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Accounting policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2024
Accounting policies |
Accounting policies | 2. Accounting policies Basis of preparation: The consolidated financial statements presented are prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Use of estimates: The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include the carrying value of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, goodwill and revenue recognition on construction and manufacturing contracts. Actual results could differ significantly from such estimates. Basis of consolidation: The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company’s (i) wholly-owned subsidiaries, Aerex Industries, Inc. (“Aerex”), Aquilex, Inc. (“Aquilex”), Cayman Water Company Limited (“Cayman Water”), Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A. (“CW-Cooperatief”), Consolidated Water U.S. Holdings, Inc. (“CW-Holdings”), DesalCo Limited (“DesalCo”), Kalaeloa Desalco LLC (“Kalaeloa Desalco”), Ocean Conversion (Cayman) Limited (“OC-Cayman”), PERC Water Corporation ("PERC") and Ramey Environmental Compliance, Inc. (“REC”); and (ii) majority-owned subsidiaries Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Ltd. (“CW-Bahamas”), N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), and Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”). The Company’s investment in its affiliate Ocean Conversion (BVI) Ltd. (“OC-BVI”) is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. In 2019 and 2020, CW-Holdings acquired 61% of PERC. In January 2023, CW-Holdings purchased the remaining 39% ownership interest in PERC for $2.4 million in cash, and 368,383 shares of the Company’s common stock having a value of approximately $5.36 million based upon the opening trading price of the Company’s common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on the date of the transaction. In September 2021, Kalaeloa Desalco was formed to pursue a project in Oahu, Hawaii. On June 2, 2023, Kalaeloa Desalco signed a definitive agreement with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to design, construct, operate and maintain a 1.7 million gallons per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in Oahu, Hawaii. Effective October 1, 2023, the Company purchased, through its wholly-owned subsidiary PERC, a 100% ownership interest in REC, a Colorado company that operates and maintains water and wastewater treatment facilities and provides technical services to clients throughout the Rocky Mountain and Eastern Plains Regions of Colorado. PERC acquired REC for approximately $4.1 million and recorded goodwill and intangible assets from this acquisition of $2,436,391 and $1,108,390 respectively. Foreign currency: The Company’s reporting currency is the United States dollar (“US$”). The functional currency of the Company and its foreign operating subsidiaries (other than NSC, AdR, and CW-Cooperatief) is the currency for each respective country. The functional currency for NSC, AdR, and CW-Cooperatief is the US$. NSC and AdR conduct business in US$ and Mexican pesos and CW-Cooperatief conducts business in US$ and euros. The exchange rates for the Cayman Islands dollar and the Bahamian dollar are fixed to the US$. The exchange rates for conversion of Mexican pesos and euros into US$ vary based upon market conditions. Net foreign currency gains arising from transactions and re-measurements were $74,993, $84,678 and $41,750 for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively, and are included in “Other income - Other” in the accompanying consolidated statements of income. Cash and cash equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits at banks and certificates of deposit at banks with an original maturity of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 include $5.2 million and $5.1 million, respectively, of certificates of deposit with an original maturity of three months or less. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had deposits in U.S. banks and brokerages in excess of federally mandated and insured limits of approximately $54.7 million. As of December 31, 2024, the Company held cash in foreign bank accounts of approximately $34.1 million. Certain transfers from the Company’s Bahamas bank accounts to Company bank accounts in other countries require the approval of the Central Bank of The Bahamas. The equivalent United States dollar cash balances for deposits held in The Bahamas as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 were approximately $7.7 million and $3.0 million, respectively. Accounts receivable: Accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amounts based on meter readings, contractual amounts, fixed fees plus reimbursables or time and materials per contractual agreements. Trade accounts receivable also represent our unconditional right, subject only to the passage of time, to receive consideration arising from our performance under contracts with customers. Trade accounts receivable include amounts billed and billable on construction contracts, service and maintenance contracts and contracts for the sale of goods. Billed contract receivables have been invoiced to customers based on contracted amounts. Allowance for credit losses: The allowance for credit losses is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company’s existing accounts receivable and contract assets balances. The Company determines the current expected credit losses based on historical loss experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The Company also considers the nature of the financial asset, the credit quality of the counterparty, and other relevant factors. Past due