Long-Term Debt |
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Mar. 31, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Debt Disclosure [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term Debt |
LONG-TERM DEBT
Variable-Rate Construction and Term Loans
In September 2015, the Company entered into a credit and guaranty agreement for use in providing non-recourse financing for certain of its solar-PV projects currently under construction. The credit and guaranty agreement provides for a $20,746 construction-to-term loan credit facility and bears interest at a variable rate. The term loan bears interest at a variable rate, with interest payments due in quarterly installments. The term loan matures on February 28, 2023, and all remaining unpaid amounts outstanding under the facility will be due at that time. On March 30, 2016, the construction loan was converted to a term loan. At March 31, 2017, $19,877 was outstanding under the term loan. At December 31, 2016, $19,877 was outstanding under the term loan. The variable rate for this loan at March 31, 2017 was 3.65%.
In August 2016, the Company entered into a credit and guaranty agreement with two banks for use in providing limited recourse financing for certain of its solar PV projects in operation. The credit and guaranty agreement provided for a term loan credit facility with an original principal balance of $4,837 and bears interest at a fixed rate of 4.95%. At March 31, 2017, $4,590 was outstanding under the term loan. At December 31, 2016, $4,616 was outstanding under the term loan.
In November 2016, the Company entered into a construction loan agreement with a bank for use in providing non-recourse financing for a certain natural gas to energy project currently under construction. The construction loan agreement provides for a $9,500 construction facility and bears interest at a fixed rate of 8.75%. The facility matures on March 1, 2018, and all remaining unpaid amounts outstanding under the facility will be due at that time. At March 31, 2017, $4,137 was outstanding under the construction loan. At December 31, 2016, $3,258 was outstanding under the construction loan. The Company has classified this debt as current as of December 31, 2016, due to the Company’s intent to repay the construction loan in full prior to December 31, 2017.
In November 2016, the Company entered into a construction loan agreement and subsequent amendment with a bank for use in providing non-recourse financing for certain solar PV projects currently under construction. The construction loan agreement provides for a $35,000 construction facility and bears interest at a variable rate. The facility matures on June 30, 2017, and all remaining unpaid amounts outstanding under the facility will be due at that time. At March 31, 2017, $9,692 was outstanding under the construction loan. At December 31, 2016, $7,008 was outstanding under the construction loan. The interest rate at March 31, 2017 was 6.50%. The Company has classified this debt as non-current as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, due to the Company’s intention to refinance the variable rate construction loan to sale-leasebacks prior to the maturity date.
In December 2016, the Company acquired a solar PV project currently under construction as well as an associated construction loan agreement with a bank for use in providing non-recourse financing for this acquired solar PV project currently under construction. The construction loan agreement provides for a $10,694 construction facility and bears interest at a rate of 13.00%. The facility matures on May 30, 2017, and all remaining unpaid amounts outstanding under the facility will be due at that time. At March 31, 2017, $9,503 was outstanding under the construction loan. At December 31, 2016, $9,503 was outstanding under the construction loan. The Company has classified this debt as non-current as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, due to the Company’s intention to refinance the construction loan to a term loan prior to the maturity date. This construction loan contains a subjective acceleration clause that allows the bank to call the debt, if a material adverse change occurs. If exercised, the subjective acceleration clause provides for a 60-day notice period to repay the construction loan balance. At March 31, 2017, the bank had not exercised the subjective acceleration clause.
In January 2017, the Company acquired two solar PV projects currently under construction as well as associated construction loan agreements with a bank for use in providing non-recourse financing for these acquired solar PV projects currently under construction (see Note 3). The construction loans agreements provide for construction facilities of $3,823 and $4,008 and both facilities bear interest at a fixed rate of 13.00%. These facilities mature on May 30, 2017 and May 26, 2017, respectively, and all remaining unpaid amounts outstanding under each respective facility will be due at those times. At March 31, 2017, $2,794 and $2,841, respectively, were outstanding under the construction loans. The Company has classified both construction loans as non-current as of March 31, 2017 due to the Company’s intention to refinance the construction loans to term loans prior to the maturity dates. Each construction loan contain a subjective acceleration clause that allows the bank to call the debt, if a material adverse change occurs. If exercised, the subjective acceleration clause provides for a 60-day notice period to repay the respective construction loan balance. At March 31, 2017, the bank had not exercised the subjective acceleration clause on either construction loan.
In March 2017, the Company entered into a credit agreement with a bank for use in providing non-recourse financing for a certain solar PV project in operation. The credit agreement provides for a $4,300 construction-to-term-loan credit facility and bears interest at a fixed rate of 5.50% during the construction phase and 5.00% during the term loan phase, with interest payments due monthly. The construction loan automatically converts to a term loan on March 24, 2018 and matures on March 24, 2028, with all remaining unpaid amounts outstanding under the agreement will be due at that time. At March 31, 2017, $4,091 was outstanding under the construction loan.
