Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

v3.19.1
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

NOTE 1

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

 

Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. (the Company, which may be referred to as we, us, or our), an environmental and technology know-how company, is a Delaware corporation, engaged through its subsidiaries, in three reportable segments:

 

TREATMENT SEGMENT, which includes:

 

  - nuclear, low-level radioactive, mixed waste (containing both hazardous and low-level radioactive constituents), hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment, processing and disposal services primarily through three uniquely licensed and permitted treatment and storage facilities; and
  - R&D activities to identify, develop and implement innovative waste processing techniques for problematic waste streams.

 

SERVICES SEGMENT, which includes:

 

  - Technical services, which include:

 

  professional radiological measurement and site survey of large government and commercial installations using advanced methods, technology and engineering;
  integrated Occupational Safety and Health services including IH assessments; hazardous materials surveys, e.g., exposure monitoring; lead and asbestos management/abatement oversight; indoor air quality evaluations; health risk and exposure assessments; health & safety plan/program development, compliance auditing and training services; and OSHA citation assistance;
  global technical services providing consulting, engineering, project management, waste management, environmental, and decontamination and decommissioning field, technical, and management personnel and services to commercial and government customers; and
  on-site waste management services to commercial and governmental customers.

 

  - Nuclear services, which include:

 

  technology-based services including engineering, decontamination and decommissioning (“D&D”), specialty services and construction, logistics, transportation, processing and disposal;
  remediation of nuclear licensed and federal facilities and the remediation cleanup of nuclear legacy sites. Such services capability includes: project investigation; radiological engineering; partial and total plant D&D; facility decontamination, dismantling, demolition, and planning; site restoration; logistics; transportation; and emergency response; and

 

  - A company owned equipment calibration and maintenance laboratory that services, maintains, calibrates, and sources (i.e., rental) health physics, IH and customized NEOSH instrumentation.
  - A company owned gamma spectroscopy laboratory for the analysis of oil and gas industry solids and liquids.

 

MEDICAL SEGMENT, which includes: R&D of the Company’s medical isotope production technology by our majority-owned Polish subsidiary, Perma-Fix Medical S.A. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Perma-Fix Medical Corporation (“PFM Corporation”) (together known as “PF Medical” or the Medical Segment). The Company’s Medical Segment has not generated any revenue as it remains in the R&D stage and has substantially reduced its R&D activities due to the need for capital to fund these activities. All costs incurred by the Medical Segment are reflected within R&D in the accompanying consolidated financial statements (see “Financial Position and Liquidity” below for further discussion of Medical Segment’s significant curtailment of its R&D activities).

  

The Company’s continuing operations consist of Diversified Scientific Services, Inc. (“DSSI”), Perma-Fix of Florida, Inc. (“PFF”), Perma-Fix of Northwest Richland, Inc. (“PFNWR”), East Tennessee Materials & Energy Corporation (“M&EC”) (see “Note 4 – M&EC Facility” regarding the closure of this facility), Safety & Ecology Corporation (“SEC”), Perma-Fix Environmental Services UK Limited (“PF UK Limited”), Perma-Fix of Canada, Inc. (“PF Canada”), and PF Medical.

 

The Company’s discontinued operations (see Note 9) consist of all our subsidiaries included in our Industrial Segment which were divested in 2011 and prior, previously closed locations, and our Perma-Fix of South Georgia, Inc. (“PFSG”) facility which is non-operational and is in closure status.

 

Financial Position and Liquidity

 

The Company’s cash flow requirements during 2018 were primarily financed by our operations and credit facility availability. We generated positive cash flow from our operations of approximately $1,960,000, which included cash outlays of approximately $5,400,000 for operating and closure spending for our M&EC facility, which is in closure status.

 

The Company’s cash flow requirements for 2019 and into the first quarter of 2020 will consist primarily of general working capital needs, scheduled principal payments on our debt obligations, remediation projects, planned capital expenditures and remaining closure spending requirements in connection with the closure of our M&EC facility (see “Note 4 – M&EC Facility” for further discussion of the M&EC facility closure) which we plan to fund from operations, credit facility availability, and proceeds of approximately $2,500,000 that the Company received pursuant to the terms of a loan and securities purchase agreement and promissory note that the Company consummated on April 1, 2019 (see “Note 19 – Subsequent Event” for further information of this loan). Additionally, as a result of the M&EC facility closure, the Company expects to receive, by the end of the second quarter of 2019, a release of approximately $5,000,000 of the $15,971,000 restricted finite risk sinking funds held by American International Group (“AIG”) as collateral under the financial assurance policy dated June 2003 that we currently have with AIG. The release of this finite risk sinking fund is subject to approval from AIG and the appropriate regulators and when released, will further enhance our liquidity and working capital deficit (see “Note 15 – Commitment and Contingencies – Insurance” for further information of this policy with AIG). The Company continues to explore all sources of increasing revenue. The Company is continually reviewing operating costs and is committed to further reducing operating costs to bring them in line with revenue levels, when necessary.

 

As previously disclosed, the Company’s Medical Segment reduced its R&D activities substantially due to the need for capital to fund such activities. Our Medical Segment continues to seek various sources in order to raise this funding or partners willing to provide the funding for its R&D activities. The Company anticipates that the Medical Segment will not resume full R&D activities until the necessary capital is obtained through its own credit facility or additional equity raise or obtains partners willing to provide funding for its R&D activities. If the Medical Segment is unable to raise the necessary capital, the Medical Segment could be required to further reduce, delay or eliminate its R&D program.