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Discontinued operations | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2021
Discontinued operations - Mexico project development |
Discontinued operations - Mexico project development | 5. Discontinued operations - Mexico project development ​ In May 2010, the Company acquired, through its wholly-owned Netherlands subsidiary, CW-Cooperatief, a 50% interest in NSC, a development stage Mexican company. CW-Cooperatief thereafter purchased, through the conversion of a loan it made to NSC, additional shares that increased its ownership interest in NSC to 99.99%. NSC was formed to pursue a project (the “Project”) that originally encompassed the construction, operation and minority ownership of a 100 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico and accompanying pipelines to deliver water to the Mexican potable water system. ​ Through a series of transactions that began in 2012, NSC purchased 20.1 hectares of land for approximately $21.1 million on which the proposed Project’s plant would be constructed. ​ Following an assessment by the State of Baja, California (the “State”) of the need for such a desalination plant and the passage of enabling legislation in November 2015, the State officially commenced the tender for the Project. The scope of the Project was defined by the State as a first phase to be operational in 2019 consisting of a 50 million gallon per day plant and an aqueduct that connected to the Mexican potable water infrastructure and a second phase to be operational in 2024 consisting of an additional 50 million gallons per day of production capacity. A consortium (the “Consortium”) comprised of NSC, NuWater S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“NuWater”) and Suez Medio Ambiente México, S.A. de C.V. (“Suez MA”), a subsidiary of SUEZ International, S.A.S., submitted its tender for the Project in April 2016 and in June 2016, the State designated the Consortium as the winner of the tender process for the Project. ​ In August 2016, NSC and NuWater incorporated a new company under the name Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”), a special purpose company, to complete the Project and executed a shareholders agreement for AdR agreeing among other things that (i) AdR would purchase the land and other Project assets from NSC on the date that the Project begins commercial operations and (ii) AdR would enter into a Management and Technical Services Agreement with NSC effective on the first day that the Project begins commercial operations. NSC initially owned 99.6% of the equity of AdR. In February 2018, CW-Holdings acquired the remaining 0.4% ownership in AdR from NuWater. ​ On August 22, 2016, the Public Private Partnership Agreement for the Project (the “APP Contract”) was executed between AdR, the State Water Commission of Baja, California (“CEA”), the Government of Baja California, as represented by the Secretary of Planning and Finance and the Public Utilities Commission of Tijuana (“CESPT”). The APP Contract required AdR to design, construct, finance and operate a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant (and accompanying aqueduct) with a capacity of up to 100 million gallons per day in two phases: the first with a capacity of 50 million gallons per day and an aqueduct to the Mexican public water system in Tijuana, Baja California and the second phase with a capacity of 50 million gallons per day. The first phase was to be operational within 36 months of commencing construction and the second phase was to be operational by January 2025. The APP Contract further required AdR to operate and maintain the plant and aqueduct for a period of 37 years starting from the commencement of operation of the first phase. At the end of the operating period, the plant and aqueduct would have been transferred to CEA. The APP Contract was subsequently amended by the parties in June 2018 to increase the scope of Phase 1 and to allow for changes in the water tariff due to the changes in the exchange rate for the peso, interest rates and construction costs that had and would occur from the date the APP Contract was signed to the date construction commenced. ​ Through June 30, 2020, NSC had paid approximately $3.0 million to acquire rights of way for the aqueduct to be constructed for the Project to deliver water to the Mexico public water system. ​ On June 29, 2020, AdR received a letter (the “Letter”) from the Director General of CEA and the Director General of CESPT terminating the APP Contract. The reasoning provided in the Letter for the decision to terminate the APP Contract is that the Project (a) is not financially feasible due to increases in the construction, operating and financing costs for the Project in addition to negative changes in economic conditions (e.g. interest rates and currency exchange rates); (b) is not sustainable for CEA and CESPT given its financial unfeasibility; (c) puts pressure to increase the rates charged to customers; (d) would force the Government of the State to cover a deficit of CEA and CESPT, thus preventing the State Government from spending on investment