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ContourGlobal

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FY2018 Annual Report · ContourGlobal
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Generating  
greater energy

Annual Report 2018

We are ContourGlobal

Guided by our values, we develop, acquire, 
own and operate wholesale power generation 
assets around the world.

We currently have 101 Thermal and Renewable 
power generation assets in 18 countries 
across Europe, Latin America and Africa. 
Our assets have a total installed capacity 
of 4.3 GW. 

We believe that we can create value through 
best-in-class operations both in our existing 
portfolio and those new assets we develop 
or acquire.

The energy we generate has a positive impact 
for people, businesses and communities 
around the world – powering cities, providing 
heat and light, enabling businesses to run 
around the clock. And through our social 
investing program we invest in making the 
places where we live and work better.

We’re proud of our positive impacts and will 
build on these as ContourGlobal continues 
to grow well.

Telling our story through the eyes of our people
For the second year running we are very pleased to include in our 
report the winner, 2nd and 3rd place for our annual staff photography 
competition. The competition is open to everyone in ContourGlobal 
and this year we had over 50 entries. Employees were invited to 
submit photographs that tell the ContourGlobal story in ways that really 
strike home with the viewer. We hope you enjoy these great images, 
on pages 47, 52, and 54.

Strategic report
01  Financial and 

operational highlights
04  Our business at a glance
08  Chairman’s letter
10  CEO’s review
16  Our principles:

16  Operate safely and 

efficiently and minimize 
environmental impacts

18  Grow well
20  Manage our 

business responsibly 
22  Enhance our operating 

environment

24  Our business model
26  Our role in the 

electricity value chain
28  Key power market trends
30  Our strategy for growth
32  Our strategy in action
34  Key performance  

indicators (KPIs)
36  Business review
56  Finance Director’s report
60  Managing our principal risks

Governance
70  Board of Directors
72  Corporate governance 

report

78  Report of the  

Nomination Committee

80  Report of the  

Audit & Risk Committee
86  Report of the Remuneration 

Committee

88  Remuneration at a glance
90  Annual Report on 
Remuneration
100  Summary of  

Remuneration Policy

104  Directors’ report
107  Statement of Directors’ 

responsibilities in respect 
of the financial statements

Financial statements
Independent auditors’ 
110 
report to the members 
of ContourGlobal plc
118  Consolidated statement 
of income and other 
comprehensive income
119  Consolidated statement 
of financial position
120  Consolidated statement 
of changes in equity
121  Consolidated statement 

of cash flows

122  Notes to the consolidated 
financial statements
175  Company balance sheet
175  Company statement of 
changes in equity
176  Notes to the Company 
financial statements 
180  Shareholder information

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

01

Financial and operational highlights

We aim to excel financially and operationally,  
exceeding our targets and outperforming our peers. 

Revenue
2018 Change +23%

Income from Operations
2018 Change -3%

Adjusted EBITDA¹
2018 Change +19%

269

262

222

1,253

1,023

905

1,500

1,200

900

600

300

0

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

610

513

440

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

2016

2017

2018

2016

2017

2018

2016

2017

2018

$1,253.0m $261.9m

$610.1m

Proportionate  
Adjusted EBITDA¹
2018 Change +23%

Funds from Operations¹
2018 Change +18%

Installed capacity
2018 Change +4%

536

434

377

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

302

256

208

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

4,159 4,317

3,933

2016

2017

2018

2016

2017

2018

2016

2017

2018

$536.1m

$302.3m

4,317 MW

1  Refer to page 34 for definition.

02

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

We pursue a highly 
disciplined and focused 
growth strategy. 
Our strategic report tells 
our story – what we do, 
why it works, and how 
we performed in 2018.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

03

Strategic report

01  Financial and operational highlights
04  Our business at a glance
08  Chairman’s letter
10  CEO’s review
16  Our principles:

16  Operate safely and efficiently and  
minimize environmental impacts

18  Grow well
20  Manage our business responsibly 
22  Enhance our operating environment

24  Our business model
26  Our role in the electricity value chain
28  Key power market trends
30  Our strategy for growth
32  Our strategy in action
34  Key performance indicators (KPIs)
36  Business review
56  Finance Director’s report
60  Managing our principal risks

04

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Our business at a glance

Our mission is to develop, acquire and 
operate electricity generation businesses 
worldwide, creating economic and social 
value through better operations, and making 
the communities where we work better 
because we are there.

Our core values and principles underpin 
everything that we do. They are the key 
drivers of our activities, from growth to 
employee empowerment, and ultimately 
create shareholder value.

Values
• We care about our people’s health, 
safety, well-being and development.

• We expect, embrace and enable 

excellence and continuous learning 
through humility, and the knowledge that 
we will fail but when we do, we will learn.

• We act transparently and with moral 

integrity.

• We honor the commitments of those 

who have placed their trust in us.

• We work hard and without boundaries 

as a multinational, integrated team.

Principles
• Operate safely and efficiently and 
minimize environmental impacts.

• Grow well.
• Manage our business responsibly.
• Enhance our operating environment. 

ContourGlobal was founded in 
2005 and since then has grown 
successfully into a global platform 
of contracted power generation with 
expertise across wind, solar, hydro 
and various thermal technologies.

We develop, acquire, own 
and operate wholesale power 
generation businesses.
We have 101 Thermal and Renewable 
power generation assets in Europe, 
Latin America and Africa with a total 
installed capacity of 4.3 GW. We have 
a differentiated business model, with a 
proven growth track record focused on 
long-term and wholesale contracted or 
regulated power generation across 
different technologies, geographies 
and stages of development.

We are organized into two 
divisions: Thermal and Renewable.
Our Thermal portfolio uses conventional 
fossil fuels, specifically natural gas, 
biogas, coal and liquid fuels.

Our Renewable portfolio uses renewable 
resources of wind, photovoltaic solar, 
concentrated solar and hydropower.

We actively manage risk.
We manage risk by underpinning the vast 
majority of our revenues with long-term 
contracts or long-term regulated tariffs, 
with creditworthy counterparties delivering 
predictable cash flows (over 90% of 
revenues contracted over the next 
five years).

About us

Total installed capacity1

Total installed capacity in Europe

Total installed capacity in Latin America1

4.3 GW
2,665 MW
1,424 MW
228 MW
c.1,500
101
18Operating countries, across  

Total installed capacity in Africa

Employees

Assets

three continents

1  Excludes 518 MW relating to the Mexican  
CHP acquisition which is expected to  
close in the first half of 2019.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

05

Energy

Capacity split  
by source 

Capacity split  
by energy type 

Capacity split  
by geographic region 

Breakdown1

l Natural gas

l Solar

l Coal

l Wind

l Hydro

l Liquid fuels

 Capacity

Breakdown2

l Thermal

l Renewable

23%

23%

20%

16%

10%

8%

Capacity

Breakdown

51%

l Europe

49%

l Latin America

l Africa

Capacity

2,665 MW

1,424 MW

228 MW

1  Weighted by 2018 Adjusted EBITDA before 

corporate costs.

2   Weighted by 2018 Adjusted EBITDA before 

corporate and holding company costs.

Reliability and efficiency

Thermal Fleet  
availability factor3 (%)

Renewable Fleet  
availability factor3 (%)

Efficiency 
Net efficiency (%)

93.3 93.0 92.6

92.34

90.2

100

96

92

88

84

80

100

96

92

88

84

80

97.6 97.0 97.6 96.8

97.94

73

61

54

63

63

63

60

42

42

40

42

42

42

41

2015

2016

2017

2018

2015

2016

2017

2018

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

90.2%⁵

Against a benchmark of 92.3%4

96.8%⁵

Against a benchmark of 97.9%4

l  Total Thermal  

(excluding Solutions)

l Total solutions

3   Sources for benchmarking: Navigant Consulting (Thermal), MAKE, AWST, DNV GL (Renewable).
4  Benchmark is top decile of peers.
5  Although the Thermal fleet availability was impacted by an outage at a CCGT facility in Spain, there was no financial impact. Renewable fleet availability 

was impacted by the integration of new assets and technology as a result of the Spanish CSP acquisition as well as an integration and maintenance program.

06

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Our business at a glance continued

Our portfolio and assets

Geographic 
location

Energy 
type

Gross 
capacity 
(MW)

Operational 
plants

Thermal

1 Maritsa

2 Arrubal

3 Termoemcali

4 Sochagota

5 Togo

6 Cap des Biches I & II

7 Solutions Brazil

8 Bonaire Engines

9 KivuWatt

Bulgaria

Spain

Colombia

Colombia

Togo

Senegal

Brazil (4)

Dutch Antilles

Rwanda

10 Energies Antilles

French Territory

11 Energies Saint Martin

French Territory

12 Solutions Knockmore Hill

Northern Ireland

13 Solutions Ikeja

14 Solutions Nogara

15 Solutions Benin

16 Solutions Ploiesti

17 Solutions Radzymin

18 Solutions Oricola

Renewable

19 Vorotan

20 CSP

21 Chapada I

22 Chapada II

23 Hydro Brazil

24 Asa Branca

25 Austria Wind

26 Inka

27 Solar Italy

28 Chapada III

29 Solar Slovakia

30 Inka

31 Bonaire Wind

Nigeria

Italy

Nigeria

Romania

Poland

Italy

Armenia

Spain (5)

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil (9)

Brazil

Austria (10)

Peru – Cupisnique 

Italy (44)

Brazil

Slovakia (3)

Peru – Talara

Dutch Antilles

908

800

240

165

100

86

76

17

26

21

14

15

10

9

7

6

6

3

2,509

404

250

205

173

167

160

155

83

65

60

35

31

11

7

2

1,808

32 Romania Photovoltaic

Romania

33

Italy Biogas

Italy

Current contracts / 
regulated revenues 
have a weighted 
average remaining 
term of c.11 years2

Portfolio

 Liquid Fuels 

 Coal 

 Natural Gas 

 Wind 

 Solar 

 Hydro 

 Biogas 

(#) Number of power plants

Thermal operational plants

21
80

Renewable operational plants

Key construction activity

Kosovo: pages 44 and 45

Austrian repowering: pages 48 and 49 

Vorotan: pages 50 and 51

Remaining Contracted / 
Regulated Life by Asset (Years)

22

22

18

17

17

17

16

15

15

KivuWatt

Vorotan
Complex

Hydro
Brazil
Cap des
Biches

Chapadas
Complex

Spanish
CSP

Inka

Togo

Asa Branca

Solar Italy

Sochagota

Solar 
Slovakia

Bonaire

Austria
Wind

Maritsa

Solutions

Arrubal

French
Caribbean

11

10

7

7

7

5

5

3

3

Potential contractual extension 
12 Month rolling average

1  For assets with multiple PPAs, numbers shown based 
on midpoint of the expiration dates for such PPAs.
2  Weighted by 2018 adjusted EBITDA before corporate 

and holding company costs.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Our six largest assets¹

07

438 MW
CHAPADA COMPLEX 
(I, II & III)
BRAZIL – WIND

800 MW
ARRUBAL
SPAIN – NATURAL GAS

908 MW
MARITSA
BULGARIA – COAL

12

2

20

17

29

25

32

14

18

33

27

16

1

19

66

5

13

15

9

31

8

11

10

4

3

26

30

21,  
22, 28

2323

23

23

23

7

24

2323

7

7
7

160 MW
ASA BRANCA
BRAZIL – WIND

250 MW
CSP 
SPAIN – SOLAR

404 MW
VOROTAN
ARMENIA – HYDRO

1  Measured by capacity.

08

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Chairman’s letter

I am pleased to provide an update 
on ContourGlobal’s exciting and largely 
successful first full calendar year 
following our IPO in November 2017.

Financially, 2018 was a year of strong 
progress for the Company – Adjusted 
EBITDA grew 19% to $610.1 million, which 
was consistent with our guidance at the 
half year. Strategically, we made significant 
progress pursuing and executing on 
our pipeline of attractive acquisition, 
development and repowering 
opportunities – we are ahead of the 
timeline we presented in our IPO 
prospectus and remain excited about 
future prospects for growth. We also 
continued to achieve an outstanding 
health and safety record, added capability 
to our already strong management team, 
and continued to add expertise to our 
Board. We took advantage of the robust 
private capital markets in infrastructure 
and sold minority stakes in two Renewable 
portfolios at attractive premiums to cost. 
Public equity markets, however, have 
been challenging – while we have ample 
liquidity and can be patient, we are 
disappointed that the Company’s share 
price does not reflect our view of 
the intrinsic value of the Company and the 
progress we have made since our IPO. 
We remain confident that if we continue to 
execute value-creating projects, the share 
price will begin to reflect ContourGlobal’s 
intrinsic value.

In last year’s letter, I highlighted the 
importance of two aspects of 
ContourGlobal’s approach and both 
proved crucial to our success in 2018. 

1. Disciplined, opportunistic 
approach to allocating capital
The merger and acquisition environment 
in the power market remains active and 
this provides the Company with the 
opportunity to deliver high value growth 
as long as we remain disciplined and 
selective in our approach. We are also 
starting to realize potential in our 
greenfield projects.

In May 2018, we completed the acquisition 
of a 250 MW concentrated solar power 
(CSP) operating portfolio in Spain – our 
largest acquisition to date. Because the 
seller was confident that ContourGlobal 
would close in a timely manner, we were 
able to negotiate the transaction on 
a bilateral basis and avoid an auction 
process. This resulted in both certainty 
for the seller and an attractive risk-
adjusted investment for ContourGlobal. 
This acquisition is expected to generate 
strong, regulated cash flows for the next 
17 years. In part because of this transaction, 
our Renewable division accounted for 
about half of our 2018 Adjusted EBITDA. 

We also made significant progress on 
our 500 MW Kosovo greenfield lignite 
development project in 2018. Our next 
milestones will be the award of the 
engineering, procurement and 
construction (EPC) contract and the 
finalization of the project financing 
arrangements. Construction of this project, 
which is critical to the improvement in 
Kosovo’s air quality and economic growth, 
is expected to begin by the end of 2019.

In January 2019 we announced the 
acquisition of two natural gas-fired 
combined heat and power plants in Mexico 
with a capacity of 518 MW. This investment 
advances our strategy to pursue high-
quality accretive growth in contracted 
cash flows from creditworthy counter-
parties – in this case, Mexican industrial 
companies. Subject to shareholder 
approval, the transaction is expected 
to close in the first half of 2019 and 
I look forward to reporting on the 
team’s progress with the integration 
of this acquisition in next year’s report.

All three of these projects are consistent 
with our disciplined, opportunistic 
approach to investing capital and they 
should produce strong risk-adjusted 
returns for the Company’s shareholders 
for many years to come. We expect our 
pipeline to remain robust for the next 
several years. However, if that changes, 
we will not hesitate to meaningfully 
accelerate the return of capital to 
shareholders. 

THE MERGER AND 
ACQUISITION ENVIRONMENT 
IN THE POWER MARKET 
REMAINS ACTIVE AND 
THIS PROVIDES THE 
COMPANY WITH THE 
OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER 
HIGH-VALUE GROWTH.

 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

09

WE EXPECT OUR 
PIPELINE TO REMAIN 
ROBUST FOR THE 
NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. 
HOWEVER, IF THAT 
CHANGES, WE WILL 
NOT HESITATE TO 
MEANINGFULLY 
ACCELERATE THE 
RETURN OF CAPITAL 
TO SHAREHOLDERS.

2. Proven ability to create 
value post acquisition
The combination of (a) our focus on 
generating long-term contracted and 
regulated cash flows, and (b) our team’s 
proven ability to create incremental 
value post-acquisition, has generated 
significant interest from financial 
investment partners seeking to make 
passive, minority investments in some 
of our assets. These ‘farm-downs’ 
significantly bolster our project returns 
and produce a meaningful amount of 
cash. Depending on the timing and the 
magnitude of the cash produced from 
these ‘farm-downs’, it will either be 
re-invested into our robust pipeline 
or returned to shareholders.

Subsequent to the acquisition of our 
Spanish CSP portfolio, in December 2018 
we entered into an agreement with Credit 
Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners 
(CSEIP), one of the leaders in infrastructure 
investing in Europe, to sell 49% of the 
portfolio at an attractive premium to our 
cost. We expect the transaction to be 
completed in the first half of 2019; this 
achievement will allow us to crystallize 
significant value shortly after acquisition. 
This transaction followed the successful 
completion of the sale of 49% of our Italian 
and Slovakian solar photovoltaic portfolio 
to the same partner. In both cases, we will 
retain operational control and receive 
ongoing operational and maintenance 
services fees.

We also entered into a development 
agreement with CSEIP which provides 
mutually beneficial opportunities for value 
creation in the Italian and Slovakian solar 
sector. We welcome the opportunity to 
collaborate with a long-term financial 
partner that values our strong 
operational capabilities.

Board appointments
As mentioned in last year’s report, we 
appointed Ruth Cairnie as an independent 
Non-Executive Director in January 2018, 
and we recently appointed Mariana 
Gheorghe as an additional independent 
Non-Executive Director with effect from 
30th June 2019. Mariana has significant 
experience in the energy sector and in 
eastern Europe. I am confident that the 
Board has the right balance of skills 
and experience to support the Company 
in the next stage of its development.

Corporate governance
ContourGlobal has always had a strong 
culture of compliance but we recognize 
that we can never be complacent. 
Our systems, policies and procedures, 
upgraded in 2017 to support the robust 
governance structure required of a 
listed company, continued to develop 
throughout the year.

Dividend
Given the strong performance in 2018 
and taking into account the strength of 
our balance sheet, the Board is proposing 
a final dividend above the high end of 
our previous guidance. The Board is 
pleased to propose a final dividend of 
9.4 cents (US dollar) per ordinary share. 
The dividend will be paid, subject to 
shareholder approval, on 30th May 2019 
to shareholders on the register at 
3rd May 2019. 

On behalf of the Board, I would like to 
thank our management team and all of our 
employees for their continued dedication 
and hard work.

Craig A. Huff 
Chairman

10

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

CEO’s review

ContourGlobal, the operating business, 
had a strong year. GLO, our publicly traded 
stock, did not. As you will read in my letter 
and this report, an abundance of good 
things happened in 2018.

Performance review 
We had another extraordinary year for our 
most important objective – to work safely. 
We equaled our record year in 2017 with 
our key lagging indicator, our Lost Time 
Incident Rate1, ending the year at 0.03 
despite nearly six million hours worked 
including, as in 2017, at several recently 
acquired businesses. 

