HONOLULU, HI--(Marketwire - January 28, 2009) - Hoku Scientific, Inc. (
Financial Results
Revenue for the quarters ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 was $767,000 and $1.3 million, respectively, derived primarily from photovoltaic, or PV, system installation contracts. As of December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2008, deferred revenue of $12,000 and $36,000, respectively, was attributable to PV system installation projects and related service contracts.
Net loss, computed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008 was $863,000, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared to $538,000, or $0.03 per diluted share, for the same period in fiscal 2008.
Non-GAAP net loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2008 was $646,000, or $0.03 per diluted share, compared to $274,000, or $0.01 per diluted share, for the same period in fiscal 2008. Non-GAAP net loss for the quarters ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 excludes non-cash stock-based compensation of $217,000 and $264,000, respectively. The accompanying schedules provide a reconciliation of net loss per share computed on a GAAP basis to net loss per share computed on a non-GAAP basis.
Dustin Shindo, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hoku Scientific, said, "Broader economic conditions had some effect on our PV system installation business during the third quarter of fiscal 2009 and are expected to continue to affect our sales in the quarter to come. However, in terms of aggregate capacity, we expect to install more than 1.4 megawatts of PV systems in fiscal 2009, compared to approximately 0.2 megawatts in fiscal 2008."
Mr. Shindo continued, "Regarding the financing for our power purchase agreements with the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, we had previously expected to sell our turnkey PV systems directly to a third-party investor, who would have also assumed ownership of the associated power purchase agreements. Instead, we elected to enter into a joint venture with UFA Renewable Fund I, LLC to finance the design and installation of these PV systems. This approach remains consistent with our cash management strategy for the construction of our polysilicon production facility, and allows us to participate in the cash flows from the sale of power to DOT over the twenty-year duration of the PPAs. However, it does not allow us to recognize revenue from the sale of these PV systems. As a result, we now expect to recognize approximately $5 million in revenues in fiscal 2009."
"Despite this revision to our fiscal 2009 revenue guidance, we are pleased with these results," Mr. Shindo concluded. "We are proud to have successfully secured PPA financing for the Hawaii State government's first major solar power installation, despite notable turbulence in the finance markets. And, we are pleased with our continued progress in our solar installation business. We have dramatically increased the aggregate amount of PV installed compared to FY 2008, and are beginning to see a backlog of projects in the design phase for future construction."
Business Updates
Hoku Materials Polysilicon Plant Update
Commenting on the Company's polysilicon subsidiary, Hoku Materials, Inc., Mr. Shindo said, "We continued to make significant progress on the construction of our polysilicon production facility, finishing the calendar year on schedule."
The Company reported that construction efforts during the past quarter had been focused on preparing the reactor building for the arrival of the first shipment of reactors, and on completing the required components for demonstration testing and early-stage production, including the vent gas recovery system and key infrastructure, such as electric power. The Company has already taken delivery of the first six reactors, and expects the remaining ten from the first order to arrive in the first half of calendar year 2009. The second order of twelve reactors is expected to arrive in Pocatello beginning in the second half of calendar year 2009.
"We continue actively working to mitigate the impact of delayed customer prepayments, but now expect that this may result in a shift of our planned production demonstration from the first quarter of calendar year 2009 to the second quarter of calendar year 2009," Mr. Shindo said. "Looking ahead, this may also cause us to shift our planned first commercial shipment from the first half of 2009 to the second half of 2009. As before, we plan to ramp-up production throughout the second half of calendar year 2009 and into calendar year 2010, when we expect to reach full production capability. We expect this revised schedule will still allow us to meet all delivery obligations to our current customers, and we will continue managing our project to ensure this remains the case."
Mr. Shindo concluded, "Viewed in terms of market conditions and expected customer prepayments, this has been a challenging quarter. However, we have taken a proactive approach to managing these challenges: adjusting capital expenditures where required; amending customer agreements when necessary; and developing a number of viable contingency financing strategies to resolve the current funding shortfall. As a result, we continue to make progress on our polysilicon project and fully expect to meet our contractual commitments to our customers."
