Ormat Technologies Reports Third Quarter 2011 Results

RENO, Nev., Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA) today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2011.

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Quarterly highlights:  

• 9 percent increase in total revenues;
• 33 percent increase in product revenues;
• Interest rate lock loss reduced income before tax by $11.6 million;
• Secured U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee for 20-year loan for up to $350 million in financing; and
• Signed commitment letter with OPIC for up to $310 million of project financing.

Commenting on the results, Dita Bronicki, Chief Executive Officer of Ormat, stated, "The third quarter was highlighted by increased revenues, improved margins and success in securing new financing. Our operational performance was strong. Our existing portfolio performed well during the third quarter and electricity revenues increased by 4.1 percent to $86.8 million despite a slight decrease in total generation.  Higher energy rates coupled with lower costs associated with North Brawley and reduced maintenance expenses at most of our plants helped improve performance and gross margins.  New customer orders drove product revenues up 33 percent to $24.0 million in the third quarter and are expected to support strong product revenues through the end of 2012.

On the financing front, we signed a commitment letter  with OPIC to receive up to $310 million of project financing to refinance and expand our  geothermal complex in Kenya and we secured up to $350 million to finance three of our Nevada projects under the 1705 DOE loan guarantee program. The first funding under the DOE loan occurred earlier this week at an attractive interest rate of 4.687 percent. These financings together with the expected ITC cash grants will provide us with sufficient cash to support our capital expenditure program through the end of 2012."

To protect ourselves from the interest rate volatility, we entered into interest rate lock transactions, all of which have already matured, related to our DOE loan guarantee, which resulted in a pre-tax loss of $11.6 million in the third quarter and $16.4 million in the nine months. Because of this loss, net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 was approximately $0.3 million. In accordance with the company's debt covenants, on November 2, 2011, Ormat's Board of Directors decided not to declare a quarterly dividend for the third quarter of 2011. The Board of Directors will continue to track the company's cumulative net income to determine on a quarterly basis whether the company may distribute a dividend and remain in compliance with its debt covenants.

Financial Summary

Third Quarter Results

For the three months ended September 30, 2011, total revenues increased 9.2 percent from $101.5 million in the third quarter of 2010, to $110.8 million this quarter.  Product revenues increased 32.6 percent to $24.0 million, up from $18.1 million in the same period last year.  Electricity revenues increased by 4.1 percent to $86.8 million, up from $83.4 million in the third quarter of 2010. Electricity revenues for the third quarter include $4.0 million relating to our North Brawley power plant with corresponding cost of revenues of $7.5 million. The average revenue rate of our electricity operations was $95 per MWh, up from $87 per MWh in the third quarter of 2010.

Operating income for the quarter increased by $9.4 million to $24.2 million from $14.8 million for the same period a year ago. The increase is principally attributable to higher rates and lower operating costs in our electricity segment and higher volumes of customer orders in our product segment.

For the quarter, the company reported net income of $1.0 million, or $0.02 per share (basic and diluted), compared to net income of $32.4 million, or $0.71 per share (basic and diluted) for the same period a year ago.  The decrease is principally attributable to a $36.9 million gain from the acquisition of the controlling interest of the Mammoth complex in the third quarter of 2010 and the increased interest expense this quarter as a result of an $11.6 million loss on an interest rate lock transactions related to the DOE loan guarantee transaction which was consummated in October 2011, and was not accounted for as hedge transaction.

Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2011 was $46.7 million, compared to $78.8 million in the same quarter last year. Adjusted EBITDA includes consolidated EBITDA and the company's share in the interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization related to its unconsolidated 50 percent interest in the Mammoth complex in California in the three months ended September 30, 2010. The reconciliation of GAAP net cash provided by operating activities to Adjusted EBITDA as well as additional cash flow information is set forth below.

As of September 30, 2011, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $80.3 million. In addition, as of September 30, 2011, the company had available committed lines of credit with commercial banks aggregating $409.0 million, of which $102.3 million is unused.

Commenting on the outlook for 2011, Bronicki said, "We continue to expect 2011 electricity revenues to total $315 to $325 million. We are increasing our product revenues guidance to be approximately $100 million."

Nine-Month Results

For the nine months ended September 30, 2011, total revenues were $313.3 million, an increase of 11.7 percent from $280.4 million in the same period last year. Net income for the period was $0.3 million, or $0.00 per share (basic and diluted), compared to $32.7 million, or $0.72 per share (basic and diluted), in the same period in 2010.

Electricity revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 were $246.3 million, compared to $218.3 million in the same period a year ago, an increase of 12.8 percent. Product revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 were $67.0 million, compared to $62.1 million in the same period in 2010, an increase of 7.8 percent.

Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 was $121.6 million, compared to $134.9 million for the same period a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA includes consolidated EBITDA and the company's share in the interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization related to its unconsolidated 50 percent interest in the Mammoth complex in California for the nine months ended September 30, 2010. The reconciliation of GAAP net cash provided by operating activities to Adjusted EBITDA, as well as additional cash flow information is set forth below.

Conference Call Details

Ormat will host a conference call to discuss its financial results and other matters discussed in this press release at 9 a.m. EDT on Thursday, November 3, 2011. The call will be available as a live, listen-only webcast at www.ormat.com. During the webcast, management will refer to slides that will be posted on the web site. The slides and accompanying webcast can be accessed through the IR events & Presentations in the Investor Relations section of Ormat's website.

The webcast replay will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live call. A telephonic replay will be available from 1 p.m. EDT on November 3, 2011 through 11:59 p.m. EST on November 10, 2011 by calling: (855) 859-2056 (U.S. and Canada) or (404) 537-3406 (International) and entering the reply code: 18504388.

About Ormat Technologies

Ormat Technologies, Inc. is the only vertically integrated company primarily engaged in the geothermal and recovered energy power business. The company designs, develops, owns and operates geothermal and recovered energy-based power plants around the world. Additionally, the company designs, manufactures and sells geothermal and recovered energy power units and other power-generating equipment, and provides related services. The company has more than four decades of experience in the development of environmentally sound power, primarily in geothermal and recovered-energy generation. Ormat products and systems are covered by 80 U.S. patents. Ormat has engineered and built power plants, that it currently owns or has supplied to utilities and developers worldwide, totaling approximately 1370 MW of gross capacity. Ormat's current generating portfolio includes the following geothermal and recovered energy-based power plants and complexes: in the United States - Brady, Brawley, Heber, Jersey Valley, Mammoth, Ormesa, Puna, Steamboat, OREG 1, OREG 2, OREG 3 and OREG 4; in Guatemala - Zunil and Amatitlan; in Kenya - Olkaria III; and, in Nicaragua - Momotombo.

Ormat's Safe Harbor Statement

Information provided in this press release may contain statements relating to current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about future events that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally relate to Ormat's plans, objectives and expectations for future operations and are based upon its management's current estimates and projections of future results or trends. Actual future results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, see "Risk Factors" as described in Ormat Technologies, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2011.

These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Ormat Technologies, Inc.