely eliminate the revenues generated by one or more of our power plants, which in turn would reduce our net income and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

As mentioned above, the aging of our power plants may reduce their availability and increase maintenance costs due to the need to repair or replace our equipment. For example, in 2008, we experienced protracted failures of two of the Steamboat 2/3 power plant’s turbines, which were not manufactured by us. We replaced the turbines and successfully upgraded the power plant. Such major maintenance activities impact both the capacity factor of the affected power plant and its operating costs.

 

Our exploration, development, and operation of geothermal energy resources are subject to geological risks and uncertainties, which may result in decreased performance or increased costs for our power plants.

 

Our primary business involves the exploration, development, and operation of geothermal energy resources. These activities are subject to uncertainties. For example, we may not find geothermal resources capable of supporting a commercially viable power plant at a number of exploration sites where we have conducted tests, acquired land rights, and drilled test wells. In certain respects, these uncertainties are similar to those typically associated with oil and gas exploration, development, and exploitation, such as dry holes, uncontrolled releases, and pressure and temperature decline, all of which can increase our operating costs and capital expenditures or reduce the efficiency of our power plants. Prior to our acquisition of the Steamboat Hills power plant, one of the wells related to the power plant experienced an uncontrolled release. In addition, the high temperature and high pressure in the Puna power plant’s geothermal energy resource requires special reservoir management and monitoring. Further, since the commencement of their operations, several of our power plants have experienced geothermal resource cooling in the normal course of operations, such as in the Brady and Momotombo power plants. Because geothermal reservoirs are complex geological structures, we can only estimate their geographic area and sustainable output. The viability of geothermal power plants depends on different factors directly related to the geothermal resource, such as the heat content (the relevant composition of temperature and pressure) of the geothermal reservoir, the useful life (commercially exploitable life) of the reservoir and operational factors relating to the extraction of geothermal fluids. Our geothermal energy power plants may suffer an unexpected decline in the capacity of their respective geothermal wells and are exposed to a risk of geothermal reservoirs not being sufficient for sustained generation of the electrical power capacity desired over time. In addition, we may fail to find commercially viable geothermal resources in the expected quantities and temperatures, which would adversely affect our development of geothermal power plants.

 

Another aspect of geothermal operations is the management and stabilization of subsurface impacts caused by fluid injection pressures of production and injection fluids to mitigate subsidence. In the case of the geothermal resource supplying the Heber complex, pressure drawdown in the center of the well field has caused some localized ground subsidence, while pressure in the peripheral areas has caused localized ground inflation. Inflation and subsidence, if not controlled, can adversely affect farming operations and other infrastructure at or near the land surface. Potential costs, which cannot be estimated and may be significant, of failing to stabilize site pressures in the

Heber complex area include repair and modification of gravity-based farm irrigation systems and municipal sewer piping and possible repair or replacement of a local road bridge spanning an irrigation canal.

 

Additionally, active geothermal areas, such as the areas in which our power plants are located, are subject to frequent low-level seismic disturbances. Serious seismic disturbances are possible and could result in damage to our power plants or equipment or degrade the quality of our geothermal resources to such an extent that we could not perform under the PPA for the affected power plant, which in turn could reduce our net income and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow. If we suffer a serious seismic disturbance, our business interruption and property damage insurance may not be adequate to cover all losses sustained as a result thereof. In addition, insurance coverage may not continue to be available in the future in amounts adequate to insure against such seismic disturbances.

 

Furthermore, absent additional geologic/hydrologic studies, any increase in power generation from our geothermal power plants, or failure to reinject the geothermal fluid, or improper maintenance of the hydrological balance may affect the operational duration of the geothermal resource and cause it to become a wasting asset, and may adversely affect our ability to generate power from the relevant geothermal power plant.

 

Reduced levels of recovered energy required for the operation of our REG power plants may result in decreased performance of such power plants.

