Item 1. | Security and Issuer. |
This Amendment No. 9 to Schedule 13D amends the statement on Schedule 13D originally filed by Norsk Hydro ASA (“Norsk Hydro”) and Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS (“Produksjon”) on March 13, 2007 and amended on June 18, 2007, August 17, 2007, October 15, 2007, March 14, 2008, March 28, 2008, October 9, 2008, September 30, 2009 and October 7, 2009 (as amended, the “Schedule 13D”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), relating to the common shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Shares”), of Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”).
Item 2. | Identity and Background. |
Item 2 of this Schedule 13D is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
“This Statement is being filed by Norsk Hydro, a public limited liability company organized under the laws of the Kingdom of Norway, and Produksjon, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the Kingdom of Norway.
Norsk Hydro is engaged in the aluminum and energy industries. Produksjon is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Norsk Hydro and is engaged in the energy industry.
The principal executive offices of each of Norsk Hydro and Produksjon are located at Drammensveien 260, N-0240 Oslo, Norway.
The name, business address, present principal occupation or employment and citizenship of each of the executive officers and directors of Norsk Hydro and Produksjon are set forth in Schedule A hereto and are incorporated by reference herein.
During the last five years, neither Norsk Hydro nor Produksjon nor, to the best of their knowledge, any of the persons listed in Schedule A hereto has been: (i) convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors) or (ii) a party to a civil proceeding of a judicial or administrative body of competent jurisdiction and as a result of such proceeding was or is subject to a judgment, decree or final order enjoining future violations of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal or state securities laws or finding any violation with respect to such laws.
Norsk Hydro and Produksjon have entered into a Joint Filing Agreement, dated March 22, 2007, a copy of which is filed with this Schedule 13D as Exhibit A, pursuant to which they have agreed to file this Schedule 13D jointly in accordance with the provisions of Rule 13d-1(k)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).”
Item 4. | Purpose of Transaction. |
Item 4 of this Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented by adding the following text immediately before the penultimate paragraph of Item 4:
“As further described in Item 6 below, on December 30, 2011, Produksjon agreed to sell the 8,067,390 Shares owned by it to TFG Radiant Investment Group Ltd., a company organized under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (“TFG Radiant”), the Company’s second largest shareholder. This sale and purchase is conditional on, among other customary conditions for a transaction of this nature, the Company having delivered a written waiver to TFG Radiant in and by which it waives the restrictions on TFG Radiant acquiring or agreeing to acquire, directly or indirectly, beneficial ownership of any shares of common stock of the Company, which restrictions are contained in a stockholders’ agreement, dated as of August 12, 2011, between the Company and TFG Radiant (the “TFG Stockholders’ Agreement”).
Upon consummation of the sale and purchase described in the immediately preceding paragraph, Produksjon intends to cause its representative on the board of directors of the Company to resign, effective from the date of such sale and purchase.
The information set forth in Item 6 is hereby incorporated by reference in this Item 4.”
Item 5. | Interest in Securities of the Issuer. |
Item 5 of this Schedule 13D is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
“The responses of Norsk Hydro and Produksjon to Rows (7) through (13) of the cover pages of this Schedule 13D and the information set forth in Item 3 are hereby incorporated by reference in this Item 5.
Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, on the First Closing, Produksjon acquired 1,600,000 Shares, representing 23.0% of the Company’s outstanding Shares as of the date of the First Closing. Each of Norsk Hydro and Produksjon is deemed to beneficially own these 1,600,000 Shares.
On the Initial Warrants Closing, Produksjon acquired (i) 934,462 Shares, which, together with the 1,600,000 Shares owned by Produksjon, represented 23.0% of the Company’s outstanding Shares as of the date of the Initial Warrants Closing and (ii) 1,965,690 Class B Warrants.
On the March 28 Closing, Produksjon acquired 2,341,897 Shares and 1,689,905 Class B Warrants.
On the October 8 Closing, Produksjon acquired 2,421,801 Shares.
On the October 6, 2009 Closing, Produksjon acquired 769,230 Shares.
The Class B Warrants expired unexercised on July 10, 2011.
In aggregate, Produksjon therefore holds 8,067,390 Shares, which represent 20.5% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Shares.
The percentage of the class of securities identified pursuant to Item 1 beneficially owned by each of Norsk Hydro and Produksjon is based on 39,345,459 Shares outstanding as of December 29, 2011, as provided in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the SEC on December 29, 2011.