Although for the second year in a row 
we had only one lost time incident (LTI), 
we failed to achieve ‘Target Zero’. 
We ended the year with at least top decile 
H&S performance.2 Not too surprisingly, 
our one LTI occurred at one of our new 
businesses, our CSP facilities in Spain. 
A speck of airborne grit, floating through 
the air and into one of our employee’s 
eyes. Wind, sunshine, a large solar field, 
missing safety glasses…a corneal abrasion, 
fortunately not too serious, but a few days 
off work. The anatomy of an LTI. But also 
a good learning experience for our new 
joiners to ContourGlobal about our 
approach to health and safety and more 
importantly our response to failure. 
Talk about it, examine it, ‘Five Whys’ it.3 
Don’t blame, certainly don’t blame 
the injured worker. And start over. 
And Target Zero for 2019. 

We had a good year in the power plants. 
Thermal performance was not what it 
should have been, but it had little impact 
on financial performance because the 
minimum availabilities in our PPAs were 
met. The Availability Factor (AF) was below 
previous years’ excellent performance 
although the shortfall primarily impacted the 
gas turbine and coal fleet, with our Solutions 
and liquid fuel fleet performing at or better 
than plan.4 2018 was a very good year for 
the AF in the Renewable fleet. Karl Schnadt 
and I are very proud of our Renewable team 
for improving the technical performance 
of the global wind fleet in 2018. 

As a reminder, in our Renewable business, 
strong technical availabilities are a 
necessary but not sufficient condition for 
reaching targeted financial performance. 
We need the cooperation of mother nature 
to provide wind, sun and water. 

In 2018, we asked our Chief Information 
Officer Michael Kuperman to run our 
Renewable business. Why our CIO? 
The selection reflected both Mike’s five 
successful years as a project manager par 
excellence, building out our operational 
and corporate IT network, but also 
reflected the accelerating reality of 
the Renewable energy business – a data- 
intensive, people-light business whose 
technical success increasingly depends 
upon sophisticated monitoring of 
equipment and meteorological variables 
and using this data to increase 
performance and drive down costs. 
We asked Mike to focus on the Brazil 
wind fleet, our largest, and one that did 
not perform well in 2017. Mike led an 
impressive turnaround, materially 
increasing availabilities by 5% in our 
Brazil wind farms and executing to plan 
an ambitious organizational, commercial 
and technical improvement plan. 

Elsewhere in the Renewable fleet, 
we performed better than our already 
stretched targets in the hydro, PV solar 
and CSP fleet. 

Renewable resource performance 
was mixed. The wind did not blow 
well anywhere we had a wind turbine, 
and this was consistent with the 
entire industry’s experience in 2018. 
As such, we experienced much lower 
than expected capacity factors in Peru, 
Brazil, Austria and Bonaire. Other than 
foreign currency fluctuations, wind 
resource was the largest detractor 
from Adjusted EBITDA. 

Both solar technologies were slightly 
below plan but performed well. 
Our hydroelectric facilities were above 
plan in Brazil and below plan in Armenia. 

Despite the challenging weather 
conditions, our financial performance 
remained robust reflecting the 
diversification benefits of our multi-
technology and multi-fuel portfolio. 

Financial results in 2018 followed 
operations and reflected our operationally 
led acquisition model. Adjusted EBITDA 
and FFO were up 19% and 18% 
respectively, and reflected operational 
performance, capacity additions and 
strategic minority sales. Thermal Adjusted 
EBITDA reflected good performance in 
our operating fleet in all three core regions. 
A very slight decrease in financial results 
primarily reflected a one-off provision 
release in 2017. The 47% growth in 
Adjusted EBITDA in the Renewable 
fleet despite poor global wind resource 
reflected capacity additions in Spain and 
Italy. Our financial results were produced 
by over 100 individual power plants 
thereby reducing over dependency upon 
any one asset, technology type or country. 
Fixed cost control was excellent both at 
the asset level and at the corporate level 
(overhead).

We also did a good job getting cash up 
to the parent company – the entity that 
services the publicly-traded Eurobonds, 
pays dividends and provides capital for 
new investment. We believe that the cash 
distributions to the parent, and the ratio of 
the outstanding Eurobond debt to those 
cash distributions, is the best measure 
of our financial leverage. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

11

Growth, capital and market outlook
We grew well in 2018 and capitalized on 
opportunities to recycle capital that had 
started to emerge as the year progressed. 
It was an extremely active year with 
meaningful capacity additions in both 
the greenfield and acquisition segments 
of our development efforts.5 

During the IPO process, we highlighted 
two large potential acquisitions that fit 
squarely within our strategy of growing 
with operationally led, opportunistic 
acquisitions. We achieved important 
milestones with both, signing and closing 
the acquisition of five CSP plants in Spain 
and, just over year-end 2018, signing the 
acquisition of two cogeneration plants in 
Mexico. These successful acquisitions 
show the strength of being able to 
participate in broad market trends within 
both the Renewable and Thermal sectors. 

2018 also saw us capitalize on 
opportunities to recycle capital by selling 
minority interests at a very attractive 
valuation in our Italian and Slovakian 
solar portfolio to Credit Suisse Energy 
Infrastructure Partners (CSEIP) and entering 
into a partnership with them to further grow 
our solar portfolio in Italy. Later in the year 
we once again teamed up with CSEIP 
by signing an agreement to sell to them 
a minority interest in our Spanish CSP 
portfolio that we acquired from Acciona 
earlier in the year. 

Bonaire and the future of hybrid 
generation 
Integrating thermal generation with 
renewables and advanced battery storage 
as we have done in Bonaire provides 
another illustration of the opportunities 
that exist across the thermal-renewable 
continuum in the aspiring low carbon 
world. In many emerging markets 
where access to electricity has not 
been guaranteed, thermal generation 
is a necessary condition for deploying 
renewable technologies. In Senegal, 
for example, a recent high impact Solar PV 
project would have been impossible 
without placing Cap des Biches I and II 
into service over the past three years.

ContourGlobal is at the forefront of these 
trends. 2018 saw us begin a multi-year plan 
to modernize the unique hybrid facility that 
we own and operate on the island of 
Bonaire. The Bonaire business is much 
more important to us than its size would 
indicate. An integrated renewable, storage 
and thermal generation facility that 
produces nearly 100% of Bonaire’s 
electricity, it is a good model for island 
nations and decentralizing electricity 
systems. Renewable generation 
technologies provide the opportunity to 
generate electricity at a much lower cost 
but their variability means that they require 
efficient and reliable complementary 
production from other sources – namely 
thermal generation and, increasingly, 
battery storage. 

1  LTIR measures recordable lost time incident (LTI) 
rates on the basis of 200,000 working hours.
2  Meredith Armstrong Whiting, Charles J. Bennett, 

‘Driving Toward ‘0’: Best Practices in Corporate Safety 
and Health, The Conference Board Research Report 
R-1334-03-RR (2003)

3  ‘Five Whys’ is a technique for performing failure 

analysis originally developed by Sikichi Toyoda of 
‘Toyota Production System’ fame. The technique 
involves asking five times why a failure occurred 
thereby arriving at the root cause and enabling 
the development of a proportional response.
4  Thermal Fleet Equivalent Availability Factor for 
2018 was 90.2% for the year, which was 2.6% 
below 2017. The most significant 
underperformance occurred in our Combined 
Cycle Gas Turbine facility in Spain which was 5.1% 
worse than the previous year albeit with little 
financial impact.

5  Our business is international with a concentration 

in three primary regions: Europe, Latin America and, 
to a lesser extent, Sub-Saharan Africa. We operate 
in the market for electricity generation infrastructure 
and participate in that market through our own 
development (‘greenfield’ development which 
involves creating an asset by taking it through the 
permitting, financing and construction processes) 
as well as the acquisition of existing power plants. 
We operate, develop and acquire power plants 
using conventional fuel-based technologies as well 
as those using renewable technologies (currently 
wind, solar and hydro). Within both categories, 
we focus on two broad categories of customers: 
national grids and the utilities that supply these 
grids and commercial, and industrial customers 
with substantial energy needs who prefer to procure 
their electricity supply directly from on-site facilities. 

WE GREW WELL IN 2018 AND CAPITALIZED ON 
OPPORTUNITIES TO RECYCLE CAPITAL THAT HAD 
STARTED TO EMERGE AS THE YEAR PROGRESSED.

12

CEO’s review continued

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

ContourGlobal’s 2018 highlights

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Record Low LTIR

Adjusted EBITDA growth

Successful acquisition and integration of Spanish CSP assets

Extremely good year for Renewable operations

Refinancing of Corporate Bond at 3 3/8% (5 year) and 4 1/8% (7 year) 
saving $9.8 million in interest expense

Successful repowering of Austrian wind farms

Record year for Five Whys

We are not yet at the point when battery 
storage can displace thermal generation. 
That seems a long way off. But today we 
can use the energy storage system to 
enable us to maximize the low cost 
renewable production and buffer the 
‘swings’ when the wind dies down before 
the thermal generation can kick in. 
We have upgraded this buffering by 
installing a new lithium ion battery that 
increases our capacity by 100% and 
storage from 0.15 MWh to 6 MWh 
equivalent to improving the buffering 
from 3 minutes to 60 minutes. 
The improved storage enables us to 
further increase wind generation by 10%.

Additionally, as we are doing in Austria, 
we will begin to repower the wind farm in 
Bonaire this year to enable us to produce 
much more electricity with the existing 
wind resources. As you may recall, last 
year in Austria we began repowering our 
first two wind farms, a process that involves 
replacing older wind towers and turbines 
with newer technology.6 These two 
projects offer a startling illustration of the 
dramatic improvements that have been 
achieved in wind turbine technology in 
the thirteen years that have passed since 
these wind farms first entered operations. 
Using the same physical footprint as 
before, new tower and turbine technology 
will enable us to capture more wind and 
thereby produce 80% more energy 
annually than what was achievable just 
over a decade ago. We made excellent 
progress in 2018 on our Austrian 
repowering initiatives. By early in the 
new year 2019, our first repowering 
was complete and we expect the 
second to be placed into service shortly. 

An innovative hydroelectric 
refurbishment in Armenia
As a world-class operator with a reputation 
for reliability and innovation, we see 
opportunity to bring these capabilities 
to many over-looked areas of the world. 
We have enjoyed collaborative relationships 
with many of the world’s leading 
Development Finance Institutions (‘DFIs’) 
and together mobilized investment and 
innovation in many marquee projects in 
the developing world. One of these is the 
Vorotan hydro-electric complex located 
in southwestern Armenia, a spectacular 
404 MW facility that we acquired in 2015 
and simultaneously entered into a 
substantial commitment to rehabilitate 
in a unique collaboration with the 
Government of Armenia, the International 
Finance Corporation, the Dutch (FMO) 
and German development banks 
(KfW and DEG). 

6  Myles McCormick, ‘Wind Farmers Look to 

the New Wave of Turbines’ Financial Times,  
12th March 2019.

AS A WORLD-CLASS 
OPERATOR WITH 
A REPUTATION FOR 
RELIABILITY AND 
INNOVATION, WE SEE 
OPPORTUNITY TO BRING 
THESE CAPABILITIES 
TO MANY OVERLOOKED 
AREAS OF THE WORLD.

13

The existing coal fired power plant is 
Europe’s single most polluting source with 
emissions, particularly of particulate matter, 
which would not be tolerated in any 
developed country. The reality of our 
project to develop a modern efficient 
coal plant is that we will directly, and 
dramatically reduce CO2 emissions (40%), 
particulate matter (93%), Sox (85%) and 
NOx (93%). These improvements will have 
an immediate, dramatic and positive impact 
on the population.

In the area of greenfield development, 
we believe that extending our existing 
platforms in the Caribbean with renewable, 
thermal and storage, converting liquid fuel 
equipment to burn natural gas and 
developing natural gas fired power 
generation in Mexico offer the most 
compelling new greenfield development 
opportunities. In Africa, we continue to 
develop extensions of existing businesses 
and have begun to see some new 
development opportunities with 
renewables and natural gas. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Phase one of the rehabilitation 
commenced in 2018 with the upgrading 
of the control systems, turbines and 
generators. This work was executed safely, 
on time and on budget despite the remote 
conditions and significant mobilization of 
people and material. In addition to 
financing provided by DFIs who support 
private sector projects such as this one, 
we achieved a very innovative solution 
with the development bank of Germany 
(KfW) and the Government of Armenia to 
enable the German bank, which usually 
lends directly to sovereign states, to 
enable the Armenian government to 
on-lend a very long duration, low interest 
rate concessionary loan to the project. 
This unique arrangement enables us to 
substantially upgrade the facility – a facility 
that represents 15% of the energy 
generated in Armenia – while keeping 
the price of generated electricity in our 
Power Purchase Agreement at a very low 
2.8 USD cents per kWh.

2018 saw steady progress on our Kosovo 
project with much preparatory work 
conducted during the year that will provide 
the background for major contracting 
actions in 2019. We expect to announce 
the equipment and EPC contractor and 
financing parties this year and then to 
commence construction on this much-
needed project. 

How we are making a positive impact around the world

1Principle

Operate safely and efficiently and 
minimize environmental impacts

Grow well

Page 17

Page 18

3Principle

2Principle

4Principle

Manage our business responsibly

Enhance our operating environment

Page 21

Page 22

14

CEO’s review continued

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

THE CONTOURGLOBAL 
TEAM TAKES PERFORMANCE 
MANAGEMENT VERY 
SERIOUSLY. THEY ARE 
UNAFRAID TO TALK 
ABOUT FAILURE, LEARN 
FROM IT AND SHARE 
THEIR LEARNINGS WITH 
ONE ANOTHER.

People, organization and learning
The ContourGlobal team takes 
performance management very seriously. 
They are unafraid to talk about failure, 
learn from it and share their learnings with 
one another. Measure, adjust and improve 
– it starts with being willing to recognize 
that there has in fact been a failure. 
Uniquely, every function and operation 
at ContourGlobal shares their internal 
targets and their progress against those 
targets with the rest of the company. 
Our performance management engine 
starts up on Sundays when our Thermal 
Chief Operating Officer and Renewable 
Chief Operating Officer publish their 
weekly operating statistics focusing on 
AF, EFOR and major events. Unexpected 
outages or production deviations are 
highlighted, explained and lessons learned 
are presented. Every week this document 
is distributed to the top 150 people in the 
company. The culture encourages you 
to get comfortable quickly with failure.

In many companies, particularly industrial 
ones, failure analysis is a one-sided affair 
– because of the transparency produced 
by modern information systems, the 
industrial operations are under minute 
by minute scrutiny but the corporate 
services – the functions representing 
areas such as finance, legal, compliance, 
IT, human resources – work in comfortable 
anonymity. Not at ContourGlobal. 
Corporate service plans, performance 
and failure are shared within the corporate 
service group as well as with our 
operations teams in the power plants.

This sharing produces amazing benefits 
– a common vocabulary for talking about 
performance, failure and experience and 
a sense of belonging to a company in 
which learning is embraced by everyone.

For six years, we have been committed to 
the Five Whys methodology for performing 
failure analysis. The embrace of the 
methodology and the benefits were 
displayed prominently in 2018. 

Our Five Whys performance was excellent 
across the board but particularly so in 
our corporate functions where Amanda 
Schreiber our General Counsel and 
Laurent Hullo our Controller and interim 
Chief Financial Officer led a significant 
increase in high quality Five Whys, 
whose volume was equally met with 
quality and depth of analysis. Gionata 
Visconti led 27 Five Whys for us in 2018 
while also overseeing the operations 
of Cap des Biches I and II in Senegal, 
a business that hit every one of its 
operational and financial metrics in 2018.7 

7  Francisco Javier Martinez Garcia, our plant 

manager at the Alvarado CSP participated in 
11 Five Whys which, on a pro-rata basis, was the 
most in the company since he was part of the 
acquisition of the five CSP plants from Acciona 
and didn’t even join until May! 

15

IN 2018 WE WELCOMED 
OVER 100 NEW EMPLOYEES 
INTO CONTOURGLOBAL 
WITH OUR ACQUISITION OF 
THE FIVE CONCENTRATING 
SOLAR POWER FACILITIES 
IN SPAIN AND I WOULD LIKE 
TO THANK OUR NEW 
SPANISH COLLEAGUES 
FOR WORKING SO WELL 
LAST YEAR.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Outlook
As we commence our second year as 
a public company, I am confident that 
we will continue to deliver the ambitious 
results expected of us and to hold 
ourselves accountable when we fail. 
In 2019, we will deliver marked increases 
in earnings and capacity as we close 
and integrate our Mexican cogeneration 
business into the company and expand 
through additional development and 
acquisition globally. We expect significant 
operational performance achievements 
beginning with Health & Safety. 
Maybe this is the year that we reach 
Target Zero. We made substantial 
commitments to new investors during 
the IPO process. We delivered in 2018 
and we are on track to deliver those 
and then some in 2019 and beyond. 

Joseph C. Brandt.
Chief Executive Officer

4th April 2019

In 2018, we welcomed over 100 new 
employees from our newly acquired 
Concentrating Solar Power facilities in 
Spain. I would like to thank our new 
Spanish colleagues for their strong 
performance and enthusiasm as they 
integrated into a company that does things 
a bit differently than they were accustomed 
to before. This is a great team and I see 
many future leaders for our global business 
coming out of Spain.

On a similar note, early in 2018 we bid 
farewell to our colleagues in Kramatorsk, 
Ukraine, as the reality of trying to conduct 
business in the destabilized eastern 
Ukraine overwhelmed our ability to 
work safely and manage the business 
responsibly. Kramatorsk was one of our 
earliest acquisitions, a prototype of sorts 
for the ‘acquire, rehabilitate, improve’ 
model that we bring to many of our 
acquisitions. 

The business will live on in ContourGlobal 
through its people. Over the years, 
Ukraine has produced some amazing 
ContourGlobal people, five of whom – 
Andrew Berezhnoy (September 2006), 
Oleksii Liakhovetskyi (October 2006), 
Olena Stetsenko (March 2008), Tatyana 
Kosarchuk (2008) and Olesya Kulikova 
(August 2009) – have been over a decade 
at ContourGlobal and have risen to 
positions of prominent leadership. 

16

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

17

1Principle

Operate safely and  
efficiently and minimize 
environmental impacts

We embrace ‘stretch’ targets 
in our operations beginning with 
health and safety. 

Safety is our number 1 priority and is 
reflected in this principle as well as our 
values. Our commitment to safety is 
absolute as evidenced by our global 
Target Zero program – zero harm, 
zero injuries. 

Efficiently managing our operations 
is a key element of this principle. 

We rigorously manage the performance 
and costs of our power plants, and 
we measure our performance against 
set targets and industry benchmarks. 
We achieve this by closely communicating 
across teams and utilizing matrix reporting. 

We minimize our environmental impacts by 
carefully assessing our risks and managing 
these proactively. We set environmental 
objectives and report against these to 
ensure our targets are achieved. 

Lost Time Incident Rate

0.03 
123,195
0.56

Health & Safety training hours 

Net CO2 emissions tonnes/MWh

18

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

2 Principle

Grow well

We are committed to growing 
our capacity around the world.