balances are reviewed individually for collectability. Account balances are charged off against the allowance for credit losses after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered by management to be remote. Inventory: Inventory primarily consists of consumables stock and spare parts stock that are valued at cost, less an allowance for obsolescence, with cost determined on the first-in, first-out basis. Inventory also includes (i) raw materials purchased for specific manufacturing contracts that are valued at cost on the first-in, first-out basis; and (ii) potable water held in the Company’s reservoirs that is valued at the lower of the average cost of producing water during the year or its net realizable value. Contract assets and liabilities: Billing practices for the Company’s contracts are governed by the contract terms of each project based upon costs incurred, achievement of milestones or predetermined schedules. Billings do not necessarily correlate with revenue, which is recognized over time using the input method based on cost incurred. The Company records contract assets and contract liabilities to account for these differences in timing. Contract assets, which include costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts, arise when the Company recognizes revenue for services performed under its construction and manufacturing contracts, but the Company is not yet entitled to bill the customer under the terms of the contract. Contract liabilities, which include billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts, represent the Company's obligation to transfer goods or services to a customer for which the Company has been paid by the customer or for which the Company has billed the customer under the terms of the contract. Revenue for future services reflected in this account is recognized, and the liability is reduced, as the Company subsequently satisfies the performance obligation under the contract. ​ Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts and billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts are typically resolved within one year and are not considered significant financing components. The Company considers retention that is withheld on progress billings as not creating an unconditional right to payment until contractual milestones are reached (typically substantial completion). Accordingly, withheld retention is considered a component of contracts assets and liabilities until finally billed to the customer, when obligations have been satisfied and the right to receipt is subject only to the passage of time. The Company’s contract assets and liabilities are reported in a net asset or liability position on a contract-by-contract basis at the end of each reporting period. The Company classifies contract assets and liabilities related to construction and manufacturing contracts in current assets and current liabilities as they will be liquidated in the normal course of contract completion, although this may require more than one year. Property, plant and equipment, net: Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using a straight-line method with an allowance for estimated residual values. Rates are determined based on the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows: ​
​ | ​ | ​
Buildings |  | 5 to 40 years
Plant and equipment |  | 4 to 40 years
Distribution system |  | 3 to 40 years
Office furniture, fixtures and equipment |  | 3 to 10 years
Vehicles |  | 3 to 10 years
Leasehold improvements |  | Shorter of 5 years or lease term
Lab equipment |  | 5 to 10 years
​ Assets under construction are recorded as additions to property, plant and equipment upon completion of the projects. Depreciation commences in the month the asset is placed in service. Additions to construction in progress are comprised of the cost of the contracted services, direct labor and materials. Interest costs directly attributable to the acquisition and construction of qualifying assets, which are assets that necessarily take a substantial amount of time to be ready for their intended use, are added to the cost of those assets until such time as the assets are substantially ready for use. No interest was capitalized during the years ended December 31, 2024 or 2023. Long-lived assets: Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets might not be recoverable. Conditions that would necessitate an impairment assessment include a significant decline in the observable market value of an asset, a significant change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used, or a significant adverse change that would indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets is not recoverable. For long-lived assets to be held and used, the Company recognizes an impairment loss only if their carrying amounts are not recoverable through their undiscounted cash flows and measures the impairment loss based on the difference between the carrying amounts and estimated fair values. Goodwill and intangible assets: Goodwill represents the excess cost of an acquired business over the fair value of the assets and liabilities of the acquired business as of the date of acquisition. Goodwill and intangible assets recorded as a result of a business combination and determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized but are tested for impairment annually or upon the identification of a triggering event. Intangible assets with estimable useful lives are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives to their estimated residual values and reviewed periodically for impairment. The Company evaluates the possible impairment of goodwill annually as part of its reporting process for the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Management