Norsk Hydro and Produksjon may be deemed to have shared voting power over 7,965,452 Shares due to the Share Purchase Agreement between TFG Radiant further described in Item 4 above and in Item 6 below and a Voting Agreement between TFG Radiant and Produksjon further described in Item 6 below. TFG Radiant is a joint venture of Radiant Group, a Chinese construction and real estate conglomerate, and Tertius Financial Group, a Singaporean investment firm. The core businesses of TFG Radiant are metal roofing and facades, import and export trading, real estate investment, project management consulting and new-energy development. The address of TFG Radiant’s principal office is Block B, Fourth Floor, Building B, No. 1 Binlang Road, Fuitan FTZ, Shenzhen, China 518038. According to the Schedule 13D filed by TFG Radiant on August 22, 2011, during the last five years, TFG Radiant has not been (i) convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors) or (ii) a party to a civil proceeding of a judicial or administrative body of competent jurisdiction and as a result of such proceeding was or is subject to a judgment, decree or final order enjoining future violations of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal or state securities laws or finding any violation with respect to such laws.
In addition, the Shares deemed beneficially owned by each of Norsk Hydro and Produksjon with respect to which such person (i) has sole voting power, (ii) shares voting power, (iii) has sole dispositive power and (iv) shares dispositive power are listed in the responses to Items 7, 8, 9 and 10, respectively, of the cover page of this Schedule 13D relating to such person.
Except as disclosed in this Schedule 13D, neither Norsk Hydro nor Produksjon nor, to the best of their knowledge, any of the persons listed in Schedule A hereto, beneficially owns any Shares or has the right to acquire any Shares.
Except as disclosed in this Schedule 13D, neither Norsk Hydro nor Produksjon nor, to the best of their knowledge, any of the persons listed in Schedule A hereto, presently has the power to vote or to direct the vote or to dispose or direct the disposition of any of the Shares that they may be deemed to beneficially own.
Except as disclosed in this Schedule 13D, neither Norsk Hydro nor Produksjon nor, to the best of their knowledge, any of the persons listed in Schedule A hereto, has effected any transaction in the Shares during the past 60 days.
To the best knowledge of Norsk Hydro and Produksjon, no other person has the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, the Shares beneficially owned by Norsk Hydro and Produksjon.”
Item 6. | Contracts, Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships with Respect to Securities of the Issuer. |
Item 6 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented by adding the following text immediately before the last paragraph of Item 6:
“On August 12, 2011, TFG Radiant and Produksjon entered into a Voting Agreement (the “TFG Voting Agreement”). Under the terms of the TFG Voting Agreement, Produksjon has agreed to vote (or cause to be voted) in person or by proxy all shares beneficially owned by it in favor of (a) the issuance of 9,500,000 Shares to TFG Radiant by the Company upon exercise by TFG Radiant of an option to acquire such Shares granted by the Company to TFG Radiant subject to, among other things, approval of the Company’s stockholders of such issuance; and (b) TFG Radiant’s board designees that are designated in accordance with the TFG Stockholders’ Agreement.
The foregoing description of the TFG Voting Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the TFG Voting Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit I hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
On December 30, 2011, Produksjon and TFG Radiant entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (the “Sale Agreement”), a copy of which is attached as Exhibit J hereto. The description of the Sale Agreement contained herein is qualified in its entirety by reference to Exhibit J, which is incorporated herein by reference. Pursuant to the Sale Agreement, Produksjon agreed to sell, deliver, transfer, assign and convey to TFG Radiant, and TFG Radiant agreed to purchase and acquire from Produksjon all 8,067,390 Shares beneficially owned by Produksjon in exchange for a cash purchase price of $4,000,000, $1,000,000 of which was paid on January 3, 2012 as a non-refundable deposit and the remaining $3,000,000 of which will be paid at the closing of the sale and purchase. The acquisition of Shares by TFG Radiant pursuant to the Sale Agreement is conditional on, among other customary conditions for a transaction of this nature, receipt by TFG Radiant of a written waiver from the Company in and by which it waives the restrictions on TFG Radiant acquiring or agreeing to acquire, directly or indirectly, beneficial ownership of Shares contained in Sections 4.01 and 4.02 of the TFG Stockholders’ Agreement (a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 99.2 to the Company’s Current Report filed with the SEC on Form 8-K on August 15, 2011). The Sale Agreement may be terminated by either party if the closing of the sale and purchase of the Shares has not occurred by March 31, 2012.