Growing well means prudently allocating 
capital and respecting rigorous return 
targets for risk adjusted returns. 
Our investment process has yielded 
strong growth throughout the company’s 
history and in 2018 resulted in an additional 
250 MW of capacity from the acquisition 
of the CSP plants in Spain. We also saw 
double-digit growth in our Adjusted 
EBITDA during the year, positioning 
us to successfully achieve the targets 
set out during the IPO.

1,425 MW

MW added to portfolio since 1st January 2015  
(acquired or commenced operations)

1,030 MW

Further committed growth in 2019 (Kosovo, 
CHP Mexico and new Italy solar acquisition)

19%

Growth in Adjusted EBITDA in 2018

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

19

20

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

21

3Principle

Manage our  
business responsibly

From our inception, we have  
been committed to managing 
our business responsibly.

We have always sought to set and live 
up to the highest standards of corporate 
governance and business ethics.

We benchmark our performance against 
other companies, so that we can compare 
our performance to that of our peers and 
refocus our efforts when we discover gaps. 

It is a dynamic process. We use a 
broad array of internal and external 
audits to actively seek out areas of 
underperformance and bring them into 
line with our standards. As the Company 
continues to grow, with the acquisition 
of new people and businesses, 
we will continue to manage our 
business responsibly. 

1,016

Number of employees who completed our 
online anti-corruption training course in 2018

1,091

Number of employees who re-certified  
to our compliance policies in 2018

3,087

Number of third parties submitted to 
compliance for due diligence in 2018 

22

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

4 Principle

Enhance our  
operating environment

As well as operating our business to 
the highest standards, we also seek 
to improve the regulatory, commercial 
and social environment we are in.

Enhancing the operating environment 
means looking beyond our immediate 
operations to see where we can add 
value to, or improve, the electricity sector 
and business environment. For example, 
we don’t stop at developing and applying 
health and safety best practices within the 
confines of our plans. Instead, we actively 
look for ways to share this knowledge 
in our communities through activities 
such as safe driving programs. 

Enhancing the operating environment 
includes strengthening institutions and
the private sector, and also entering 
into strategic partnerships with NGOs, 
governments, and associations. 

16,000

Hours devoted to community 
education activities (+39% vs 2017)

Our activities are designed to share 
our expertise in all facets of the business 
and improve the quality of lives where 
we work. We are focused on long-term 
sustainable improvement of the electricity 
sector, key organizations, and the 
communities. For example, in Armenia 
we share business best practices with 
local chambers of commerce.

990,000

Beneficiaries of social initiatives  
(+102% vs 2017)

19,000

Hours invested in community 
engagement projects

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

23

24

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Our business model

1

2

3

Our aim

Our inputs

Our mission is to develop, 
acquire and operate electricity 
generation businesses 
worldwide, creating economic 
and social value through better 
operations, and making the 
communities where we work 
better because we are there.

The resources we need.
Natural resources
Coal, gas, solar power, wind, hydropower.

Talented people 
With operational expertise and know-how.

Assets and financing 
Long-term cash flows and financing 
provide opportunities for growth.

We anticipate changes in the 
world around us.
The ongoing industry transformation favors 
our disciplined growth strategy.

We engage with our 
stakeholders to understand 
what matters to them.
Investors
We adhere to the highest standards of 
corporate governance and business ethics.
Growing well is one of our key principles. 

Employees
We uphold human rights and labor 
principles throughout the Company’s 
value chain.

Communities
Our community engagement takes place 
through all phases of the business life 
cycle, from development through 
operations, and includes a commitment 
to socially invest.

Governments
We promote sector development and 
laudable business practices by interacting 
with governments and civil society.

Our way of  
creating value

We focus on long-term 
contracted or regulated 
wholesale power generation 
where there is real demand 
around the world, producing 
high value, low risk returns 
and employing an efficient 
capital structure.
Global 
Our global footprint is concentrated in 
three core areas: Europe, Latin America 
and sub-Saharan Africa. We believe that 
geographical diversity produces superior 
risk-adjusted returns and enhanced 
operating practices. 

Technologically diverse
Our portfolio is technologically diverse, 
balanced between Thermal and 
Renewable assets; we believe that 
diversification creates a more robust 
and safe cash flow.

Long-term
Our long-term contracts/regulated 
revenues have a weighted average 
remaining term of c.11 years, delivering 
stable cash flows. The stability of these 
cash flows enables us to incur greater 
leverage than uncontracted revenues 
and pay greater dividends.

Our values and principles underpin everything we do

Our values 
•  To care about our people’s health, safety, 

well-being and development. 
•  To expect, embrace and enable 

excellence and continuous learning 
through humility, and the knowledge that 
we will fail but when we do, we will learn. 

• To act transparently and with 

moral integrity. 

• To honor the commitments of those 
who have placed their trust in us. 

• To work hard and without boundaries 
as a multinational, integrated team.

Our principles
• Operate safely and efficiently and 
minimize environmental impacts.

• Grow well. 
• Manage our business responsibly. 
• Enhance our operating environment.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

25

4

Our positive impact

We create a positive 
impact for…

…talented people

1,489

Employees engaged and motivated 
to reach their full potential.

…knowledge

123,195

Training hours to develop our 
employees and contractors.

…shareholders

$44.1m

Dividends paid in 2018.

…assets

4.3 GW 

Installed capacity across 101 sites in 
18 countries. +4% compared to 2017.

…community

16,600

Hours devoted to community 
education activities.

…environment

0.56 

Net CO2 emissions tonnes/MWh. 
Strongly reduced by 88% since 2015.

Our disciplined approach to executing our strategy

1

Operational 
excellence

Page 30

ptimize p ortf o li o

O

Identify o

R i s k   m anagement

p

p

o

r

t

u

n

i

t

y

Core 
values and 
principles

M

a

x

i

m

i

z

e

p

e

r
f

o

r

m

ance

3

Financial 
strength

Page 31

Pages 16 to 23

In vest

2

High 
 growth

Page 31

Our business performance is data-driven with KPIs measured

Financial
• Income from Operations
• Adjusted EBITDA
• Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA
• Funds from Operations
• Net leverage ratio

Non-Financial
• Lost Time Incident Rate
• Availability Factor
• Equivalent Forced Outage Rate

 
 
26

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Our role in the electricity value chain

We are an operator and growth company that 
develops and acquires power generation 
businesses. We operate two lines of business: 

Renewable

Thermal

Solar
Photovoltaic solar power is generated using 
solar cells to convert energy from the sun into 
a flow of electrons. The cells produce a direct 
current which can be used to power equipment. 
Concentrated solar power generates power by 
concentrating sunlight onto a small area using 
mirrors or lenses. Electricity is generated when 
this is converted to heat, which produces steam 
for a turbo-generator.

•  Total capacity 358 MW
• Number of plants 54

Wind
Wind turbines harness the kinetic energy of the 
wind and redirect it to generate electrical power.

•  Total capacity 878 MW
•  Number of plants 16

Hydro
Hydropower is produced by moving water. 
Electrical generators are attached to turbines 
which spin at speed as a result of the 
rushing water.

• Total capacity 571 MW
• Number of plants 10

Natural gas and biogas
Natural gas consists mainly of methane 
and is created as a result of underground 
decomposition. Biogas can be produced 
from many biological raw materials. 
The gas is used as fuel for different 
technologies to produce electricity.

• Total capacity 1,298 MW
• Number of plants 15

Coal
Coal is burnt in a furnace to produce heat. 
This produces steam which is then piped 
to a turbine. 

•  Total capacity 1,073 MW
• Number of plants 2

Liquid fuels
Liquid fuels are used in reciprocating 
engines to produce electricity. 

• Total capacity 139 MW
•  Number of plants 4

We focus on the wholesale power generation 
part of the electricity value chain

Power generation

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

27

ONCE AN ASSET HAS 
BEEN CONSTRUCTED 
OR PURCHASED, 
WE OPERATE THE 
POWER PLANT USING 
EITHER THERMAL 
OR RENEWABLE 
FUEL SOURCES.

Our portfolio
Our business is international with 
a concentration in three primary regions: 
Europe, Latin America and, to a lesser 
extent, sub-Saharan Africa. We operate 
in the electricity generation market and 
engage in all phases of a power plant’s life. 
In the development of a project, we secure 
contracts, obtain permits, and arrange 
financing for assets that we will build 
or acquire. Once an asset has been 
constructed or purchased, we operate 
the power plant using either thermal 
or renewable fuel sources. 

Our customers include national grids and 
utilities that supply these grids, as well as 
commercial and industrial customers that 
receive electricity, steam, water, or CO2 
directly from on-site facilities. 

Power generation 
The electricity supply chain has four main 
segments: generation, transmission, 
distribution and retail. We focus on the 
wholesale power generation segment, 
generating power using both thermal 
and renewable technologies. 

Thermal and Renewable 
Our Thermal portfolio includes natural 
gas and biogas, liquid fuels and coal. 
Our Renewable portfolio includes wind, 
hydro, concentrated solar power and 
photovoltaic solar power. 

Contracted 
Power generation can be defined as either 
merchant or contracted. Contracted plants 
have minimal exposure to market prices 
for the duration of the underlying contract 
because the price is negotiated and fixed 
upfront. This is done either through 
long-term power purchase agreements 
(PPAs), which typically have more stable 
margins than projects fully exposed to 
market prices, or prices set under a 
regulatory regime and subject to periodic 
review. PPAs also typically de-risk the 
generator from demand volume volatility 
and other changes in market conditions 
such as changes in electricity, fuel and 
CO2 prices. 

Transmission

Distribution

Consumption

28

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Key power market trends

We see certain trends running 
through the power market that favor 
our disciplined growth strategy.

The increase in demand and  
supply around the world
According to one of the scenarios 
presented in the International Energy 
Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2018, 
global electricity demand will increase 
by approximately 60% between 2017 
and 2040, from 22.2 TWh to 35.5 TWh. 
The majority of this rise in demand will 
occur in developing markets, especially 
in Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa 
that are experiencing urbanization, 
increasing electrification rates and 
economic and population growth. Lower 
growth in electricity demand is expected 
for developed markets such as Europe and 
the United States, due to lower economic 
growth, energy efficiency policies and 
stabilized energy consumption patterns. 

Our footprint enables us to benefit from 
changes in global demand, particularly 
the accelerated growth in developing 
markets. We also have the necessary 
in-house operational experience and the 
know-how to capitalize on the wide range 
of opportunities in different technologies. 
By 2040, to meet the growing demand, 
global installed capacity is expected to 
increase from 6,961 GW to approximately 
12,466 GW, with coal dropping to 
approximately 18% of the capacity mix 
as a result of de-carbonization policies 
and the further penetration of renewables 
that are expected to account for 37% of 
the global capacity. Natural gas and hydro 
technologies remain an important share 
of the expected installed capacity with 
22% and 15%, respectively.

Market dynamics are creating new trends
Today’s electricity space is dynamic, 
with new technological and commercial 
approaches creating opportunities 
and challenges in both developed 
and developing markets. Within 
established markets such as Western 
Europe, incumbents have embarked 
upon broad reviews of strategy leading 
to a redefinition of their core businesses 
and accompanying divestitures of power 
assets, many of which are in markets that 
we know and like.

Global electricity generation mix

Expected electricity generation mix

GDP, PPP1 (constant 2011 international $)

2017

2040

l	 8.7% Renewables
l	 16.0% Hydro
l	 22.8% Gas
l	 38.4% Coal
l	 10.3% Nuclear
l	 3.7% Oil

l	 26.2% Renewables
l	 15.3% Hydro
l	 22.4% Gas
l	 25.6% Coal
l	 9.2% Nuclear
l	 1.3% Oil

International Energy Agency (2018), 
World Energy Outlook 2018, OECD/IEA, Paris

3,028
2,923
2,951

2,131
2,193
2,238

Bulgaria

Brazil

Colombia

Mexico

Peru

Poland

Romania

Togo

Rwanda

Senegal

122
126
131

623
635
646

369
383
393

409
429
460

961
990
1,038

10
11
11

20
21
22

43
46
49

Slovak
Republic

153
158
164

2015
2016
2017

Source: World Bank

1  GDP: gross domestic product  
PPP: purchasing power parity.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

29

The demand for new power and 
the transformation of governance 
in developing markets
In emerging markets, rapid electrification 
and expanding demand result in significant 
need for investment across all types 
of generation, providing interesting 
opportunities for power generation players. 
Especially in Africa and Eastern Europe, 
there are few international operators 
actively pursuing opportunities and we 
expect to grow in these regions given 
our strong operational presence, track 
record and ability to creatively structure 
our projects both financially and 
contractually. In these markets we 
will continue using Political Risk 
Insurance (PRI) to protect our investment.

The changing relative value of different 
generation assets creates new 
opportunities for flexible investors
The value of generation assets varies 
over time depending on numerous factors 
including size, geography, technology 
and the differing strategies of potential 
investors. Opportunities constantly evolve 
and the areas with the best risk-adjusted 
returns in the future are likely to be 
different from today. This gives advantage 
to investors, such as ContourGlobal, with 
the flexibility to invest opportunistically 
across markets and technologies. 
Our disciplined investment framework 
allows for internal competition for capital 
and the ability to deliver high value growth 
by remaining selective, in a very active 
greenfield and M&A environment.

Markets periodically suffer  
micro-cyclicality
The generation sector in some jurisdictions 
can be micro-cyclical driven by economic 
fluctuations, availability of domestic capital 
and financing/capital markets volatility. 
The fluctuations can create a downward 
or upward pressure on returns. We remain 
flexible around geographies, associated 
presence in and knowledge of high growth 
markets, and creativity on structuring 
projects which create above-market 
returns when cyclicality pressures 
return upwards.

The cost of wind and solar 
technologies continues a decreasing 
trend which, associated with a low 
interest rate environment, has driven 
energy prices down in several markets. 
The expected massive growth of these 
technologies on the global installed 
capacity will require a significant 
volume of investment in the next 
couple of decades. We also believe 
the renewable greenfield and M&A 
spaces will remain highly competitive. 

However, we see that hydro and thermal 
generation, mostly gas-fired power 
plants, will continue to play an important 
role in providing the required balance 
to systems where renewable penetration 
is increasing. For example, in 2018 spot 
prices increased in Spain as well as 
the dispatch of our Arrubal CCGT that 
was needed to provide reliability to 
the system given the intermittence 
of the renewable power generation.

Our flexible strategy, based on financial 
discipline and operational excellence, 
enables us to benefit from future trends 
by taking advantage of opportunities 
to invest in thermal technologies, which 
will remain needed and deliver attractive 
returns in a space with less competition, 
at the same time as selectively pursuing 
renewable investments when we are 
able to secure adequate returns to our 
investors, thus maintaining the balance 
of our portfolio.

30

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Our strategy for growth

We have a highly disciplined, 
proven strategy that we apply 
to capital allocation. We seek 
out the highest risk-adjusted 
returns, competing projects 
against one another, and 
refuse to invest in growth 
opportunities that we do not 
believe appropriately reward 
the risks.

Our disciplined approach
to executing our strategy

1

Operational 
excellence

ptimize p ortf o li o

O

Identify o

R i s k   m anagement

p

p

o

r

t

u

n

i

t

y

Core 
values and 
principles

M

a

x

i

m

i

z

e

p

e

r
f

o

r

m

ance

3

Financial 
strength

In vest

2

High 
growth

1

Operational 
excellence

We have a culture of operational excellence and 
safety that drives strong operational performance 
and continues to create significant value through 
operational improvements and fixed cost reduction. 
We bring these capabilities to our growth activities.

Our commitment to providing a safe working place for 
employees, contractors and sub-contractors is reflected 
in our Target Zero commitment (zero harm, zero injuries, 
tracked by our LTIR and other Health and Safety metrics 
– see pages 36 and 37) and driven by a culture of 
continuous improvement.

Our relentless focus on continued cost reduction ensures 
a nimble corporate structure with low fixed costs: 
• Businesses, acquisitions and developments are subject 

to continuous intense review 

• Any position in business must be justified on an ongoing 

basis in the annual budget process 

• A lean and flat organization structure results in significantly 
reduced fixed costs, enhanced operational transparency 
and communication and a strengthened ability to recruit 
high quality talent 

We continuously improve operational performance by 
benchmarking ourselves against top industry performers, 
intensely analyzing our failures, and communicating 
transparently. Senior management, for example, reports 
weekly about availability factor and equivalent forced 
outage and regularly reports progress against objectives. 

In addition, we have made significant investments in 
corporate platforms to allow us to achieve greater scale 
with minimal incremental growth in selling, general and 
administrative (SG&A) expenses; minimize corporate costs, 
and enhance M&A integration. 

 
 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

31

2

High  
growth

We adopt five core investment approaches, all focused 
on contracted or regulated wholesale power generation 
across different technologies and geographies.

1. Greenfield development 
Developing a project from the ground up makes sense 
when we can take advantage of cyclical under-supply 
of capital and create opportunities for higher returns. 

2. Greenfield acquisitions 
Purchasing assets without existing contracts, subject to the 
ability to put contracts in place. Involves similar, customized 
contractual risk profiles to our development assets but has 
the benefit of an operating history. 

3. Strategic acquisitions 
Purchasing assets with existing contracts where we have 
both: (i) a clear competitive advantage due to asset size, 
technology, asset diversity or complexity of process or 
market; and (ii) an ability to improve operations. 

4. Development in partnership projects 
Developing projects with customized contracts in partnership 
with governments, utilities and corporations. These are in 
regions where there is need for reliable power infrastructure 
but insufficient capital and expertise. 

5. Platform expansions 
Developing expansion of existing projects leverages existing 
relationships with governments, off takers, lenders and 
suppliers, replicating the same technology and structure. 
Platform expansions are typically low risk and high return, 
given the expertise already acquired, the synergies and 
cost reductions achieved by expanding the platform.

3

Financial 
strength

We focus on maximizing cash flow distributions from 
each of our projects to ensure that we can fund new 
greenfield developments, M&A opportunities, corporate 
costs and dividends organically without having to rely 
on capital markets funding.

We also benefit from a highly efficient capital structure with 
non-recourse project-level debt at each project company 
and attractive corporate level bond debt that maximizes 
the Company’s financial flexibility. 

We seek to maintain industry standard leverage levels and 
to balance growth and financial risk. Our focus is on parent 
company leverage, which we define as cash distributions to 
the parent to net debt at the parent. Together, these factors 
contribute to attractive shareholder returns.

Combining strong operational performance, flexible and 
agile corporate strategy and an efficient capital structure 
has enabled us to deliver superior project level returns. 
As at 31st December 2018, our weighted average financing 
cost (excluding inflation adjustments on Brazilian assets) 
was 4.5%. 