identifies the Company’s reporting units for goodwill impairment testing purposes, which consist of Cayman Water, the bulk segment (which is comprised of CW-Bahamas and OC-Cayman), PERC, REC, and the manufacturing segment (i.e., Aerex), and determines the carrying value of each reporting unit by assigning the assets and liabilities, including the existing goodwill and intangible assets, to those reporting units. The Company determines the fair value of each reporting unit and compares these fair values to the carrying amounts of the reporting units. To the extent the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, an impairment loss is recorded. ​ For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company elected to assess qualitative factors to determine whether it was necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment testing that was conducted in prior years for its reporting units. The Company assessed the relevant events and circumstances to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair values of such reporting units were less than their carrying values. The events and circumstances assessed for each reporting unit included macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, overall financial performance, and other relevant events. Based upon this qualitative assessment, the Company determined that it is more likely than not that the fair values of its reporting units exceeded their carrying values as of December 31, 2024 and 2023. ​ For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company elected to assess qualitative factors to determine whether it was necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment testing conducted in prior years for all reporting units other than the manufacturing reporting unit. The Company assessed relevant events and circumstances to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair values of such reporting units are less than their carrying values. The events and circumstances assessed for each reporting unit included macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, overall financial performance, and other relevant events. Based upon this qualitative assessment the Company determined that it was more likely than not that the fair values of its Cayman Water and bulk segment reporting units exceeded their carrying values as of December 31, 2022. Based upon the Company’s negotiated, arms-length purchase of the remaining 39% equity interest in PERC from its minority shareholders for $7.8 million in January 2023, the fair value of the Company’s PERC reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by 79% as of December 31, 2022. ​ Due to the factors discussed in the following paragraphs, the Company elected to test the goodwill associated with its manufacturing reporting unit for possible impairment for 2022 using the quantitative tests applied in prior years. ​ Approximately 80% of Aerex’s revenue, and 89% of Aerex’s gross profit, for the year ended December 31, 2020 were generated from sales to one customer. While Aerex sells various products to this customer, Aerex’s revenue from this customer had historically been derived primarily from one specialized product. In October 2020, this customer informed Aerex that, for inventory management purposes, it was suspending its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex following 2020 for a period of approximately one year. This customer informed Aerex at that time that it expected to recommence its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex beginning with the first quarter of 2022. As a result of this anticipated loss of revenue for Aerex, the Company updated its projections for its Manufacturing reporting unit’s future cash flows. Such projections assumed, in part, that Aerex’s major customer would recommence its purchases from Aerex in 2022 but at a reduced aggregate amount, as compared to 2020. Based upon these updated projections, the Company tested its manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill for possible impairment as of December 31, 2020 using the discounted cash flow and guideline public company methods, with a weighting of 80% and 20% applied to these two methods, respectively. As a result of these impairment tests, the Company determined that the estimated fair value of its manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by approximately 31% as of December 31, 2020. ​ In late July 2021, this former major customer communicated to Aerex that it expected to recommence its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex in 2022 and subsequent years, but informed Aerex that such purchases would be at substantially reduced annual amounts, as compared to the amounts it had purchased from Aerex in 2020 and prior years. The Company’s updated sales estimate for this customer based on this new information was substantially below the anticipated sales to this customer for 2022 and subsequent years that the Company used in the discounted cash flow projections it prepared for purposes of testing its Manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill for possible impairment as of December 31, 2020. Furthermore, Aerex’s efforts to replace the revenue previously generated from this customer with revenue from existing and new customers were adversely impacted by the negative economic conditions (caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic). These negative economic conditions also increased Aerex’s raw material costs, resulted in raw material shortages and extended delivery times for such materials, and adversely affected the overall financial condition of Aerex’s current and prospective customers. Accordingly, in light of