 

Our REG power plants generate electricity from recovered energy or so-called “waste heat” that is generated as a residual by-product of gas turbine-driven compressor stations and a variety of industrial processes. Any interruption in the supply of the recovered energy source, such as a result of reduced gas flows in the pipelines or reduced level of operation at the compressor stations, or in the output levels of the various industrial processes, may cause an unexpected decline in the capacity and performance of our recovered energy power plants.

 

Our business development activities may not be successful and our projects under construction may not commence operation as scheduled.

 

We are currently in the process of developing and constructing a number of new power plants. We are also currently examining the possibility of entering the solar energy sector of the renewable energy industry and have recently entered into a joint venture with a third party to develop solar PV power projects in Israel. Our success in developing a particular project is contingent upon, among other things, negotiation of satisfactory engineering and construction agreements and PPAs, receipt of required governmental permits, obtaining adequate financing, and the timely implementation and satisfactory completion of construction. We may be unsuccessful in accomplishing any of these matters or doing so on a timely basis. Although we may attempt to minimize the financial risks attributable to the development of a project by securing a favorable PPA, obtaining all required governmental permits and approvals and arranging adequate financing prior to the commencement of construction, the development of a power project may require us to incur significant expenses for preliminary engineering, permitting and legal and other expenses before we can determine whether a project is feasible, economically attractive or capable of being financed. Our lack of experience in the solar PV sector may also affect our ability to successfully develop, construct, finance, and operate the solar PV power projects.

 

Currently, we have power plants under development or construction in the United States and Indonesia, and we intend to pursue the expansion of some of our existing plants and the development of other new plants. Our completion of these facilities is subject to substantial risks, including:

 

 

 

Any one of which could give rise to delays, cost overruns, the termination of the plant expansion, construction or development or the loss (total or partial) of our interest in the project under development, construction, or expansion.

 

A global recession and continued credit constraints could adversely affect us.

 

Recent disruption in the global credit markets, failures or material business deterioration of investment banks, commercial banks, and other financial institutions and intermediaries in the United States and elsewhere around the world, and significant reductions in asset values across businesses, households and individuals, combined with other financial and economic indicators, have combined to indicate a global recession. If these conditions continue or worsen, they may result in reduced worldwide demand for energy and difficulties in obtaining financing, which may adversely affect both our Electricity and Product Segments. Among other things, we might face:

 

 

Any of these things could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, and cash flow.

 

We may be unable to obtain the financing we need to pursue our growth strategy and any future financing we receive may be less favorable to us than our current financing arrangements, either of which may adversely affect our ability to expand our operations.

 

Our geothermal power plants generally have been financed using leveraged financing structures, consisting of non-recourse or limited recourse debt obligations. As of December 31, 2009, we had approximately $634.0 million of total consolidated indebtedness (including indebtedness to our parent company in the amount of $9.6 million), of which approximately $400.4 million represented non-recourse debt and limited recourse debt held by our subsidiaries. Each of our projects under development or construction and those projects and businesses we may seek to acquire or construct will require substantial capital investment. Our continued access to capital with acceptable terms is necessary for the success of our growth strategy. Our attempts to obtain future financings may not be successful or on favorable terms.

 

Market conditions and other factors may not permit future project and acquisition financings on terms similar to those our subsidiaries have previously received. Our ability to arrange for financing on a substantially non-recourse or limited recourse basis, and the costs of such financing, are dependent on numerous factors, including general economic conditions, conditions in the global capital and credit markets (as discussed above), investor confidence, the continued success of current power plants, the credit quality of the power plants being financed, the political situation in the country where the power plant is located, and the continued existence of tax and securities laws which are conducive to raising capital. If we are not able to obtain financing for our power plants on a substantially non-recourse or limited-recourse basis, we may have to finance them using recourse capital such as direct equity investments, parent company loans or the incurrence of additional debt by us.