In addition, we enable financial investment partners to 
make passive, minority investments in some of our assets 
on attractive terms for ContourGlobal. These farm-downs 
significantly bolster our project returns and our strategy 
is to continue to seek similar opportunities. 

Our financial KPIs are detailed on pages 34 and 35 and 
56 to 59.

 
 
 
32

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Our strategy in action

Our performance in 2018 continued 
a trend of quality performance.

Worldwide

2

3

Target Zero on Lost Time Incidents  
remains ContourGlobal’s core priority

Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR)

0.15

0.12

0.09

0.06

0.03

0.00

0.09 0.09

0.06 0.06

0.106

0.03 0.03

0.03

0.03

0.03

0.04

0.03

1Q
2016

2Q
2016

3Q
2016

LTIR 12 MRA1

4Q
2016
Target

1Q
2017

2Q
2017

3Q
2017

4Q
2017

1Q
2018

2Q
2018

3Q
2018

4Q
2018

No.1

Industry Leader in  
Health and Safety 

1  Month rolling average.

Worldwide

2

Improving Health 
& Safety
As with last year, we had 
one LTI, missing our Target 
Zero but achieving a record 
low LTIR.

0.03

Lost Time Incident Rate 

 0.17Total Recordable 

 Incident Rate  
(target 0.16)

Italy and Spain

1

3

Growing in solar
We continued to grow our solar 
photovoltaic portfolio in Italy.

We also added a new type of solar 
technology to our portfolio when we 
acquired five concentrated solar power 
plants in Spain. As a result, our solar 
Adjusted EBITDA grew by $99 million 
in 2018. In both countries, we entered 
into attractive farm-down agreements 
with Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure 
Partners. We expect to close our 
Spanish CSP farm-down in the first 
half of 2019. Our total European solar 
portfolio is now 356 MW.

Page 42

Total Recordable Incident Rate1

0.46

0.60

0.50

0.40

0.30

0.20

0.18

0.10

0.00

 Actual

 Target

0.20

0.10

0.16

0.17

2016

2017

2018

1   The recordable incidents category gathers the following 
Health & Safety incidents – Medical Treatment Incidents, 
Restricted Workday Case Incidents and Lost Time Incidents.

 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

33

Kosovo

1

Investing in Kosovo
We achieved progress on our major project 
to build a modern 500 MW lignite power 
plant in Kosovo. In 2018 we focused on all 
key project development areas, including 
raising financing through a combination 
of Direct Foreign Investment and Export 
Credit Agency debt, tendering a highly 
competitive and qualified EPC contractor, 
undertaking the Environmental and Social 
Impact Assessment, and applying for 
relevant permits to construct the power 
plant. We are on track to start construction 
in 2019.

Page 44

Armenia

2

Modernizing a critical 
hydro asset
Our work to modernize the Vorotan 
hydro cascade has been progressing well 
– in line with budget, ahead of the schedule 
and in accordance with our high quality 
standards. Unit 1 of Tatev hydro plant – 
the first among seven units to be refurbished 
– has undergone a replacement of key 
electromechanical components and is back 
in operation. The second and third units of 
Tatev, as well as the Spandaryan and Shamb 
hydro plants, will follow shortly. Some of the 
installed equipment – like the MV switchgear 
and the 110kV switchyard equipment – are 
completely new for the Armenian energy 
market, serving as leading examples 
for other energy producers.

Page 50

Austria

2

Repowering wind farms
We pressed on with repowering our old 
turbines and deploying new technologies 
on existing sites. Two repowering projects 
(28 MW) are on track and will be placed 
in operation before the end of Q2 2019. 
By reducing the number of turbines 
and therefore minimizing their footprint, 
we achieved a production increase of 80%. 
Additional repowering projects of 53-60 
MW are planned in the coming years.

Page 48

34

KPIs

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

We measure our performance against eight financial 
and non-financial key performance indicators (KPIs).

Financial KPIs

Income from Operations ($m)

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

111.5

153.2

221.8

269.0
261.9

Adjusted EBITDA ($m)

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

305.5

330.8

440.4

513.2

610.1

Proportionate Adjusted  
EBITDA ($m)

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

246.3

273.0

376.6

434.2

536.1

Income from Operations (IFO) is derived 
from the IFRS consolidated statement of 
income and corresponds to the sum of the 
following line items: Revenue, Cost of 
sales, Selling, general and administrative 
expenses, Other operating income – net 
and acquisition-related items. This is a 
measure of profitability that includes 
depreciation and amortization expenses 
as well as development costs.

Adjusted EBITDA is the combined profit 
from continuing operations for all 
controlled assets before income taxes, 
net finance costs, depreciation and 
amortization, acquisition-related expenses 
and specific items adjusted for their size, 
nature or incidence, less ContourGlobal’s 
share of the profit from unconsolidated 
entities accounted for using the equity 
method, plus the Company’s pro-rata 
portion of Adjusted EBITDA for such 
entities.

In 2018, IFO slightly decreased due to a 
number of non-recurring items including 
a non-recurring provision release in the 
Caribbean Islands in 2017, extraordinary 
acquisition costs incurred principally in 
relation to the Spanish CSP and Mexico 
CHP acquisitions, and poor wind 
resource in Brazil.

This is the key measure of the Company’s 
profitability.

Adjusted EBITDA continued to grow 
significantly as a result of additional growth 
in Spain and Italy, and the positive impact 
of the farm-down of the solar portfolio in 
Italy and Slovakia, partially offset by lower 
than expected wind resources in Brazil 
and Austria.

Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA is 
presented using Adjusted EBITDA 
calculated on a proportionally 
consolidated basis based on applicable 
ownership percentage of the assets.

In 2018, Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA 
grew significantly in the same proportions 
as Adjusted EBITDA and for similar 
reasons. The main change in ownerships 
related to the sale of 49% of the Solar Italy 
and Slovakia portfolios.

Funds from Operations ($m)

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

131.9
141.8

207.9

255.9

302.3

Funds from Operations is the cash flow 
from operating activities, excluding 
changes in working capital, less interest 
paid, maintenance capital expenditure1 
and distribution to minorities.

This is the key measure of the Company’s 
strength of cash flow.

Strong operational performance and
highly contracted cash flows allowed 
us to maintain the Group’s cash 
conversion at a very high level.

Net Leverage ratio2 (x)

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

7.2

6.6

4.8

4.1

4.43

The Company net leverage ratio is 
measured as total net indebtedness 
(reported as the difference between 
Borrowings and Cash and Cash Equivalent 
under the IFRS statement of financial 
position) to Adjusted EBITDA.

This is the key credit measure of 
the Company. The 2018 leverage ratio, 
pro forma for the full year Adjusted EBITDA 
of the Spanish CSP portfolio reached 
4.4x compared to 4.1x in 2017. The 2018 
leverage ratio does not take into account 
the positive impact of the Spanish CSP 
farm-down, expected to close in H1 2019.

1  Maintenance capital expenditure is defined on page 58.
2  IFRS net debt derived from consolidated statement of financial position, adjusted for the Company’s share of net debt at Termoemcali and Sochagota.
3  Pro forma for full year Adjusted EBITDA of CSP Spain.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

35

Non-Financial KPIs

Lost Time Incident Rate (%)

0.10

0.20

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

0.06

0.03
0.03

The Lost Time Incident (LTI) Rate shows 
the recordable lost time injuries per labor 
hours so they can be compared across 
any industry. The chart presents our 
performance over the past years.

Our LTI rate remained very low at 0.03, 
corresponding to one LTI. We are fully 
committed to our Target Zero objective 
for the next year.

This is the key measure for our 
Health and Safety performance.

Availability Factor (%)

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

The Availability Factor (AF) is the 
percentage of time a power plant was 
available to generate electricity over a  
set time period.

It is widely used in the industry to track the 
technical performance of power plants and 
for benchmarking. We use it as a primary 
KPI for our assets.

94.5
94.0
93.7
94.4
92.9

Availability factor decrease in 2018 is 
mainly linked with the EFOR increase.

Equivalent Forced  
Outage Rate (%)

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

1.1

2.4

2.0
1.9

3.6

The Equivalent Forced Outage Rate 
(EFOR) is the ratio between hours of unit 
failure given as a percentage of the total 
hours in a set period.

Like the AF, the EFOR is widely used 
in the industry to measure technical 
performance.

2018 was principally impacted by technical 
issues in certain plants. Thermal fleet 
availability was impacted by an outage at a 
CCGT facility in Spain, without any financial 
impact. Renewable fleet availability was 
impacted by the integration of new assets 
and technology as a result of the Spanish 
CSP acquisition as well as an integration 
and maintenance program.

36

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Business review

This section provides 
a graphical and textual 
overview of our 
performance in 2018. 

Our successes include growing Adjusted EBITDA1 
by 19% to $610.1 million, developing technology 
to improve Health and Safety, refurbishing vital 
assets ahead of schedule, and investing in 
artificial intelligence to predict and prevent 
problems at power plants.

A number of key themes characterize our 
performance through the year: 

1   Striving to continuously 
improve operations

2   Continuing to grow well  

around the world

3  Advancing renewable growth 

4  Doing business responsibly

We explore each of these themes in turn, 
highlighting along the way our performance 
across the core areas of operations, Health and 
Safety, environment, people and communities.

Our performance in numbers

Health and Safety

Safety inspections – target met

2016
2017
2018

+2%

(2017: 0.0024)

 0.0023

 0.0024

 0.0026

We achieved the target rate of Level 2 
Safety Inspections at all sites.

Hazard identification – target far exceeded

 44

 64

 74

2016
2017
2018

+10%

(2017: 64%)

We achieved a Hazard Identification Rate 
of 74%, far exceeding the target of 30%.

Corrective and preventive actions – target exceeded

2016

2017

2018

 7,500

 8,300

 9,250

 9,800
 9,851

 10,594

 CAPA closed

 CAPA opened

We achieved a CAPA (Corrective And Preventive Actions) 
closure rate of 93% against our target of 80%.

1  Refer to page 34 for definition.

Lost Time Incident Rate

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

37

 Actual

 Target Zero

Availability

Thermal Fleet 
availability factor1 (%)

Renewable Fleet 
availability factor1 (%)

0.20

0.05

0.10

0.05

0.00

0.1

0.06

0.03

0.0

0.03

0.0

2016

2017

2018

Total Recordable Incident Rate1

0.46

0.60

0.50

0.40

0.30

0.20

0.18

0.10

0.00

 Actual

 Target

0.20

0.10

0.16

0.17

2016

2017

2018

-5.5%

reduction in TRIR from 2016 

97.6 97.0 97.6 96.8

97.92

93.3 93.0 92.6

92.32

90.2

100

96

92

88

84

80

100

96

92

88

84

80

2015

2016

2017

2018

2015

2016

2017

2018

90.2%3

Against a benchmark of 92.3%2

96.8%3

Against a benchmark of 97.9%2

1   Sources for benchmarking: Navigant Consulting (Thermal), MAKE, AWST,  

DNV GL (Renewable).

2  Benchmark is top decile of peers.
3  Thermal fleet availability was impacted by an outage at a CCGT facility in Spain; there 
was no financial impact. Renewable fleet availability was impacted by the integration 
of new assets and technology as a result of the Spanish CSP acquisition as well as an 
integration and maintenance program.

Social engagement

 122 projects

+31%

on 2017

1   The recordable incidents category gathers the following 
Health & Safety incidents – Medical Treatment Incidents, 
Restricted Workday Case Incidents and Lost Time Incidents.

 16,600 hours

Devoted to community education activities

+39%

on 2017

Training hours – target exceeded

150,000

120,000

90,000

60,000

30,000

0

0
0
5
8
9

,

3
0
4
0
3

,

8
9
0
8
6

,

5
6
1
,
3
3
1

9
8
5
,
1
4

7
7
5
,
1
9

5
9
1
,
3
2
1

9
1
9
6
4

,

6
7
2
6
7

,

2016

2017

2018

 ContourGlobal

 Contractor

We achieved a Training Hours rate of 2.8%, exceeding 
the target of 2% by almost 50%.

$2.4 million

Total investment

+135%

on 2017

Environment

CO₂ emissions ratio

0.56

-9.6% on 2017

Communities

Social investment projects

122
projects

l	 45% Europe
l	 40% Latin America
l	 14% Africa
l	 1% America

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
38

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

1

Striving to continuously  
improve our operations

We are committed to the theory and practice 
of continuous improvement, and embrace 
failure analysis as one of our core values. 
We performed well in 2018 but with 
room for improvement.

Improving Health and Safety

Health and Safety (H&S) is absolutely fundamental 
to ContourGlobal. It is our highest value and we take 
great pride in our performance and commitment 
to our world-class H&S standards. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

39

Looking to go further
Looking to 2019, we will leverage big data 
and AI to improve performance. We have 
a wealth of data throughout the business 
and by analyzing it in smart ways we plan, 
for example, to improve the quality of our 
training. We already lead our peers in 
terms of the quantity of H&S training we 
give our employees – in 2018 our target 
was 2% of all working hours. We plan to 
use big data analysis to understand better 
the effectiveness of this training so we can 
create ways to improve it.

We carried out ten H&S audits in 2018, 
all of them pre-announced. In 2019, we plan 
to carry out a number of short notice audits 
at sites around the world. This will yield 
fresh insights into Health and Safety 
across our portfolio, further deepening 
our understanding and enabling us to 
explore even more improvements.

Targeting zero incidents
We continue our commitment to Target 
Zero – a workplace in which people are 
free from injuries and ‘everyone goes 
home safe, every day, everywhere.’ 
We continue to set the highest standards 
of H&S among our peers and in 2018 we 
worked over 3.8 million hours without 
a Lost Time Incident (LTI). Unfortunately 
towards the end of the third quarter 
one LTI occurred. In one of our recently 
acquired Spanish CSP plants, a contractor 
removed his safety glasses to put on his 
prescription glasses. The site is prone to 
volatile dust and some foreign particles 
were blown into the contractor’s eye. 
The contractor was put on sick leave 
for three days while the foreign particles 
were removed by a doctor and 
ophthalmologist.

Improving even from a high base
Through 2018 we have been focusing on 
a number of initiatives to improve our H&S 
procedures and performance. The feeling 
was that, by 2017, we had reached a high 
plateau – we were leading our peers in 
H&S by some margin but were not moving 
on from our own high standards as far or 
as quickly as we wanted. So we started 
a number of initiatives in 2018 to push 
on and go further. 

Introducing wearable tags
In Italy we piloted wearable tags, adding 
them to personal protective equipment 
such as shoes, helmets and glasses. 
This relatively low-cost technology ensured 
that operators could only use equipment 
if they were wearing the right protection. 
An electronic chip is attached to the 
protective equipment, and is detected by 
a controlling system. If the worker does not 
wear the right equipment or if the worker 
falls, an alarm is automatically triggered. 
A smart, simple move making an immediate 
difference to Health and Safety.

Raising awareness of safe driving
We held a number of safety and awareness 
days across ContourGlobal to raise 
awareness of specific issues. For example, 
we had a major campaign on safe driving, 
rolling out special training on defensive 
driving around the world. We also added 
technology to all our company 
cars, such as dash cameras and GPS, 
to monitor safe driving and any incidents.

Focusing on contractor safety
We had a safety day focused on contractor 
management. In some of our plants, 
many of the people working there are 
contractors and we want to make sure 
they understand and comply with our 
high H&S standards and practices. 
So we focused on encouraging and 
enabling all our employees to become 
ambassadors of contractor safety.

Mobilizing Health and Safety
We introduced a mobile app that records 
our hazards and Health and Safety events 
and makes them easily available for 
everyone to see. Being able to see and 
share everything is a critical part of strong 
transparent Health and Safety. Putting the 
information on everyone’s smartphone 
is a neat and simple solution.

Strong H&S strategy;  
healthy H&S culture

To ensure world-class H&S 
performance throughout 
ContourGlobal, we: 

•  Comply with the strictest 
regulations and standards

•  Maintain a ‘one company, one 
people, one standard’ policy

•  Train, train, train
•  Ensure transparent communication 
inside and outside the organization

•  Learn from mistakes 
•  Embrace a healthy H&S culture

Making solo working safer
We also piloted a lone working device. 
Working on your own is sometimes 
unavoidable but it is also relatively high 
risk, so we introduced a smartphone app 
that enables solo workers to be monitored 
remotely as well as giving them a simple 
way to call for help if need be. 

Encouraging safer behavior
In addition, we piloted Behavior Based 
Safety (BBS). This focuses on encouraging 
people to appreciate and choose safe 
behavior rather than taking shortcuts that 
might seem worthwhile but ultimately 
reduce safety. We piloted this program 
at two sites with good results and plan 
to roll it out across ContourGlobal in 2019. 
It’s another great example of building on 
and improving our healthy H&S culture.

 
40

Business review continued
Business review continued

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

1

Striving to improve our operations continued

Operational excellence 
Operationally, the Thermal division 
faced several technical challenges, 
although they had no financial impact 
on performance. The Renewable division 
performed in line with operational targets 
and successfully deployed a number 
of planned initiatives on performance 
improvement. The technical issues that 
we had in the year enabled us to obtain 
valuable lessons learned and deploy 
those preventively across the fleet, 
operating according our Continuous 
Improvement ideology and corporate 
values, and with a view to increasing 
overall fleet reliability.  

Monitoring and managing performance 
is key to the successful execution of our 
strategy. To this end, we have a range of 
KPIs which correlate with the goals and 
objectives of the business units and the 
Company as a whole. As operational 
excellence is one of our core values, 
the Company has developed an integrated 
strategy for pushing improvement. 
For example, in KivuWatt, the permanent 
monitoring of activities was established 
for all processes. The 24/7 online 
monitoring of the lake parameters 
allowed KivuWatt not only to comply 
with the local environmental regulations 
but to sustainably harvest biogas from 
the depths of Lake Kivu with an efficiency 
that exceeded expectations. 

We further improved our organization 
by developing an internal talent pool, 
promoting expertise from within the 
Company. We are committed to developing 
global careers and accelerating the 
professional development of our top talent. 
The Worker Exchange Program is a way 
for workers to benefit from the knowledge 
sharing and best practices of other parts 
of the ContourGlobal world. In doing so, 
we are building a base of future leaders 
and enabling global sharing of knowledge 
and best practices across the board.

In parallel, working towards the Operational 
Excellence goal, we are deploying several 
‘new era’ projects within our fleet, including 
machine-learning tools, H&S high-tech, 
data analytics and others. Having those 
tools and solutions deployed will allow 
us to substantially improve the level of 
technical performance of our fleet across 
all technologies and maintain our H&S top 
decile performance. We strongly believe 
that investment in such technology 
today is a must for efficient and safe 
operations tomorrow.

INTERVENING TO 
IMPROVE – IN 2018 WE 
CARRIED OUT SAFETY 
INTERVENTIONS AT TWO 
SITES, WITH OUR H&S 
EXPERTS COMING IN 
TO WORK CLOSELY WITH 
SITE PERSONNEL TO 
SECURE IMPROVEMENTS.

