Questor Technology Inc. (“Questor” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: QST)
announced today its financial and operating results for the third
quarter of 2020.
THIRD QUARTER
2020 RESULTS
(Stated in Canadian dollars except per share and
unit data)
|
Three months ended September 30, |
Nine months ended September 30, |
For the |
2020 |
2019 |
2020 |
2019 |
(stated in CDN$) |
($) |
($) |
($) |
($) |
(unaudited) |
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
1,066,851 |
8,293,734 |
6,587,045 |
23,377,705 |
Gross Profit (Loss) |
(442,261) |
4,034,759 |
1,507,868 |
13,019,726 |
Profit (Loss) for the period |
(961,869) |
1,968,285 |
(943,927) |
6,366,206 |
Per share — basic |
(0.04) |
0.07 |
(0.03) |
0.23 |
Per share — diluted |
(0.04) |
0.07 |
(0.03) |
0.23 |
|
|
|
|
|
As at |
September 30, 2020 |
December 31, 2019 |
Working capital, end of period |
|
19,893,304 |
|
17,425,861 |
Total assets, end of period |
|
39,820,873 |
|
42,110,012 |
Total equity, end of period |
|
34,765,898 |
|
35,333,667 |
(1) Weighted average shares outstanding
during the year.
Questor’s Consolidated Financial Statements and
Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months
ended September 30, 2020 are available on the Company’s website at
www.questortech.com and through SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
The worldwide pandemic and resulting negative
economic impact continue to affect the Company’s financial results
this quarter. Our revenue for the third quarter of 2020 was $1.1
million declining from $8.3 million during the same period last
year, for the nine months ended September 30th, 2020 our revenue
was $6.6 million declining from $23.4 million during the same
period last year. The sharp decline in North American oilfield
activity in the second quarter continued into the third quarter.
North American rig count and the industry activity remains at or
near historic lows in all of the Company's key markets. Discussions
with our customer during the quarter continued to center on reduced
spending and activity during 2020.
We have continued to live within our cash flow
for the nine months ended September 30th, 2020 and finished this
quarter with a cash balance of $17 million which is a $3.5 million
increase from December 31, 2019. We are strongly positioned to
manage during this tough market cycle. In this period of
uncertainty, we will continue to be disciplined and focus on
preserving positive operating cash flow in order to maintain our
strong balance sheet.
Leveraging our strong financial position, we are
expanding our team to solidify our foundation, ready to serve a
rapidly growing global focus on eliminating methane emissions by
implementing Questors’ strategic market and industry
diversification initiatives. Darko Ulakovic, our previously
announced new COO, brings the leadership to implement our strategic
priorities. Our teams are focused on educating current and
potential customers around our solutions for combating emissions.
In addition, we continue to build our digital capability by
developing an emissions platform that will eventually enable us to
credibly quantify emission reductions for our clients and guarantee
a zero emissions site, with the end goal of monetizing the emission
reduction offsets. Our 2020 and 2021 strategic priorities are
continuing to grow our clean combustion business to eliminate
methane emissions, diversification into industries, and the
expansion of our waste heat to power product offering.
The previously disclosed purchase of Heat to
Power equipment in the southern United States is an example of
product and market diversification. In the fourth quarter of 2020,
we will be supplying our ClearPower technology to generate 200 kW
of clean emission free power at our client’s glass recycling plant.
In the US, the conversion of waste heat to power is seen as green,
clean energy with tax and pricing incentives.
We have been recently awarded a new contract to
provide our combustion solutions to a renewable gas facility in
British Columbia converting biomass to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).
The market opportunity in the RNG space includes industries such as
agriculture, food processing, landfills, waste management, water
treatment, bio-mass, and bio-digestors. In this market space both
our combustion technology and our waste heat to power technology
are relevant. There are opportunities dealing with the left-over
waste gas stream after the RNG is extracted and alternatively
cleanly combusting the syn-gas to generate clean renewable
distributed power.
There is growing global recognition that
eliminating methane emissions into the atmosphere is one of the
most effective ways to arrest the temperature rise related to
Climate Change because it is 86 times worse that CO2 from a global
warming perspective. Additionally, methane emissions from industry,
particularly the oil and gas industry, have been significantly
underestimated. The Canadian Federal Government has recently
established a $750 million fund to support the deployment of
methane abatement technologies. The Alberta Provincial government
has earmarked an additional $750MM to invest in projects to reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Specifics on the deployment of
these funds are evolving and we are taking a proactive role and are
currently working on with our clients, targeting methane reduction
projects to access the funding. The following speaks to the
importance of dealing with the methane going into the atmosphere;
in September, the French government blocked a $7 billion contract
to purchase American liquified natural gas (LNG), arguing that gas
produced without controls on methane leaks was too harmful to the
climate.