Also, in the absence of favorable financing options, we may decide not to build new plants or acquire facilities from third parties. Any of these alternatives could have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects.

 

Our foreign power plants expose us to risks related to the application of foreign laws, taxes, economic conditions, labor supply and relations, political conditions, and policies of foreign governments, any of which risks may delay or reduce our ability to profit from such power plants.

 

We have substantial operations outside of the United States that generated revenues in the amount of $169.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, which represented 40.8% of our total revenues for such twelve-month period. Our foreign operations are subject to regulation by various foreign governments and regulatory authorities and are subject to the application of foreign laws. Such foreign laws or regulations may not provide for the same type of legal certainty and rights, in connection with our contractual relationships in such countries, as are afforded to our power plants in the United States, which may adversely affect our ability to receive revenues or enforce our rights in connection with our foreign operations. Furthermore, existing laws or regulations may be amended or repealed, and new laws or regulations may be enacted or issued. In addition, the laws and regulations of some countries may limit our ability to hold a majority interest in some of the power plants that we may develop or acquire, thus limiting our ability to control the development, construction and operation of such power plants. Our foreign operations are also subject to significant political, economic and financial risks, which vary by country, and include:

 

 

In particular, in Guatemala the electricity sector was partially privatized, and it is currently unclear whether further privatization will occur in the future. Such developments may affect our Amatitlan and Zunil power plants if, for example, they result in changes to the prevailing tariff regime or in the identity and creditworthiness of our power purchasers. In Nicaragua, subsidiaries of Union Fenosa, which are the off-takers of our Momotombo power plant, have been experiencing difficulties adjusting the tariffs charged to their customers, thus affecting their ability to pay for electricity they purchase from power generators. This may adversely affect our Momotombo power plant. In addition, recent sentiment in the country suggests increased opposition to the presence of foreign investors generally, including in the electricity sector. In Kenya, the government is continuing to make an effort to deliver on campaign promises to reduce the price of electricity and is applying pressure on IPPs to lower their tariffs. In addition, further re-organization of KPLC has been made with the formation of a new company known as KETRACO to undertake power transmission. KPLC will continue to undertake power distribution. This re-organization is in accordance with the National Energy Policy (Sessional Paper No. 4 of 2004). No announcement has been made as to whether KPLC’s transmission assets will be transferred to KETRACO. Another highlight of the Sessional Paper was the establishment of the state owned GDC which has now been formed and is operational. GDC is charged with the responsibility of geothermal assessment, drilling of steam wells and sale of steam to future IPPs and to KenGen for electricity generation. Any break-up and potential privatization of KPLC may adversely affect our Olkaria III complex. Although we generally obtain political risk insurance in connection with our foreign power plants, such political risk insurance does not mitigate all of the above-mentioned risks. In addition, insurance proceeds received pursuant to our political risk insurance policies, where applicable, may not be adequate to cover all losses sustained as a result of any covered risks and may at times be pledged in favor of the power plant lenders as collateral. Also, insurance may not be available in the future with the scope of coverage and in amounts of coverage adequate to insure against such risks and disturbances.

Our foreign power plants and foreign manufacturing operations expose us to risks related to fluctuations in currency rates, which may reduce our profits from such power plants and operations.

 

Risks attributable to fluctuations in currency exchange rates can arise when any of our foreign subsidiaries borrow funds or incur operating or other expenses in one type of currency but receive revenues in another. In such cases, an adverse change in exchange rates can reduce such subsidiary’s ability to meet its debt service obligations, reduce the amount of cash and income we receive from such foreign subsidiary or increase such subsidiary’s overall expenses. In addition, the imposition by foreign governments of restrictions on the transfer of foreign currency abroad, or restrictions on the conversion of local currency into foreign currency, would have an adverse effect on the operations of our foreign power plants and foreign manufacturing operations, and may limit or diminish the amount of cash and income that we receive from such foreign power plants and operations.