Committed to organizational learning 
In 2018, we successfully deployed several 
organizational projects, which allowed 
us to further pursue a lean organizational 
design and obtain next level of organization 
and technical synergies. In particular, 
we have created an operational cluster 
based in Spain, leveraging the expertise 
of our 800 MW Arrubal CCGT facility to 
our newly acquired 250 MW CSP portfolio; 
further developed our Engines cluster 
located in Sub-Saharan Africa and 
successfully integrated our four newly-
acquired Solutions Brazil cogeneration 
facilities into our European Solutions fleet. 

 
 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

41

Developing new 
battery technology 
on the island of 
Bonaire

On the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean, 
we are responsible for 98% of the country’s 
electricity supply. Reliability is paramount; 
power plant outages that would be an 
inconvenience in other locations would, 
on an island, black out customers. 
At the same time, electricity has traditionally 
been very expensive on islands. We are 
investing in new battery technology to support 
cheaper, more reliable renewable energy. 
Since arriving in Bonaire, we have transformed 
the provision of energy, ensuring greater 
reliability. Blackouts used to be practically 
a weekly event but there haven’t been any 
for almost three years. We solved the 
technical issues and have also succeeded 
in decreasing costs. With our investment in 
battery technology we plan to build further 
on our success, adding solar power to the 
current mix of wind generation and liquid fuel.

Using ArtificiaI 
Intelligence 
to optimize 
performance 
in Bulgaria

We piloted an artificial intelligence (AI) 
project at our Maritsa plant in Bulgaria 
to explore new ways of predicting 
failures before they occur. The results 
have been very promising and we plan 
to expand the project across the fleet 
in 2019. Investing in preventative failure 
technology will help us to optimize 
our performance even further.

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2

Continuing to grow  
well around the world

We are confident in maintaining our growth rate 
despite our increasing scale. In 2018 we had a number 
of key growth achievements around the world.

Increasing our solar  
power in Italy and Spain

For the last four years in Italy, we have been implementing 
a Solar Rollup strategy to grow our solar photovoltaic 
portfolio. In line with the strategy, we adopt an industrialized 
approach to M&A to acquire new assets, implement a 
quick integration plan for new plants and insource all the 
operations and maintenance (O&M) activities within the first 
few months of acquisition. It’s an approach rooted in the 
ContourGlobal way of growing well.

Forging a long-term partnership
In October 2018 we executed a 
successful transaction with Credit Suisse 
Energy Infrastructure Partners (CSEIP) 
to sell 49% of our Italian and Slovakian 
solar photovoltaic portfolio at an attractive 
premium, contributing $20.9 million to 2018 
Adjusted EBITDA. We also signed an asset 
management agreement for existing and 
prospective facilities, and a development 
agreement with a view to seeking new 
acquisition opportunities.

CSEIP is one of the European leaders in 
direct energy infrastructure investment and 
our partnership marks the next milestone in 
our Solar Rollup strategy. Our collaboration 
with a long-term financial partner who 
values our world-class asset management 
and O&M capabilities provides us with the 
opportunity to create further value through 
asset management and development fees. 
Our objective is to grow the portfolio to 
250 MW over the next five years. 

Extending the partnership into Spain 
Our partnership with CSEIP extended 
beyond Italy into Spain in 2018. 
In December 2018, we entered into 
another 49% ‘farm-down’ agreement 
in relation to our five concentrated 
solar power (CSP) plants in South-West 
Spain with a total capacity of 250 MW. 
This transaction is expected to close 
in the first half of 2019 and will allow 
us to crystallize significant value shortly 
after acquiring the assets in the first 
half of in 2018. As in Italy, we continue 
to provide asset management and 
O&M services to the power plants.

Growing the solar portfolio in Italy
Back in 2014, we had a 13 MW solar 
photovoltaic portfolio in Italy. With the 
latest 15 MW acquisition of a further six 
assets in 2018, we grew the portfolio to 
above 65 MW, bringing our total European 
PV portfolio to 106 MW and our total 
European solar portfolio to 356 MW. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

43

Investing in an attractive technology
In 2017 we identified the Spanish CSP 
portfolio as an overlooked asset class 
which would provide a premium return, 
room for significant potential operational 
improvements and the opportunity to 
refinance assets and create value.

Following the acquisition, Spain is 
now our biggest contributor to Adjusted 
EBITDA, representing c.$200 million 
on a full-year basis. We see new greenfield 
development opportunities for CSP in 
Spain and elsewhere, as well as additional 
M&A transactions.

We closed the transaction in May 2018. 
It is the largest ContourGlobal acquisition 
to date and involved the largest financing 
on an asset level in the history of the 
Company. We put in place an innovative 
structured loan fully underwritten by 
Goldman Sachs, with an 18-year duration. 

Implementing our own way of excelling
As soon as the assets were acquired we 
began implementing our operational and 
Health and Safety standards, improving 
performance and paving the way for the 
subsequent ‘farm-down’.

We continue to see CSP as an attractive 
niche technology for us. Following our first 
acquisition we are looking to use this as 
a platform to explore and acquire other 
CSP assets, in Spain and elsewhere.

A MAJOR SOLAR PLAYER 
IN EUROPE – WITH OUR 
GROWTH IN ITALY AND 
SPAIN, OUR TOTAL 
EUROPEAN SOLAR 
PRESENCE IS NOW 
356 MW.

Italy and Slovakia PV sell-down

Solar growth (MW)

Partnership with CSEIP marks the next milestone for our 
European solar roll-up strategy as it combines extensive 
industry network, considerable transaction experience  
and sector-specific knowledge of two leading institutions.

Proceeds from sale
€63m for a 49% stake. Net Equity Multiple:  
2.3x and implied EV of €334 million

Operation
Solar PV

Location
Italy and Slovakia

Capacity
99 MW – total installed capacity

Duration
Closed October 2018

107
25035

Over the next three years, 
European PV Portfolio is 
expected to grow to over

250 MW

85
35

50

66
35

31

65

7

2016

2017

2018

 Italy   Slovakia   Romania

44

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ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

2

Continuing to grow well around the world continued

Helping Kosovo  
modernize and grow 

In Kosovo, we are developing a modern 500 MW lignite 
power plant that will provide much needed reliable, 
affordable energy to fuel the growth of the country while 
significantly reducing current emissions which are hazardous 
to health. We signed the commercial agreements with the 
Government of Kosovo on 20th December 2017. Under this 
agreement, we will build and operate the plant to the highest 
EU standards, and then hand the plant over to the 
Government after 20 years.

The expected €1.3 billion investment will 
be at the heart of Kosovo’s developing 
economy. It will be the biggest foreign 
direct investment (FDI) ever made in 
the country. Planned to start operating in 
2023, Kosovo e Re will replace the existing 
inefficient, highly unreliable and heavily 
polluting Kosovo A Plant, which is beyond 
its design life. Kosovo e Re will be based 
on the latest EU environmental directives 
and the highest technical global standards 
as set by the OECD. An ultra super-critical 
plant, it will have net efficiency of above 
40%. Kosovo B, which will reach the end 
of its design life in 2024, has frequent 
outages but currently provides the 
base load for the country. Kosovo B will 
undergo an environmental and technical 
rehabilitation as well as lifetime extension. 
After commissioning, Kosovo e Re will 
provide the base load power for Kosovo’s 
electricity needs. 

Boosting economic development 
The new plant will help boost and sustain 
the economic development of Kosovo, 
one of the poorest countries in Europe. 
The World Bank has forecasted a 4.5% 
annual GDP growth for Kosovo until 2022, 
the highest in the region. However, 
businesses in Kosovo suffer an estimated 
€330 million loss annually due to the 
currently unreliable power supply. 
The IMF estimates that the new plant 
could boost Kosovo’s growth by up 
to 2% of GDP in the medium term. 
Moreover, the IMF projected Kosovo’s 
FDI for 2018 at €141 million. We will 
significantly boost this FDI by investing 
€325 million during the four years 
of construction.

Improving health dramatically 
Kosovo A is the most polluting plant in 
Europe. Replacing Kosovo A with the 
new Kosovo e Re plant will significantly 
contribute to improving the health of 
people in Kosovo. Air quality will be greatly 
improved by reducing specific emissions 
– reducing mg/kWh of Dust by 93%, SOX 
by 85%, NOX by 93% and CO₂ by 38%. 

BRINGING ENOUGH 
AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE 
HOME-GROWN 
ELECTRICITY TO POWER 
THE NEEDS OF 1.5 MILLION 
KOSOVANS WHILE 
DRAMATICALLY CUTTING 
EMISSIONS – THE NEW 
PLANT WILL BE A GAME 
CHANGER FOR KOSOVO.

STRONG PARTNERS – 
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING 
IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP 
WITH THE GOVERNMENT 
OF KOSOVO TO REALIZE 
THEIR VISION OF CLEAN 
AIR AND RELIABLE 
ELECTRICITY FOR THE 
COUNTRY BY OUR JOINT 
DEDICATION TO QUALITY, 
LONG-TERM THINKING AND 
INDEPENDENT SPIRITS.

So the new plant will not only be key in 
ensuring security of supply for Kosovo’s 
growing energy needs, it will also be 
instrumental in increasing people’s 
quality of life.

Securing reliable, affordable energy 
The core purpose of the new plant is to 
supply reliable base load to meet Kosovo’s 
growing national electricity demand self-
sufficiently, without having to rely on imports. 
Using the latest technology and abundant 
domestic fuel sources, it will be one of 
the world’s most modern coal-fired power 
plants. Moreover, it will provide the critical 
foundation for Kosovo to explore and 
develop further renewable energy solutions 
in future years.

Selecting the contractor
A key task was to work towards identifying 
the turnkey engineering, procurement and 
construction (EPC) contractor for the project. 
We started with a pre-qualification process in 
June 2018 and announced four pre-qualified 
entities in August. We are pleased to say we 
attracted the interest of some of the highest 
quality and strongest players in the sector. 
In November we received the first stage 
technical proposal, and in February 2019 
we received the commercial proposals. 
During the first half of 2019 we will select 
the EPC contractor. Throughout, a great deal 
of work has been done to make the whole 
process as smooth and quick as possible.

Progress in finalizing the financing
We asked all EPC bidders to come up 
with potential financing options, including 
commitments from various export credit 
agencies around the world. This financing 
will be combined with other Development 
Finance Institutions financing, and our own 
30% equity. The financial arrangements will 
be finalized in line with the EPC contract so 
that construction can begin as planned.

Gaining permits
In 2018 we focused on gaining all the 
necessary permits for the project in good 
time, submitting high quality applications 
well in advance. Our target is to have all 
necessary permits in place by the 
construction start date.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

45

Preparatory site works 
We have conducted necessary site 
investigations so that construction can start 
as planned. We analyzed the geotechnical, 
geological, seismic and other technical 
aspects of the site that allows the proper 
design of the plant. We took this task on 
directly in order to enable it to be done 
as quickly and efficiently as possible 
in partnership with the Government. 
At the same time we have thoroughly 
analyzed the site for existing environmental 
conditions and have initiated the process 
of engaging a contractor that will clean 
up and prepare the site prior to start of 
construction. 

Assessing environmental and social impact
The project has also been going through 
a rigorous environmental and social impact 
assessment (ESIA). This has included 
engaging heavily with the local community 
through many public discussions and 
consultations to explain the project and 
understand people’s needs and concerns. 
We finalized the ESIA in November and 
it is now being reviewed by international 
financial institutions.

Enjoying strong community support
We continue to see strong support from 
the community, not least because of the 
significant health benefits, the stable source 
of power for local homes and businesses 
and the employment opportunities. 
According to a recent survey by the 
US Agency for International Development 
(USAID), 8 out of 10 respondents 
supported the construction of Kosovo e Re. 
Approximately 10,000 jobs will be created 
during the construction phase alone. 
We are looking forward to recruiting more 
talent from the local community, providing 
great opportunities for Kosovans and 
adding to our global pool of highly skilled 
and dedicated people around the world.

Kosovo major milestones

Commercial close effective date
May 2018

Reception of technical proposals
November 2018

EPC Selection
April 2019

Commercial Operational Date (COD)
2023

We have allocated a €10 million fund for 
community projects. We are exploring 
potential projects in education, 
entrepreneurship, health and the 
environment and will begin investing 
as soon as construction starts in 2019.

Looking ahead
As we were implementing our performance 
targets for 2018, we had a clear eye on 
even more ambitious targets for 2019. 
2019 will be the year when we break 
ground on this landmark project which 
has been under preparation by the 
Government since 2005. We intend to 
start the construction activities of the site 
preparation (site remediation) in Q2 2019, 
and to sign the financing agreements 
before the end of Q3 2019. We will 
diligently manage the EPC contractor 
that will immediately start conducting 
the detailed design and manufacturing 
of major equipment, and finalize site 
mobilization by Q3 of 2019.

46

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2

Continuing to grow well around the world continued

Expanding our  
Solutions business 
into Mexico

The expansion of our cogeneration 
Solutions business into Mexico is another 
big step forward in our strategy to pursue 
high quality partner-led growth around the 
world using ‘corporate PPAs’. 

We expect the acquisition to add $110 
million to our Adjusted EBITDA in the first 
full year of operations.

In January 2019 we reached agreement with Alpek S.A.B. 
de C.V. (‘Alpek’) to acquire its portfolio of two natural  
gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plants with 
a gross installed capacity of 518 MW, together with 
development rights and permits for a third plant, for 
$724 million in cash plus $77 million of refundable VAT. 
The two plants will provide electricity and steam under 
long-term contracts to subsidiaries of Alfa Group, 
a leading Mexican industrial conglomerate, and other 
commercial and industrial customers. 

Second (right)
Photographer: Larissa Testoni
Title: Cupisnique Wind
Location: Cupisnique Wind Farm, Perù

This photo captures the sea breeze in the 
afternoon with the wind farm on the horizon.

The judges liked the mood created by the 
end-of-day light and the good use of scale 
in Larissa’s image.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

47

Wind and hydro
Frequently, the lines between ‘operations’ and ‘growth’ 
are blurred. Such is the case when we rehabilitate or ‘repower’ 
older facilities. This is dynamic and cutting-edge work that 
harnesses new power and information technology to produce 
dramatically more electricity at a lower cost. 

48

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2

Continuing to grow well around the world continued

Repowering wind 
plants in Austria

Repowering is an opportunity to deploy new wind  
generation technology on existing sites to increase 
production. Project Velm-Götzendorf commenced  
operations in January 2019, on time and budget.  
Project Scharndorf is currently under construction  
and will go into operation before the end of Q2 2019.

The construction of four new Vestas 
V126 turbines started in June 2018. 
Each has a capacity of 3.3 MW and a total 
annual production of 34.1 GWh, which can 
provide electricity for 8,525 households. 
All four turbines reached the Commercial 
Operation Date (COD) of 31st January 2019 
within budget and on time.

This repowering has reduced the number 
of turbines from ten to four, minimizing 
the wind farms’ footprint while significantly 
increasing production by 63%. 

Increasing production by 96% at 
Scharndorf 1A
Wind park Scharndorf consisted of 
12 turbines with a capacity of 2 MW 
each and a total capacity of 24 MW. 
In Phase I, for Scharndorf 1A five turbines 
are repowered. The average annual 
production of Scharndorf 1A was 
23.9 GWh, enough to provide green 
energy to 5,900 households.

In 2018 we pressed on with repowering 
the turbines. Rather than scrap the old 
turbines, we succeeded in reselling them, 
not only providing financial benefits for 
us but also prolonging their useful life.

We are replacing the old turbines with five 
new Senvion M122 turbines with a capacity 
of 3.4 MW each, providing a total annual 
energy production of 46.8 GWh. The new 
turbines are in the same location as the 
old ones, so no additional areas will 
be affected. 

MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY 
FRIENDLY ENERGY – 
BY REPOWERING OUR 
AUSTRIAN WIND TURBINES 
WE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY 
INCREASING PRODUCTION 
AND EFFICIENCY WHILE 
ALSO REDUCING 
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

Making the most of our Austrian assets
We currently have a total installed wind 
capacity in Austria of 155 MW – 5.1% of 
the overall total in the country. Our fleet 
consists of both old and new turbines. 
Our new wind farms have an industry-
leading high average availability of 
around 99%. Our old wind farms also 
have a high average availability for 
their age, around 98%.

We are always looking to optimize the 
performance of these assets. If we see 
the right opportunities, we will also add 
to the portfolio in line with our Group-wide 
commitment to continuous improvement 
and high growth.

One key way we are increasing both 
capacity and efficiency is by repowering 
our old portfolio of wind assets. 
We acquired our Velm and Scharndorf 
wind farms in 2015 and throughout 2018 
have been focusing on successfully 
repowering them. 

Increasing production by 63% at Velm
At the time of acquisition Velm consisted 
of 10 DeWind D6 turbines with a capacity 
of 1.25 MW each and a total capacity of 
12.5 MW. The average annual production 
was 20.9 GWh, providing electricity for 
5,300 households.

We began planning the repowering 
of wind park Velm in August 2017. 
The removal of the ten old wind turbines 
took just two months, starting in March 
2018. It was a fast, efficient process that 
was also completed safely, with no Lost 
Time Incidents (LTIs) or environmental 
incidents. Strong project management 
and well-organized scheduling was 
key to ensure the project stayed below 
budget. We were also able to resell 
certain components, adding further value.

 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

49

Applying the ContourGlobal way
The repowering is enabling us to increase 
production at Velm and Scharndorf. But we 
have also improved existing operations. 
When we acquired the assets back in 2015 
almost everything was outsourced. As with 
all our acquisitions around the world, we 
insourced plant management, brought 
knowledge and control inside, and applied 
our own high global standards and 
processes to increase performance 
and decrease costs. At the end of 2017, 
availability factor was higher by 2.2% 
and fixed costs had reduced by 20% 
compared to when it was acquired.

In 2018 we focused on yaw alignment of 
our turbines. By making sure our turbines 
are aligned properly we can squeeze more 
power out of them. We could confirm an 
average yaw misalignment on our turbines 
in Berg, Scharndorf and Hagn of 3.36° 
which equals a yearly production loss of 
0.3%. Compared to the industry average 
of 6°, ContourGlobal turbines are adjusted 
precisely. Nevertheless, the misalignment 
has been corrected. Considering 
implementation costs, amortization time of 
the LIDAR campaign is three years. This is 
even more important when, in a year such 
as 2018, wind levels are relatively low.

Investing in communities
Every year we plan a number of social 
projects for our communities in Austria. 
In 2018, for example we supported a winter 
project with Caritas to help homeless 
people, which involved providing sleeping 
bags, a warm safe place to sleep and hot 
meals. We supported the municipality of 
Scharndorf with its day trip for 108 retirees, 
improving the quality of life of the elderly. 
In Trautmannsdorf we helped the 
municipality to publish its yearly, 
complimentary calendar. We also took 
part in Vienna Red Nose Day, running 
to raise money for sick children.