this new information from Aerex’s former major customer, and the on-going weak economic conditions that the Company believed would continue through 2022, the Company updated its projections of future cash flows for the manufacturing reporting unit and tested its goodwill for possible impairment as of June 30, 2021 using the discounted cash flow and guideline public company methods, with a weighting of 80% and 20% applied to these two methods, respectively. Based upon this testing, the Company determined that the carrying value of its manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its fair value by $2.9 million, and the Company recorded an impairment loss to reduce its manufacturing segment’s goodwill by this amount for the three months ended June 30, 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company estimated the fair value of its manufacturing reporting unit by applying the discounted cash flow method, which relied upon seven-year discrete projections of operating results, working capital and capital expenditures, along with a terminal value subsequent to the discrete period. These seven-year projections were based upon historical and anticipated future results, general economic and market conditions, and considered the impact of planned business and operational strategies. The discount rates for the calculations represented the estimated cost of capital for market participants at the time of each analysis. The Company also estimated the fair value of its manufacturing reporting unit for the year ended December 31, 2022 by applying the guideline public company method. The Company weighted the fair values estimated for its manufacturing reporting unit under each method and summed such weighted fair values to estimate the overall fair value for the reporting unit. The respective weightings the Company applied to each method for the year ended December 31, 2022 were 80% to the discounted cash flow method and 20% to the guideline public company method. ​ The fair value the Company estimated for its manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount by 63% as of December 31, 2022. ​ Investments: Investments where the Company does not exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee and holds less than 20% of the voting stock are recorded at cost. The Company uses the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock where the Company holds 20% to 50% of the voting stock of the investee and has significant influence over its operating and financial policies but does not meet the criteria for consolidation. The Company recognizes impairment losses on declines in the fair value of the stock of investees that are other than temporary. ​ Income taxes: The Company accounts for the income taxes arising from the operations of its United States subsidiaries under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities, if any, are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is provided to the extent any deferred tax asset may not be realized. ​ The Company is not presently subject to income taxes in the other countries in which it operates. ​ Revenue recognition: Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the Company’s customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. ​ The following table presents the Company’s revenue disaggregated by revenue source. ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ |  | Year Ended December 31,
​ |  | 2024 |  | 2023 |  | 2022
Retail revenue | ​ | $ | 31,741,343 | ​ | $ | 30,158,051 | ​ | $ | 25,954,013
Bulk revenue | ​ |  | 33,673,387 | ​ |  | 34,595,058 | ​ |  | 32,991,066
Services revenue | ​ |  | 50,956,489 | ​ |  | 97,966,650 | ​ |  | 28,835,428
Manufacturing revenue | ​ |  | 17,595,414 | ​ |  | 17,491,474 | ​ |  | 6,324,465
Total revenue | ​ | $ | 133,966,633 | ​ | $ | 180,211,233 | ​ | $ | 94,104,972
​ Services revenue consists of the following: ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ |  | Year Ended December 31,
​ |  | 2024 |  | 2023 |  | 2022
Construction revenue | ​ | $ | 17,637,432 | ​ | $ | 77,306,704 | ​ | $ | 11,616,274
Operations and maintenance revenue | ​ |  | 29,307,405 | ​ |  | 19,368,365 | ​ |  | 14,152,158
Design and consulting revenue | ​ |  | 4,011,652 | ​ |  | 1,291,581 | ​ |  | 3,066,996
Total services revenue | ​ | $ | 50,956,489 | ​ | $ | 97,966,650 | ​ | $ | 28,835,428
​ Retail revenue ​ The Company produces and supplies water to end-users, including residential, commercial and governmental customers in the Cayman Islands under an exclusive retail license issued to Cayman Water by the Cayman Islands government to provide water in two of the three most populated areas on Grand Cayman. Customers are billed on a monthly basis based on metered consumption and bills are typically collected within 30 to 45 days after the billing date. Receivables not collected within 45 days subject the customer to disconnection from water service. ​ The Company recognizes revenue from retail water sales at the end of the billing cycle based on the water supplied to the customers’ premises. The amount of water supplied is determined and invoiced based upon water meter readings performed at the end of each month. All retail water contracts are month-to-month contracts. The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its retail water sale contracts and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice, recognizing this revenue from the transfer of goods or services to customers during the billing cycle. Bulk revenue The Company produces and supplies water to government-owned utilities in the Cayman Islands and The Bahamas. OC-Cayman provides bulk water to the Water Authority-Cayman (“WAC”), a government-owned utility and regulatory