Current corporate debt corresponds mainly to the nominal of the 2017 Credit Facility.
On April 30, 2019, the Company entered into a senior unsecured note facility with a group of funds managed by Westbourne Capital as purchasers of the notes issued thereunder for a total amount of €268 million (the “2019 Note Issuance Facility”). The principal amount was issued in May 24, 2019 and was used to prepay and subsequently cancel in full the aforementioned 2019 Notes and for general corporate purposes. The 2019 Note Issuance Facility includes an upfront fee of 2% paid on drawdown and its maturity date is April 30, 2025. Interest accrue at a rate per annum equal to the sum of 3-month EURIBOR plus 4.65%. The interest rate on the 2019 Note Issuance Facility is fully hedged by an interest rate swap with effective date June 28, 2019 and maturity date June 30, 2022, resulting in the Company paying a net fixed interest rate of 4.4%. The 2019 Note Issuance Facility provides that the Company may capitalize interest on the notes issued thereunder for a period of up to two years from closing at the Company´s discretion, subject to certain conditions.
Note 15. - Project debt
The main purpose of the Company is the long-term ownership and management of contracted concessional assets, such as renewable energy, efficient natural gas, electric transmission line and water assets, which are financed through project debt. This note shows the project debt linked to the contracted concessional assets included in Note 6 of these consolidated condensed interim financial statements.
Project debt is generally used to finance contracted assets, exclusively using as guarantee the assets and cash flows of the company or group of companies carrying out the activities financed. In most of the cases, the assets and/or contracts are set up as guarantee to ensure the repayment of the related financing. In addition, the cash of the Company´s projects includes funds held to satisfy the customary requirements of certain non-recourse debt agreements and other restricted cash for an amount of $249 million as of June 30, 2019 ($296 million as of December 31, 2018).
Compared with corporate debt, project debt has certain key advantages, including a greater leverage and a clearly defined risk profile.
The breakdown of project debt for both non-current and current liabilities as of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows:
| | Balance as of June 30, | | | Balance as of December 31, | |
| | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in thousands) | |
Non-current | | | 4,204,804 | | | | 4,826,659 | |
Current | | | 792,616 | | | | 264,455 | |
Total Project debt | | | 4,997,420 | | | | 5,091,114 | |
The decrease in total project debt is primarily due to contractual payments of debt for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019.
Due to the PG&E Corporation and its regulated utility subsidiary, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (“PG&E”), chapter 11 filings in January 2019, a default of the PPA agreement with PG&E occurred. Since PG&E failed to assume the PPA within 180 days from the commencement of the PG&E’s chapter 11 proceedings, a technical event of default was triggered under the Mojave project finance agreement in July 2019, and this event was highly probable as of June 30, 2019. Although the Company does not contemplate the scenario under which the DOE would declare the acceleration of debt, the project debt agreement does not have an unconditional right to defer the settlement of the debt for at least twelve months as of June 30, 2019, as the event of default provision make that right not totally unconditional, and therefore the debt has been presented as current in these condensed interim financial statements in accordance with International Accounting Standards 1 (“IAS 1”), “Presentation of Financial Statements”.
The repayment schedule for project debt in accordance with the financing arrangements and assuming there will be no acceleration of the Mojave debt, as of June 30, 2019, is as follows and is consistent with the projected cash flows of the related projects:
Remainder of 2019 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Payment of interests accrued as of June 30, 2019 | | | Nominal repayment | | | Between January and June 2020 | | | Between July and December 2020 | | | 2021 | | | 2022 | | | 2023 | | | Subsequent Years | | | Total | |
($ in thousands) | |
| 17,629 | | | | 158,254 | | | | 86,695 | | | | 166,057 | | | | 265,094 | | | | 296,201 | | | | 322,544 | | | | 3,684,945 | | | | 4,997,420 | |
Note 16. - Grants and other liabilities
| | Balance as of June 30, | | | Balance as of December 31, | |
| | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in thousands) | |
Grants | | | 1,117,517 | | | | 1,150,805 | |
Other Liabilities | | | 532,454 | | | | 507,321 | |
Grant and other non-current liabilities | | | 1,649,971 | | | | 1,658,126 | |
As of June 30, 2019, the amount recorded in Grants corresponds primarily to the ITC Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to Solana and Mojave for a total amount of $723 million ($739 million as of December 31, 2018), which was primarily used to fully repay the Solana and Mojave short-term tranche of the loan with the Federal Financing Bank. The amount recorded in Grants as a liability is progressively recorded as other income over the useful life of the asset.
The remaining balance of the “Grants” account corresponds to loans with interest rates below market rates for Solana and Mojave for a total amount of $393 million ($410 million as of December 31, 2018). Loans with the Federal Financing Bank guaranteed by the Department of Energy for these projects bear interest at a rate below market rates for these types of projects and terms. The difference between proceeds received from these loans and its fair value, is initially recorded as “Grants” in the consolidated statement of financial position, and subsequently recorded in “Other operating income” starting at the entry into operation of the plants. Total amount of income for these two types of grants for Solana and Mojave is $29.5 million and $29.6 million for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Other liabilities mainly relate to the investment from Liberty Interactive Corporation (”Liberty”) made on October 2, 2013 for an amount of $300 million. The investment was made in class A shares of Arizona Solar Holding, the holding of Solana Solar plant in the United States. Such investment was made in a tax equity partnership which permits the partners to have certain tax benefits such as accelerated depreciation and ITC. Liberty has the right to receive 61.20% of taxable losses and distributions until such time as Liberty reaches a certain rate of return, or the Flip Date, and 22.60% of taxable losses and distributions thereafter. Given the underperformance of the asset in the last years, there is uncertainty regarding the Flip Date, regarding when it will occur, if so. The Company expects potential cash distributions from Solana to go mostly or entirely to Liberty in the upcoming years.
According to the stipulations of IAS 32 and in spite of the fact that the investment of Liberty is in shares, it does not qualify as equity and has been classified as a liability as of June 30, 2019 and as of December 2018. The liability is recorded in Grants and other liabilities for a total amount of $371 million as of June 30, 2019 ($358 million as of December 31, 2018) and its current portion is recorded in other current liabilities for the remaining amount (Note 17). This liability has been initially valued at fair value, calculated as the present value of expected cash-flows during the useful life of the concession, and is then measured at amortized cost in accordance with the effective interest method, considering the most updated expected future cash-flows.
Additionally, other liabilities include $55 million as of June 30, 2019 ($57 million as of December 2018) of finance lease liabilities.
Note 17. - Trade payables and other current liabilities
Trade payable and other current liabilities as of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 are as follows:
| | Balance as of June 30, | | | Balance as of December 31, | |
| | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in thousands) | |
Trade accounts payable | | | 61,218 | | | | 109,430 | |
Down payments from clients | | | 6,209 | | | | 6,289 | |
Liberty (Note 16) | | | 37,119 | | | | 37,119 | |
Other accounts payable | | | 44,791 | | | | 39,195 | |
Total | | | 149,337 | | | | 192,033 | |
Trade accounts payables mainly relate to the operation and maintenance of the plants.
Nominal values of Trade payables and other current liabilities are considered to approximately equal to fair values and the effect of discounting them is not significant.
Note 18. - Income Tax
The effective tax rate for the periods presented has been established based on Management’s best estimates.
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, Income tax amounted to a $27,040 thousand expense with respect to a profit before income tax of $49,787 thousand. In the six-month period ended June 30, 2018, Income tax amounted to a $31,019 thousand expense with respect to a profit before income tax of $104,194 thousand. The effective tax rate differs from the nominal tax rate mainly due to permanent differences and treatment of tax credits in some jurisdictions.
Note 19. - Financial income and expenses
Financial income and expenses
The following table sets forth our financial income and expenses for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 and 2018:
| | For the six-month period ended June 30, | |
Financial income | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in thousands) | |
Interest income from loans and credits | | | 340 | | | | 36,871 | |
Interest rates benefits derivatives: cash flow hedges | | | 177 | | | | - | |
Total | | | 517 | | | | 36,871 | |
| | For the six-month period ended June 30, | |
Financial expenses | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
Expenses due to interest: | | ($ in thousands) | |
- Loans from credit entities | | | (130,644 | ) | | | (128,838 | ) |
- Other debts | | | (50,387 | ) | | | (42,951 | ) |
Interest rates losses derivatives: cash flow hedges | | | (29,501 | ) | | | (34,317 | ) |
Total | | | (210,532 | ) | | | (206,106 | ) |
As of June 30, 2018, financial income from loans and credits primarily included a non-monetary financial income of $36.6 million resulting from the refinancing of the debts of Helios 1&2 and Helioenergy 1&2 in the second quarter of 2018.
Interests from other debts are primarily interests on the notes issued by ATS, ATN, Atlantica and Solaben Luxembourg and interests related to the investment from Liberty (Note 16). Losses from interest rate derivatives designated as cash flow hedges correspond primarily to transfers from equity to financial expense when the hedged item is impacting the consolidated condensed income statement.
Other net financial income and expenses
The following table sets out ‘Other net financial income and expenses” for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2019, and 2018:
| | For the six-month period ended June 30, | |
Other financial income / (expenses) | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in thousands) | |
Other financial income | | | 8,536 | | | | 5,514 | |
Other financial losses | | | (8,747 | ) | | | (15,201 | ) |
Total | | | (211 | ) | | | (9,687 | ) |
Other financial income are primarily interests on deposits.
Other financial losses primarily include expenses for guarantees and letters of credit, wire transfers, other bank fees and other minor financial expenses.
Note 20. - Other operating income and expenses
The table below shows the detail of Other operating income and expenses for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2019, and 2018:
Other Operating income | | For the six-month period ended June 30, | |
| | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in thousands) | |
Grants (Note 16) | | | 29,578 | | | | 29,719 | |
Income from various services and insurance proceeds | | | 15,330 | | | | 16,384 | |
Income from the purchase of the long-term operation and maintenance payable with Abengoa | | | - | | | | 38,955 | |
Total | | | 44,908 | | | | 85,058 | |
On April 26, 2018, Atlantica purchased from Abengoa the long-term operation and maintenance payable accrued for the period up to December 31, 2017, which was recorded for an amount of $57.3 million at the date of repayment. The Company paid $18.3 million for this extinguishment of debt and accounted for the difference of $39.0 million with the carrying amount of the debt as an income in the profit and loss statement.
Other Operating expenses | | For the six-month period ended June 30, | |
| | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in thousands) | |
Leases and fees | | | (945 | ) | | | (1,033 | ) |
Operation and maintenance | | | (66,580 | ) | | | (71,367 | ) |
Independent professional services | | | (17,604 | ) | | | (15,714 | ) |
Supplies | | | (11,326 | ) | | | (13,152 | ) |
Insurance | | | (12,053 | ) | | | (12,606 | ) |
Levies and duties | | | (14,715 | ) | | | (21,957 | ) |
Other expenses | | | (3,007 | ) | | | (5,397 | ) |
Total | | | (126,230 | ) | | | (141,226 | ) |
Note 21. - Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share have been calculated by dividing the loss attributable to equity holders by the average number of shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share equals basic earnings per share for the periods presented.
Item | | For the six-month period ended June 30, | |
| | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in thousands) | |
Profit/ (loss) from continuing operations attributable to Atlantica. | | | 16,956 | | | | 67,350 | |
Average number of ordinary shares outstanding (thousands) - basic and diluted | | | 100,516 | | | | 100,217 | |
Earnings per share from continuing operations (U.S. dollar per share) - basic and diluted | | | 0.17 | | | | 0.67 | |
Earnings per share from profit/(loss) for the period (U.S. dollar per share) - basic and diluted | | | 0.17 | | | | 0.67 | |
Note 22. - Subsequent events
On July 30, 2019, Atlantica signed an agreement with Abengoa to acquire ASI Operations LLC (“ASI Ops”), the company that performs the operation and maintenance services to the solar assets of the Company in the U.S., for a price of approximately $6 million. With this acquisition, Atlantica reduces its dependence on Abengoa as O&M supplier and will achieve a cost reduction of $0.5 to $0.6 million per year.