Rapid progress on the wind repowering in Austria

Repowering of four Austrian wind parks is halfway there

Overview - Phase I Projects
•  The construction of Velm-Götzendorf 
(VG) and Scharndorf 1A (SD 1A) started 
in March and June 2018

•  The net capacity after repowering will 
be of 28 MW in total: VG – 12 MW VG 
and SD 1A – 16 MW

•  The total investment is €43 million. The 
projects are fully equity funded due to 
the highly attractive unlevered returns, 
however we keep the option to 
refinance post COD

Overview - Phase II Projects
•  The development of four additional 

repowering projects is on track and all 
permits were received in 2018 for Berg 
and Trautmannsdorf, and are expected 
in 2019 for the other projects

•  Net capacity is expected to be 53-60 

MW after repowering

•  Based on the current regulation these 
repowering projects will benefit from 
a 13 year FiT contract

•  The total investment is estimated to 

•  Commercial operation was achieved 

be between €71-82 million

in January 2019 for VG, and is expected 
on Q2 2019 for SD 1A

•  Secured Feed-in-Tariff (FiT)

•  ContourGlobal is exploring a number 
of additional projects in Austria in 
pre-feasibility phase

50

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2

Continuing to grow well around the world continued

Refurbishing a prominent 
hydro asset in Armenia

We acquired the Vorotan hydro cascade in 2015, a 404 MW hydro cascade that dates back 
to the 1970s and plays a critical part in Armenia’s energy. Vorotan is the main contributor of 
Armenia’s hydropower, which provides about a third of the country’s total energy production. 
ContourGlobal Armenia Hydropower’s yearly energy production is 1.0 TWh, approximately 
15% of the total production in the country. The rehabilitation is a result of our collaboration 
with the Government of Armenia and some of Europe’s most prominent development finance 
institutions (DFI) – FMO1, the DFI of the Netherlands, DEG2 the DFI of Germany and KFW3.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

51

Investing in a major modernization
Our acquisition of the Vorotan hydro 
cascade in 2015 was a unique transaction 
which saw the Government of Armenia 
welcome us as the country’s first western 
investor in the power sector and entrusting 
us to rehabilitate one of the country’s most 
important assets. In 2018 we began the 
refurbishment as planned. The work 
covers two aspects of the plant – the 
electromechanical and electrical systems. 
Each element is being undertaken by a 
different world-class specialist contractor. 
Voith is responsible for the electromechanical 
refurbishment; the electrical systems 
refurbishment is being carried out 
by Efacec.

There are three plants with a total of seven 
units in the Vorotan cascade. All seven 
units will be refurbished as part of the plan, 
which is due to be completed in 2020. 
Work began on Tatev Unit 1, the first unit, 
in June 2018, four months ahead of 
schedule. It was commissioned in March 
2019. The €62.9 million investment 
includes civil works, rehabilitating turbines, 
generators, auxiliary systems, main 
transformers, auxiliary transformers, 
as well as replacing control and protection 
systems, switchgear equipment and 
cabling and auxiliary electrical systems.

Progressing well
Our work to modernize the Vorotan hydro 
cascade has been progressing well – 
in line with budget, ahead of schedule 
and in accordance with our high quality 
standards. Unit 1 of Tatev hydro plant 
– the first of the seven units to be 
refurbished – has undergone a change in 
key electromechanical components and is 
back into operation. The second and third 
units of Tatev, as well as the Spandaryan 
and Shamb hydro plants, will follow shortly. 
Some of the installed equipment – like the 
MV switchgear and the 110kV switchyard 
equipment – are completely new for the 
Armenian energy market, serving as 
leading examples for other energy 
producers. 

There are very strict obligations 
regarding the environmental impact of the 
refurbishment. In 2018 we implemented 
a multi-year monitoring program to ensure 
the rehabilitation will in no way affect the 
fish in the reservoirs and the river itself. 

We are also ensuring that any asbestos 
on the site is removed and contained in 
line with the highest standards of safety 
and best practice.

Ensuring daily operations run smoothly
We are aligning the refurbishment work 
with the day-to-day operations of the three 
plants, to ensure maximum availability so 
this critical asset continues to play its part 
in providing energy for Armenia.

2018 was our best year for operational 
performance, with availability of 98.6%, 
1.3% ahead of budget. This great 
performance is the result of the complete 
reorganization and build-up of operational 
expertise in Vorotan since acquisition. 

We have implemented the ContourGlobal 
way of working while investing in local 
talent, so that today 100% of Vorotan’s 
employees operating the cascade are 
from Armenia – all of them trained in and 
committed to our global way of excelling.

In 2019, the refurbishment work will 
increase in intensity, with a number 
of units unavoidably out of operation. 
We have prepared a plan for this and 
are working closely with the Government 
and regulators to ensure both the 
refurbishment and daily operations 
continue to run smoothly.

Increasing efficiency and reliability
Once the three plants have been 
refurbished, they will be the most modern 
hydro facilities in Armenia. Key benefits 
will flow. The plants will be more reliable, 
with fewer forced outages and unpredictable 
trips and stops. They will be more efficient, 
so we will be able to produce more power 
with the same amount of water. They will 
also be more environmentally friendly. 
Overall the refurbishment will have a large 
positive impact for Armenia and for us.

Looking to grow further in Armenia
In Vorotan we have a very strong base 
for our presence in Armenia. It is a great 
asset that we are transforming for the 
21st century and we have a very strong 
partnership with the Government. Building 
on this foundation, we are looking to grow 
further in Armenia, for example through 
new hydro projects and other renewable 
and thermal energy opportunities.

1  Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij 

voor Ontwikkelingslanden DEG.

2  Deutsche Investitions- und 

Entwicklungsgesellschaft KFW. 
3  Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau. 

52

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3

Advancing in renewable growth

2018 was punctuated by an extraordinary level of activity 
in the Renewable division. We grew in many ways: from 
expansion of our business through solar acquisitions in Italy 
and Spain, to re-powering of our wind assets in Austria so we 
can take advantage of the latest, highly efficient wind turbines, 
to modernization of our Vorotan facility in Armenia where we 
are replacing aging equipment with new components at the 
latest technological standards (all described in more detail 
on the previous pages). 

Growth in 2018

Renewables – an integrated platform 
Application of technology, strong focus 
on continuous improvement and data-
driven decision making are critical in 
ensuring that our renewable power plants 
operate as a well-integrated platform and 
create a strong foundation enabling us 
to scale effectively and efficiently when 
we grow. In 2018, we introduced a number 
of technology solutions based on systems 
such as Microsoft Business Intelligence 
for advanced analytics, workflow solutions 
based on Microsoft Sharepoint and 
financial enhancements in SAP. Our 
technology platforms enable us to apply 
in-depth analytics in both strategic 
management and day-to-day operational 
decisions, closely monitor performance, 
manage operations projects effectively 
and, critically, integrate newly acquired 
businesses quickly and efficiently. 
All integrations in 2018 were completed 
on time and on budget. 

We complement our focus on technology 
with a strong commitment to continuous 
improvement. Our approach to the 
latter, which we base on the Five Whys 
methodology, enables us to drill down to 
the root causes of issues in a consistent, 
highly effective way so we can identify 
and implement valuable long-term 
improvements. 

Winner (left)
Photographer: Victor Hugo Melo Brito
Title: New landscape in the hinterland
Location: Asa Branca Wind Farm, Brazil

This photo shows technology and nature 
together creating a new landscape.

The judges were particularly taken with the 
juxtaposition and depth of field of Victor’s image.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

53

GETTING TO THE HEART 
OF IMPROVEMENTS – 
IN 2018 WE CARRIED OUT 
88 FIVE WHYS ACROSS THE 
RENEWABLE DIVISION – 
A 110% INCREASE THAT HAS 
HELPED US POWER AHEAD 
WITH IDENTIFYING THE 
ROOT CAUSES OF ISSUES 
AND, IN TURN, MAKE 
VALUABLE LONG-TERM 
IMPROVEMENTS.

Focus on technology 
As we move into 2019, we continue to 
drive our digital technology strategy to 
further underpin our operational platform 
with best-in-class analytical systems. 
After carrying out market research, 
we selected a partner, Bahwan Cybertek, 
to implement a new system called Retina 
across the whole Renewable fleet. 
This state-of-the-art system will deliver 
a comprehensive suite of centralized 
operational, management and predictive 
analytics, with algorithmic learning, 
trend analysis and risk management 
across the whole portfolio.

For example, using the predictive 
capabilities of the platform we will be 
able to evaluate the risk of component 
failure over time, and optimize our 
maintenance activities while achieving 
improvements in operational performance.

Using sophisticated technology platforms 
to support our culture of continuous 
improvement will enable us to continue 
operating and growing in a sustainable 
way while achieving our targets for 
operational excellence. 

54

Business review continued

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

4 Being responsible

We strive for social and environmental excellence.

At ContourGlobal, social and environmental 
excellence requires a deep understanding 
of the impact electricity generation has 
on our people, our communities and the 
natural world. We believe our people are 
our greatest resource and we embrace 
diversity and invest in capacity building. 
We strive to make the communities 
where we work better because we 
are there and undertake social impact 
assessments to ensure we know and 
understand the places where we operate. 
Power generation by its nature impacts 
many environmental aspects – air, water 
and biodiversity, for example – and we 
seek to minimize negative environmental 
impacts and, where possible, repair 
or reverse existing degradation.

Our social and environmental governance 
is centered around our Policy on Social 
Responsibility and Environmental 
Sustainability, a policy aligned with 
the International Finance Corporation 
Performance Standards. Our policy, and 
accompanying social and environmental 
strategy frameworks, set out how we will 
achieve social and operational excellence 
and include: 

2014-2018 CO₂ Emissions summary1

• Compliance with regulations and legislation 

t (m)
10

tonnes/MWh
1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

8

6

4

2

0

2014 2015 2016

2017

2018

 CO₂ Emissions, tonnes

 Net CO2 tonnes/MWh

¹  CO₂ emissions includes emissions 
from combustion of fuel, purchase 
of electricity, heat, steam and cooling, 
including a power plant’s own use.

and alignment to global best practice
•  Maintaining or decreasing our carbon, 

air and waste footprint

• Training and development for our workforce
• Launching targeted social investments 
aligned to our core business objectives

One of the most significant environmental 
impacts of our Thermal portfolio is our 
CO₂ emissions. We set a target in 2014 
to maintain or reduce our intensity of 
carbon emissions, i.e. the carbon emissions 
in tonnes/MWh. We have achieved this 
through growth in our Renewable portfolio 
and promoting efficiency in power 
plant operations.

Third (above)
Photographer: Victor Hugo Melo Brito
Title: Overview Goiandira
Location: PCH Goiandira, Brazil

This photo shows a powerhouse and substation 
blending into the natural landscape of rocks and river.

The judges were struck by the composition of 
Victor’s image showing how human ingenuity 
and engineering can work with the natural 
world to create energy for local communities. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

55

Our people
A diverse and inclusive workforce drives 
our excellence, providing a broad range 
of technical expertise, cultural sensitivity 
and different approaches to problem 
solving. We promote gender diversity 
across our business and have had great 
success at achieving a good balance in 
our management team.

Diversity

Board of 
Directors

Senior 
management

Total 
Company

Male

Female

Total

7

4

1

5

8

9

1,200

289

1,489

Supporting local communities
We’re committed to making a positive 
difference in the communities where 
we work. In 2018, 283 ContourGlobal 
employees spent more than 20,500 hours 
on our social investment initiatives and 
an additional 2,800 hours volunteering 
in our communities.

Our financial contribution to social 
investment projects was almost $2.4 million 
in 2018, an increase of 102% compared 
to 2017. Our social investment projects, 
including projects to improve education 
(42 projects), promote health and well-
being (28 projects) and improve community 
infrastructure (13 projects) impacted 
approximately 990,000 beneficiaries.

Social investment projects

122
projects

l	 45% Europe
l	 40% LatAm
l	 14% Africa
l	 1% America

Learning and improving together
We know that to get the best out of our 
people we need to invest in them, both 
professionally and personally. One of 
the ways in which we do this is through 
our Worker Exchange Program (WEP), 
which enables our employees to work at 
other business locations to share business 
practices and gain technical experience. 

56

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Finance Director’s report

Revenue
Revenue continued to grow in 2018 to reach $1,253.0 million 
(+23%) mainly resulting from the newly acquired portfolios in 
Europe during the year (Spanish CSP, Italian and Romanian 
photovoltaic portfolios) and the increase in certain components 
of the revenue of Thermal power plants (including passthrough 
revenue which does not impact margin). This increase was 
partially offset by low wind resource in Brazil and Austria.

Income from Operations (IFO)
IFO is an IFRS measure derived from the audited consolidated 
statement of income.

IFO slightly decreased by 2.6% as compared to 2017 (-$7.1 million) 
despite the positive impact of the acquisition of CSP Spain 
(+$43.4 million) and Solar Italy roll up (+$1.1 million). Excluding 
these acquisitions, IFO was principally impacted by the following 
effects in 2018:

• Poor wind resource in our Brazilian and Austrian wind farms 
in 2018, which largely explains the $24.4 million decrease of 
Brazilian and Austrian wind farms IFO as compared to the same 
period in 2017. 

• One-off events which adversely impacted IFO change year-on-
year: namely a non-recurring income of $6.4 million resulting 
from the release of bad debt provision in 2017 – positive outcome 
of litigation with a service provider in the Caribbean Islands – 
and exceptional restructuring costs in 2018 as part of the ongoing 
reorganization of the corporate offices in the Group ($6.7 million).
• The significant efforts incurred to sign and/or close transactions 
during the year, and in particular two major transactions in Spain 
and Mexico, which resulted in increasing our acquisition-related 
costs by $10.1 million.

• A non-cash $4.1 million charge related to the implementation of 
the Private Incentive Plan which does not constitute a liability for 
the Company (refer to the remuneration report for more details).

Excluding these effects, IFO would have increased by $51.7 million 
(+16.6%), which reflects the continued growth and expansion of the 
Company, especially from the new CSP portfolio in Spain.

Adjusted EBITDA
In $ millions

Thermal

Renewable

Corporate and Other

Adjusted EBITDA

2018

327.1

309.4

(26.4)

610.1

2017

332.1

211.1

(29.9)

513.2

Var

(2%)

47%

(12%)

19%

In 2018, we saw another year of strong growth of Adjusted EBITDA 
at 19% within the range announced in August 2018 ($600 to $630 
million) and despite low wind resource during the year. The growth 
has been mainly driven by the Renewable segment (+47%), 
despite Brazilian real depreciation.

Thermal Adjusted EBITDA decreased by $5.0 million, or 2%, 
to $327.1 million for the year ended 31st December 2018 from 
$332.1 million for the year ended 31st December 2017. The scope 
of the Thermal segment remained globally unchanged in 2018, 
except for the sale of Kramatorsk power plant in February 2018 
which resulted in Adjusted EBITDA decreasing by $1.2 million. 
Excluding one-off income of $6.4 million resulting from the release 
of bad debt provision in 2017 in the Caribbean, Thermal Adjusted 
EBITDA would have slightly increased. This demonstrates the 
stability of the cash flows of the portfolio, which has all its revenue 
contracted and established power purchase agreements in place 
largely protecting the segment from changes in demand, 
fuel prices, electricity price and CO₂ prices. 

LOOKING AHEAD, WE WILL 
REMAIN VERY ACTIVE IN 
DEVELOPING AND ACQUIRING 
NEW PROJECTS AT ATTRACTIVE 
SHAREHOLDER RETURNS.

Indicator
Revenue

2018

$1,253.0m

2017: $1,022.7m

2018

Income from 

Operations $261.9m

2017: $269.0m

Adjusted 
EBITDA

2018

$610.1m

2017: $513.2m

2018

Proportionate 
Adjusted 
EBITDA

$536.1m

2017: $434.2m

2018

Fund from 

Operations $302.3m

2017: $255.9m

Leverage  
ratio

Availability 
factor

2018

4.4x1

2017: 4.1x

2018

92.9%

2017: 94.4%

1  On the basis of a €110 million ($130 million) full year 

Adjusted EBITDA of CSP Portfolio (excluding full year 
effect, leverage ratio is 4.7x).

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

57

The Thermal fleet is also highly diversified in terms of geography 
and fuel, which significantly limits its overall market exposure.

The Thermal fleet reached an average annual availability factor 
of 90.2% in 2018 (92.6% in 2017), mainly due to technical issues 
in Spain (Arrubal). Despite the shortfall compared to last year, the 
capacity payments revenue of the individual businesses were not 
impacted as availability remained above contractual thresholds. 

Renewable Adjusted EBITDA increased by $98.3 million, or 47%, 
to $309.4 million for the year ended 31st December 2018 from 
$211.1 million for the year ended 31st December 2017.

In 2018, we continued to further diversify our technology and 
geographical mix after the acquisition of 5 CSP plants in Spain 
with 250 MW total installed capacity as well as smaller acquisitions 
of photovoltaic solar and biogas in Italy and Romania. The CSP 
plants contributed $89.2 million to Adjusted EBITDA growth 
from May to December 2018, while Italian and Romanian solar 
and biogas plants contributed to Adjusted EBITDA growth by 
$9.0 million in the year ended 31st December 2018. In 2018, the 
Renewable segment also benefited from the performance of 
Brazilian hydro power plants, which contributed a total of $40.8 
million to 2018 Adjusted EBITDA as compared to $28.5 million 
in 2017, an increase of $12.3 million. This growth was mainly due 
to full-year effect of the seven hydro power plants acquired in 
March 2017, excellent Equivalent Availability Factor at 98.5% and 
an efficient hedging program in place in case of low hydrology. 
This was achieved despite a weakening of the Brazilian real 
against the US dollar. In 2018, we started initiating a new core 
Group strategy, consisting in selling minority stakes of our portfolio 
at a substantial premium against our initial investment. In our 
Renewable portfolio, we closed the sell-down of 49% of our 
photovoltaic portfolio in Italy and Slovakia in October 2018. 
We also signed the sell-down of 49% of our CSP portfolio in 
Spain in December 2018, a transaction expected to close in 
the first half of 2019. We intend to further develop this sell-down 
strategy in the future. The sell-down of 49% of the Italy and 
Slovakia portfolio resulted in a $20.9 million gain recorded 
directly in equity under IFRS rules and contributed to 2018 
Renewable Adjusted EBITDA for the same amount.