 

A significant portion of our net revenue is attributed to payments made by power purchasers under PPAs. The failure of any such power purchaser to perform its obligations under the relevant PPA or the loss of a PPA due to a default would reduce our net income and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

A significant portion of our net revenue is attributed to revenues derived from power purchasers under the relevant PPAs. Southern California Edison, Sierra Pacific Power Company and Nevada Power Company (subsidiaries of NV Energy, Inc.) and HELCO have accounted for 21.0%, 12.9% and 6.3%, respectively, of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2009. Neither we nor any of our affiliates makes any representations as to the financial condition or creditworthiness of any purchaser under a PPA, and nothing in this annual report should be construed as such a representation.

 

There is a risk that any one or more of the power purchasers may not fulfill their respective payment obligations under their PPAs. For example, as a result of the energy crisis in California in the early 2000s, Southern California Edison withheld payments it owed under various of its PPAs with a number of power generators (such as the Ormesa, Heber, and Mammoth power plants) payable for certain energy delivered between November 2000 and March 2001 under such PPAs until March 2002. If any of the power purchasers fails to meet its payment obligations under its PPAs, it could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

Seasonal variations may cause significant fluctuations in our cash flows, which may cause the market price of our common stock to fall in certain periods.

 

Our results of operations are subject to seasonal variations. This is primarily because some of our domestic power plants receive higher capacity payments under the relevant PPAs during the summer months, and due to the generally higher short run avoided costs in effect during the summer months. Some of our other power plants may experience reduced generation during warm periods due to the lower heat differential between the geothermal fluid and the ambient surroundings. Such seasonal variations could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow. If our operating results fall below the public’s or analysts’ expectations in some future period or periods, the market price of our common stock will likely fall in such period or periods.

 

Pursuant to the terms of some of our PPAs with investor-owned electric utilities in states that have renewable portfolio standards, the failure to supply the contracted capacity and energy thereunder may result in the imposition of penalties.

 

Under the Burdette, Desert Peak 2, Galena 2, Galena 3, Carson Lake, Jersey Valley, McGinness Hills, Tuscarrora and North Brawley PPAs, we may be required to make payments to the relevant power purchaser in an amount equal to such purchaser’s replacement costs for renewable energy relating to any shortfall amount of renewable energy that we do not provide as required under the PPA and which such power purchaser is forced to obtain from an alternate source. Four of the nine PPAs were in commercial operation in 2009 and to date the shortfall amount has not been material. In addition, we may be required to make payments to the relevant power purchaser in an amount equal to its replacement costs relating to any renewable energy credits we do not provide as required under the relevant PPA. We may be subject to certain penalties, and we may also be required to pay

liquidated damages if certain minimum performance requirements are not met under certain of our PPAs. With respect to the Brady PPA, we may also be required to pay liquidated damages of approximately $1.5 million to our power purchaser if the relevant power plant does not maintain availability of at least 85% during applicable peak periods. Any or all of these could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

The short run avoided costs for our power purchasers may decline, which would reduce our power plant revenues and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

Under the PPAs for our power plants in California, the price that Southern California Edison pays for energy is based upon its short run avoided costs, which are the incremental costs that it would have incurred had it generated the relevant electrical energy itself or purchased such energy from others. Under settlement agreements between Southern California Edison and a number of power generators in California that are Qualifying Facilities, including our subsidiaries, the energy price component payable by Southern California Edison has been fixed through April 2012 and thereafter will be based on Southern California Edison’s short run avoided costs, as determined by the California Public Utilities Commission. These short run avoided costs may vary substantially on a monthly basis, and are expected to be based primarily on natural gas prices for gas delivered to California as well as other factors. The levels of short run avoided cost prices paid by Southern California Edison may decline following the expiration date of the settlement agreements, which in turn would reduce our power plant revenues derived from Southern California Edison under our PPAs and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

If any of our domestic power plants loses its current Qualifying Facility status under PURPA, or if amendments to PURPA are enacted that substantially reduce the benefits currently afforded to Qualifying Facilities, our domestic operations could be adversely affected.