On August 2, 2019, The Company closed the acquisition of a 30% stake in Monterrey, a 142 MW gas-fired engine facility including 130 MW installed capacity and 12 MW battery capacity, after conditions precedent were fulfilled, and paid $42 million for the total equity investment.
On August 2, 2019, the limit of the Revolving Credit Facility was increased by an additional $125 million up to a total of $425 million.
On August 2, 2019, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a dividend of $0.40 per share, which is expected to be paid on September 13, 2019.
Item 2. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
The following discussion and analysis should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements and our Annual Consolidated Financial Statements prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB and other disclosures including the disclosures under “Part II. Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Item 3.D – Risk Factors” in our Annual Report. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs, which are based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. The results shown here are not necessarily indicative of the results expected in any future period. Please see our Annual Report for additional discussion of various factors affecting our results of operations.
Overview
We are a sustainable total return infrastructure company that owns and manages renewable energy, efficient natural gas, transmission and transportation infrastructures and water assets. We currently have operating facilities in North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), South America (Peru, Chile and Uruguay) and EMEA (Spain, Algeria and South Africa). We intend to expand our portfolio, maintaining North America, South America and Europe as our core geographies.
As of the date of this quarterly report, we own or have an interest in a portfolio of high-quality and diversified assets in terms of type of asset, technology and geographic footprint. Our portfolio consists of 25 assets with 1,496 MW of aggregate renewable energy installed generation capacity, 442 MW of efficient natural gas-fired power generation capacity, 10.5 Mft3 per day of water desalination and 1,152 miles of electric transmission lines.
All of our assets have contracted revenue (regulated revenue in the case of our Spanish assets and one transmission line in Chile) and are underpinned by long-term contracts. As of December 31, 2018, our assets had a weighted average remaining contract life of approximately 18 years. Most of the assets we own or in which we have an interest have project finance agreements in place.
We intend to take advantage of, and leverage our growth strategy on, favorable trends in the clean power generation, transmission and transportation infrastructures and water sectors globally, including energy scarcity and the focus on the reduction of carbon emissions. Our portfolio of operating assets and our strategy focus on sustainable technology including renewable energy, efficient natural gas, water infrastructure, and transmission networks as enablers of a sustainable power generation mix. Renewable energy is expected to represent the majority of new investments in the power sector in most markets, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance 2018. Approximately 50% of the world’s power generation by 2050 is expected to come from renewable sources, indicating that renewable energy is becoming mainstream. We believe regions will need to complement investments in renewable energy with investments in efficient natural gas, transmission networks and storage. We believe that we are well positioned to benefit from the expected transition towards a more sustainable power generation mix. In addition, we believe that water is going to be the next frontier in a transition towards a more sustainable world. New sources of water are needed worldwide, and water desalination and water transportation infrastructure should help make that possible. We currently participate in two water desalination plants with a 10 million cubic feet capacity and we have reached an agreement to acquire a third.
We are focused on high-quality and long-life facilities as well as long-term agreements that we expect will produce stable, long-term cash flows. We intend to grow our cash available for distribution and our dividend to shareholders through organic growth and by acquiring new assets and/or businesses where revenues are not fully contracted.
We believe we can achieve organic growth through the optimization of the existing portfolio, price escalation factors in many of our assets and the expansion of current assets, particularly our transmission lines, to which new assets can be connected. We currently own three transmission lines in Peru and four in Chile. We believe that current regulations in Peru and Chile provide a growth opportunity by expanding transmission lines to connect new clients. Additionally, we believe that we have repowering opportunities in certain existing generation assets.
In addition, we have in place exclusive right of first offer agreements with AAGES, Algonquin and Abengoa. The AAGES ROFO Agreement provides us with a right of first offer on any proposed sale, transfer or other disposition of certain of AAGES’s assets. The Algonquin ROFO Agreement provides us a right of first offer on any proposed sale, transfer or other disposition of any of Algonquin’s contracted facilities or with infrastructure facilities located outside of the United States or Canada which are developed under expected long-term revenue agreements or concession agreements. Additionally, we plan to collaborate with Algonquin on several co-investment opportunities for assets in operation and for assets under development or construction, and it could represent another source of future growth. In addition, under the Algonquin ROFO Agreement, Algonquin agreed to periodically discuss with us the possibility of offering for sale interests in certain assets owned by Algonquin companies in Canada and the United States. On May 9, 2019, we signed a new enhanced collaboration agreement with Algonquin that we expect will facilitate Atlantica accelerating its growth in the US and Canada (see Recent Developments). The Abengoa ROFO Agreement provides us with a right of first offer on any proposed sale, transfer or other disposition of any of Abengoa’s contracted renewable energy, efficient natural gas, electric transmission or water assets in operation and located in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia and the European Union, as well as four assets in selected countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. See “Item 4.B—Business Overview—Overview” and “Item 7.B—Related Party Transactions—Abengoa Right of First Offer” in our Annual Report.
Additionally, we intend to enter or have already entered into similar agreements or partnerships with other developers or asset owners to acquire assets. We may also invest directly or through investment vehicles with partners in assets under development or construction, ensuring that such investments are always a small part of our total investments. Finally, we also expect to acquire assets from third parties leveraging the local presence and network we have in the geographies and sectors in which we operate.
With this business model, our objective is to pay a consistent and growing cash dividend to shareholders that is sustainable on a long-term basis. We expect to distribute a significant percentage of our cash available for distribution as cash dividends and we will seek to increase such cash dividends over time through organic growth and through the acquisition of assets. Pursuant to our cash dividend policy, we intend to pay a cash dividend each quarter to holders of our shares.
On March 9, 2018, Algonquin completed an acquisition of a 25.0% stake in us from Abengoa with the option to acquire the remaining 16.5% stake. On April 17, 2018, Algonquin announced that it reached an agreement with Abengoa to acquire Abengoa’s remaining 16.5% stake. On November 27, 2018, Algonquin announced that they had completed the purchase of a 16.5% equity interest in Atlantica from Abengoa, and therefore Abengoa no longer has an equity interest in Atlantica. In 2019, Algonquin has increased its equity interest in us to 44.2% (see “Recent Developments”).
Key Metrics
We regularly review a number of financial measurements and operating metrics to evaluate our performance, measure our growth and make strategic decisions. In addition to traditional IFRS performance measures, such as total revenue, we also consider Further Adjusted EBITDA. Our management believes Further Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors and other users of our financial statements in evaluating our operating performance because it provides them with additional tools to compare business performance across companies and across periods. This measure is widely used by investors to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items such as interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon accounting methods and book value of assets, capital structure and the method by which assets were acquired. This measure is widely used by other companies in the same industry.
Further Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the parent company, after adding back loss/(profit) attributable to non-controlling interest from continued operations, income tax, share of profit/(loss) of associates carried under the equity method, finance expense net, depreciation, amortization and impairment charges of entities included in the Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and the Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements, and dividends received from our preferred equity investment in ACBH until 2017.
Our revenue and Further Adjusted EBITDA by geography and business sector for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 are set forth in the following tables:
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Revenue by geography | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of total revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of total revenue | |
North America | | $ | 164.5 | | | | 32.6 | % | | $ | 172.3 | | | | 33.6 | % |
South America | | | 69.1 | | | | 13.7 | % | | | 59.9 | | | | 11.7 | % |
EMEA | | | 271.2 | | | | 53.7 | % | | | 280.9 | | | | 54.7 | % |
Total revenue | | $ | 504.8 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 513.1 | | | | 100.0 | % |
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Revenue by business sector | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | |
Renewable energy | | $ | 380.1 | | | | 75.3 | % | | $ | 392.2 | | | | 76.4 | % |
Efficient natural gas power | | | 61.7 | | | | 12.2 | % | | | 61.4 | | | | 12.0 | % |
Electric transmission lines | | | 51.1 | | | | 10.1 | % | | | 47.9 | | | | 9.3 | % |
Water | | | 11.9 | | | | 2.4 | % | | | 11.6 | | | | 2.3 | % |
Total revenue | | $ | 504.8 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 513.1 | | | | 100.0 | % |
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Further Adjusted EBITDA by geography | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | |
North America | | $ | 147.1 | | | | 89.4 | % | | $ | 154.7 | | | | 89.8 | % |
South America | | | 57.5 | | | | 83.2 | % | | | 49.2 | | | | 82.2 | % |
EMEA | | | 201.8 | | | | 74.4 | % | | | 235.5 | | | | 83.8 | % |
Total Further Adjusted EBITDA(1) | | $ | 406.4 | | | | 80.5 | % | | $ | 439.4 | | | | 85.6 | % |
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Further Adjusted EBITDA by business sector | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | |
Renewable energy | | $ | 301.4 | | | | 79.3 | % | | $ | 345.4 | | | | 88.1 | % |
Efficient natural gas power | | | 54.3 | | | | 88.0 | % | | | 47.0 | | | | 76.5 | % |
Electric transmission lines | | | 43.6 | | | | 85.3 | % | | | 40.3 | | | | 84.1 | % |
Water | | | 7.1 | | | | 59.7 | % | | | 6.7 | | | | 57.9 | % |
Total Further Adjusted EBITDA(1) | | $ | 406.4 | | | | 80.5 | % | | $ | 439.4 | | | | 85.6 | % |
Note:
| (1) | Further Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the parent company, after adding back loss/(profit) attributable to non-controlling interest from continued operations, income tax, share of profit/(loss) of associates carried under the equity method, finance expense net, depreciation, amortization and impairment charges of entities included in the Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and the Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements. Further Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance under IFRS as issued by the IASB and you should not consider Further Adjusted EBITDA as an alternative to operating income or profits or as a measure of our operating performance, cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities or as a measure of our ability to meet our cash needs or any other measures of performance under generally accepted accounting principles. We believe that Further Adjusted EBITDA is a useful indicator of our ability to incur and service our indebtedness and can assist securities analysts, investors and other parties to evaluate us. Further Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are used by different companies for different purposes and are often calculated in ways that reflect the circumstances of those companies. Further Adjusted EBITDA may not be indicative of our historical operating results, nor is it meant to be predictive of potential future results See Note 4 to the Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements. |
Recent Acquisitions
In January 2019, we entered into an agreement with Abengoa under the Abengoa ROFO Agreement for the acquisition of Befesa Agua Tenes, S.L.U., a holding company which owns a 51% stake in Tenes, a water desalination plant in Algeria, similar in several aspects to our Skikda and Honaine plants. Tenes has a capacity of 7 million cubic feet per day to provide water under a water purchase agreement in place with Sonatrach and ADE (Algerienne des Eaux), with a remaining term of approximately 22 years. It has been in operation since 2015. The tariff structure is based upon plant capacity and water production and the price is adjusted monthly based on indexation mechanisms that include local inflation, U.S. inflation and the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and local currency. Closing of the acquisition is subject to conditions precedent, including approval by the Algerian administration. At this stage, we cannot guarantee that we will obtain this approval nor the expected timing of such approval. The price agreed for the equity value is $24.5 million, of which $19.9 million has been paid as of January 2019 as an advanced payment and the rest is expected to be paid once the conditions precedent are fulfilled. If all the conditions precedent are not fulfilled by September 30, 2019, the advanced payment shall be progressively reimbursed by Abengoa through a full cash-sweep of all the dividends to be received in no case later than September 30, 2031, together with an annual 12% interest.