The overall performance of the Renewable segment was 
however negatively impacted by the Brazilian wind portfolios 
(lower by $23.3 million compared to 2017, of which $8.1 million due 
to weaker Brazilian real against US dollar). The negative 2018 
performance was largely driven by lower resource during the year 
and despite significant improvements in operational performance. 
Availability factor of Brazilian wind farms improved from 90.7% in 
2017 to 95.0% following restructuring of local maintenance teams, 
tighter management of service providers and better management 
of component outages. We intend to continue improving technical 
performance and generation in 2019 with a new roadmap 
including implementation of a new operational analytics system. 

Corporate and Other decreased to $(26.4) million for the year 
ended 31st December 2018 from $(29.9) million for the year 
ended 31st December 2017. This reduction was due to a 
reinforced monitoring of fixed costs, and the allocation of a 
dedicated task force to projects such as the Spain CSP and 
Mexican CHP acquisitions and the Kosovo development project.

In addition, ContourGlobal continued to focus in 2018 on 
mitigating its exposure risks to unexpected changes in Adjusted 
EBITDA. In particular:

• Approximately 82% of 2018 Adjusted EBITDA is generated 
under PPA concluded with Investment Grade offtakers or 
non-Investment Grade offtakers under political risk insurance. 

We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA enhances 
an investor’s understanding of ContourGlobal’s financial 
performance, that the Adjusted EBITDA will provide investors 
with a useful measure for assessing the comparability between 
periods of ContourGlobal’s ability to generate cash from 
operations that is sufficient to pay taxes, to service debt and to 
undertake capital expenditure.

‘Adjusted EBITDA’ is defined as combined profit from continuing 
operations for all controlled assets before income taxes, net 
finance costs, depreciation and amortization, acquisition-related 
expenses, plus profit on sale of minority interest and specific items 
which have been identified and adjusted by virtue of their size, 
nature or incidence, less ContourGlobal’s share of profit from 
unconsolidated entities accounted for on the equity method, plus 
ContourGlobal’s pro rata portion of Adjusted EBITDA for such 
entities. In determining whether an event or transaction is specific, 
ContourGlobal’s management considers quantitative as well 
as qualitative factors such as the frequency or predictability of 
occurrence. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of financial 
performance under IFRS.

The following table reconciles net profit before tax to 
Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for each 
period presented:

In $ millions

Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA

Minority interest

Adjusted EBITDA

Reconciliation to profit  
before income tax

Years ended 31st December

2018

536.1

74.0

610.1

2017

434.2

79.0

513.2

Depreciation and amortization and 
impairment expense

(239.3)

(185.6)

Finance costs net

(236.6)

(220.7)

Share of adjusted EBITDA in associates 

Share of profit in associates 

Acquisition-related items

Costs related to CG plc IPO 

Cash gain on sale of minority 
interest in assets

Restructuring costs

Private incentive plan
Other1

Profit before income tax

(21.2)

2.9

(19.6)

(0.4)

(20.9)

(6.7)

(4.1)

(36.3)

27.8

(21.6)

5.0

(9.5)

(12.7)

–

–

–

(27.5)

40.6

1  Refer to note 4.1 of the consolidated financial statements.
In relation to the 2018 and 2017 financial years, these included 
non-recurring and non-cash items, and for 2018 also included a 
one-off cash gain on the sale of minority interests in the Slovakia 
and Italy portfolio, booked directly in equity under IFRS. Such 
sell-down is part of the core strategy of the Group going forward. 
Adjusted EBITDA is a more accurate reflection of the business 
performance of the Group and allows for comparability of the 
Group’s results from period to period and with peer companies.

• 82.3% of 2018 Adjusted EBITDA is denominated either in Euros 
or US dollars, and a portion of the Brazilian reals exposure is 
hedged to US dollars.

• No technology cluster represents more than 23% of 2018 

Adjusted EBITDA, and the acquisition of a 518 MW concentrated 
heat power (‘CHP’) portfolio is expected to further diversify the 
technology and region profile.

Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA
Considering the decision to strategically sell down minority 
stakes of certain of our assets at a significant premium, we have 
included Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA as part of our core 
financial metrics. Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA is calculated 
using Adjusted EBITDA calculated on a proportionally 
consolidated basis based on applicable ownership percentage. 

 
 
58

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Finance Director’s report continued

Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA increased from $434.2 million 
in 2017 to $536.1 million in 2018 (+23.5%), an increase comparable 
to Adjusted EBITDA and mostly explained by the same factors.

As of 31st December 2018, ContourGlobal has a total of 
$696.9 million of cash and cash equivalents, a significant 
portion of which sits at corporate level and is available to 
finance the future growth of the Group.

Funds from Operations
Funds from Operations is a non-IFRS measure that is calculated 
as follows:

In $ millions

Cash flow from operations

Change in working capital

Interest paid
Maintenance capital expenditure1

Cash distributions to minorities

Funds From Operations (FFO)

Cash conversion rate (%)

2018

578.2

(50.9)

(180.9)

(24.6)

(19.5)

302.3

50%

2017

420.6

39.4

(169.2)

(18.7)

(16.2)

255.9

50%

1  Maintenance capital expenditures is defined as funds employed by us 

to maintain the operating capacity, asset base and/or operating income 
of the existing power plants. It excludes growth and development capital 
expenditures, which are discretionary investments incurred to sustain 
our revenue growth (including construction capital expenditures).

Funds from operations significantly improved in 2018 achieving 
a 18% growth as compared to 2017. This performance is the 
consequence of the continuous growth of Adjusted EBITDA 
discussed earlier and an efficient capital structure implemented 
by ContourGlobal through a mix of deleveraging project level 
debt and refinanced corporate level financing to lower its cost of 
capital. In 2018, we refinanced the corporate level debt, extended 
its tenor to 2023 and 2025 (two tranches of 5-year and 7-year 
tenor), and decreased yearly corporate bond interest by more 
than $9.8 million. We also refinanced the Revolving Credit Facility, 
increasing its available amount from €50 million to €75 million 
and decreasing significantly its overall cost. The cash conversion 
rate, which compares FFO to Adjusted EBITDA, remained fairly 
stable at 50% during the period. 

Leverage ratio
Leverage ratio table
Year

2017

2018

4.1x
4.4x1

1  Including pro forma adjustment for full year of Spanish CSP acquisition.

The Group leverage ratio is measured as total net indebtedness 
(reported as the difference between ‘Borrowings’ and ‘Cash and 
Cash Equivalent’ under IFRS statement of financial position) to 
Adjusted EBITDA. Whenever the impact would be significant, 
such a ratio is adjusted to reflect full-year impact of acquisitions 
or for financial debt of projects under construction which do 
not generate EBITDA. The Spain CSP acquisition contributed 
$89 million to 2018 Adjusted EBITDA from 10th May 2018 to 
31st December 2018 as compared to an expected $130 million 
full year contribution. 

Adjusted for the full year contribution of Spain CSP, leverage 
ratio reached 4.4x as compared to 4.1x in the previous year. 
This change mainly resulted from the issuance of new debt to 
finance Spain CSP acquisition, which is rapidly deleveraging. 
The leverage ratio does not take into account the expected 
proceeds from the sell-down of 49% of the CSP portfolio 
(€134 million) expected to close in the first half of 2019, 
which will further decrease the ratio.

Finance costs – net
Finance costs – net increased from $220.7 million in 2017 to 
$236.6 million in 2018 (+7.2%). Excluding the one-off premium 
paid in July 2018 to prior bondholders of $21.9 million, finance 
costs decreased by $6.0 million in 2018 as compared to 2017.

Interest expense increased to $202.0 million in 2018 from 
$180.0 million in 2017 (+$22.0 million or 12.2%). This increase is 
largely driven by the Spain CSP acquisition, which contributed 
$24.9 million to interest expense in 2018. Interest expense was 
conversely positively impacted by the natural deleveraging of the 
project financings and by the refinancing of the corporate bond 
at a much lower interest rate, leading to an expected reduction 
of interest at corporate level of $9.8 million a year. 

Finance costs - net, other than interest expenses decreased 
to $34.6 million in 2018 from $40.7 million in 2017, mainly due 
to positive change in line item Realized and unrealized foreign 
exchange gains and (losses) and change in fair value of 
derivatives (+$53.0 million) due to lower exposure to loans 
denominated in a currency other than the functional currency 
at corporate level and a more efficient hedging program. 
This positive change was partially offset by the one-off bond 
premium of $21.9 million expensed in 2018 and described 
above, and other non-cash fair value adjustments.

Profit before tax
Profit before tax decreased by $12.8 million to $27.8 million in 
2018 as a result of the factors previously explained. 

Taxation
The Group recognized a tax charge of $17.4 million in 2018 as 
compared to $27.1 million in 2017. This reduction in the tax charge 
between periods was driven by the profit mix between territories 
with different income tax rates. The main jurisdictions contributing 
to the income tax expense in 2018 are Bulgaria, Brazil and Spain.

Adjusted Net Income
Adjusted Net Income is defined as Net income excluding one-off 
items for the year. Reconciliation of Net income to Adjusted Net 
Income is as follows:

In $ millions

Net income
Bond refinancing one-off costs1 

ContourGlobal plc IPO costs

Acquisition-related items2

Restructuring costs3

Private Incentive Plan4

Adjusted Net Income

Adjusted Net Income attributable 
to shareholders

2018

10.4

21.9

0.4

19.6

6.7

4.1

63.1

67.7

2017

13.5

–

12.7

9.5

–

–

35.7

41.6

1  Exceptional premium paid to previous bondholders in relation to the 

refinancing of the corporate bond in July 2018;

2  Includes pre-acquisition costs and other incremental costs incurred as part of 
completed or contemplated acquisitions. ContourGlobal incurred exceptional 
high amounts of such costs in 2018 while signing and/or closing acquisitions 
in Mexico, Italy and Spain in particular; 

3  Costs incurred as part of corporate offices ongoing reorganization;
4  Non-cash impact of the Private Incentive Plan implementation, which does 
not constitute a liability for the Company as it is issued through existing 
Reservoir Capital shares. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

59

Non-current assets
Non-current assets mainly comprise property, plant and 
equipment and financial and contract assets. The increase of 
non-current assets by $766.3 million to $3,969.8 million as of 
31st December 2018 was mainly due to the acquisition of the CSP 
Spanish portfolio and solar assets in Italy and Romania, partially 
offset by depreciation, change in foreign exchange during the 
period and impact of IFRS 15 on financial and contract assets.

Borrowings
Current and non-current borrowings increased by $669.9 million 
to $3,560.0 million as of 31st December 2018, mainly as a result 
of new or acquired borrowings (+$2,005.8 million, including 
bond refinancing in July 2018, financing acquired or drawn as 
part of the CSP Spain acquisition in May 2018 and refinancing 
of the hydro and Thermal portfolio in Brazil), partially offset by 
scheduled project financing repayment and early repayment 
of prior corporate bond (-$1,151.1 million) and currency translation 
differences and other (-$184.8 million).

Equity and non-controlling interests
Equity and non-controlling interests decreased by $93.0m to 
$680.5 million as of 31st December 2018 mainly due to the 
following factors: currency translation reserves recorded directly 
in equity (-$54.2 million) essentially due to negative change in 
foreign exchange rates of Brazilian real against US dollar, impact 
of the change to new accounting standard IFRS 15 (-$47.2 million), 
dividends paid to shareholders (-$44.1 million), transactions with 
non-controlling interests (-$5.9m) and negative change in hedging 
and actuarial reserves (-$4.6 million). These decreases were 
partially offset by the positive contribution of the sell-down of 
49% of Italy and Slovakia photovoltaic portfolio recorded directly 
in equity ($48.9 million), Private Incentive scheme ($4.1 million) 
and profit for the period ($10.4 million).

Dividend
The declaration and payment by the Company of any future 
dividends and the amounts of any such dividends will depend 
upon ContourGlobal’s ability to maintain its credit rating, its 
investments, results, financial condition, future prospects, profits 
being available for distribution, consideration of certain covenants 
under the terms of outstanding indebtedness, and any other 
factors deemed by the Directors to be relevant at the time, 
subject always to the requirements of applicable laws. The Directors 
expect that dividends, which were previously distributed 
bi-annually, to be distributed going forward on a quarterly basis. 

The Company paid a dividend of $17.3 million in May 2018 
corresponding to the final dividend for the year ended 31st 
December 2017; and a dividend of $26.7 million in September 
2018 corresponding to one-third of an initial guidance of 
$80.0 million dividend for the year 2018. The Directors expect 
to pay a dividend of approximately $63.3m for the year ended 
31st December 2018, increasing 2018 declared dividends from 
$80 million to $90.0 million to be approved at the 2019 annual 
general meeting. 

The Directors also expect to increase the dividend by 10% per 
year, in line with ContourGlobal’s operational scale.

Large global footprint diversified across 
geographies and technologies

2018 Adjusted EBITDA 
by Geography1,2

2018 Adjusted EBITDA 
by Technology1,2

2018 Adjusted EBITDA 
by Currency1

  59% Europe
  28% LatAm
  13%  Africa

  8%  Fuel Oil
  20% Coal
  19%  Natural Gas
  23%  Solar 
  16%  Wind
  10%  Hydro
  4%  Biogas

  12%  BRL
  5% 

 BRL hedged 
to US dollars

  63% EUR
  1%  Other
  19%  USD

1  Based on 2018 Adjusted EBITDA. 
2  Excluding Corporate and Holding company costs.

Outlook
We remain heavily focused on developing, acquiring and 
operating power generation facilities under long-term contracts 
providing significant protection from the risks associated with 
volumes, commodity prices or merchant energy prices. As we 
continue to pursue our growth strategy, we are active on both 
construction and acquisition projects. Recent developments 
include:

• The signature of the acquisition of two natural gas-fired 
combined heat and power (‘CHP’) plants, together with 
development rights and permits for a third plant, in Mexico 
from Alpek, for $724 million in cash. An additional payment at 
closing estimated at $77 million represents the value added tax 
assessed for the transaction and is expected to be refunded 
in full within 12 months of closing. The CHP plants have a gross 
installed capacity of 518 MW. The transaction is expected to 
close in the second quarter of 2019.

• The sell-down in December 2018 of 49% of our Spain CSP 

portfolio at a very significant premium reflecting our strategy 
to enhance shareholder returns and redeploy capital into our 
significant growth pipeline; the transaction is expected to close 
in the first half of 2019. 

• The refinancing of the Slovakian portfolio closed in February 

2019 at very attractive terms, reflecting our capacity to decrease 
our cost of debt while improving shareholder returns.

Looking ahead, we will remain very active in developing and 
acquiring new projects at attractive shareholder returns as we 
focus on achieving the target fixed before the listing to at least 
double Adjusted EBITDA by the end of 2022 without requiring 
new equity.

Laurent Hullo
Interim Chief Financial Officer

60

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Managing our principal risks

At ContourGlobal we manage our risks 
rigorously across all businesses and 
corporate functions. This is a disciplined 
and dynamic process led from the top and 
applied day by day throughout the Company. 

The Board of Directors has overall 
responsibility for the Company’s risk 
appetite, risk management and ensuring 
that there is an effective risk management 
strategy and framework. The Audit & Risk 
Committee assists the Board with 
monitoring the Company’s risk 
management framework, identifying areas 
of risk, challenging control weaknesses 
and providing independent assessment 
and opinion on the effectiveness and 
efficiency of the Company’s internal 
controls and risk management systems. 
This also includes review of the risk 
register and providing regular updates 
to the Board on actions taken to mitigate 
the risks faced by the Group. Details of the 
Audit & Risk Committee’s composition, 
responsibilities and activities can be found 
in the Audit & Risk Committee Report on 
pages 80 to 85.

Leading from the top
In August 2018, we held a two-day risk 
management workshop with key members 
of senior management of the Company. 
We focused on reassessing and reviewing 
key risks and hot topics such as cyber 
security and continuing Brexit uncertainty. 

The Company’s risk management 
framework consists of a risk register of 
all key risks, a risk map and risk ID cards 
detailing elements such as qualitative 
analysis of the main causes and impacts. 
The register details the management 
action plans in place to minimize the 
chance of a risk crystalizing. Our risk 
management approach is based on the 
three lines of defense model which 
ensures the Company allocates 
responsibilities and provides reasonable 
assurance over the effectiveness of 
controls, procedures and relevant systems.

Operational management in our businesses 
is the first line of defense. It ensures that 
day-to-day risk management controls are 
implemented and monitored and that 
relevant systems are in place to identify, 
evaluate and mitigate the Company’s 
business risks.

The second line of defense comprises 
Group functions such as compliance, 
internal control, IT and quality. It focuses 
on monitoring and compliance with 
risk control systems and processes 
implemented by the business.

An internal audit function was established 
in December 2018. The function together 
with external assurance providers serves 
as the third line of defense, providing 
independent assurance of risk 
management, internal controls and 
governance.

Senior management plays a key role 
in monitoring the risk management 
governance framework and policy. 
Starting in 2018, a focus group of key 
senior management members has been 
set up to review and update the risks listed 
on the risk register. 

Focusing on the major risks
This section of the strategic report 
provides an overview of our approach to 
managing risk, focusing on the major risk 
factors related to implementing the 
Company’s strategy and business model. 
It is not an exhaustive list of all possible 
risks. Additional uncertainties exist, some 
of which may not be known to the 
Company and could have a negative effect 
on the Company’s financial position and 
performance. The principal risks and 
uncertainties were considered in assessing 
the long-term viability of the Company. 
The viability statement can be found on 
page 67.

Reducing uncertainties
The Company’s diversified geographical 
and technological approach to contracted 
and regulated power generation, as well 
as political risk insurance coverage of high 
risk assets, reduces uncertainties relating 
to medium-term operational results. 
We closely monitor residual risks related to 
governmental regulations, macroeconomic 
uncertainties and changes in market 
conditions through the risk management 
framework.

We are actively tracking the risk related 
to uncertainty surrounding Brexit and, 
currently, we do not anticipate that 
Brexit will have a material impact on 
our operations or our financial results.

Controlling risks
The Company faces a broad range of risks 
related to operating, maintaining and 
refurbishing power generation facilities. 
These include operational, health, safety 
and environmental (HSE) as well as cyber 
security and systems integrity risk. In line 
with our culture of operational excellence 
and safety, we make sure all the resources 
are available to control these risks at the 
right level.

In December 2018 the Audit & Risk 
Committee appointed the new Head 
of Internal Audit and approved the 
2019 Internal Audit risk-based plan, 
the Internal Audit Charter and Internal 
Audit methodology. Deloitte was appointed 
as the co-sourcing partner to conduct the 
audits and provide support to the Head 
of Internal Audit in the development of 
the function. 

Further information can be found in the 
Audit & Risk Committee report on pages 
80 to 85.

Opportunities management
Certain strategic risk events, when realized, 
can present opportunities. The Board and 
senior management therefore constantly 
monitor our potential risk scenarios for 
strategic long-term planning.