agency, under three agreements. The WAC in turn distributes such water to properties in Grand Cayman outside of Cayman Water’s retail license area. The Company sells bulk water in The Bahamas through its majority-owned subsidiary, CW-Bahamas, under two agreements with the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas (“WSC”), which distributes such water through its own pipeline system to residential, commercial and tourist properties on the island of New Providence. The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its bulk water sale contracts and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice, recognizing this revenue from the transfer of goods or services to customers during the billing cycle. Services and Manufacturing revenue The Company designs, constructs, sells, operates and maintains, and provides consulting services related to water, wastewater and water reuse infrastructure through PERC. All of PERC's customers are companies or governmental entities located in the United States. Effective October 2023, PERC acquired REC, a company that provides operations and maintenance and consulting services to companies and governmental entities located in the state of Colorado. The Company also provides design, engineering, management, procurement and construction services for desalination infrastructure through DesalCo, which serves customers in the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands. The Company, through Aerex, is a custom and specialty manufacturer of systems and products applicable to commercial, municipal and industrial water production and treatment. Substantially all of Aerex’s customers are U.S. companies. The Company generates construction, operations and maintenance, design and consulting revenue from PERC and DesalCo and generates manufacturing revenue from Aerex. The Company also generates operations and maintenance and consulting revenue from REC. The Company recognizes revenue for its construction and custom/specialized manufacturing contracts over time under the input method using costs incurred (which represents work performed) to date relative to the total estimated costs at completion to measure progress toward satisfying a contract’s performance obligations as such measure best reflects the transfer of control of the promised good to the customer. Contract costs include labor, materials, subcontractor costs and other expenses. The Company follows this method since it can make reasonably dependable estimates of the revenue and costs applicable to the various stages of a contract. Under this input method, the Company records revenue and recognizes profit or loss as work on the contract progresses. The Company estimates total costs to be incurred and profit to be earned on each long-term, fixed price contract prior to commencement of work on the contract and updates these estimates as work on the contract progresses. The cumulative amount of revenue recorded on a contract at a specified point in time is that percentage of total estimated revenue that incurred costs to date comprised of estimated total contract costs. Due to the extended time it may take to complete many of the Company’s contracts and the scope and nature of the work required to be performed on those contracts, the estimations of total revenue and costs at completion are complicated and subject to many variables and, accordingly, are subject to changes. When adjustments in estimated total contract revenue or estimated total contract costs are required, any changes from prior estimates are recognized in the current period for the inception-to-date effect of such changes. The Company recognizes the full amount of any estimated loss on a contract at the time the estimates indicate such a loss. Any contract assets are classified as current assets. Contract liabilities on uncompleted contracts, if any, are classified as current liabilities. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company adjusted its prior year estimates of the total contract costs for two of its construction contracts. These changes in accounting estimates resulted in an increase in the services segment’s income from operations and the Company’s consolidated net income by $2,356,439 and $1,750,750, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2023. This adjustment increased basic and diluted earnings per share by $0.11 for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its operations and maintenance, design and consulting contracts and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice, recognizing this revenue from the transfer of goods or services to customers during the billing cycle. ​ During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, the Company recognized $18,211,554, $77,411,792 and $14,146,271, respectively, of its services revenue from the transfer of goods or services to customers over time. The remaining services revenue of $32,744,935, $20,554,858 and $14,689,157, respectively, was recognized from the transfer of goods or services to customers when invoiced. During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, the Company recognized all of its manufacturing revenue from the transfer of goods or services to customers over time. Practical Expedients and Exemptions The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (i) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (ii) contracts for which the Company recognizes revenue at the amount to which it has the right to invoice for services performed. ​ Comparative amounts: Certain amounts presented in the financial statements previously issued for 2023 and 2022 have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.

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