In April 2019, we entered into an agreement to acquire a 30% stake in Monterrey, a 142 MW gas-fired engine facility including 130MW installed capacity and 12 MW battery capacity. The acquisition closed on August 2, 2019 and we paid $42 million for the total equity investment. The asset, located in Mexico, has been in operation since 2018 and represents our first investment in electric batteries. It has a U.S. dollar-denominated 20-year PPA with two international large corporations engaged in the car manufacturing industry as well as a 20-year contract for the natural gas transportation from Texas with a U.S. energy company. The PPA also includes price escalation factors. The asset is the sole electricity supplier for the off-takers, it has no commodity risk and also has the possibility to sell excess energy to the North-East region of the country. We have also entered into a ROFO agreement with the seller of the shares for the remaining 70% stake in the asset.
On May 31, 2019, we entered into an agreement with Abengoa to acquire a 15% stake in Rioglass, a multinational manufacturer of solar components in order to secure certain Abengoa obligations. The investment was $7 million, and it is classified as available for sale and will generate an interest income for us once divested.
Recent Developments
On August 2, 2019, our board of directors approved a dividend of $0.40 per share, which represents an increase of 18% from the second quarter of 2018. The dividend is expected to be paid on September 13, 2019, to shareholders of record as of August 30, 2019.
On July 30, 2019, Atlantica signed an agreement with Abengoa to acquire ASI Ops, the company that performs the operation and maintenance services to our solar assets in the U.S., for a price of approximately $6 million. With this acquisition, we reduce our dependence on Abengoa as O&M supplier and we will achieve a cost reduction of $0.5 to $0.6 million per year, corresponding to the fee previously paid by Mojave for these services. Additionally, if Abengoa did not comply with its obligations to Solana as the EPC supplier, including the long-term payments agreed in the context of the DOE consent, we would achieve an additional cost reduction of $0.5 million per year, corresponding to the fee payable by Solana for these services. If Abengoa continued to comply with its obligations, Solana would continue making its O&M service fee payments to ASI Ops and we would transfer to Abengoa those amounts starting in 2021.
Additionally, the Company intends to internalize part of the activities contracted in two wind assets, maintaining a direct relationship with the supplier for the turbine maintenance services.
On May 9, 2019, we signed a new enhanced collaboration agreement with Algonquin. The main terms are as follows:
| • | Atlantica has a right to acquire stakes or make investments in two Algonquin assets in the U.S., subject to the parties acting reasonably and in good faith agreeing price and terms of such transfers. |
| • | Additionally, both companies have agreed to analyze jointly during the next six months Algonquin’s contracted assets portfolio in the U.S. and Canada to identify assets where a drop down could add value for both parties, according to each company’s key metrics. |
| • | The existing Shareholders Agreement has been modified to allow Algonquin to increase its shareholding in Atlantica up to a 48.5% without any change in corporate governance. Algonquin’s voting rights and rights to appoint directors are limited to a 41.5% and the additional 7% will vote replicating non-Algonquin’s shareholders vote. Part of this investment in Atlantica’s shares was done by Algonquin by subscribing $30 million dollars in new shares issued by Atlantica on May 22, 2019 at a price of $21.67 per share, a 6% premium with respect to the closing price of May 9, 2019. In addition, Algonquin acquired an additional 2 million shares through an accelerated share purchase agreement signed with a broker on May 31, 2019, increasing its stake in us up to a 44.2%. |
Additionally, on May 24, 2019, Atlantica and Algonquin formed AYES Canada, a vehicle to channel co-investment opportunities in which Atlantica holds the majority of voting rights. AYES Canada’s first investment was in Amherst Island, a 75 MW wind plant in Canada owned by the project company Windlectric, Inc. (“Windlectric”). Atlantica invested $4.9 million and Algonquin invested $92.3 million, both through AYES Canada, which in turn invested those funds in Amherst Island Partnership , the holding company of Windlectric. Since Atlantica has control over AYES Canada under IFRS 10 “Consolidated Financial Statements”, its consolidated financial statements show a total investment in the Amherst Island project of $97.2 million, accounted for as “Investments carried under the equity method” (Note 7) and Algonquin’s portion of that investment of $92.3 million as “Non-controlling interest”. In addition, and under certain circumstances considered remote by both companies, Atlantica and Algonquin have options to convert shares of AYES Canada currently owned by Algonquin into Atlantica ordinary shares in exchange for a higher stake in the plant, subject to the provisions of the standstill and enhanced collaboration agreements with Algonquin.
We cannot guarantee that we will be able to consummate the acquisition of stakes or investments in the two assets in the U.S. (or, if consummated, that such acquisitions will take place within expected timetable) or that the joint review of Algonquin’s contracted assets portfolio in North America will result in any additional drop-down acquisitions or further growth.
On May 7, 2019, a proposal led by AAGES won the bidding process for a new transmission line in Uruguay. The project includes two transmission lines of approximately 50 miles and a substation, which will be contracted under 20 and 30 year agreements, respectively, in U.S. dollars with UTE, the current off-taker in the three plants we own in Uruguay. Atlantica expects to own 25% of the project and has a right of the first offer over the rest of the investment.
On January 29, 2019, PG&E, the off-taker for Atlantica with respect to the Mojave plant, filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California . As a consequence, PG&E has not paid the portion of the invoice corresponding to the electricity delivered for the period between January 1 and January 28, 2019, which was due on February 25, given that the services relate to the pre-petition period and any payment therefore would require approval by the Bankruptcy Court. However, Mojave Solar has filed a 503(b)(9) claim for the portion of energy delivered 20 days prior to the PG&E filing in accordance with the Bankruptcy Court’s order regarding 503(b)(9) claims and will file a claim for the remaining outstanding balance of energy delivered prior to the claims filing bar date set by the Bankruptcy Court. Further, PG&E has paid all the invoices corresponding to the electricity delivered after January 28. Due to the PG&E chapter 11 filings, a default of the PPA agreement with PG&E occurred with the PG&E bankruptcy filing. Since PG&E failed to assume the PPA within 180 days from the commencement of PG&E’s chapter 11 proceeding, a technical event of default was triggered under our Mojave project finance agreement in July 2019 and this event was highly probable as of June 30, 2019. Although we do not expect the acceleration of debt to be declared by the DOE, the project debt agreement does not have what International Accounting Standards define as an unconditional right to defer the settlement of the debt for at least twelve months, as the event of default provision make that right not totally unconditional, and therefore the debt has been presented as current in our financial statements. As of June 30, 2019, Mojave had $730 million outstanding under its project financing agreement with the Federal Financing Bank, with a guarantee from the DOE. Additionally, Mojave represents approximately 13.5% of 2018 project level cash available for distribution. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a complex process and we do not know at this time whether PG&E will seek to reject the PPA or not. However, PG&E has continued to be in compliance with the remaining terms and conditions of the PPA, including with all payment terms of the PPA up through the date hereof with the exception of services for prepetition services that became due and payable after the chapter 11 filing date. It remains possible that at any time during the chapter 11 proceeding, PG&E may decide to cease performing under the PPA and attempt to reject or renegotiate the terms of its contract with us. If PG&E rejected the contract and stopped making payments in accordance with the PPA, Mojave could fail in servicing its debt under its project finance agreement, which would also cause a default under the project finance agreement. If not cured or waived, an event of default in the project finance agreement could result in debt acceleration and, if such amounts were not timely paid, the DOE could decide to foreclose on the asset. The PG&E bankruptcy has heightened the risk that project level cash distributions could be restricted for an undetermined period of time, thereby impacting our corporate liquidity and corporate leverage. Mojave project cash distributions to the corporate level normally take place at the end of the year. The last distribution received at the corporate level took place in December 2018. Unless the technical event or default is cured or waived, distributions may not be made during the pendency of the bankruptcy. Such events may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Changes in our shareholder base during the first quarter of 2019 may have triggered an ownership change under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. This section generally restricts the use of U.S. NOLs. A corporation that experiences an ownership change will generally be subject to an annual limitation on the use of its pre-ownership change U.S. NOLs, equal to the equity value of the corporation immediately before the ownership change, multiplied by the long-term tax-exempt rate for the month in which the ownership change occurs, and increased by a certain portion of any “built-in-gains.” According to our analysis, we do not expect additional limitations in our U.S. NOLs as a result of this ownership change.
Potential implications of Abengoa developments
Abengoa, which is currently our largest supplier and used to be our largest shareholder, went through a restructuring process which started in November 2015 and ended in March 2017 and has recently obtained approval for a new restructuring.
We expect Abengoa to continue to maintain its contractual obligations under material contracts with us including the operation and maintenance agreements. However, a decline in the financial situation of Abengoa and certain Abengoa subsidiaries may result in a material adverse effect on our operation and maintenance agreements. Abengoa and its subsidiaries provide operation and maintenance services for many of our assets. We cannot guarantee that Abengoa and/or its subcontractors will be able to continue performing with the same level of service, under the same terms and conditions, or at the same prices. If Abengoa cannot continue performing current services at the same prices, we may need to renegotiate contracts, change suppliers, pay higher prices or change the level of services.
In addition, the project financing arrangement of Kaxu contains cross-default provisions related to Abengoa such that debt defaults by Abengoa, subject to certain threshold amounts and/or a restructuring process, could trigger a default under the Kaxu project financing arrangement.
A decline in the financial situation of Abengoa may also result in a material adverse effect on Abengoa’s and its subsidiaries’ obligations, warranties and guarantees, and indemnities covering, for example, potential tax liabilities for assets acquired from Abengoa, or any other agreement. The Financial Support Agreement with Abengoa expired in June 2019 and Abengoa’s commitment to maintain guarantees and letters of credit currently outstanding in our affiliates’ favor expired as well. We are in the process of replacing the $3 million remaining guarantees which expire in the short-term. In addition, Abengoa represented that in furtherance of the accession to the restructuring agreement, we would not be a guarantor of any obligation of Abengoa with respect to third parties. Abengoa agreed to indemnify us for any penalty claimed by third parties resulting from any breach in Abengoa’s representations.
Furthermore, in January 2019, we entered into an agreement with Abengoa under the Abengoa ROFO Agreement for the acquisition of Befesa Agua Tenes, a holding company which owns a 51% stake in Tenes, a water desalination plant in Algeria. Closing of the acquisition is subject to conditions precedent, including the approval by the Algerian administration. The price agreed for the equity value is $24.5 million, of which $19.9 million were paid in January 2019 as an advanced payment and the rest is expected to be paid once the conditions precedent are fulfilled. If all the conditions precedent are not fulfilled by September 30, 2019, the advanced payment shall be progressively reimbursed by Abengoa through a full cash-sweep of all the dividends to be received, in no case later than September 30, 2031, together with an annual 12% interest. If the acquisition does not close and Abengoa is not able to reimburse the advanced payment, this may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.
Currency Presentation and Definitions
In this quarterly report, all references to “U.S. Dollar” and “$” are to the lawful currency of the United States.
Factors Affecting the Comparability of Our Results of Operations
Acquisitions
In February 2018, we completed the acquisition of a 4 MW mini-hydroelectric power plant in Peru for a cash consideration of approximately $9 million.
In December 2018, we completed the acquisition for an expansion of our ATN transmission line by acquiring a 220-kV power substation and two small transmission lines in Peru. The total purchase price for this asset was approximately $16 million.
In December 2018, we completed the acquisition of Chile TL3, a transmission line currently in operation in Chile. Our investment amounted to approximately $6 million.
In December 2018, we completed the acquisition of Melowind, a 50 MW wind plant in Uruguay, from Enel Green Power S.p.A. The total purchase price for this asset was approximately $45 million.
The results of operations of each acquisition have been consolidated since the date of their respective acquisition. The acquisitions we have made in 2018 and 2019 and any other acquisitions we may make from time to time, will affect the comparability of our results of operations.
Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
Interest rates
We incur significant indebtedness at the corporate and asset level. The interest rate risk arises mainly from indebtedness with variable interest rates.
Most of our debt consists of project debt. As of December 31, 2018, approximately 93% of our project debt has either fixed interest rates or has been hedged with swaps or caps.