 

Most of our domestic power plants are Qualifying Facilities pursuant to the PURPA, which largely exempts the power plants from the FPA, and certain state and local laws and regulations regarding rates and financial and organizational requirements for electric utilities.

 

If any of our domestic power plants were to lose its Qualifying Facility status, such power plant could become subject to the full scope of the FPA and applicable state regulation. The application of the FPA and other applicable state regulation to our domestic power plants could require our operations to comply with an increasingly complex regulatory regime that may be costly and greatly reduce our operational flexibility.

 

In addition, pursuant to the FPA, FERC has exclusive rate-making jurisdiction over wholesale sales of electricity and transmission of public utilities in interstate commerce. These rates may be based on a cost of service approach or may be determined on a market basis through competitive bidding or negotiation. Qualifying Facilities are largely exempt from the FPA. If a domestic power plant were to lose its Qualifying Facility status, it would become a public utility under the FPA, and the rates charged by such power plant pursuant to its PPAs would be subject to the review and approval of FERC. FERC, upon such review, may determine that the rates currently set forth in such PPAs are not appropriate and may set rates that are lower than the rates currently charged. In addition, FERC may require that some or all of our domestic power plants refund amounts previously paid by the relevant power purchaser to such power plant. Such events would likely result in a decrease in our future revenues or in an obligation to disgorge revenues previously received from our domestic power plants, either of which would have an adverse effect on our revenues. Even if a power plant does not lose its Qualifying Facility status, pursuant to a final rule issued by FERC for power plants above 20 MW, if a power plant’s PPA is terminated or otherwise expires, and the subsequent sales are not made pursuant to a state’s implementation of PURPA, that power plant will become subject to FERC’s ratemaking jurisdiction under the FPA. Moreover, a loss of Qualifying Facility status also could permit the power purchaser, pursuant to the terms of the particular PPA, to cease taking and paying for electricity from the relevant power plant or, consistent with FERC precedent, to seek refunds of past amounts paid. This could cause the loss of some or all of our revenues payable pursuant to the related PPAs, result in significant liability for refunds of past amounts paid, or otherwise impair the value of our power plants. If a power purchaser were to cease taking and paying for electricity or seek to obtain refunds of past amounts paid, there can be no assurance that the

costs incurred in connection with the power plant could be recovered through sales to other purchasers or that we would have sufficient funds to make such payments. In addition, the loss of Qualifying Facility status would be an event of default under the financing arrangements currently in place for some of our power plants, which would enable the lenders to exercise their remedies and enforce the liens on the relevant power plant.

 

Pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, FERC was also given authority to prospectively lift the mandatory obligation of a utility under PURPA to offer to purchase the electricity from a Qualifying Facility if the utility operates in a workably competitive market. Existing PPAs between a Qualifying Facility and a utility are not affected. If the utilities in the regions in which our domestic power plants operate were to be relieved of the mandatory purchase obligation, they would not be required to purchase energy from the power plant in the region under Federal law upon termination of the existing PPA or with respect to new power plants, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

Our financial performance is significantly dependent on the successful operation of our power plants, which is subject to changes in the legal and regulatory environment affecting our power plants.

 

All of our power plants are subject to extensive regulation and, therefore, changes in applicable laws or regulations, or interpretations of those laws and regulations, could result in increased compliance costs, the need for additional capital expenditures or the reduction of certain benefits currently available to our power plants. The structure of domestic and foreign federal, state and local energy regulation currently is, and may continue to be, subject to challenges, modifications, the imposition of additional regulatory requirements, and restructuring proposals. Our power purchasers or we may not be able to obtain all regulatory approvals that may be required in the future, or any necessary modifications to existing regulatory approvals, or maintain all required regulatory approvals. In addition, the cost of operation and maintenance and the operating performance of geothermal power plants may be adversely affected by changes in certain laws and regulations, including tax laws.

