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Investment in OC-BVI | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2013
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract] |
Equity Method Investments Disclosure [Text Block] | 8. Investment in OC-BVI The Company owns 50% of the outstanding voting common shares and a 43.5% equity interest in the profits of Ocean Conversion (BVI) Ltd. (“OC-BVI”). The Company also owns certain profit sharing rights in OC-BVI that raise its effective interest in the profits of OC-BVI to approximately 45%. Pursuant to a management services agreement, OC-BVI pays the Company monthly fees for certain engineering and administrative services. OC-BVI’s sole customer is the Ministry of Communications and Works of the Government of the British Virgin Islands (the “Ministry”) to which it sells bulk water. The Company’s equity investment in OC-BVI amounted to $6,623,448 and $6,925,346 as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Until 2009, substantially all of the water sold by OC-BVI to the Ministry was initially supplied under a Water Supply Agreement dated May 1990 (the “1990 Agreement’) and was produced by one desalination plant with a capacity of 1.7 million gallons per day located at Baughers Bay, Tortola (the “Baughers Bay plant”). As discussed later in this Note (see “Baughers Bay litigation” ), the BVI government assumed the operating responsibilities for the Baughers Bay plant in March 2010. During 2007, OC-BVI completed, for a total cost of approximately $8 million, the construction of a desalination plant with a capacity of 720,000 gallons per day located at Bar Bay, Tortola (the “Bar Bay plant”). OC-BVI began selling water to the Ministry from this plant in January 2009 and on March 4, 2010, OC-BVI and the BVI government executed a definitive seven-year contract for the Bar Bay plant (the “Bar Bay agreement”). Under the terms of the Bar Bay agreement, OC-BVI delivers up to 600,000 gallons of water per day to the BVI government from the Bar Bay plant. The Bar Bay agreement includes a seven-year extension option exercisable by the BVI government and required OC-BVI to complete a storage reservoir on the BVI government site by no later than March 4, 2011. OC-BVI has not commenced construction of this storage reservoir due to the BVI government’s failure to pay (i) the full amount of invoices for the water provided by the Bar Bay plant on a timely basis; and (ii) the full amount ordered pursuant to a court ruling relating to the Baughers Bay litigation (see discussion that follows).
Summarized financial information of OC-BVI is presented as follows:
|  | December 31, |
|  | 2013 |  | 2012 |
Current assets |  | $ | 3,422,328 |  | $ | 3,033,939 |
Non-current assets |  |  | 5,923,387 |  |  | 6,730,121 |
Total assets |  | $ | 9,345,715 |  | $ | 9,764,060 |
|  | December 31, |
|  | 2013 |  | 2012 |
Current liabilities |  | $ | 717,890 |  | $ | 937,965 |
Non-current liabilities |  |  | 1,688,850 |  |  | 1,743,077 |
Total liabilities |  | $ | 2,406,740 |  | $ | 2,681,042 |
|  | Year Ended December 31, |
|  | 2013 |  | 2012 |  | 2011(1) |
Revenues |  | $ | 4,711,091 |  | $ | 4,371,520 |  | $ | 3,925,108 |
Gross Profit |  | $ | 1,824,271 |  | $ | 1,545,568 |  | $ | 1,453,878 |
Income from operations |  | $ | 866,528 |  | $ | 496,755 |  | $ | 833,056 |
Other income (expense), net (2) |  | $ | 1,411,931 |  | $ | 4,410,425 |  | $ | 1,123,310 |
Net income attributable to controlling interests |  | $ | 2,250,667 |  | $ | 4,873,236 |  | $ | 1,926,597 |
| (1) | The Company reclassified $1.0 million presented as revenues in 2011 to Other income – Court award – Baughers Bay dispute, to conform to the current year’s presentation.
| (2) | Other income (expense), net, includes $2.0 million, $4.7 million and $1.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively, in award amounts received under the Court ruling for the Baughers Bay litigation.