To mitigate interest rate risk, we primarily use long-term interest rate swaps and interest rate options which, in exchange for a fee, offer protection against a rise in interest rates. We estimate that approximately 91% of our total interest risk exposure (including both corporate and project debt) was fixed or hedged as of December 31, 2018. Nevertheless, our results of operations can be affected by changes in interest rates with respect to the unhedged portion of our indebtedness that bears interest at floating rates, which typically bears a spread over EURIBOR or LIBOR.
Exchange rates
Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar, as most of our revenues and expenses are denominated or linked to U.S. dollars. All our companies located in North America, South America and Algeria have their PPAs, or concessional agreements, and financing contracts signed in, or indexed to, U.S. dollars. Our solar power plants in Spain have their revenues and expenses denominated in euros, and Kaxu, our solar plant in South Africa, has its revenues and expenses denominated in South African rand.
Our strategy is to hedge cash distributions from our Spanish assets. We hedge the exchange rate for the distributions from our Spanish assets after deducting euro-denominated interest payments and euro-denominated general and administrative expenses. Through currency options, we have hedged 100% of our euro-denominated net exposure for the next 12 months and 75% of our euro-denominated net exposure for the following 12 months. We expect to continue with this hedging strategy on a rolling basis.
Although we hedge cash-flows in euros, fluctuations in the value of the euro in relation to the U.S. dollar may affect our operating results. Impacts associated with fluctuations in foreign currency are discussed in more detail under “Item 11—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk—Foreign exchange rate risk” in our Annual Report. In subsidiaries with functional currency other than the U.S. dollar, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars using end-of-period exchange rates. Revenue, expenses and cash flows are translated using average rates of exchange. Fluctuations in the value of the South African rand in relation to the U.S. dollar may also affect our operating results.
Apart from the impact of translation differences described above, the exposure of our income statement to fluctuations of foreign currencies is limited, as the financing of projects is typically denominated in the same currency as that of the contracted revenue agreement. This policy seeks to ensure that the main revenue and expenses in foreign companies are denominated in the same currency, limiting our risk of foreign exchange differences in our financial results.
In our discussion of operating results, we have included foreign exchange impacts in our revenue by providing constant currency revenue growth. The constant currency presentation is not a measure recognized under IFRS and excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We believe providing constant currency information provides valuable supplemental information regarding our results of operations. We calculate constant currency amounts by converting our current period local currency revenue using the prior period foreign currency average exchange rates and comparing these adjusted amounts to our prior period reported results. This calculation may differ from similarly titled measures used by others and, accordingly, the constant currency presentation is not meant to substitute for recorded amounts presented in conformity with IFRS as issued by the IASB nor should such amounts be considered in isolation.
Key Performance Indicators
In addition to the factors described above, we closely monitor the following key drivers of our business sectors’ performance to plan for our needs and to adjust our expectations, financial budgets and forecasts appropriately.
| | Volume sold and availability levels Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Key performance indicator | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
Renewable energy | | | | | | |
MW in operation(1) | | | 1,496 | | | | 1,446 | |
GWh produced(2) | | | 1,651 | | | | 1,446 | |
Efficient natural gas power | | | | | | | | |
MW in operation | | | 300 | | | | 300 | |
GWh produced(3) | | | 866 | | | | 1,101 | |
Availability (%)(3)(4) | | | 88.5 | % | | | 98.6 | % |
Electric transmission lines | | | | | | | | |
Miles in operation | | | 1,152 | | | | 1,099 | |
Availability (%)(5) | | | 100.0 | % | | | 99.9 | % |
Water | | | | | | | | |
Mft3 in operation(1) | | | 10.5 | | | | 10.5 | |
Availability (%)(5) | | | 100.6 | % | | | 100.9 | % |
Note:
(1) | Represents total installed capacity in assets owned at the end of the period, regardless of our percentage of ownership in each of the assets |
(2) | Includes curtailment in wind assets for which we receive compensation |
(3) | Major maintenance overhaul held in Q1 and Q2 2019, as scheduled, which reduced production and electric availability as per the contract |
(4) | Electric availability refers to operational MW over contracted MW |
(5) | Availability refers to actual availability divided by contracted availability |
Production in the renewable business sector increased by 14% in the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Production increased significantly in Spain, mainly due to higher solar radiation in the period and solid operational performance of our assets. In South Africa, Kaxu continued to deliver solid performance which, coupled with higher solar resource, resulted in higher production. Production in our wind assets during the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 increased significantly as a result of the contribution of Melowind, which was acquired in December 2018. This increase was partially offset by lower energy generation in the United States, mainly due to lower solar radiation in the first half of 2019 and longer than expected maintenance stops in the first quarter. In Solana, we have completed the improvements in our heat exchangers proposed by the equipment supplier and Abengoa to improve performance and reliability. We continue working on the replacement of one of the six heat exchangers.
In ACT, our efficient natural gas power asset, we performed our scheduled major overhaul in one of the turbines in the first quarter of 2019 and in the other turbine in the second quarter of 2019, which explains lower availability and production levels when compared to the first half of 2018. Since the major overhaul was scheduled, it did not have any impact on revenues in this quarter.
Our transmission lines and water assets, the two other sectors where our revenues are based on availability, continue to comfortably achieve high availability levels.
Results of Operations
The table below illustrates our results of operations for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2019 and 2018.
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
| | 2019 | | | 2018 | | | % Variation | |
| | ($ in millions) | | | | |
Revenue | | $ | 504.8 | | | $ | 513.1 | | | | (1.6 | )% |
Other operating income | | | 44.9 | | | | 85.1 | | | | (47.2 | )% |
Raw materials and consumables used | | | (6.3 | ) | | | (7.3 | ) | | | (13.7 | )% |
Employee benefit expenses | | | (10.8 | ) | | | (10.3 | ) | | | 4.9 | % |
Depreciation, amortization, and impairment charges | | | (150.1 | ) | | | (160.3 | ) | | | (6.4 | )% |
Other operating expenses | | | (126.2 | ) | | | (141.2 | ) | | | (10.6 | )% |
Operating profit | | $ | 256.3 | | | $ | 279.1 | | | | (8.2 | )% |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Financial income | | | 0.5 | | | | 36.9 | | | | (98.6 | )% |
Financial expense | | | (210.5 | ) | | | (206.1 | ) | | | 2.1 | % |
Net exchange differences | | | 0.3 | | | | 1.1 | | | | (72.7 | )% |
Other financial income/(expense), net | | | (0.2 | ) | | | (9.7 | ) | | | (97.9 | )% |
Financial expense, net | | $ | (209.9 | ) | | $ | (177.8 | ) | | | (18.1 | )% |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Share of profit of associates carried under the equity method | | | 3.4 | | | | 2.9 | | | | 17.2 | % |
Profit/(loss) before income tax | | $ | 49.8 | | | $ | 104.2 | | | | (52.2 | )% |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Income tax | | | (27.0 | ) | | | (31.0 | ) | | | (12.9 | )% |
Profit/(loss) for the period | | $ | 22.8 | | | $ | 73.2 | | | | (68.9 | )% |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Profit attributable to non-controlling interest | | | (5.8 | ) | | | (5.8 | ) | | | (0.0 | )% |
Profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the parent company | | $ | 17.0 | | | $ | 67.4 | | | | (74.8 | )% |
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding (thousands) | | | 100,516 | | | | 100.217 | | | | | |
Basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to the parent company (U.S. dollar per share) | | | 0.17 | | | | 0.67 | | | | | |
Dividend paid per share(1) | | | 0.76 | | | | 0.63 | | | | | |
Note:
(1) | On February 26, 2019 and May 7, 2019, our board of directors approved dividends of $0.37 and $0.39 per share, corresponding to the fourth quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019, respectively, which were paid on March 22, 2019 and June 14, 2019. On February 27, 2018 and May 11, 2018, the board of directors declared a dividend of $0.31 and $0.32 per share, corresponding to the fourth quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, respectively, which were paid on March 27, 2018 and June 15, 2018. |
Comparison of the Six-Month Periods Ended June 30, 2019 and 2018
The significant variance, or variances, of the material components of the results of operations are discussed in the following section.
Revenue
Revenue decreased by 1.6% to $504.8 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $513.1 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. The decrease was primarily due to the effect of the depreciation of the euro and South African rand against the U.S. dollar. On a constant currency basis, revenue for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 would have been $527.3 million, representing an increase of 2.8% compared to six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Although we hedge our net cash flow exposure to the euro, variations in the euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate affect our revenues and Further Adjusted EBITDA. The decrease in revenue is also due to the reduced production from our U.S. solar assets, resulting from lower solar radiation and scheduled maintenance stops that took longer than expected in the first quarter. These effects were partially offset by an increase in revenues resulting from our recent acquisitions of wind and transmission assets and increased production in Spain and South Africa, where our assets continue to deliver solid operational performance.
Other operating income
The following table sets forth our other operating income for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 and 2018:
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Other operating income | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in millions) | |
Grants | | $ | 29.6 | | | $ | 29.7 | |
Income from various services | | | 15.3 | | | | 16.4 | |
Income from purchase of long-term O&M payable | | | 0 | | | | 39.0 | |
Total | | $ | 44.9 | | | $ | 85.1 | |
Other operating income decreased by 47.2% to $44.9 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $85.1 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. The decrease was due to the one-time gain we recorded in the second quarter of 2018 in relation to the purchase from Abengoa of the long-term operation and maintenance payable accrued until December 31, 2017, which amounted to $57.3 million. We paid $18.3 million for such payables accrued and as a result in the second quarter of 2018 we recorded a one-time gain equal to the difference, amounting to $39.0 million. Excluding this one-time impact, other operating income for the first six months of 2019 was in line with the same period of 2018.
Grants represent the financial support provided by the U.S. government to Solana and Mojave and consist of ITC Cash Grant and an implicit grant related to the below market interest rates of the project loans with the Federal Financing Bank.
Raw materials and consumables used
Raw materials and consumables used decreased by 13.7% to $6.3 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $7.3 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018, primarily due to fewer spare parts and consumables used at certain Spanish assets.
Employee benefits expenses
Employee benefit expenses remained stable at $10.8 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $10.3 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018.
Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges
Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges decreased by 6.4% to $150.1 million for six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared with $160.3 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 mainly due to a reversal of the impairment provisions in ACT. IFRS 9 requires impairment provisions to be based on the expected credit losses on financial assets rather than on actual credit losses and the expected loss decreased in the first half of 2019. This decrease was partly offset by the increase resulting from the new assets acquired at the end of 2018.
Other operating expenses
The following table sets forth our other operating expenses for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 and 2018:
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Other operating expenses | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | |
Leases and fees | | $ | 1.0 | | | | 0.2 | % | | $ | 1.0 | | | | 0.2 | % |
Operation and maintenance | | | 66.6 | | | | 13.2 | % | | | 71.4 | | | | 13.9 | % |
Independent professional services | | | 17.6 | | | | 3.5 | % | | | 15.7 | | | | 3.1 | % |
Supplies | | | 11.3 | | | | 2.2 | % | | | 13.2 | | | | 2.6 | % |
Insurance | | | 12.1 | | | | 2.4 | % | | | 12.6 | | | | 2.5 | % |
Levies and duties | | | 14.7 | | | | 2.9 | % | | | 21.9 | | | | 4.3 | % |
Other expenses | | | 2.9 | | | | 0.6 | % | | | 5.4 | | | | 1.1 | % |
Total | | $ | 126.2 | | | | 25.0 | % | | $ | 141.2 | | | | 27.5 | % |
Other operating expenses decreased by 10.6% to $126.2 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $141.2 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. This decrease was mainly due to lower levies and duties expenses, which generally include a 7% electricity sales tax in our Spanish assets. At the end of 2018, the Spanish government granted a six-month exemption from this tax until April 2019, which reduced our expenses. Revenues were reduced in the same amount during the six-month period, in accordance with the regulation in place. The decrease was also due to lower operation and maintenance costs in ACT, since a major overhaul took place during the first six months of 2019. There is a reduction in operation and maintenance costs in the quarters prior to the major maintenance takes place.