Produksjon also agreed in the Sale Agreement that between the date thereof and the date of the consummation of the sale and purchase contemplated thereunder, it shall, at any meeting of the stockholders of the Company or in any action by written consent of the stockholders of the Company, (a) when a meeting is held, appear at such meeting or otherwise cause its Shares to be counted as present thereat for the purpose of establishing a quorum; and (b) vote (or cause to be voted) in person or by proxy all Shares as directed by TFG Radiant (other than as would reasonably be expected to negatively impact the value of the Shares to Produksjon, result in dilution of Produksjon’s voting rights, or otherwise negatively affect Produksjon’s protections as a minority shareholder of the Company as provided in the Company’s organizational documents or in any written agreements existing between Produksjon and the Company in respect thereof).”
Item 7. | Materials to be Filed as Exhibits. |
Exhibit No. | Description |
| |
A | Joint Filing Agreement, dated March 22, 2007, between Norsk Hydro ASA and Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS |
| |
I | Voting Agreement, dated August 12, 2011, between Norsk Hydro Produksjon and TFG Radiant Investment Group Ltd. incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.4 to the Company’s Current Report filed with the SEC on Form 8-K on August 15, 2011 |
| |
J | Share Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2011, between Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS and TFG Radiant Investment Group Ltd. |
SIGNATURE
After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
January 3, 2012 | NORSK HYDRO ASA | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| /s/ Arnstein Sletmoe | |
| Name: | Arnstein Sletmoe | |
| Title: | SVP M&A | |
| | | | |
| NORSK HYDRO PRODUKSJON AS | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| /s/ Hans Olav Kvalvaag | |
| Name: | Hans Olav Kvalvaag | |
| Title: | Authorised Signatory | |
| | | | |
SCHEDULE A
Norsk Hydro ASA
Directors and Executive Officers
| | Present Principal | | | | |
Name | | Occupation | | Business Address | | Citizenship |
Directors | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Terje Vareberg | | Chairperson | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Bente Rathe | | Deputy Chairperson | | Norsk Hydro ASA Drammensveien 260, N-0283 Oslo Norway | | Norwegian |
| | | | | | |
Eva Persson | | Director | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Swedish |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Liv Monica Stubholt | | Director | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Tito Martins | | Director | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Brazilian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Finn Jebsen | | Director | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Inge K. Hansen | | Director | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Billy Fredagsvik | | Union Official | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Sten Roar Martinsen | | Union Official | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Ove Ellefsen | | Union Official | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
Executive Officers | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Svein Richard Brandtzæg | | President and Chief Executive Officer | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Jørgen C. Arentz Rostrup | | Executive Vice President and | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | Chief Financial Officer | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Hilde Merete Aasheim | | Executive Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | Primary Metal | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Kjetil Ebbesberg | | Executive Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | Metal Markets | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Oliver Bell | | Executive Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | German |
| | Rolled Products | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Johnny Undeli | | Executive Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | Bauxite & Alumina | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Tom Røtjer | | Executive Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | Projects | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Arvid Moss | | Executive Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | Energy and Corporate Business Development | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Wenche Agerup | | Executive Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | Corporate Staffs | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Hans-Joachim Kock | | Executive Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | Extruded Products | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS
Directors and Executive Officers
Name | | Present Principal Occupation | | Business Address | | Citizenship |
Directors | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Arvid Moss | | Executive Vice President, Energy | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Håvard Haukdal | | Head of Finance, Vice President, Energy | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Thomas Fjeld Heltne | | Legal Counsel, Legal Department | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
| | | | | | |
Executive Officers | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Trond Olaf Christophersen | | Managing Director and Vice President | | Norsk Hydro ASA | | Norwegian |
| | | | Drammensveien 260, | | |
| | | | N-0283 Oslo | | |
| | | | Norway | | |
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. | Description |
| |
A | Joint Filing Agreement, dated March 22, 2007, between Norsk Hydro AS and Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS |
| |
I | Voting Agreement, dated August 12, 2011, between Norsk Hydro Produksjon and TFG Radiant Investment Group Ltd. incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.4 to the Company’s Current Report filed with the SEC on Form 8-K on August 15, 2011 |
| |
J | Share Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2011, between Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS and TFG Radiant Investment Group Ltd. |