programs or social expenditures; and (e) negatively affects the general interest. The Letter requested that AdR provide an inventory of the assets that currently comprise the “Project Works” (as defined in the APP Contract) for the purpose of acknowledging and paying the non-recoverable expenses made by AdR in connection with the Project, with such reimbursement to be calculated in accordance with the terms of the APP Contract. The applicable law requires this list of non-recoverable expenses made by AdR in connection with the Project be submitted to CEA and CESPT within 20 business days from the date of receipt of the Letter. ​ As a consequence of the termination of the APP Contract, the rights of way NSC and AdR acquired for the aqueduct no longer have any value due to the loss of their strategic importance derived from their incorporation in the Project. Consequently, the Company recorded an impairment loss of approximately ($3.0 million) for the three months ended June 30, 2020 to write off its investment in these rights of way. The Company also recorded adjustments during the three months ended June 30, 2020 of $2.6 million and $2.2 million to reduce its operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities, respectively, due to the planned cancellation (or transfer to the State) of a long-term land lease associated with the Project. ​ As a result of the cancellation of the APP Contract, during the three months ended September 30, 2020, the Company discontinued all project development activities associated with the Project and engaged a real estate broker and commenced active marketing efforts to sell the land NSC purchased for the Project. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of CW-Cooperatief, NSC and AdR, as well as all Project development expenses and the impairment loss incurred by the Company, have been reclassified from the services segment to discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed financial statements. ​ Summarized financial information for the Mexico project development is as follows:
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ | ​ | ​ | September 30, | ​ | ​ | December 31,
​ | ​ | ​ | 2021 | ​ | ​ | 2020
Cash |  | $ | 36,326 |  | $ | 154,130
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | ​ | ​ | 88,777 | ​ | ​ | 88,978
Value added taxes receivable (net of allowance of $967,115 and $316,217, respectively) | ​ | ​ | 645,542 | ​ | ​ | 1,267,991
Property, plant and equipment, net | ​ |  | 2,273 | ​ |  | 5,682
Land | ​ |  | 21,126,898 | ​ |  | 21,126,898
Other assets | ​ |  | — | ​ |  | 33,909
Total assets of discontinued operations | ​ | $ | 21,899,816 | ​ | $ | 22,677,588
​ | ​ |  |  | ​ |  |
Total liabilities of discontinued operations | ​ | $ | 252,720 | ​ | $ | 190,933
​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ | ​ | Three Months Ended September 30, | ​ | Nine Months Ended September 30,
​ |  | 2021 |  | 2020 | ​ | 2021 |  | 2020
Revenue |  | $ | — |  | $ | — |  | $ | — |  | $ | —
Income from operations | ​ | $ | — | ​ | $ | — | ​ | $ | — | ​ | $ | —
Net loss from discontinued operations | ​ | $ | 1,078,367 | ​ | $ | 377,321 | ​ | $ | 1,542,540 | ​ | $ | 4,448,798
Gain on sale of discontinued operations | ​ | $ | — | ​ | $ | — | ​ | $ | — | ​ | $ | —
Depreciation expense | ​ | $ | 1,136 | ​ | $ | 1,137 | ​ | $ | 3,409 | ​ | $ | 3,409
​ AdR initiated an amparo claim before a federal district court in Tijuana, Baja California, to challenge the provision of the applicable law requiring submittal of the list of non-recoverable expenses within the 20 business days term, as AdR considered such term to be unreasonably short due to the magnitude of the Project and the scope of supporting documentation required to be provided with respect to the non-recoverable expenses. AdR obtained an initial provisional suspension of the lapsing of such 20 day term from the court, and on August 10, 2020 the court made such suspension definitive until the completion of the amparo trial. As such, the 20 day term for filing the list of non-recoverable expenses was suspended. Therefore, on August 28, 2020, AdR submitted, in due time and form, its list of non-recoverable expenses, including those of NSC, to CEA and CESPT which was comprised of 51,144,525 United States dollars and an additional 137,333,114 Mexican pesos. In February 2021, AdR withdrew this amparo claim, and such withdrawal was accepted by the federal district court in Tijuana. To date, AdR has not received a response from CEA or CESPT to its submission of non-recoverable expenses. ​ The Company, AdR and NSC plan to vigorously pursue all legal remedies and courses of action available under the APP Contract and applicable law (including international treaties and agreements) with respect to any rights they may have upon termination of the APP Contract, including the reimbursement of expenses and investments. ​ As a Netherlands company, CW-Cooperatief, believes it has certain rights relating to its investments in NSC and AdR under the Agreement on Promotion, Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investments between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Mexican