The Company recognized $979,716, $2,121,319 and $838,652 in earnings from its equity investment in OC-BVI for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Company recognized $357,636, $343,454 and $nil in profit sharing income from its profit sharing agreement with OC-BVI for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, and 2011, the Company recognized approximately $785,000, $470,000, and $317,500, respectively, in revenues from sales of consumable stock and its management services agreement with OC-BVI. The Company’s remaining unamortized balance of this management services agreement, which is reflected as an intangible asset on the consolidated balance sheet, was approximately $285,000 and $428,000 as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively (see Note 10). Baughers Bay litigation: Under the terms of the water supply agreement dated May 1990 (the “1990 Agreement”) between OC-BVI and the Government of the British Islands (the “BVI Government”), upon the expiration of its initial seven-year term in May 1999, the 1990 Agreement would automatically be extended for another seven-year term unless the BVI government provided notice, at least eight months prior to such expiration, of its decision to purchase the plant from OC-BVI at the agreed upon amount under the 1990 Agreement of approximately $1.42 million. In correspondence between the parties from late 1998 through early 2000, the BVI government indicated that it intended to purchase the plant but would be amenable to negotiating a new water supply agreement, and that it considered the 1990 Agreement to be in force on a monthly basis until negotiations between the BVI government and OC-BVI were concluded. Occasional discussions were held between the parties since 2000 without resolution of the matter. OC-BVI continued to supply water from the plant and expended approximately $4.7 million between 1995 and 2003 to significantly expand the production capacity of the plant beyond that contemplated in the 1990 Agreement. In 2006, the BVI government took the position that the seven-year extension of the 1990 Agreement had been completed and that it was entitled to ownership of the Baughers Bay plant. In response, OC-BVI disputed the BVI government’s contention that the original terms of the 1990 Agreement remained in effect. During 2007, the BVI government significantly reduced the amount and frequency of its payments for the water being supplied by OC-BVI and filed a lawsuit with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (the “Court”) seeking ownership of the Baughers Bay plant. OC-BVI counterclaimed to the Court that it was entitled to continued possession and operation of the Baughers Bay plant until the BVI government paid OC-BVI approximately $4.7 million, which OC-BVI believed represented the value of the Baughers Bay plant at its expanded production capacity. OC-BVI subsequently filed claims with the Court seeking payment for water sold and delivered to the BVI government through May 31, 2009 at the contract prices in effect before the BVI government asserted its purported right of ownership of the plant.
The Court ruled on this litigation in 2009, determining that (1) the BVI government was entitled to immediate ownership and possession of the Baughers Bay plant and dismissed OC-BVI’s claim for compensation of approximately $4.7 million for the expenditures made to expand the production capacity of the plant; (2) OC-BVI was entitled to full payment of water invoices issued up to December 20, 2007, which had been calculated under the terms of the original 1990 Agreement; and (3) OC-BVI was entitled to the amount of $10.4 million for water produced by OC-BVI from the Baughers Bay plant subsequent to December 20, 2007. The BVI government made a payment of $2.0 million to OC-BVI under the Court order during the fourth quarter of 2009, a second payment of $2.0 million under the Court order during 2010 and a third payment under the Court order of $1.0 million in 2011. OC-BVI filed an appeal with the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals (the “Appellate Court”) in October 2009 asking the Appellate Court to review the September 17, 2009 ruling by the Court as it related to OC-BVI’s claim for compensation for expenditures made to expand the production capacity of the Baughers Bay plant. In October 2009, the BVI government also filed an appeal with the Appellate Court requesting the Appellate Court to reduce the $10.4 million awarded by the Court to OC-BVI for water supplied subsequent to December 20, 2007 to an amount equal to the cost of producing such water. In March 2010, OC-BVI vacated the Baughers Bay plant and the BVI government assumed direct responsibility for the plant’s operations. In June 2012, the Appellate Court issued the final ruling with respect to the Baughers Bay litigation. This ruling dismissed the BVI government’s appeal against the previous judgment of the Court awarding $10.4 million for the water supplied, and also awarded OC-BVI compensation for improvements made to the plant in the amount equal to the difference between (i) the value of the Baughers Bay plant at the date OC-BVI transferred possession of the plant to the BVI government and (ii) $1.42 million (the purchase price for the Baughers Bay plant under the 1990 Agreement). OC-BVI was also awarded all of its court costs at the trial level and two-thirds of such costs incurred on appeal. Prior to the final ruling, the BVI government had paid only $5.0 of the original $10.4 million, and the remaining $5.4 million amount due had increased to approximately $6.7 million by the fourth quarter of 2012 due to the court costs awarded by the Appellate Court and the accrued interest due on the aggregate unpaid balance. The BVI government paid OC-BVI $4.7 million of this amount during the fourth quarter of 2012 and the remaining $2.0 million in January 2013. These amounts paid by the BVI government were recognized in OC-BVI’s earnings in the periods in which they were received. To date OC-BVI and the BVI government have been unable to reach agreement on the value of the plant at the date