Operating profit
As a result of the above factors, operating profit for the first six months of 2019 decreased by 8.2% compared to the first half of 2018. Operating profit amounted to $256.3 million in the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 compared to $279.1 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. If we exclude the $39.0 million one-time gain we recorded in the second quarter of 2018 in relation to the purchase of the long-term operation and maintenance, operating profit for the first six months of 2019 would have increased by 6.8%.
Financial income and financial expense
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Financial income and financial expense | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | |
Financial income | | $
| 0.5 | | | $
| 36.9 | |
Financial expense | | | (210.5 | ) | | | (206.1 | ) |
Net exchange differences | | | 0.3 | | | | 1.1 | |
Other financial income/(expense), net | | | (0.2 | ) | | | (9.7 | ) |
Financial expense, net | | $ | (209.9 | ) | | $
| (177.8 | ) |
Financial income
Financial income decreased in the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 compared to the same period of the previous year mainly due to a non-cash financial income of $36.6 million recorded in the second quarter of 2018, resulting from the refinancing of Helios 1/2 and Helioenergy 1/2. Under the new IFRS 9, when there is a refinancing with a non-substantial modification of the original debt, there is a gain or loss recorded in the income statement. This gain or loss is equal to the difference between the present value of the cash flows under the original terms of the former financing and the present value of the cash flows under the new financing, discounted both at the original effective interest rate.
Financial expense
The following table sets forth our financial expense for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 and 2018:
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Financial expense | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in millions) | |
Interest expense: | | | | | | |
—Loans from credit entities | | $ | (130.6 | ) | | $ | (128.8 | ) |
—Other debts | | | (50.4 | ) | | | (43.0 | ) |
Interest rates losses derivatives: cash flow hedges | | | (29.5 | ) | | | (34.3 | ) |
Total | | $ | (210.5 | ) | | $ | (206.1 | ) |
Financial expense increased slightly by 2.1% to $210.5 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $206.1 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018.
Interest expense on other debts consists of interest on the notes issued by ATS, ATN, Atlantica and Solaben 1/6 and interests related to the investments from Liberty. The increase was largely due to the cancelation costs in relation to the prepayment in full of the 2019 Notes in the second quarter of 2019.
Losses from interest rate derivatives designated as cash flow hedges correspond primarily to transfers from equity to financial expense when the hedged item is impacting the consolidated condensed income statement.
Other financial income/(expense), net
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Other financial income /(expense), net | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in millions) | |
Other financial income | | $ | 8.5 | | | $ | 5.5 | |
Other financial expense | | | (8.7 | ) | | | (15.2 | ) |
Total | | $ | (0.2 | ) | | $ | (9.7 | ) |
Other financial income/(expense), net decreased to a net expense of $0.2 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 compared to a net expense of $9.7 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Other financial income in 2019 are primarily interests on deposits. Other financial expense primarily constitutes expenses for guarantees and letters of credit, wire transfers, other bank fees and other minor financial expenses. The decrease in other financial expense was mostly due to $6.2 million cost recorded in the second quarter of 2018 in relation to the cancelation of project guarantees in Mojave.
Share of profit of associates carried under the equity method
Share of profit of associates carried under the equity method increased to $3.4 million in the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 compared to $2.9 million in the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. This includes mainly the income from Honaine, which we account for using the equity method.
Profit/(loss) before income tax
As a result of the previously mentioned factors, we reported a profit before income tax of $49.8 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to a profit before income tax of $104.2 million for six-month period ended June 30, 2018.
Income tax
The effective tax rate for the periods presented has been established based on management’s best estimates. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, income tax amounted to an expense of $27.0 million, with a profit before income tax of $49.8 million. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2018, income tax amounted to a $31.0 million expense, with a profit before income tax of $104.2 million. The effective tax rate differs from the nominal tax rate mainly due to permanent differences and treatment of tax credits in some jurisdictions.
Profit attributable to non-controlling interests
Profit attributable to non-controlling interests was $5.8 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 as well as for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018.
Profit / (loss) attributable to the parent company
As a result of the previously mentioned factors, profit attributable to the parent company was $17.0 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to a loss of $67.4 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018.
Segment Reporting
We organize our business into the following three geographies where the contracted assets and concessions are located:
• North America;
• South America; and
• EMEA.
In addition, we have identified the following business sectors based on the type of activity:
• Renewable energy, which includes our activities related to the production of electricity from concentrating solar power and wind plants;
• Efficient natural gas, which includes our activities related to the production of electricity and steam from natural gas;
• Electric transmission, which includes our activities related to the operation of electric transmission lines; and
• Water, which includes our activities related to desalination plants.
As a result, we report our results in accordance with both criteria.
Revenue and Further Adjusted EBITDA by geography
The following table sets forth our revenue, Further Adjusted EBITDA and volumes for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, by geographic region:
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Revenue by geography | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | |
North America | | $ | 164.5 | | | | 32.6 | % | | $ | 172.3 | | | | 33.6 | % |
South America | | | 69.1 | | | | 13.7 | % | | | 59.9 | | | | 11.7 | % |
EMEA | | | 271.2 | | | | 53.7 | % | | | 280.9 | | | | 54.7 | % |
Total revenue | | $ | 504.8 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 513.1 | | | | 100.0 | % |
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Further Adjusted EBITDA by geography | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | |
North America | | $ | 147.1 | | | | 89.4 | % | | $ | 154.7 | | | | 89.8 | % |
South America | | | 57.5 | | | | 83.2 | % | | | 49,2 | | | | 82.2 | % |
EMEA | | | 201.8 | | | | 74.4 | % | | | 235.5 | | | | 83.8 | % |
Total Further Adjusted EBITDA(1) | | $ | 406.4 | | | | 80.5 | % | | $ | 439.4 | | | | 85.6 | % |
Note:
(1) | Further Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the parent company, after adding back loss/(profit) attributable to non-controlling interest from continued operations, income tax, share of profit/(loss) of associates carried under the equity method, finance expense net, depreciation, amortization and impairment charges of entities included in the Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and the Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements.Further Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance under IFRS as issued by the IASB, and you should not consider Further Adjusted EBITDA as an alternative to operating income or profits or as a measure of our operating performance, cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities or as a measure of our ability to meet our cash needs or any other measures of performance under generally accepted accounting principles. We believe that Further Adjusted EBITDA is a useful indicator of our ability to incur and service our indebtedness and can assist securities analysts, investors and other parties to evaluate us. Further Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are used by different companies for different purposes and are often calculated in ways that reflect the circumstances of those companies. Further Adjusted EBITDA may not be indicative of our historical operating results, nor is it meant to be predictive of potential future results. See “Item 2—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Key Metrics.” |
Volume by geography
| | Volume sold and availability levels Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Geography | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
North America (GWh) (1) | | | 1,535 | | | | 1,817 | |
North America availability (1)(2) | | | 88.5 | % | | | 98.6 | % |
South America (miles in operation) | | | 1,152 | | | | 1,099 | |
South America (GWh) (3) | | | 240 | | | | 151 | |
South America availability (4) | | | 100.0 | % | | | 99.9 | % |
EMEA (GWh) | | | 742 | | | | 579 | |
EMEA (capacity in Mft3 per day) (5) | | | 10.5 | | | | 10.5 | |
EMEA availability (4) | | | 100.6 | % | | | 100.9 | % |
Note:
| (1) | Major maintenance overhaul conducted in Q1 and Q2 2019 in ACT, as scheduled, which reduced electric production |
| (2) | Electric availability refers to operational MW over contracted MW with Pemex |
| (3) | Includes curtailment production in wind assets for which we receive compensation |
| (4) | Availability refers to actual availability divided by contracted availability |
| (5) | Represents total installed capacity in assets owned at the end of the period, regardless of our percentage of ownership in each of the assets |
North America
Revenue decreased by 4.5% to $164.5 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $172.3 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. The decrease was primarily due to the reduced production from our U.S. solar assets as a result of lower solar radiation and scheduled maintenance stops in the first quarter of 2019 that took longer than expected. Further Adjusted EBITDA margin remained stable in the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to the same period of the previous year.
South America
Revenue increased by 15.4% to $69.1 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $59.9 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Production increased by 59% and availabilities remained in line with the same period of last year. Further Adjusted EBITDA increased by 16.7% to $57.5 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $49.2 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Both revenue and Further Adjusted EBITDA increases are primarily a result of the contribution of the newly acquired assets in the region consisting of Melowind, Chile TL3 and ATN Expansion 1.
EMEA
Revenue decreased by 3.5% to $271.2 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $280.9 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. This revenue decrease was mainly due to the depreciation of the euro and South African rand against the U.S. dollar in the first half of 2019 compared to the first half of 2018. On a constant currency basis, revenue for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 would have been $281.8 million, representing a 0.3% increase compared to six-month period ended June 30, 2018. The decrease was partially offset by increased production in Spain and South Africa, where our assets continue to deliver solid operational performance. Further Adjusted EBITDA decreased by 14.3% to $201.8 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $235.5 million for six-month period ended June 30, 2018 and Further Adjusted EBITDA margin decreased to 74.4% for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to 83.8% for the same period in 2018. The decrease was mainly due to the $39 million one-time gain we recorded in the second quarter of 2018 (see– Comparison of the Six-Month Periods Ended June 30, 2019 and 2018– “Other operating income”).
Revenue and Further Adjusted EBITDA by business sector
The following table sets forth our revenue, Further Adjusted EBITDA and volumes for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, by business sector:
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Revenue by business sector | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | |
Renewable energy | | $ | 380.1 | | | | 75.3 | % | | $ | 392.2 | | | | 76.4 | % |
Efficient natural gas power | | | 61.7 | | | | 12.2 | % | | | 61.4 | | | | 12.0 | % |
Electric transmission lines | | | 51.1 | | | | 10.1 | % | | | 47.9 | | | | 9.3 | % |
Water | | | 11.9 | | | | 2.4 | % | | | 11.6 | | | | 2.3 | % |
Total revenue | | $ | 504.8 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 513.1 | | | | 100.0 | % |
Further Adjusted EBITDA by business sector
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Further Adjusted EBITDA by business sector | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | | | $ in millions | | | % of revenue | |
Renewable energy | | $ | 301.4 | | | | 79.3 | % | | $ | 345.4 | | | | 88.1 | % |
Efficient natural gas power | | | 54.3 | | | | 88.0 | % | | | 47.0 | | | | 76.5 | % |
Electric transmission lines | | | 43.6 | | | | 85.3 | % | | | 40.3 | | | | 84.1 | % |
Water | | | 7.1 | | | | 59.7 | % | | | 6.7 | | | | 57.9 | % |
Total Further Adjusted EBITDA(1) | | $ | 406.4 | | | | 80.5 | % | | $ | 439.4 | | | | 85.6 | % |
Note:
(1) | Further Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the parent company, after adding back loss/(profit) attributable to non-controlling interest from continued operations, income tax, share of profit/(loss) of associates carried under the equity method, finance expense net, depreciation, amortization and impairment charges of entities included in the Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and the Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements and dividends received from our preferred equity investment in ACBH until 2017. Further Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance under IFRS as issued by the IASB, and you should not consider Further Adjusted EBITDA as an alternative to operating income or profits or as a measure of our operating performance, cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities or as a measure of our ability to meet our cash needs or any other measures of performance under generally accepted accounting principles. We believe that Further Adjusted EBITDA is a useful indicator of our ability to incur and service our indebtedness and can assist securities analysts, investors and other parties to evaluate us. Further Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are used by different companies for different purposes and are often calculated in ways that reflect the circumstances of those companies. Further Adjusted EBITDA may not be indicative of our historical operating results, nor is it meant to be predictive of potential future results. See “Item 2—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Information—Non-GAAP FinancialCondition and Results of Operations—Key Metrics.” |
Volume by business sector
| | Volume sold and availability levels | |
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
Business Sectors | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
Renewable Energy (GWh) (1) | | | 1,651 | | | | 1,446 | |
Efficient Natural Gas Power (GWh) (2) | | | 866 | | | | 1,101 | |
Efficient Natural Gas Power availability(3) | | | 88.5 | % | | | 98.6 | % |
Electric transmission (miles in operation) | | | 1,152 | | | | 1,099 | |
Electric transmission availability(4) | | | 100 | % | | | 99.9 | % |
Water (capacity in Mft3 per day) (5) | | | 10.5 | | | | 10.5 | |
Water availability(4) | | | 100.6 | % | | | 100.9 | % |
Note:
| (1) | Includes curtailment production in wind assets for which we receive compensation |
| (2) | Major maintenance overhaul conducted in Q1 and Q2 2019 in ACT, as scheduled, which reduced electric production, as per the contract |
| (3) | Electric availability refers to operational MW over contracted MW with Pemex. Major overhaul held in Q1and Q2 2019, as scheduled, which reduced the electric availability as per the contract with Pemex |
| (4) | Availability refers to actual availability divided by contracted availability |
| (5) | Represents total installed capacity in assets owned at the end of the period, regardless of our percentage of ownership in each of the assets |
Renewable energy
Revenue decreased by 3.1% to $380.1 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $392.2 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Further Adjusted EBITDA decreased by 12.7% to $301.4 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $345.4 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Revenue decreased mainly due to the depreciation of the euro and South African rand against the U.S. dollar in the first half of 2019 compared to the first half of 2018. On a constant currency basis, revenue for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 would have been $402.6 million, representing a 5.7% increase year-over-year. Further Adjusted EBITDA decrease was also due to the depreciation of the euro and South African rand against the U.S. dollar in the first half of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018 and to the $39.0 million one-time gain recorded in the second quarter of 2018 described in “ Other Operating Income”. The decrease was also due to lower production in our solar assets in the United States resulting mainly from lower solar radiation and longer than expected maintenance stops in the first quarter. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in production in Spain and Kaxu, which continue to deliver solid operational performance and by an increase resulting from the contribution of the newly acquired Melowind asset. Further Adjusted EBITDA margin decreased to 79.3% for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to 88.1% for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 mainly due to the $39.0 million one-time gain recorded in the second quarter of 2018 (see– Comparison of the Six-Month Periods Ended June 30, 2019 and 2018– “Other operating income”).
