GENERAL: NWF: Agreements Reached With Windflow And Aeolian Property
7 Apr 2010 1:54 pm
NWF
07/04/2010
GENERAL
REL: 1354 HRS NZ Windfarms Limited
GENERAL: NWF: Agreements Reached With Windflow And Aeolian Property
NZX Announcement
7 April 2010
For immediate release
AGREEMENTS REACHED WITH WINDFLOW TECHNOLOGY AND AEOLIAN PROPERTY COMPANY LTD
NZ Windfarms Ltd ("NWF") advises that it has entered into a settlement
agreement with Windflow Technology Ltd ("WTL") which resolves matters that
have been subject to dispute between the parties.
Specifically, NWF and WTL have reached agreement on a monitoring programme
with respect to some components in the early turbines at Te Rere Hau which
were subsequently modified as part of WTL's IEC Certification process because
they did not meet IEC requirements for a 20 year life.
Agreement has been reached that, in respect of these components, NWF will
retain a sum of $966,200 plus GST (being the total estimated remediation
cost) which will be released to WTL if and
when remediation works are undertaken during the five year warranty period
or, if prior to the end of the current five year warranty period a report
from an independent consultant provides an opinion that the affected
components can be expected to achieve a 20 year life and accordingly do not
need to be upgraded. In the absence of such a report, any components not
upgraded will be subject to a warranty from WTL that extends to the end of
the 20 year design life, provided WTL remains the operations and maintenance
contractor. Any retention held at the end of the five year warranty period is
repaid once the extended 20 year warranty is provided.
In addition to dealing with the IEC design issue the settlement agreement
also deals with the holding of retentions for outstanding work; the
consequences of delaying installation of Batch 4 turbines and other
miscellaneous issues. As a result of this all outstanding claims between both
companies have been settled. The settlement agreement is conditional on a
successful capital raising being undertaken by NWF.
In a separate development, the wind rights agreement with Aeolian Property
Company Limited ("APCL") has been renegotiated to allow preferential
development of the proposed extension to the existing consented wind farm
area ("Eastern Extension"), ahead of full development of the APCL Land.
Under the wind rights agreement, the Company was prohibited from installing
turbines within a 10 km radius of the Te Rere Hau site until the APCL Land
was fully developed (97 turbines). APCL has agreed to remove this restriction
in exchange for an adjustment to the royalty rate applicable to the APCL Land
such that the royalty payable is equal to the royalty that would be expected
if all 97
turbines had been installed on the APCL Land. Adjustments have also been made
to minimum annual royalty thresholds as part of the amendments to the
agreement with APCL. The amendments to the
wind rights agreement remain conditional upon a successful capital raising
being undertaken by NWF.
A put option agreement dated 22 December 2006 allows APCL to require NWF to
purchase the APCL Land at a price calculated by reference to a formula which
includes the value of the land as a grazing unit plus the net present value
of the future royalty payments APCL will forego over the duration of the wind
rights agreement and any renewals. As part of the recent agreement reached
with APCL, NWF and APCL have agreed that, instead of the formula, a fixed
price of $3.55 million (plus GST if applicable) shall apply if APCL exercises
the put option any time between 30 June 2010 and 31 December 2010. Exercise
of the put option would extinguish any requirement for NWF to pay royalties
for turbines located on APCL Land and would give NWF ownership of the land on
which the turbines are sited. There is no expiry date for the put option, but
the purchase price for the land is
subject to recalculation if it is not exercised during the defined price
period (30 June 2010 to 31 December 2010). This recent agreement, which sets
the purchase price under the put option at $3.55 million (plus GST if
applicable) for that period, is also conditional upon a successful capital
raising by
NWF.
These agreements allow NWF to move ahead with completion of the Te Rere Hau
Project in an optimal manner and allows the Company to focus on this task.
For any enquiries contact:
Steve Cross
Chief Executive Officer
(03) 943 5410
End CA:00193452 For:NWF Type:GENERAL Time:2010-04-07:13:54:25 More announcements for NWF
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