 

Any changes to applicable laws and regulations could significantly increase the regulatory-related compliance and other expenses incurred by the power plants and could significantly reduce or entirely eliminate the revenues generated by one or more of the power plants, which in turn would reduce our net income and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

The costs of compliance with environmental laws and of obtaining and maintaining environmental permits and governmental approvals required for construction and/or operation, which currently are significant, may increase in the future and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow; any non-compliance with such laws or regulations may result in the imposition of liabilities which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

Our power plants are required to comply with numerous domestic and foreign federal, regional, state and local statutory and regulatory environmental standards and to maintain numerous environmental permits and governmental approvals required for construction and/or operation. Some of the environmental permits and governmental approvals that have been issued to the power plants contain conditions and restrictions, including restrictions or limits on emissions and discharges of pollutants and contaminants, or may have limited terms. If we fail to satisfy these conditions or comply with these restrictions, or with any statutory or regulatory environmental standards, we may become subject to regulatory enforcement action and the operation of the power plants could be adversely affected or be subject to fines, penalties or additional costs. In addition, we may not be able to renew, maintain or obtain all environmental permits and governmental approvals required for the continued operation or further development of the power plants. As of the date of this report, we have not yet obtained certain permits and government approvals required for the completion and successful operation of power plants under construction or enhancement. In addition, a nearby municipality has informed our Amatitlan power plant that an additional building permit should be obtained from such municipality before construction commences. Our failure to renew, maintain or obtain required permits or governmental approvals, including the permits and approvals necessary for operating power plants under construction or enhancement, could cause our operations to be limited or suspended. Environmental laws, ordinances and regulations affecting us can be subject to change and such change could result in increased compliance costs, the need for additional capital expenditures, or otherwise adversely affect us.

We could be exposed to significant liability for violations of hazardous substances laws because of the use or presence of such substances at our power plants.

 

Our power plants are subject to numerous domestic and foreign federal, regional, state and local statutory and regulatory standards relating to the use, storage and disposal of hazardous substances. We use isobutane, isopentane, industrial lubricants, and other substances at our power plants which are or could become classified as hazardous substances. If any hazardous substances are found to have been released into the environment at or by the power plants in concentrations that exceed regulatory limits, we could become liable for the investigation and removal of those substances, regardless of their source and time of release. If we fail to comply with these laws, ordinances or regulations (or any change thereto), we could be subject to civil or criminal liability, the imposition of liens or fines, and large expenditures to bring the power plants into compliance. Furthermore, in the United States, we can be held liable for the cleanup of releases of hazardous substances at other locations where we arranged for disposal of those substances, even if we did not cause the release at that location. The cost of any remediation activities in connection with a spill or other release of such substances could be significant.

 

We believe that at one time there may have been a gas station located on the Mammoth complex site, but because of significant surface disturbance and construction since that time, further physical evaluation of the environmental condition of the former gas station site has been impractical. There may be soil or groundwater contamination and related potential liabilities of which we are unaware related to this site, which may be significant and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

We may not be able to successfully integrate companies which we may acquire in the future, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

Our strategy is to continue to expand in the future, including through acquisitions. Integrating acquisitions is often costly, and we may not be able to successfully integrate our acquired companies with our existing operations without substantial costs, delays or other adverse operational or financial consequences. Integrating our acquired companies involves a number of risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, including:

 

 

If any of our acquired companies suffers customer dissatisfaction or performance problems, the same could adversely affect the reputation of our group of companies and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

The power generation industry is characterized by intense competition, and we encounter competition from electric utilities, other power producers, and power marketers that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

The power generation industry is characterized by intense competition from electric utilities, other power producers and power marketers. In recent years, there has been increasing competition in the sale of electricity, in part due to excess capacity in a number of U.S. markets and an emphasis on short-term or “spot” markets, and competition has contributed to a reduction in electricity prices. For the most part, we expect that power purchasers interested in long-term arrangements will engage in “competitive bid” solicitations to satisfy new capacity demands. This competition could adversely affect our ability to obtain PPAs and the price paid for electricity by the relevant power purchasers. There is also increasing competition between electric utilities. This competition has put pressure on electric utilities to lower their costs, including the cost of purchased electricity, and increasing competition in the future will put further pressure on power purchasers to reduce the prices at which they purchase electricity from us.