States entered into force as of October 1, 1999 (the “Treaty”). On April 16, 2021, CW-Cooperatief submitted a letter to the President of Mexico and other Mexican federal government officials alleging that the State’s termination of the APP Contract constituted a breach by Mexico of its international obligations under the Treaty, entitling CW-Cooperatief to full reparation, including monetary damages. This letter invites Mexico to seek a resolution of this investment dispute through consultation and negotiation, but states that if the dispute cannot be resolved in this manner, CW-Cooperatief elects to refer the dispute to the International Centre for the Settlement of International Disputes for arbitration, as provided for in the Treaty. On June 29, 2021, the Mexican Ministry of Economy responded to CW-Cooperatief’s letter and proposed to hold a consultation meeting. Two such meetings were held on July 9, 2021 and August 2, 2021 on a confidential basis. The investment dispute remains unresolved to date. Should CW-Cooperatief elect to refer the dispute to international arbitration, CW-Cooperatief could incur legal and other expenses related to this arbitration that could be material to the Company’s consolidated results of operations. The Company cannot provide any assurances that it will be able to obtain reimbursement for any expenses or investments made with respect to the Project. ​ The Company, AdR and NSC have terminated the various agreements ancillary to the Project as a result of the termination of the APP Contract. ​ Project Litigation ​ Immediately following CW-Cooperatief’s acquisition of its initial 50% ownership in NSC, the remaining 50% ownership interest in NSC was held by an unrelated company, Norte Sur Agua, S. de R.L. de C.V. (“NSA”). NSA subsequently transferred ownership of half of its shares in NSC to EWG Water LLC (“EWG”) and the other half of its shares in NSC to an individual (the “individual shareholder”). In February 2012, CW-Cooperatief paid $300,000 to enter into an agreement (the “Option Agreement”) that provided it with an option, exercisable through February 7, 2014, to purchase the shares of NSC owned by the individual shareholder for a price of $1.0 million along with an immediate usufruct and power of attorney to vote those shares. Such shares constituted 25% of the ownership of NSC as of February 2012. In May 2013, NSC repaid a $5.7 million loan payable to CW-Cooperatief by issuing additional shares of its stock. As a result of this share issuance to CW-Cooperatief, the Company indirectly acquired 99.99% of the ownership of NSC. The Option Agreement contained an anti-dilution provision that required CW-Cooperatief to transfer or otherwise cause the individual shareholder to acquire, for a total price of $1 (regardless of their par or market value), shares in NSC of an amount sufficient to maintain the individual shareholder’s 25% ownership interest in NSC if (i) any new shares of NSC were issued subsequent to the execution of the Option Agreement (causing the individual shareholder’s 25% ownership interest in NSC to be decreased); and (ii) CW-Cooperatief did not exercise its share purchase option by February 7, 2014. CW-Cooperatief exercised its option and paid the $1.0 million to the individual shareholder to purchase the Option Agreement shares in February 2014. ​ In January 2018, EWG initiated an ordinary mercantile claim against the individual shareholder, NSC and CW-Cooperatief, (with AdR being named as a third party to be called to trial) before the Tenth Civil Judge in Tijuana, Baja California for Mercantile Matters (the “Tenth Civil Judge”). In the ordinary mercantile claim, EWG challenged, among other things, the transactions contemplated under the Option Agreement, and therefore, the capital investment transactions that increased the ownership interest of CW-Cooperatief in NSC to 99.99% as a consequence of the Option Agreement. EWG requested that the court, as a preliminary matter (a) suspend the effectiveness of the challenged transactions; (b) order certain public officials in Mexico to record the pendency of the lawsuit in the public records (including a special request to register a lien over the real estate owned by NSC); (c) appoint an inspector for NSC to oversee its commercial activities; and (d) order public officials in Mexico and credit institutions abroad to refrain from authorizing or executing any legal act related with the activities of the plaintiff, the co-defendants and the third party called to trial to avoid damages to third parties, including those with whom negotiations or any form of commercial or administrative activities, or activities of any other nature related with the “Rosarito” water desalination project, are being conducted. The Tenth Civil Judge granted, ex-parte, the preliminary relief sought by EWG, which resulted in the issuance of official writs to several governmental and public entities involved with the “Rosarito” water desalination project, including the registration of the pendency of the lawsuit in certain public records. ​ On October 16, 2018, NSC was served with the ordinary mercantile