Polysilicon Plant Financing Update
Hoku Materials continues to estimate that it will cost approximately $390 million to engineer, procure and construct its polysilicon production plant, and does not believe it will need to procure any additional equipment to increase the original planned production from 3,500 to 4,000 metric tons.
Hoku had received $98.5 million in prepayment deposits from its current customers as of December 31, 2008, and in January 2009, received subsequent prepayments from Jinko Solar in the amount of $7.5 million, for a total of $106 million received to date. As of December 31, 2008, the construction-in-progress for the project was $140.2 million.
Hoku had previously confirmed that Wealthy Rise International, Ltd. (Solargiga) had failed to make prepayment deposits in the aggregate amount of $43 million, which, according to the terms of its contract, are past due. Hoku reported that the two companies remained in discussions to resolve the late payments, and that it expects to either amend its contract with Solargiga, or terminate the sales agreement altogether. In the event Hoku terminates the Solargiga agreement, Hoku expects to supplement the unmet prepayment commitments by reselling the polysilicon capacity to other current or future customers.
Notwithstanding Solargiga's current default, Hoku plans to fund the project cost through a combination of customer prepayment commitments, cash generated through operating activities, and through one or more additional financing strategies.
"To replace unmet and revised customer prepayment commitments, we are actively working to reallocate Solargiga production capacity and recaptured Jinko Solar capacity, and we have seen a marked uptick recently in new business inquiries," said Dustin Shindo. "And, while current market conditions are certainly not favorable for financing, our shelf registration statement remains active, so we have additional flexibility, should the markets improve over the coming quarters."
If required, Hoku has said it has the ability to defer some of its planned capital expenditure by delaying the construction of its trichlorosilane (TCS) production facility and purchasing TCS on a contract basis from a North American supplier. The Company has also reported that additional capital expenditure reductions may be possible by further delaying the arrival of additional reactors, while still ensuring enough production capacity to fulfill its current contractual obligations.
Mr. Shindo commented: "With the ongoing support of our customers and partners -- especially our project engineers, contractors and equipment providers -- we have successfully navigated a challenging quarter and look forward to resolving the current uncertainty regarding our contract with Solargiga. We also are increasingly optimistic about the outlook for establishing new polysilicon sales relationships."
Hoku Solar Update
The Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Hoku Solar, Inc., markets, sells and installs turnkey photovoltaic, or PV, power systems in Hawaii.
Commenting on Hoku Solar, Mr. Shindo said, "We continued to build our Hawaii-focused PV installation business during the past quarter, completing the installation of nearly 40 kilowatts of clean solar power for Xcel International (Billabong) and initiating the installation of the first two of seven projects for the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Airports Division (DOTA). We also successfully secured the financing for the DOTA projects by establishing a joint venture with U.S. Bancorp and United Fund Advisors."
Mr. Shindo continued, "During the upcoming quarter, Hoku Solar expects to complete the installation of all seven airport PV systems, and will focus on the financing and delivery of other pipeline PV integration projects."
Summary
"In summary, like many companies, we have been affected by the adverse macroeconomic conditions over the past quarter. However, we have been able to mitigate the long-term impacts through careful planning and conservative cash management," said Mr. Shindo. "Importantly, we believe Hoku Materials remains well-positioned for on-time delivery of polysilicon to our current customers. We have financing options, flexibility in our project CAPEX model and the continued, invaluable support of our customers and our project team -- including our engineering and construction partners, and our key equipment suppliers."
Mr. Shindo continued, "In Hawaii, Hoku Solar is in the process of completing the largest PV installation to date for the State government, so we continue to see good results from our ongoing efforts to grow our PV systems installation business."
"Thus, in both our solar installation and polysilicon businesses, a combination of strong partnerships, strategic planning and proactive management has allowed us to continue making progress, despite very challenging external market conditions. We are pleased by the results of this approach and expect to continue building momentum throughout 2009," concluded Mr. Shindo.
No comments:
Post a Comment