Efficient natural gas
Revenue remained stable in our efficient natural gas segment, with $61.7 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $61.4 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Further Adjusted EBITDA increased by 15.6% to $54.3 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to $47.0 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Further Adjusted EBITDA margin increased to 88.0% in the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 from 76.5% in the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Further Adjusted EBITDA increase in our efficient natural gas segment was mainly due to a one-time adjustment with no impact in cash in the first quarter of 2019. Our ACT asset is accounted for under IFRIC 12 following the financial asset model, and a decrease in future operation and maintenance costs has increased the value of the asset, causing a one-time increase in Revenues and Further Adjusted EBITDA amounting to approximately $6 million. In addition, Further Adjusted EBITDA also increased in ACT due a major overhaul in the first half of 2019, since operation and maintenance cost are higher in the quarters prior to such major overhauls.
Electric transmission lines
Revenue increased to $51.1 million for six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared with $47.9 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Further Adjusted EBITDA increased to $43.6 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 from $40.3 million in the for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Both revenue and Further Adjusted EBITDA increases were mainly due to the contribution from the recently acquired transmission assets consisting of Chile TL3 and ATN Expansion 1, with no corresponding contribution in the first quarter of 2018.
Water
Revenue and Further Adjusted EBITDA remained stable for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, amounting to $11.9 million and $7.1 million, respectively, compared to $11.6 million and $6.7 million, respectively, for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Further Adjusted EBITDA margin increased to 59.7% in the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, compared to 57.9% in the six-month period ended June 30, 2018.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The liquidity and capital resources discussion which follows contains certain estimates as of the date of this quarterly report of our sources and uses of liquidity (including estimated future capital resources and capital expenditures) and future financial and operating results. These estimates, while presented with numerical specificity, necessarily reflect numerous estimates and assumptions made by us with respect to industry performance, general business, economic, regulatory, market and financial conditions and other future events, as well as matters specific to our businesses, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict and many of which are beyond our control. These estimates reflect subjective judgment in many respects and thus are susceptible to multiple interpretations and periodic revisions based on actual experience and business, economic, regulatory, financial and other developments. As such, these estimates constitute forward-looking information and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual sources and uses of liquidity (including estimated future capital resources and capital expenditures) and financial and operating results to differ materially from the estimates made here, including, but not limited to, those related to our performance, industry performance, general business and economic conditions, customer requirements, competition, adverse changes in applicable laws, regulations or rules, and the various risks set forth in this quarterly report and our Annual Report. See “Forward-Looking Statements.”
In addition, these estimates reflect assumptions of our management as of the time that they were prepared regarding certain business decisions that were and are subject to change. These estimates also may be affected by our ability to achieve strategic goals, objectives and targets over the applicable periods. The estimates cannot, therefore, be considered a guarantee of future sources and uses of liquidity (including estimated future capital resources and capital expenditures) and future financial and operating results, and the information should not be relied on as such. All of us, our board of directors, advisors, officers, directors and representatives disclaim any obligation to update, revise, or correct these estimates, except as otherwise required by law, including if the estimates are or become inaccurate (even in the short-term).
The inclusion of these estimates in this quarterly report should not be deemed an admission or representation by us or our board of directors that such information is viewed by us or our board of directors as our material information. Such information should be evaluated, if at all, in conjunction with the historical financial statements and other information about us contained in this quarterly report. None of us, our board of directors, advisors, officers, directors or representatives, has made or makes any representation to any prospective investor or other person regarding our ultimate performance compared to the information contained in these estimates or assuring them that forecasted results will be achieved. In light of the foregoing factors and the uncertainties inherent in the information provided above, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these estimates. Our liquidity plans are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are outside of our control. Macroeconomic conditions could limit our ability to successfully execute our business plans and, therefore, adversely affect our liquidity plans. See “Item 3.D—Risk Factors” in our Annual Report.
Our principal liquidity and capital requirements consist of the following:
| • | debt service requirements on our existing and future debt; |
| • | cash dividends to investors; and |
| • | acquisitions of new companies and operations (see “Item 4.B—Business Overview—Our Business Strategy” in our Annual Report). |
As a normal part of our business, depending on market conditions, we will from time to time consider opportunities to repay, redeem, repurchase or refinance our indebtedness. Changes in our operating plans, lower than anticipated sales, increased expenses, acquisitions or other events may cause us to seek additional debt or equity financing in future periods. There can be no guarantee that financing will be available on acceptable terms or at all. Debt financing, if available, could impose additional cash payment obligations and additional covenants and operating restrictions. In addition, any of the items discussed in detail under “Item 3.D—Risk Factors” in our Annual Report and other factors may also significantly impact our liquidity.
Liquidity position
As of June 30, 2019, our cash and cash equivalents at the project company level were $469.0 million compared to $524.8 million as of December 31, 2018. In addition, our cash and cash equivalents at the Atlantica Yield plc level were $107.0 million as of June 30, 2019 compared to $106.7 million as of December 31, 2018. As of June 30, 2019, we had $225.0 million available under our Revolving Credit Facility and therefore total corporate liquidity of $332.0 million. On August 2, 2019, we entered into an amendment to our Revolving Credit Facility which, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, increases the commitments thereunder by an additional $125 million, thus increasing our total corporate liquidity. As of December 31, 2018, we had $105.0 million available under our Revolving Credit Facility, and our total corporate liquidity was $211.7 million.
Cash and cash equivalents at the project company level include cash held to satisfy the customary requirements of certain non-recourse debt agreements and other restricted cash for an amount of $249 million as of June 30, 2019 ($296 million as of December 31, 2018). In addition, short-term financial investments also include restricted cash amounting to $78.4 million as of June 30, 2019 ($78.9 million as of December 31, 2018).
Sources of liquidity
We expect our ongoing sources of liquidity to include cash on hand, cash generated from our operations, project debt arrangements, corporate debt and the issuance of additional equity securities, as appropriate, and given market conditions. Our financing agreements consist mainly of the project-level financings for our various assets, the 2019 Note Issuance Facility, the Revolving Credit Facility, the 2017 Note Issuance Facility and a line of credit with a local bank.
2019 Note Issuance Facility
On April 30, 2019, we entered into the 2019 Note Issuance Facility, a senior unsecured financing with a group of funds managed by Westbourne Capital as purchasers of the notes issued thereunder for a total amount of the euro equivalent of $300 million. The notes under the 2019 Note Issuance Facility were issued in May 2019 and are due on April 30, 2025. Interest accrues at a rate per annum equal to the sum of 3-month EURIBOR plus 4.65%. The 2019 Note Issuance Facility includes an upfront fee of 2% paid upon drawdown. The principal amount of the notes issued under the 2019 Note Issuance Facility was hedged with an interest rate swap, resulting in an all-in interest cost of 4.4%. The 2019 Note Issuance Facility provides that we may capitalize at our choice interest on the notes issued thereunder for a period of up to two years from closing at our discretion, subject to certain conditions and we have decided to capitalize interest for the upcoming quarters until we have further visibility on the PG&E situation.
The notes issued under the 2019 Note Issuance Facility are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by our subsidiaries ABY Concessions Infrastructures, S.L.U., ABY Concessions Perú S.A., ACT Holding, S.A. de C.V., ASHUSA Inc., ASUSHI Inc. and Atlantica Yield South Africa Ltd. If we fail to make payments on the notes issued under the 2019 Note Issuance Facility, the guarantors are mandated to make such payments on a joint and several basis.
The 2019 Note Issuance Facility contains covenants that limit certain of our and the guarantors’ activities, including those relating to: mergers; consolidations; certain limitations on the ability to create liens; sales, transfers and other dispositions of property and assets; providing new guarantees; transactions with affiliates; and our ability to pay cash dividends is also subject to certain standard restrictions. Additionally, we are required to comply with a maintenance leverage ratio of our indebtedness to our cash available for distribution of 5.00:1.00 (which may be increased under certain conditions to 5.50:1.00 for a limited period in the event we consummate certain acquisitions).
The 2019 Note Issuance Facility also contains customary events of default (subject in certain cases to customary grace and cure periods). Generally, if an event of default occurs and is not cured within the time periods specified, the agent or the holders of more than 50% of the principal amount of the notes then outstanding may declare all of the notes issued under the 2019 Note Issuance Facility to be due and payable immediately.
The proceeds of the notes issued under the 2019 Note Issuance Facility were used to prepay and subsequently cancel in full the 2019 Notes and for general corporate purposes.
Revolving Credit Facility
On May 10, 2018, we entered into a $215 million revolving credit facility with a syndicate of banks that matures in December 2021. The facility was increased $85 million to $300 million in January 2019. In addition, on August 2, 2019 the facility was further increased by $125 million to a total limit of $425 million and the maturity extended until December 31, 2022 for $387.5 million, with the remaining $37.5 million maturing on December 31, 2021. Loans under the facility accrue interest at a rate per annum equal to: (A) for Eurodollar rate loans, LIBOR plus a percentage determined by reference to our leverage ratio, ranging between 1.60% and 2.25% and (B) for base rate loans, the highest of (i) the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight U.S. Federal funds transactions with members of the U.S. Federal Reserve System arranged by U.S. Federal funds brokers on such day plus 1/2 of 1.00%, (ii) the prime rate of the administrative agent under the Revolving Credit Facility and (iii) LIBOR plus 1.00%, in any case, plus a percentage determined by reference to our leverage ratio, ranging between 0.60% and 1.00%. As of June 30, 2019, we had $225.0 million available under our Revolving Credit Facility. On August 2, 2019, we entered into an amendment to our Revolving Credit Facility which, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, increases the commitments thereunder by an additional $125 million, thus increasing our total corporate liquidity. As of December 31, 2018, we had $105.0 million available under our Revolving Credit Facility, and our total corporate liquidity was $211.7 million.