“We remain on track to deliver on our 2020
strategic priorities, including our long-term diversification
initiatives, while we preserve our strong liquidity. We believe our
technology, people, assets and operational experience will continue
to strengthen Questor even through these difficult times,” said Ms.
Mascarenhas, Questor’s President and CEO.
THIRD QUARTER 2020
OVERVIEW
➢ The worldwide
pandemic and resulting negative economic impact continued to affect
the Company’s financial results this quarter.
➢ The Company
continues to be in a strong financial position at September 30,
2020:
○ Cash increased
to $17.0 million from $13.5 million at December 31, 2019 and $15.2
million at June 30, 2020;
○ The Company has an
undrawn $1.0 million revolving demand loan facility and an undrawn
$5.0 million capital loan facility;
○ The Company
entered into a repayable government assistance agreement with
Western Economic Diversification Canada which provided $966,187 to
help fund its operating costs. Repayment commences in 2023;
○ Cash reserves
provide the working capital to thrive during tough market
cycles;
○ A strong
balance sheet will serve as a foundation to launch into new
products and markets once the economy rebounds;
○ Capital
expansion plans are suspended until there is a sustained economic
recovery. This strategy preserves our liquidity while improving
capital efficiency; and,
○ Increased
focus on operating efficiencies and enhancing cash flow by working
with our service providers to further reduce costs will serve us
well during this difficult time.
➢ Revenue
decreased $7.2 million for the three months ended September 30,
2020 versus the same period in 2019:
○ Revenue from
incinerator rentals decreased from $4.0 million in 2019 to $0.6
million in 2020;
○ Incinerator
equipment sales decreased from $3.6 million in 2019 to $0.3 million
in 2020;
○ Incinerator
service revenue decreased from $0.7 million in 2019 to $0.2 million
in 2020;
➢ Gross loss of
$0.4 million in 2020 compared to a gross profit of $4.5 million in
2019:
○ The Company
continued its mitigation strategy during the third quarter 2020,
revolving around
◾ Managing
operations infrastructure ensuring indirect operational resources
are consistent with activity; and,
◾ Commitment to
supply chain management focused on procuring quality materials at
competitive prices.
OUTLOOK
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
governmental authorities in Canada and internationally have
introduced various recommendations and measures to try to limit the
spread of the virus, including travel restrictions, border
closures, non-essential business closures, quarantines,
self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social distancing. Those
measures are having a significant impact on the private sector and
individuals, including unprecedented business, employment and
economic disruptions. The continued spread of COVID-19 nationally
and globally has had, and will continue to have, a material adverse
effect on our business, operations and financial results. As such,
overall market conditions have been uncertain and are anticipated
to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. It is likely that
companies will continue to reduce or carefully manage spending for
capital projects and operations where possible until some sort of
market stability has returned.
On March 27, 2020, in response to COVID-19, the
Government of Canada announced the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
(CEWS). The CEWS enables eligible Canadian employers who have been
impacted by COVID-19 to apply for a subsidy of a specified amount
of eligible employee wages under this program. Questor was eligible
for the subsidy in the second and third quarter of 2020. In
addition, the Canadian federal government has established a $750
million Emission Reduction Fund, with a focus on methane reduction,
to create and maintain jobs through pollution reduction
efforts.
In April 2020, Questor became the first
ETV-certified clean combustion company in the world. ISO 14034 is
an internationally recognized certificate that verifies the
performance of innovative environmental technologies. The project
was supported by Standards Council of Canada and the certification
issued by 350Solutions. We are the only company accredited by
national accreditation board of ANSI, in the United States. This
certification confirms Questor’s performance claims of 99.99
percent combustion efficiency and H2S destruction efficiency. It
also confirms our methodology of calculating GHG emission
reductions.
Notwithstanding the 2020 financial performance,
Questor maintains a strong financial position accomplished through
managing costs and maintaining capital discipline while providing
best in class equipment and services to our customers. Our focus
has not changed and remains consistent despite this downturn. We
will continue to provide exceptional service to our customers while
efficiently managing our costs.
Questor believes that the clean technology
industry will remain an integral component of resource development
over the medium to long term. We are well positioned given our
focus on top-tier service, quality and technology to meet our
client’s emission commitments in the future. The resilient
companies that survive these challenging times will continue to
focus on addressing the commitments they have made to their
investors and the public, which includes reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. Questor’s proven, cost effective technology solutions
will play an instrumental role in enabling these companies to meet
their goals and targets.
ABOUT QUESTOR TECHNOLOGY
INC.
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with
operations across North America, the Company provides specialized
waste gas incineration products and services that destroy harmful
pollutants in any waste gas stream at 99.99 percent efficiency
enabling our clients to meet emission regulations, address
community concerns and improve safety at industrial sites.
There are several methods for handling waste
gases at oil and gas industrial facilities, the most common being
combustion. Flaring and incineration are two methods of combustion
accepted by many provincial and state regulators. Historically, the
most common type of combustion has been flaring which is the
igniting of natural gas at the end of a long metal tube or flare
stack. This action causes the characteristic flame associated with
flaring.