The existence of a prolonged force majeure event or a forced outage affecting a power plant could reduce our net income and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

The operation of our subsidiaries’ geothermal power plants is subject to a variety of risks discussed elsewhere in these risk factors, including events such as fires, explosions, earthquakes, landslides, floods, severe storms or other similar events.

 

If a power plant experiences an occurrence resulting in a force majeure event, our subsidiary that owns that power plant would be excused from its obligations under the relevant PPA. However, the relevant power purchaser may not be required to make any capacity and/or energy payments with respect to the affected power plant or plant so long as the force majeure event continues and, pursuant to certain of our PPAs, will have the right to prematurely terminate the PPA. Additionally, to the extent that a forced outage has occurred, the relevant power purchaser may not be required to make any capacity and/or energy payments to the affected power plant, and if, as a result the power plant fails to attain certain performance requirements under certain of our PPAs, the purchaser may have the right to permanently reduce the contract capacity (and correspondingly, the amount of capacity payments due pursuant to such agreements in the future), seek refunds of certain past capacity payments, and/or prematurely terminate the PPA. As a consequence, we may not receive any net revenues from the affected power plant other than the proceeds from any business interruption insurance that applies to the force majeure event or forced outage after the relevant waiting period, and may incur significant liabilities in respect of past amounts required to be refunded. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, future results and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

 

The existence of a force majeure event or a forced outage affecting the transmission system of the IID could reduce our net income and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

If the transmission system of the IID experiences a force majeure event or a forced outage which prevents it from transmitting the electricity from the Heber complex, the Ormesa complex or the North Brawley power plant to the relevant power purchaser, the relevant power purchaser would not be required to make energy payments for such non-delivered electricity and may not be required to make any capacity payments with respect to the affected power plant so long as such force majeure event or forced outage continues. Our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2009, from the power plants utilizing the IID transmission system, were approximately $95.7 million. The impact of such force majeure would depend on the duration thereof, with longer outages resulting in greater revenue loss.

 

Some of our leases will terminate if we do not extract geothermal resources in “commercial quantities”, thus requiring us to enter into new leases or secure rights to alternate geothermal resources, none of which may be available on terms as favorable to us as any such terminated lease, if at all.

 

Most of our geothermal resource leases are for a fixed primary term, and then continue for so long as geothermal resources are extracted in “commercial quantities” or pursuant to other terms of extension. The land covered by some of our leases is undeveloped and has not yet produced geothermal resources in “commercial quantities”. Leases that cover land which remains undeveloped and does not produce, or does not continue to produce, geothermal resources in commercial quantities and leases that we allow to expire, will terminate. In the event that a lease is terminated and we determine that we will need that lease once the applicable power plant is operating, we would need to enter into one or more new leases with the owner(s) of the premises that are the subject of the terminated lease(s) in order to develop geothermal resources from, or inject geothermal resources into, such premises or secure rights to alternate geothermal resources or lands suitable for injection. We may not be able to do this or may not be able to do so without incurring increased costs, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

Our BLM leases may be terminated if we fail to comply with any of the provisions of the Geothermal Steam Act or if we fail to comply with the terms or stipulations of such leases, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