2017 Note Issuance Facility
On February 10, 2017, we entered into the 2017 Note Issuance Facility, a senior secured note facility with a group of funds managed by Westbourne Capital as purchasers of the notes issued thereunder for a total amount of €275 million (approximately $308.5 million), with three series of notes: series 1 notes worth €92 million mature in 2022; series 2 notes worth €91.5 million mature in 2023; and series 3 notes worth €91.5 million mature in 2024. Interest on all series accrues at a rate per annum equal to the sum of 3-month EURIBOR plus 4.90%. We fully hedged the principal amount of the notes issued under the 2017 Note Issuance Facility with a swap that fixed the interest rate at 5.50%.
2019 Notes
On November 17, 2014, we issued the 2019 Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $255 million with an original maturity date of November 15, 2019. On May 31, 2019 we prepaid the 2019 Notes before maturity in accordance with the terms thereof with the proceeds of the notes issued under the 2019 Note Issuance Facility.
Other Credit Lines
In July 2017, we signed a line of credit with a bank for up to €10.0 million (approximately $11.4 million) which is available in euros or U.S. dollars. Amounts drawn accrue interest at a rate per annum equal to EURIBOR plus 2.25% or LIBOR plus 2.25%, depending on the currency. The credit facility has a maturity date of July 4, 2020 and was fully drawn as of June 30, 2019.
See “Item 5.B –Liquidity and Capital Resources – Financing Arrangements –Other Credit Lines” in our Annual Report.
ESG-linked Financial Guarantee Line
In June 2019, we signed our first ESG-linked financial guarantee line with ING Bank, N.V.. The guarantee line has a limit of approximately $39 million. The cost is linked to Atlantica’s environmental, social and governance performance under Sustainalytics, a leading sustainable rating agency. The green guarantees will be exclusively used for renewable assets. We expect to use this guarantee line to progressively release restricted cash in some of our projects, providing additional financial flexibility.
Project level financing
In addition, we have outstanding project-specific debt that is backed by certain of our assets. These financing arrangements generally include a pledge of shares of the entities holding our assets and customary covenants, including restrictive covenants that limit the ability of the project-level entities to make cash distributions to their parent companies and ultimately to us including if certain financial ratios are not met. For more information about the debt of project level entities, see “Item 4.B—Business Overview—Our Operations” In our Annual Report.
On June 27, 2019, we refinanced the project debt of our Chilean assets Palmucho, Quadra 1 and Quadra 2. The new financing agreement consists of a single loan agreement for Palmucho, Quadra 1 and Quadra 2 for a total amount of $75 million with a syndicate of local banks formed by Itaú, Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP) and Banco BICE. The new project debt has replaced the previous two independent project loans in Quadra 1 and Quadra 2. The new loan is denominated in U.S. dollars and matures on June 30, 2031. The new loan has a semi-annual amortization schedule and accrues interest at a variable rate based on the six-month U.S. LIBOR plus 3.60%, which represents a 20-basis point improvement compared to the previous financing. We have cancelled the swaps previously in place and contracted a new interest rate swap at an approximate fixed rate of 2.25% to hedge 75% of the amount nominal during the entire debt term. The new financing agreement is cross-collateralized jointly between the Chilean assets and permits cash distributions to its parent company twice per year if the combined debt service coverage ratio for the three assets is at least 1.20x.
In addition, Mojave, our asset with PG&E as off-taker has a 25-year term loan maturing in 2036. However, following the filing of the Chapter 11 by PG&E and since PG&E failed to assume the PPA within 180 days from the commencement of PG&E’s chapter 11 proceeding, a technical event of default was triggered under our Mojave project finance agreement in July 2019 and this event was highly probable as of June 30, 2019. Given that Mojave does not have what the IAS defines as an unconditional contracted right to defer the settlement of the debt for at least 12 months after that date, the debt of the projects has been classified as Current Liabilities in accordance with the provisions of IFRS IAS 1, “Presentation of Financial Statements”. We do not expect the DOE to use the cross-default provisions to request an acceleration of the debt.
Our ability to meet our debt service obligations and other capital requirements, including capital expenditures, as well as acquisitions, will depend on our future operating performance which, in turn, will be subject to general economic, financial, business, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other conditions, many of which are beyond our control.
We believe that our existing liquidity position and cash flows from operations will be sufficient to meet our requirements and commitments for the next 12 months and to distribute dividends to our investors. Based on our current level of operations, we believe our cash flow from operations and available cash will be adequate to meet our future liquidity needs for at least the next twelve months. Please see “Item 3.D—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Indebtedness—Potential future defaults by our subsidiaries, our off-takers, our suppliers, Abengoa or other persons could adversely affect us” in our Annual Report.
Cash dividends to investors
We intend to distribute to holders of our shares a significant portion of our cash available for distribution less all cash expenses including corporate debt service and corporate general and administrative expenses and less reserves for the prudent conduct of our business (including, among other things, dividend shortfall as a result of fluctuations in our cash flows), on an annual basis. We intend to distribute a quarterly dividend to shareholders. Our board of directors may, by resolution, amend the cash dividend policy at any time. The determination of the amount of the cash dividends to be paid to holders of our shares will be made by our board of directors and will depend upon our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, long-term prospects and any other matters that our board of directors deem relevant.
Our cash available for distribution is likely to fluctuate from quarter to quarter and, in some cases, significantly as a result of the seasonality of our assets, the terms of our financing arrangements, maintenance and outage schedules, among other factors. Accordingly, during quarters in which our projects generate cash available for distribution in excess of the amount necessary for us to pay our stated quarterly dividend, we may reserve a portion of the excess to fund cash distributions in future quarters. In quarters in which we do not generate sufficient cash available for distribution to fund our stated quarterly cash dividend, if our board of directors so determines, we may use retained cash flow from other quarters, as well as other sources of cash.
| • | On February 27, 2018, our board of directors approved a dividend of $0.31 per share. The dividend was paid on March 27, 2018, to shareholders of record as of March 19, 2018. |
| • | On May 11, 2018, our board of directors approved a dividend of $0.32 per share. The dividend was paid on June 15, 2018, to shareholders of record as of May 31, 2018. |
| • | On July 31, 2018, our board of directors approved a dividend of $0.34 per share. The dividend was paid on September 15, 2018, to shareholders of record as of August 31, 2018. |
| • | On October 31, 2018, our board of directors approved a dividend of $0.36 per share. The dividend was paid on December 14, 2018, to shareholders of record as of November 30, 2018. |
| • | On February 26, 2019, our board of directors approved a dividend of $0.37 per share. The dividend was paid on March 22, 2019, to shareholders of record as of March 12, 2019. |
| • | On May 7, 2019, our board of directors approved a dividend of $0.39 per share, which represents an increase of 21.9% from the first quarter of 2018. The dividend was paid on June 14, 2019, to shareholders of record as of June 3, 2019. |
| • | On August 2, 2019 our board of directors approved a dividend of $0.40 per share, which represents an increase of 18% from the second quarter of 2018. The dividend is expected to be paid on September 13, 2019, to shareholders of record as of August 30, 2019. |
Acquisitions
In February 2018, we completed the acquisition of a 4 MW mini-hydroelectric power plant in Peru for a cash consideration of approximately $9 million.
In October 2018 we reached an agreement to acquire PTS, a natural gas transportation platform located in the Gulf of Mexico, close to ACT, our efficient natural gas plant. On October 10, 2018, we acquired a 5% ownership in the project; once the project begins operation, which is expected in the first half of 2020, we expect to acquire an additional 65% stake; finally, we will acquire the remaining 30% one year after COD, subject to final approvals. The total equity investment is estimated to be approximately $150 million. The amount paid so far has been small.
In addition, in October 2018, we reached a preliminary agreement for another expansion of ATN consisting of certain transmission assets in Peru. Our total investment is expected to be approximately $20 million. The final purchase agreement has not been signed yet and we cannot guarantee we will be able to close this acquisition.
In December 2018, we completed a transaction for an expansion of our ATN transmission line by acquiring a 220-kV power substation and two small transmission lines in Peru. The total purchase price amounted to $16 million and has been fully paid.
In December 2018, we completed the acquisition of Chile TL3, a transmission line currently in operation in Chile. Our investment amounted to approximately $6 million.
In December 2018, we completed the acquisition of Melowind, a 50 MW wind plant in Uruguay, from Enel Green Power S.p.A. Total purchase price was approximately $45 million and has been completely paid.
In January 2019, we entered into an agreement with Abengoa under the Abengoa ROFO Agreement for the acquisition of Befesa Agua Tenes, a holding company which owns a 51% stake in Tenes, a water desalination plant in Algeria, similar in several aspects to our Skikda and Honaine plants. Closing of the acquisition is subject to conditions precedent, including the approval by the Algerian administration. The price agreed for the equity value is $24.5 million, of which $19.9 million was paid in January 2019 as an advanced payment and the rest is expected to be paid once the conditions precedent are fulfilled. If all the conditions precedent are not fulfilled by September 30, 2019, the advanced payment shall be progressively reimbursed by Abengoa through a full cash-sweep of all the dividends to be received in no case later than September 30, 2031, together with an annual 12% interest.
In April 2019, we entered into an agreement to acquire a 30% stake in Monterrey, a 142 MW gas-fired engine facility with batteries in operation since 2018 in Mexico. The acquisition closed in July 2019 and the total equity investment amounted to $42 million.
In May 2019, we entered into an agreement with Abengoa to acquire a 15% stake in Rioglass, a manufacturer of solar components. The equity investment paid was $7 million. In July 2019 we entered into an agreement to acquire ASI Ops, the company that performs the operation and maintenance services to our solar assets in the U.S. The equity investment paid was $6 million.
Cash flow
The following table sets forth cash flow data for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 and 2018:
| | Six-month period ended June 30, | |
| | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
| | ($ in millions) | |
Gross cash flows from operating activities | | | | | | |
Profit/(loss) for the period | | $ | 22.8 | | | $ | 73.2 | |
Financial expense and non-monetary adjustments | | | 361.6 | | | | 297.8 | |
Profit for the period adjusted by financial expense and non-monetary adjustments | | $ | 384.4 | | | $ | 371.0 | |
Variations in working capital | | | (91.9 | ) | | | (47.2 | ) |
Net interest and income tax paid | | | (143.4 | ) | | $ | (160.6 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Total net cash provided by operating activities | | $ | 149.1 | | | $ | 163.2 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net cash provided/(used in) investing activities(1) | | $ | (119.3 | ) | | $ | 44.5 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net cash used in financing activities | | $ | (84.4 | ) | | $ | (207.6 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | | | (54.6 | ) | | | 0.1 | |
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period | | | 631.5 | | | | 669.4 | |
Translation differences in cash or cash equivalents | | | (0.8 | ) | | | (12.3 | ) |
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period | | $ | 576.1 | | | $ | 657.2 | |
Note:
(1) | Includes proceeds for $14.8 million and $60.8 million for the six-month period ended June 31, 2019 and June 30, 2018 respectively, related to the amounts received from Abengoa by Solana further to Abengoa´s obligation as EPC Contractor. |
Net cash flows provided by/(used in) operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities in the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 was $149.1 million compared to $163.2 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018. Net cash provided by operating activities during the six-month period of 2018 included approximately $17 million corresponding to Abengoa’s payments to Solana, with no corresponding amount in the first half of 2019, which explains the decrease. The decrease was also due to longer collection periods in Mexico and Spain versus the same period of the previous year and to a property tax payment in the first quarter corresponding to previous years.
Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, net cash used in investing activities was $119.3 million and corresponded mainly to the investment in Amherst Island. Atlantica and Algonquin formed AYES Canada, a vehicle to channel co-investment opportunities and the first investment was in Amherst Island, a 75 MW wind plant in Canada. Atlantica invested $4.9 million and Algonquin invested $92.3 million, both through AYES Canada. Since Atlantica controls AYES Canada under IFRS 10, we show in Net cash used in investing activities the total $97.2 million invested by AYES Canada in the project company and in Net cash provided by financing activities the $92.3 million received from Algonquin by AYES Canada. In addition, net cash used in investing activities includes the initial payment for Tenes of $19.9 million.
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2018, net cash provided by investing activities amounted to $44.5 million and corresponded mainly to the $60.8 million received by Solana from Abengoa in relation to the consent with the DOE.
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, net cash used in financing activities was $84.4 million and corresponded principally to $433.9 million of principal debt repayments, of which $259.7 million corresponded to the prepayment of the 2019 Notes, $124.2 million of project debt repayments and $50 million of revolving credit facility repayment. We also received $293.1 million net proceeds under the 2019 Note Issuance Facility, net of fees and paid $81.8 million of dividends to shareholders and non-controlling interest. As explained above, we also include $92.3 million corresponding to Algonquin’s participation in Amherst.
Net cash used in financing activities in the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 amounted to $207.6 million and corresponded principally to $195.2 million of the repayments of principal of our project financing agreements, of which $52.5 million were prepayments to Solana using the proceeds of the payment received from Abengoa in connection with the DOE consent and $54 million corresponded to the prepayment and cancelation of our former revolving credit facility. Additionally, we drew down $57.5 million of the Revolving Credit Facility and $69.9 million of dividends paid to shareholders and non-controlling interest.
Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk |
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk
Our activities are undertaken through our segments and are exposed to market risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. Risk is managed by our Risk Management and Finance Department in accordance with mandatory internal management rules. The internal management rules provide written policies for the management of overall risk, as well as for specific areas, such as exchange rate risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, use of hedging instruments and derivatives, and the investment of excess cash.
Market risk
We are exposed to market risk, such as movement in foreign exchange rates and interest rates. All of these market risks arise in the normal course of business and we do not carry out speculative operations. For the purpose of managing these risks, we use a series of swaps and options on interest rates and foreign exchange rates. None of the derivative contracts signed has an unlimited loss exposure.
Foreign exchange rate risk
The main cash flows from our subsidiaries are cash collections arising from long-term contracts with clients and debt payments arising from project finance repayment. Given that financing of the projects is always denominated in the same currency in which the contract with the client is signed, a natural hedge exists for our main operations.
Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar, as most of our revenues and expenses are denominated or linked to U.S. dollars. All our companies located in North America, South America and Algeria have their PPAs, or concessional agreements, and financing contracts signed in, or indexed to, U.S. dollars. Our solar power plants in Spain have their revenues and expenses denominated in euros. Revenues and expenses of Kaxu, our solar plant in South Africa, are denominated in South African rand. While fluctuations in the value of the euro and the South African rand may affect our operating results, we hedge cash distributions from our Spanish assets. Our strategy is to hedge the exchange rate for the distributions from our Spanish assets after deducting euro-denominated interest payments and euro-denominated general and administrative expenses. Through currency options, we have hedged 100% of our euro-denominated net exposure for the next 12 months and 75% of our euro-denominated net exposure for the following 12 months.
Since we hedge cash flows, fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies (the euro and the South African rand) in relation to the U.S. dollar may affect our operating results.
Interest rate risk
Interest rate risks arise mainly from our financial liabilities at variable interest rate (less than 10% of our total project debt financing). We use interest rate swaps and interest rate options (caps) to mitigate interest rate risk.
As a result, the notional amounts hedged as of June 30, 2019, contracted strikes and maturities, depending on the characteristics of the debt on which the interest rate risk is being hedged, are very diverse, including the following:
| · | Project debt in euros: between 81% and 100% of the notional amount, maturities until 2030 and average guaranteed interest rates of between -0.26% and 4.87%; |
| · | Project debt in U.S. dollars: between 70% and 100% of the notional amount, maturities until 2034; and average guaranteed interest rates of between 2.24% and 5.27%. |
In connection with our interest rate derivative positions, the most significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements are derived from the changes in EURIBOR or LIBOR, which represents the reference interest rate for the majority of our debt.
In relation to our interest rate swaps positions, an increase in EURIBOR or LIBOR above the contracted fixed interest rate would create an increase in our financial expense which would be positively mitigated by our hedges, reducing our financial expense to our contracted fixed interest rate. However, an increase in EURIBOR or LIBOR that does not exceed the contracted fixed interest rate would not be offset by our derivative position and would result in a net financial loss recognized in our consolidated income statement. Conversely, a decrease in EURIBOR or LIBOR below the contracted fixed interest rate would result in lower interest expense on our variable rate debt, which would be offset by a negative impact from the mark-to-market of our hedges, increasing our financial expense up to our contracted fixed interest rate, thus likely resulting in a neutral effect.
In relation to our interest rate options positions, an increase in EURIBOR or LIBOR above the strike price would result in higher interest expenses, which would be positively mitigated by our hedges, reducing our financial expense to our capped interest rate, whereas a decrease of EURIBOR or LIBOR below the strike price would result in lower interest expenses.
In addition to the above, our results of operations can be affected by changes in interest rates with respect to the unhedged portion of our indebtedness that bears interest at floating rates.
In the event that EURIBOR and LIBOR had risen by 25 basis points as of June 30, 2019, with the rest of the variables remaining constant, the effect in the consolidated income statement would have been a loss of $2.9 million and an increase in hedging reserves of $32.6 million. The increase in hedging reserves would be mainly due to an increase in the fair value of interest rate swaps designated as hedges.
Credit risk
On January 29, 2019, PG&E, the off-taker for Atlantica with respect to the Mojave plant, filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. See “Item 3.D— Risk Factor— Counterparties to our offtake agreements may not fulfill their obligations and, as our contracts expire, we may not be able to replace them with agreements on similar terms in light of increasing competition in the markets in which we operate” in our Annual Report.
During recent months, the credit rating of Eskom has also weakened and is currently CCC+ from S&P, B2 from Moody’s and BB- from Fitch. Eskom is the off-taker of our Kaxu solar plant, a state-owned, limited liability company, wholly owned by the government of the Republic of South Africa. Eskom’s payment guarantees to our solar plant Kaxu are underwritten by the South African Department of Energy, under the terms of an implementation agreement. The credit ratings of the Republic of South Africa as of the date of this report are BB/Baa3/BB+ by S&P, Moody’s and Fitch, respectively.
Apart from these two situations, we consider that in general we have limited credit risk with clients as revenues are derived from PPAs and other revenue contracted agreements with electric utilities and state-owned entities.
In addition, in 2019 we signed a political risk insurance with the Multinational Investment Guarantee Agency for Kaxu. The insurance provides protection for breach of contract up to $98.6 million in the event the South African Department of Energy does not comply with its obligations as guarantor. We have also increased coverage in our political risk insurance for our assets in Algeria with CESCE up to $38.2 million, including 2 years dividend coverage. These insurance policies do not cover credit risk.
The following table shows the maturity detail of trade receivables as of December 31, 2018 and 2017:
| | Balance as of December 31, | |
| | 2018 | | | 2017 | |
Maturity | | | | | | |
Up to 3 months | | | 163.9 | | | | 186.7 | |
Between 3 and 6 months | | | — | | | | — | |
Total | | | 163.9 | | | | 186.7 | |
Liquidity risk
The objective of our financing and liquidity policy is to ensure that we maintain sufficient funds to meet our financial obligations as they fall due.
Project finance borrowing permits us to finance projects through project debt and thereby insulate the rest of our assets from such credit exposure. We incur project finance debt on a project-by-project basis.
The repayment profile of each project is established on the basis of the projected cash flow generation of the business. This ensures that sufficient financing is available to meet deadlines and maturities, which mitigates the liquidity risk.
Not applicable.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
On October 17, 2016, ACT received a request for arbitration from the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce presented by Pemex. Pemex was requesting compensation for damages caused by a fire that occurred in their facilities during the construction of the ACT cogeneration plant in December 2012, for a total amount of approximately $20 million. On July 5, 2017, Seguros Inbursa, the insurer of Pemex, joined as a second claimant in the process. On December 19, 2018 the parties of the arbitration executed a settlement agreement to finalize the claim without any financial impact for ACT. On March 8, 2019 the ICC arbitration tribunal confirmed the settlement agreement and the arbitration was terminated.
A number of Abengoa’s subcontractors and insurance companies that issued bonds covering Abengoa’s obligations under such contracts in the U.S. have included some of the non-recourse subsidiaries of Atlantica in the U.S. as co-defendants in claims against Abengoa. Generally, the subsidiaries of Atlantica have been dismissed as defendants at early stages of the processes but there remain pending cases including Arb Inc. with a potential total claim of approximately $33 million and a group of insurance companies that have addressed to a number of Abengoa’s subsidiaries and to Solana (Arizona Solar One) a potential claim for Abengoa related losses of approximately $20 million that could increase, according to the insurance companies, up to a maximum of approximately $200 million if all their exposure resulted in losses. Atlantica reached an agreement with Arb Inc. and all but one of the above-mentioned insurance companies, under which they agreed to dismiss their claims in exchange for payments of approximately $6.6 million, which were paid in 2018. The insurance company that did not join the agreement has temporarily stopped legal actions against Atlantica, and Atlantica does not expect this particular claim to have a material adverse effect on its business.
In addition, an insurance company covering certain Abengoa obligations in Mexico has claimed certain amounts related to a potential loss. This claim is covered by existing indemnities from Abengoa. Nevertheless, Atlantica has reached an agreement under which Atlantica´s maximum theoretical exposure would in any case be limited to approximately $35 million, including $2.5 million to be held in an escrow account. On January 2019, the insurance company executed $2.5 million from the escrow account and Abengoa reimbursed such amount according to the existing indemnities in force between Atlantica and Abengoa. The payments by Atlantica would only happen if and when the actual loss has been confirmed, if Abengoa has not fulfilled their obligations and after arbitration, if the Company initiates it.
Atlantica is not a party to any other significant legal proceedings other than legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of its business. Atlantica is party to various administrative and regulatory proceedings that have arisen in the ordinary course of business. While Atlantica does not expect these proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on its financial position or results of operations, because of the nature of these proceedings Atlantica is not able to predict their ultimate outcomes, some of which may be unfavorable to Atlantica.
There have been no material changes to the risk factors included in our Annual Report.
Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds |
Recent sales of unregistered securities
None.
Use of proceeds from the sale of registered securities
None.
Purchases of equity securities by the issuer and affiliated purchasers
On May 31, 2019, an affiliate of Algonquin entered into an accelerated share purchase transaction with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), pursuant to which on the same date Morgan Stanley delivered 2,000,000 Atlantica ordinary shares to AY Holdings for a prepayment amount of $53,750,000. Following the transaction, Algonquin is the beneficial owner of 44,942,065 ordinary shares, representing approximately 44.2% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares.
Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities |
None.
Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures |
Not applicable.
Not Applicable.
Number | Description |
| |
| Enhanced Cooperation Agreement, dated May 9, 2019, by and among Algonquin Power & Utilities, Corp., Atlantica Yield plc and Abengoa-Algonquin Global Energy Solutions B.V. |
| |
| Subscription Agreement, dated May 9, 2019, by and between Algonquin Power & Utilities, Corp. and Atlantica Yield plc. |
| |
| AYES Shareholder Agreement, dated May 24, 2019, by and among Algonquin Power & Utilities, Corp., Atlantica Yield plc and Atlantica Yield Energy Solutions Canada Inc. |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| ATLANTICA YIELD PLC |
| |
Date: August 7, 2019 | By: | /s/ Santiago Seage |
|
| Name: Santiago Seage |
|
| Title: Chief Executive Officer |
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