it was transferred to the BVI government. Valuation of Investment in OC-BVI: The Company accounts for its investment in OC-BVI under the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock. This method requires recognition of a loss on an equity investment that is other than temporary, and indicates that a current fair value of an equity investment that is less than its carrying amount may indicate a loss in the value of the investment. As a quoted market price for OC-BVI’s stock is not available, to test for possible impairment of its investment in OC-BVI, the Company estimates its fair value through the use of the discounted cash flow method, which relies upon projections of OC-BVI’s operating results, working capital and capital expenditures. The use of this method requires the Company to estimate OC-BVI’s cash flows from (i) the Bar Bay agreement and (ii) the pending amount awarded by the Appellate Court for the value of the Baughers Bay plant previously transferred by OC-BVI to the BVI government. The Company estimates the cash flows OC-BVI will receive from its Bar Bay agreement by (i) identifying various possible future scenarios for this agreement, which include the cancellation of the agreement after its initial seven-year term, and the exercise by the BVI government of the seven-year extension in the agreement; (ii) estimating the cash flows associated with each possible scenario; and (iii) assigning a probability to each scenario. The Company similarly estimates the cash flows OC-BVI will receive from the BVI government for the amount due under the ruling by the Appellate Court for the value of the Baughers Bay plant at the date it was transferred to the BVI government by assigning probabilities to different valuation scenarios. The resulting probability-weighted sum represents the expected cash flows, and the Company’s best estimate of future cash flows, to be derived by OC-BVI from its Bar Bay agreement and the pending Appellate Court award. The identification of the possible scenarios for the Bar Bay plant agreement and the Baughers Bay plant valuation, the projections of cash flows for each scenario, and the assignment of relative probabilities to each scenario all represent significant estimates made by the Company. While the Company uses its best judgment in identifying these possible scenarios, estimating the expected cash flows for these scenarios and assigning relative probabilities to each scenario, these estimates are by their nature highly subjective and are also subject to material change by the Company’s management over time based upon new information or changes in circumstances. During the fourth quarter of 2013, after reassessing what the Company believes will be the future demand for water in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and the probable sources the BVI government will utilize to meet this demand, the Company determined it appropriate to modify the projections of cash flows for OC-BVI that it uses to estimate the fair value of its investment in OC-BVI by increasing (from those used in prior years) the probabilities assigned to those scenarios that result in a lower supply of water or revenue stream from the Bar Bay plant. Based on these current estimates of OC-BVI’s cash flows and the Company’s resulting estimate of the fair value of its investment in OC-BVI, the Company determined that the carrying value of its investment in OC-BVI exceeded its fair value and recorded an impairment loss on this investment of $200,000. The resulting carrying value of the Company’s investment in OC-BVI of approximately $6.6 million as of December 31, 2013 assumes that the BVI government will honor its obligations under the Bar Bay agreement and also assumes (on a probability weighted basis) that the BVI government will exercise its option to extend the Bar Bay agreement for seven years beyond its initial term, which expires in 2017.
The remaining $6.6 million carrying value of the Company’s investment in OC-BVI as of December 31, 2013 exceeds the Company’s underlying equity in OC-BVI’s net assets by approximately $2.8 million. The Company accounts for this excess as goodwill. The BVI government is OC-BVI’s sole customer and substantially all of OC-BVI’s revenues are generated from its Bar Bay plant. As the Bar Bay agreement matures and OC-BVI receives (or is determined by the court to not be entitled to receive) the pending Appellate Court award amount assumed due for the value of the Baughers Bay plant, OC-BVI’s expected future cash flows, and therefore its fair value computed under the discounted cash flow method, will decrease. Unless OC-BVI obtains an expansion or other modification of its Bar Bay agreement that results in a significant increase in the estimated future cash flows from its Bar Bay plant, the Company will be required to record impairment losses in future periods to reduce the carrying value of its investment in OC-BVI to its then current fair value. These impairment losses will, in the aggregate, equal the underlying $2.8 million in goodwill reflected in the carrying value of the Company’s investment in OC-BVI and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s earnings and consolidated statement of operations.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for equity method investments and joint ventures. Equity method investments are investments that give the investor the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. Joint ventures are entities owned and operated by a small group of businesses as a separate and specific business or project for the mutual benefit of the members of the group. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.12) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6382943&loc=d3e33918-111571 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 35 -Paragraph 35 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7658923&loc=d3e32847-111569 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 35 -Paragraph 32 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7658923&loc=d3e32787-111569 + Details
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