Pursuant to the terms of our BLM leases, we are required to conduct our operations on BLM-leased land in a workmanlike manner and in accordance with all applicable laws and BLM directives and to take all mitigating actions required by the BLM to protect the surface of and the environment surrounding the relevant land. Additionally, certain BLM leases contain additional requirements, some of which relate to the mitigation or avoidance of disturbance of any antiquities, cultural values or threatened or endangered plants or animals, the payment of royalties for timber and the imposition of certain restrictions on residential development on the leased land. In the event of a default under any BLM lease, or the failure to comply with such requirements, or any non-compliance with any of the provisions of the Geothermal Steam Act or regulations issued thereunder, the BLM may, 30 days after notice of default is provided to our relevant project subsidiary, suspend our operations until the requested action is taken or terminate the lease, either of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

 

Some of our leases (or subleases) could terminate if the lessor (or sublessor) under any such lease (or sublease) defaults on any debt secured by the relevant property, thus terminating our rights to access the underlying geothermal resources at that location.

 

The fee interest in the land which is the subject of some of our leases (or subleases) may currently be or may become subject to encumbrances securing loans from third-party lenders to the lessor (or sublessor). Our rights as lessee (or sublessee) under such leases (or subleases) are or may be subject and subordinate to the rights of any such lender. Accordingly, a default by the lessor (or sublessor) under any such loan could result in a foreclosure on the underlying fee interest in the property and thereby terminate our leasehold interest and result in the shutdown of the power plant located on the relevant property and/or terminate our right of access to the underlying geothermal resources required for our operations.

 

In addition, a default by a sublessor under its lease with the owner of the property that is the subject of our sublease could result in the termination of such lease and thereby terminate our sublease interest and our right to access the underlying geothermal resources required for our operations.

 

Current and future urbanizing activities and related residential, commercial, and industrial developments may encroach on or limit geothermal activities in the areas of our power plants, thereby affecting our ability to utilize access, inject and/or transport geothermal resources on or underneath the affected surface areas.

 

Current and future urbanizing activities and related residential, commercial and industrial development may encroach on or limit geothermal activities in the areas of our power plants, thereby affecting our ability to utilize, access, inject, and/or transport geothermal resources on or underneath the affected surface areas. In particular, the Heber power plants rely on an area, which we refer to as the Heber Known Geothermal Resource Area or Heber KGRA, for the geothermal resource necessary to generate electricity at the Heber power plants. Imperial County has adopted a “specific plan area” that covers the Heber KGRA, which we refer to as the “Heber Specific Plan Area”. The Heber Specific Plan Area allows commercial, residential, industrial and other employment oriented development in a mixed-use orientation, which currently includes geothermal uses. Several of the landowners from whom we hold geothermal leases have expressed an interest in developing their land for residential, commercial, industrial or other surface uses in accordance with the parameters of the Heber Specific Plan Area. Currently, Imperial County’s Heber Specific Plan Area is coordinated with the cities of El Centro and Calexio. There has been ongoing underlying interest since the early 1990s to incorporate the community of Heber. While any incorporation process would likely take several years, if Heber were to be incorporated, the City of Heber could replace Imperial County as the governing land use authority, which, depending on its policies, could have a significant effect on land use and availability of geothermal resources.

 

Current and future development proposals within Imperial County and the City of Calexico, applications for annexations to the City of Calexico, and plans to expand public infrastructure may affect surface areas within the

Heber KGRA, thereby limiting our ability to utilize, access, inject and/or transport the geothermal resource on or underneath the affected surface area that is necessary for the operation of our Heber power plants, which could adversely affect our operations and reduce our revenues.

 

Current transportation construction works and urban developments in the vicinity of our Steamboat complex of power plants in Nevada may also affect future permitting for geothermal operations relating to those power plants. Such works and developments include the extension of an interstate highway (to be named U.S. 580) by the Nevada Department of Transportation, the construction of a new casino hotel and other commercial or industrial developments on land in the vicinity of our Steamboat complex.

 

We depend on key personnel for the success of our business.