claim. On November 7, 2018, NSC filed a legal response to the claim, vigorously opposing the claims made by EWG. In addition to such legal response, NSC filed (i) a request to submit the claim to arbitration, based on certain provisions of the by-laws of NSC, (ii) an appeal remedy against the preliminary relief, and (iii) a request for the setting of a guarantee to release the preliminary relief granted in favor of EWG. ​ On October 1, 2020, and following an order from a Federal Judge obtained by NSC, the Tenth Civil Judge resolved to (i) move the claim of EWG to arbitration, and (ii) suspend the corresponding ordinary mercantile procedure. EWG challenged such resolution, arguing that its notification was not lawful. The Tenth Civil Judge dismissed such challenge, and thereafter EWG filed a remedy against such dismissal. NSC appeared before the court to vigorously oppose such remedy, which has been dismissed. To date, the referral to arbitration has not occurred and, as such, the procedure is currently suspended. ​ Notwithstanding the resolution of the Tenth Civil Judge to move to arbitration, subparagraphs a) through d) that follow describe certain separate amparo claims, and appeal remedies arising from or relating to such ordinary mercantile claim and amparo claims, all in chronological order. Due to the current global COVID-19 pandemic, most tribunals in Mexico suspended their activities intermittently since March 2020, with certain such tribunals partially restarting on different dates and with different special rules. As such, several resolutions are pending issuance. ​ a) Appeal filed by NSC against the preliminary relief sought by EWG. ​ The appeal remedy filed by NSC on November 7, 2018, mentioned previously, suspended the proceeding (through the posting of a guarantee by NSC) and was resolved in December 2019 and communicated to EWG in January 2020. Such resolution revoked the order of the Tenth Civil Judge whereby EWG was granted the preliminary relief. ​ b) Amparo filed by EWG against the revocation of the preliminary relief. ​ In January 2020, EWG filed a new amparo claim against the resolution of the appeal remedy previously mentioned in subparagraph a). NSC has responded to this new amparo to vigorously oppose such amparo claim of EWG and to uphold the resolution of such appeal remedy. To this date, the resolution to this amparo claim has not been made public or communicated to NSC. However, from publicly available information it may be concluded that the claim has been dismissed by the amparo court, considering that public excerpts make reference to such dismissal. If such dismissal has occurred, no public information evidences that EWG has filed a remedy against such dismissal. As such, the revocation of the preliminary relief is not affected. c) Amparo apparently filed by EWG against a resolution of the Tenth Civil Judge. ​ In August 2021, counsel to NSC and AdR became aware, from publicly available information of Mexican Federal courts, of an amparo claim filed by EWG, against the resolution of the Tenth Civil Judge dismissing the remedy filed by EWG against the October 1, 2021 resolution within the mentioned ordinary mercantile claim. NSC has filed before the corresponding amparo court a writ vigorously opposing this claim. Within this amparo claim, the Third District Court in Tijuana granted a suspension in favor of EWG, merely for the effect of holding in place the referral to arbitration subject matter of the October 1, 2021 resolution mentioned above. Such suspension was conditioned on the posting of a guarantee in the amount of 50,000 Mexican pesos which, as of the date hereof, has not been posted. Regardless of the effects of the suspension and the lack of the posting of a guarantee, in September 2021, NSC filed an appeal remedy against its granting. Recently, AdR was notified of this claim. However, considering that NSC has vigorously opposed it, and that AdR is a third party with interest, it is not necessary for AdR to appear before the court for this claim and submit arguments against EWG. To date, CW-Cooperatief has not been notified of this amparo claim. Further, a final hearing on the main merits of the claim, as well as on the arguments filed by the parties has been deferred on several occasions. The next scheduled date for such hearing is December 15, 2021. d) Appeal filed by NSC against the suspension granted in favor of EWG. The appeal remedy mentioned in the second paragraph of item c) immediately above was admitted by the superior court on October 18, 2021 and is still pending to be resolved. Notwithstanding the resolution to move to arbitration mentioned previously, CW-Cooperatief has not been officially served with the ordinary mercantile claim, and AdR has not been notified that it has to appear for such trial. In any event, AdR is only a named third party called to trial in this claim, and no claims have been made by EWG against AdR. ​ The Company cannot presently determine what impact the resolution of this litigation may have on its consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

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