Incineration is the mixing and combusting of
waste gas streams, air, and fuel in an enclosed chamber which are
mixed at a controlled rate and ignited so that no flame is visible
when operating properly. A correctly designed and operated
incinerator can yield higher combustion efficiencies through proper
mixing, gas composition, retention time, and combustion
temperature. Combustion efficiency, generally expressed as a
percentage, is represented by the amount of methane converted to
CO2, or H2S converted to SO2. The more converted, the better the
efficiency.
The Company designs, manufactures and services
proprietary high efficiency waste gas incineration systems. The
Company’s incineration product line is based on clean combustion
technology that was developed by the Company and initially patented
in both Canada and the United States in 1999. The Company has
continued to evolve the technology over the years making several
improvements from the original patent which expired in November
2019. The Company currently has five new pending patent
filings.
The Company’s highly specialized technical team
works with the client to understand the waste gas volume and
composition allowing it to determine the correct incineration
product specification to achieve 99.99 percent combustion
efficiency. The incinerators vary in size to accommodate small to
large amounts of gas handling ranging from 20 mcf/d to 5,000 mcf/d.
The incinerators also vary in automation and instrumentation
depending on the client’s requirements. The Company’s incinerators
are currently used in multiple segments of the energy
infrastructure industry including drilling, completions,
production, midstream, downstream, and transportation and
distribution.
The Company has three primary incinerator
related revenue streams: sales, rentals and services. Incinerator
services include hauling, commissioning, repairs, maintenance and
decommissioning. The Company’s current key incineration markets are
Colorado, North Dakota, Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas, Alberta and
North East BC. The United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) issued regulations to reduce harmful air pollution arising
from crude oil and natural gas industry activities with a
particular focus on the efficient destruction of volatile organic
compounds (VOC’s) and hazardous air pollutants (HAP’s) and has
recently introduced methane emission reduction legislation. In
conjunction with EPA regulations, Colorado’s Regulation 7 mandates
the use of enclosed combustion (incinerators) and now targets
methane, resulting in a statewide focus on the responsible
management of potentially fugitive hydrocarbons. North Dakota also
has additional requirements that reflect some of the unique and
specific needs that extend beyond the EPA’s requirements.
Pennsylvania is proposing legislation that will limit VOC emissions
to 1.7t/year and 200t/year of methane per site, necessitating the
need for highly efficient combustion equipment to deal with waste
and fugitive gas emissions. California has banned open flaring by
2021. Other US states are working on enhancing regulations that
deal with waste gas emissions. Mexico set a target to reduce
methane emissions by 75 percent by 2025 creating an opportunity for
the Company to eliminate the venting of methane through our clean
combustion technology. Over 90 percent of the Company’s incinerator
rental fleet is in Colorado and North Dakota where regulation
supports demand for its proprietary high efficiency waste gas
incineration systems.
The Company services its key markets with field
locations in Brighton and Fort Lupton, Colorado; Watford City,
North Dakota and Grande Prairie, Alberta. The infrastructure at the
field locations consist of field and maintenance technicians and
technical sales staff. The facilities generally include, office
space, maintenance shop and storage yard. We also have a sales
presence in Texas and Pennsylvania. Personnel based out of
Company’s head office in Calgary, Alberta include Officers of the
Corporation, management, engineering, technical sales, accounting
and administration.
QUESTOR TRADES ON THE TSX VENTURE
EXCHANGE UNDER THE SYMBOL ‘QST’.
Audrey Mascarenhas |
Dan Zivkusic |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Chief Financial Officer |
Phone: |
(403) 571-1530 |
Phone: |
(403) 539-4371 |
Facsimile: |
(403) 571-1539 |
Facsimile: |
(403) 571-1539 |
Email: |
amascarenhas@questortech.com |
Email: |
dzivkusic@questortech.com |
Certain information in this news release
constitutes forward-looking statements. When used in this news
release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend",
"plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate",
"expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company,
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular,
this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect
to, among other things, business objectives, expected growth,
results of operations, performance, business projects and
opportunities and financial results. These statements involve known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
actual results or events to differ materially from those
anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such statements
reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events
based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject
to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation,
changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory
developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out
in the Company’s public disclosure documents. Many factors could
cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to
vary from those described in this news release, including without
limitation those listed above. These factors should not be
construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or
uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying
forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary
materially from those described in this news release and such
forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by
reference in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon.
Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The
Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to
update these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking
statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified
by this cautionary statement.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
This document is not intended for dissemination
or distribution in the United States.
Questor Technology (TSXV:QST)
Graphique Historique de l'Action
De Nov 2024 à Déc 2024
Questor Technology (TSXV:QST)
Graphique Historique de l'Action
De Déc 2023 à Déc 2024