Senior Secured Credit Facility - Revolver and Term Loan
On June 30, 2015, the Company entered into a third amended and restated bank credit facility with two banks. The new credit facility replaces and extended the Company’s existing credit facility, which was scheduled to expire in accordance with its terms on June 30, 2016. The revolving credit facility and term loan mature on June 30, 2020, when all amounts will be due and payable in full. The Company expects to use the new credit facility for general corporate purposes of the Company and its subsidiaries, including permitted acquisitions, refinancing of existing indebtedness and working capital. In July 2016, the Company entered into an amendment to the third amended and restated bank credit facility that amended the requirement of the total funded debt to EBITDA ratio as described below. In November 2016, the Company entered into an additional amendment to the third amended and restated bank credit facility that increased the amount of the term loan under the credit facility by approximately $20,000 to an aggregate of $30,000 and extended the maturity date of the term loan from June 30, 2018 to June 30, 2020.
The credit facility consists of a $60,000 revolving credit facility and a $30,000 term loan. The revolving credit facility may be increased by up to an additional $25,000 at the Company’s option if lenders are willing to provide such increased commitments, subject to certain conditions. Up to $20,000 of the revolving credit facility may be borrowed in Canadian dollars, Euros and pounds sterling. The Company is the sole borrower under the credit facility. The obligations under the credit facility are guaranteed by certain of the Company’s direct and indirect wholly owned domestic subsidiaries and are secured by a pledge of all of the Company’s and such subsidiary guarantors’ assets, other than the equity interests of certain subsidiaries and assets held in non-core subsidiaries (as defined in the agreement). At March 31, 2017, there were $33,033 amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility and $27,000 outstanding under the term loan. At December 31, 2016, there was $15,033 outstanding under the revolving credit facility and $28,500 outstanding under the term loan.
The interest rate for borrowings under the credit facility is based on, at the Company’s option, either (1) a base rate equal to a margin of 0.50% or 0.25%, depending on the Company’s ratio of Total Funded Debt to EBITDA (each as defined in the agreement), over the highest of (a) the federal funds effective rate, plus 0.50%, (b) Bank of America’s prime rate and (c) a rate based on the London interbank deposit rate (“LIBOR”) plus 1.50%, or (2) the one-, two- three- or six-month LIBOR plus a margin of 2.00% or 1.75%, depending on the Company’s ratio of Total Funded Debt to EBITDA. A commitment fee of 0.375% is payable quarterly on the undrawn portion of the revolving credit facility. At March 31, 2017, the interest rate for borrowings under the revolving credit facility was 4.50% and the weighted average interest rate for borrowings under the term loan was 3.08%.
The revolving credit facility does not require amortization of principal. The term loan requires quarterly principal payments of $1,500, with the balance due at maturity. All borrowings may be paid before maturity in whole or in part at the Company’s option without penalty or premium, other than reimbursement of any breakage and deployment costs in the case of LIBOR borrowings.
The credit facility limits the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things: incur additional indebtedness; incur liens or guarantee obligations; merge, liquidate or dispose of assets; make acquisitions or other investments; enter into hedging agreements; pay dividends and make other distributions and engage in transactions with affiliates, except in the ordinary course of business on an arms’ length basis.
Under the credit facility, the Company and its subsidiaries may not invest cash or property in, or loan to, the Company’s non-core subsidiaries in aggregate amounts exceeding 49% of the Company’s consolidated stockholders’ equity. In addition, under the credit facility, the Company and its core subsidiaries must maintain the following financial covenants:
Any failure to comply with the financial or other covenants of the credit facility would not only prevent the Company from being able to borrow additional funds, but would constitute a default, permitting the lenders to, among other things, accelerate the amounts outstanding, including all accrued interest and unpaid fees, under the credit facility, to terminate the credit facility, and enforce liens against the collateral.
The credit facility also includes several other customary events of default, including a change in control of the Company, permitting the lenders to accelerate the indebtedness, terminate the credit facility, and enforce liens against the collateral.
For purposes of the Company’s senior secured facility: EBITDA excludes the results of certain renewable energy projects that the Company owns and for which financing from others remains outstanding; total funded debt includes amounts outstanding under both the term loan and revolver portions of the senior secured credit facility plus other indebtedness, but excludes non-recourse indebtedness of project company subsidiaries; and debt service includes principal and interest payments on the indebtedness included in total funded debt other than principal payments on the revolver portion of the facility.
At March 31, 2017, the Company was in compliance with all financial and operational covenants.
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