 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

61

Risk management framework – Roles and responsibilities

Board

Audit & Risk  
Committee

Overall responsibility  
for risk management:
Risk appetite, strategy, 
policy and systems, 
approval of the risk 
register

Assisting  
the Board
with developing 
and monitoring 
risk management 
framework, identifying 
and monitoring areas 
of risk and reducing 
control weaknesses

Assessing
the effectiveness 
and efficiency of the 
internal control and risk 
management systems

Reviewing
the Company’s 
internal control, 
risk management 
systems and  
Risk register

Senior  
management  
team

Monitoring
risk management 
governance 
framework  
and policy

Reviewing  
and updating
the Company’s risk  
register in a working 
group of key senior 
management members

First line  
of defense 
Business  
operations
Policies, Organization,  
Risk assessment  
procedures

Second line  
of defense
Compliance,  
Legal, IT,  
Internal Control, 
Quality

Risk ownership and control
ensuring day-to-day risk 
management controls are 
implemented and monitored 
and systems are in place to 
identify, evaluate and mitigate 
Company’s business risks

Monitoring and compliance
with regards to risk control 
systems and processes 
implemented by business

Third line  
of defense 
Internal Audit

Independent assurance 
of risk management, internal 
controls and governance

New element in Company’s 
risk management framework 
since 2018

62

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Managing our principal risks continued

Risk map

o m m e r c i a l

d   c

n

e   a

c

Fin a n

Strategy

R01

R02

n
atio
niz
a
g
r
o
d
n
a
e
l
p
o
e
P

I

n

f

o

r

m

a

t
i

o

n

t

e

c

h

n

olo

g

y

R01 –  Impact of governmental actions 

and regulations

R02 –  Macroeconomic and political 

conditions

R03 – Project execution (CAPEX)
R04 – Asset integrity (OPEX)
R05 – Resources/Climate change
R06 –  Health, Safety and Environment 
(HSE) and food: prevention and 
regulation

R07 –  Fraud, bribery and corruption
R08 –  Cyber security and systems 

integrity 

R09 –  Key people (senior executive 

management) succession 
planning

The order in which the risks are presented 
does not reflect their relative significance.

R09

R08

R07

Regulation and com p l

i a n c e

Risk Radar mapping presents the top nine 
risks ContourGlobal is facing. They are all 
major risks for the Group. The risk radar 
has three levels of residual risk: high, 
moderate and low.
Each level is a combination of inherent 
risk significance (potential impact and 
likelihood) and risk response in place.
Inherent risk is the risk to an entity in the 
absence of any direct or focused actions 
by management to alter its severity/
significance.
Residual risk is the risk remaining after 
management has taken action to alter 
its severity/significance.

O

p

e

r

a

t

i

o

n

a

l

a

n
d

e
x
e
c
u
t
i
o
n

R03

R04

R05

R06

nt
e
m

A and environ

H

S

O

Risk Level

 Moderate

 High

High: residual risk remaining likely 
to have a strong impact on the 
achievement of strategic objectives even 
if risk management measures are in place. 
Additional actions should be taken to alter 
risk severity further.
Moderate: risk that could strongly affect 
the achievement of the objectives for 
which level of control is high enough 
to result in a moderate residual risk. 
Additional actions could be taken to 
alter risk significance further.
Low: risk that may have limited impact 
on the business given that control 
mechanisms are in place together 
with relevant monitoring and 
assessment measures.

The closer the positioning of the risk to 
the center of the radar, the higher is the 
residual severity of the risk.

 
 
 
 
 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

63

Risk Factor

Main impact

R01 – Strategy – Impact of governmental actions and regulations

The risk that governmental actions or 
changes in (1) taxes or (2) regulations of our 
non-PPA long-term fixed rate arrangements 
(i.e. feed-in-tariffs) and Power Purchase 
Agreements (PPAs) including investigations 
by regulatory or competition law authorities, 
without regulatory risk pass-through 
mechanisms will have a negative impact 
on our results of operation.

 Risk unchanged

Included in the sensitivity analysis on 
principal risks for viability and going 
concern assessment.

Deterioration of financial performance 
including loss of revenue and an increase 
in expenses.

Loss of business/growth opportunities:
 ― Termination of agreements
 ― Inability to obtain, maintain or renew 

required governmental permits/Licenses

Inability to receive permits for extension 
of existing capacities.

Risk Response 
(management and mitigation)

PPAs are held with state-owned, regulated 
or other off-takers, the majority of which 
are rated by Standard & Poor’s, with a 
weighted average credit rating of BBB- 
(weighted by EBITDA).

PRI policies (from commercial insurers) 
are in place for several projects in case 
of events that can affect our assets, in 
particular the loss of invested capital. 
In some cases, these cover a return on 
our capital. These include:

Maritsa, Vorotan, KivuWatt, Togo, Nigeria, 
Cap des Biches, TermoemCali, Sochagota, 
Slovakia and Kosovo.

Close relationships are maintained 
with energy lawyers and associations 
to anticipate any potential changes in 
regulation and express our interests.

Partnerships are fostered with multilateral 
development banks for both equity and 
debt which makes governments reticent 
to renegotiate.

Investment is placed in local communities 
and hiring locally.

The business has a sovereign credit rating 
of A post PRI impact (based on the 
individual sovereign ratings determined 
by Standard & Poor’s).

Maritsa anticipates that in the near term it will 
engage in discussions with the government 
of Bulgaria related to the Bulgarian energy 
regulator’s complaint to the EU Commission 
that the Maritsa PPA contains elements 
of state aid. While we cannot predict the 
outcome of such negotiations, any resolution 
could nonetheless contain terms that 
adversely affect the Maritsa PPA and have 
a material adverse impact on Maritsa’s and 
ContourGlobal’s business. 

64

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Managing our principal risks continued

Risk Factor

Main impact

R02 – Macroeconomic and political conditions

Risk Response 
(management and mitigation)

The risk that macroeconomic and political 
conditions such as geopolitical uncertainty, 
social instability, sanctions and trade war 
will create additional uncertainty for our 
international operations and have a 
negative impact on the business model 
and supply chain limiting our flexibility in 
cross-border investments.

For example, the continuing uncertainty 
around Brexit and the future trading and 
transition relationship between the UK and 
the EU creates an uncertain operating 
environment. 

Included in sensitivity analysis on principal 
risks for viability and going concern 
assessment. 

New Risk added in 2018.

Deterioration of financial performance:
 ― Increase in operational costs
 ― Higher financing transaction costs
 ― Disruption of operation of one or more 

PRI policies (from commercial insurers) 
are in place for several projects in case 
of events that can affect our assets in 
particular in Africa and Eastern Europe.

of our assets

 ― Increase in Opex and Capex
 ― Loss of invested capital
 ― Adverse effect on results of operation
 ― Unforeseen additional recurring costs vs. 
financial model projections (project IRR 
and cash flow)

 ― Charges and penalties due to non-

compliance with external requirements

Loss of business / growth opportunities:
 ― Inability to operate effectively
 ― Termination of agreements
 ― Fewer opportunities for growth

Business disruption:
 ― Inability to procure required equipment
 ― Impact on EAF and EFOR

Brexit:
 ― Deterioration of capital offers due 
to uncertain financial implications, 
increased cost and possible disruption 
to the supply of goods and services, 
possible increase of regulatory risk.  
However, currently we do not anticipate 
that Brexit will have a material impact on 
our operations or our financial results.

In some cases we can recover a return on 
our capital:

Maritsa, Vorotan, KivuWatt, Togo, Nigeria, 
Cap des Biches, TermoemCali, Sochagota, 
Slovakia and Kosovo.

Our diversified operations limit the 
downside as the impact of a localized 
geopolitical effect is unlikely to have 
a significant effect on the full portfolio.

Diversification of jurisdictions and 
technologies minimizes the risk.

Access to several financial markets 
allow the business to choose the most 
opportune sources of transactional 
financing. 

Investment in local communities and hiring 
locally creates goodwill with local 
governments and populations. 

Minimal existing risk mitigation in place 
though diversified business help mitigate 
potential impact. 

Analysis of suppliers and supply chain.

R03 – Operation and execution – Project execution (CAPEX)

The risk that inefficient project management 
and execution of greenfield construction or 
refurbishment investment projects will result 
in delays or unanticipated cost overruns.

 Risk decreased due to decrease of the 
likelihood of the events related to 
realization of this risk over 3-year horizon.

Included in the sensitivity analysis on 
principal risks for viability and going 
concern assessment.

Financial impact e.g.:
 ― Overrun of project costs (including 
financing fees) vs. investment case 
impacting projected cash flows and IRR
 ― Liquidated damages/penalties/ litigation
 ― Reduced revenue due to construction 

Controlling methodology: specific internal 
resource is dedicated to provide guidance 
and best practice to ensure strict and real 
time project cost control, enabling cost 
overruns to be identified early and 
mitigation actions put in place.

delays

 ― Potential defaults on financing and debt 

repayment before COD

Image and reputation impact resulting 
from a loss of credibility with 
counterparties, lenders and other 
stakeholders.

Minimizing the risk of exceeding 
construction budgets by entering into 
fixed price contracts with engineering, 
procurement and construction (EPC) 
contractors with proven track records.

EPC contracts contain back-to-back 
liquidated damages provisions which 
protect ContourGlobal against 
construction delays and other breaches 
by EPC contractors.

Contract monitoring and management with 
legal support.

External support to obtain permits.

Project Review Procedure: monthly review 
of the projects organized by the Project 
Management Team (including the Group 
COO) and presented to the Project 
Steering Committee.

 
 
 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

65

Risk Factor

Main impact

R04 – Operation and execution – Asset integrity (OPEX)

The risk that asset maintenance processes 
are not managed in line with the O&M plan 
and quality standards will prevent the power 
plants from delivering electricity and 
ensuring availability at the levels defined in 
the long-term PPAs.

Deterioration of operational performance:
 ― Business interruption and power outages
 ― Performance below expected efficiency 

and output levels

 ― Inability to deliver electricity or ensure 
availability defined in long-term PPAs

 Risk unchanged

Reduced profitability and cash flows: 
 ― Increase of expenses (OPEX & CAPEX):
 ― Unplanned O&M and capital expenditures
 ― Loss of revenue and PPA penalties
 ― Liquidated damages
 ― Reduction in distribution and inability 

to service debt

Reputational impact.

Risk Response 
(management and mitigation)

Business interruption insurance.

O&M strategy focusing on HSE, O&M 
Organization, O&M performance 
management, benchmark and KPIs.

Maintenance strategy including hydro 
and civil structures.

O&M IT systems (including remote 
monitoring control room).

Maintenance activities with regular KPIs 
for control, and timely corrective actions.

Daily KPIs and improvement meetings 
between local plant managers and 
operators.

R05 – Operation and execution – Resources/Climate change

The risk that climate change (e.g. changes 
in temperature, wind patterns and 
hydrological conditions) will affect the 
certainty of our forecasts, will impact our 
operations and adversely affect our financial 
performance.

 Risk unchanged

Included in the sensitivity analysis on 
principal risks for viability and going 
concern assessment.

Deterioration of financial performance 
including a loss of revenue and/or an 
increase in expenses (O&M costs).

Impact on the operational performance 
with a strong deviation of actual 
renewable generation vs. projections 
in the investment case specifically for 
wind and hydro.

Loss of assets.

Diversified geographical and technological 
portfolio of assets.

Extensive weather phenomena studies 
and due diligence before acquisitions.

Sign-off on all investment case 
assumptions by a reputable advisory firm.

Scenario analysis carried out across the 
portfolio.

R06 – Health, safety and environment (HSE) and food – prevention and regulation

The risk that failure to prevent major health, 
safety, environmental and food (CO2 
production) incidents and/or comply 
with relevant regulations due to inherent 
risks related to our activities (fuel types, 
technology, equipment in more than 
20 countries) will have a material adverse 
impact in our operations, financing 
conditions and reputation.

 Risk unchanged

Human and environmental impact:
 ― LTIs (Lost Time Incidents) and fatalities of 
ContourGlobal employees, contractors or 
people in local communities around the 
facilities due to incidents at the power 
plants

 ― Environmental accidents on site and in 

local communities

Reputational impact.

Financial and operational impact:
 ― Increase in liabilities and compliance 

costs

 ― Business interruption
 ― Loss of efficiency/productivity
 ― Breach of loan covenants
 ― Non-compliance with applicable HSE 
legal requirements and potential 
sanctions

Health and Safety Policy reviewed 
annually and communicated Company-
wide.

Health and Safety and Environmental 
management system is aligned with H&S 
18001, ISO 14001 standards, and also with 
World Bank guidelines, namely the IFC 
Performance Standards.

Monitoring of reactive indicators (such 
as responses to accidents) and proactive 
indicators (including known hazards, 
inspection quality and number of training 
hours).

Intense regular training.

Strong environmental policies and 
procedures:
 ― each business’s compliance with 

applicable policies, local laws and permit 
requirements is managed directly by the 
business

 ― oversight and audit through operations, 

environmental, health and safety 
departments

Third-party contractors’ environmental 
audits.

Arrubal, Togo and Knockmore Hill have 
achieved ISO 14001 certification.

Adherence to a Company-wide 
environmental policy, reflecting the 
business commitment to the United 
Nations Global Compact.

66

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Managing our principal risks continued

Risk Factor

Main impact

R07 – Regulation and compliance – Fraud, bribery and corruption

Risk Response 
(management and mitigation)

The risk that lack of transparency, threat of 
fraud, public sector corruption, money 
laundering and other forms of criminal 
activity involving government officials or 
suppliers will result in a failure to comply 
with anti-corruption legislation, including the 
UK Bribery Act 2010 and other international 
anti-bribery laws.

 Risk unchanged

Included in the sensitivity analysis on 
principal risks for viability and going 
concern assessment.

Financial impact:
 ― Financial losses as a result of fraudulent 

activities

 ― Violations of anti-corruption or other laws
 ― Criminal and/or civil sanctions against 

individuals and/or the Company
 ― Loss of trust by key stakeholders
 ― Debarment by multilateral development 

banks and international financial 
institutions

Reputation impact and loss of trust.

A strong anti-bribery compliance program 
that reflects the components of an 
‘effective ethics and compliance program’ 
as set forth by various international 
conventions and enforcement authorities, 
which is reviewed at least quarterly.

Policies and procedures include:
 ― Code of Conduct and Business Ethics
 ― Anti-Corruption Policy
 ― Anti-Corruption Compliance Guide
 ― Policy for Engaging Supplier and 
Third-Party Service Providers

Exclusion from government funding 
programs.

 ― Gifts & Hospitality Policy
 ― Compliance Transactional Due Diligence 

Protocol

 ― Business Development Consultant 

Compliance Protocol

Annual certification by employees.

Risk-based due diligence, including for 
third parties and transactions.

Online portals:
 ― Third-Party Service Provider and Supplier 

Portal

 ― Gifts & Hospitality Portal
 ― Document Review and Signature 

Approval Procedure (cross-functional)

 ― Ethics Line

Regular checks and audits:
 ― Bi-annual combined Compliance and 

Finance Audits

 ― Internal spot checks

Tailored, risk-based training according 
to a yearly training plan.

Dedicated security function established 
for corporate and plant IT.

Plants
 ― Physical access controls 
 ― Dedicated plant IT functions established 
to consolidate IT management approach 
in the plants under a global framework 
of IT/OT security policies and procedures. 
This local segregated approach to the 
management of plants minimizes risk.

Corporate
 ― Security governance controls in place 
(including security policies, security 
training, security reviews)

 ― Security systems implemented 

(e.g. anti-virus, web filtering, firewalls, 
multifactor authentication, encryption)
 ― Security information and event management 

system (SIEM) implemented in 2018.

 ― Infrastructure hosting security in place 
(ISO-27001 compliant data centers)
 ― User provisioning process for key 
financial accounting and reporting 
systems, and segregation of duties 
where applicable

 ― Governance processes in place 

(e.g. change management, incident 
management)

 ― Annual external audits of financial 

systems and IT security

R08 – Information technology – Cyber security and system integrity 

The risk that insufficient IT security or 
maintenance of systems will expose the 
Company, to data corruption e.g. a GDPR 
breach or cyber intrusions. This could have 
a negative impact on information systems as 
well as electronic control systems used at 
the generating plants, and could disrupt 
business operations, resulting in loss of 
service to customers, expense to repair 
security breaches and/or system damage.

 Risk decreased due to an increase in the 
level of controls which were strengthened 
over the year at corporate and plant level.

Organizational and operational impact:
 ― Disruptions to business operations
 ― Compromise of data integrity in core 

systems

Financial impact:
 ― Potential for fraudulent activity due 
to segregation of duties conflicts
 ― Penalties related to non-compliance 

with data-related laws and regulations

 ― Loss of revenue due to disruptions 

to operations

Impact on reputation due to breach 
of confidentiality.

Included in the sensitivity analysis on 
principal risks for viability and going 
concern assessment.

The risk combines two information
technology risks from last year’s report:
cyber security and integrity &
reliability of corporate IT systems.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

67

Risk Factor

Main impact

Risk Response 
(management and mitigation)

R09 – People and organization – Key people (senior executive management) succession planning

The risk that a combination of key people’s 
(senior executive management) departure 
at short notice may affect the Company’s 
ability to deliver its strategic objectives 
and the overall Company performance.

 Risk unchanged

Removal or departure of key individuals 
could result in operational disruption, 
while competition for employees could 
lead to higher than expected increases 
in the cost of recruitment, training and 
employee costs.

Focused action to attract, retain and 
develop high caliber employees.

Initiatives which reinforce behaviors 
to generate the best outcomes for 
customers, partners and employees.

Loss of key management members could 
have a reputational impact.

Managing organizational capability and 
capacity to meet our customers’ needs.

Effective remuneration arrangements to 
promote effective employee behaviors.

Clear succession plans to ensure trust 
levels remain.

After reviewing all of the above 
considerations, the Directors have a 
reasonable expectation that the Company 
will be able to continue in operation and 
meet its liabilities as they fall due over 
three years. 

In assessing the prospects of the 
Company, the Directors noted that such 
assessment is subject to a degree of 
uncertainty that can be expected to 
increase looking out over time and, 
accordingly, that future outcomes cannot 
be guaranteed or predicted with certainty.

Going concern statement 
The Directors have formed a judgment, 
at the time of approving the financial 
statements, that there is a reasonable 
expectation that the Group and the 
Company have adequate resources to 
continue in operational existence for a 
period of at least 12 months from the date 
of this report. For this reason, the Directors 
continue to adopt the going concern basis 
in preparing the Group and Company 
financial statements.

In reaching this conclusion, the Directors 
have considered:
 ― The financial position of the Group as set 
out in the Annual Report and additional 
information provided in the financial 
statements including note 4.14 
(Management of financial risk), notes 4.21 
and 4.23 (Cash and cash equivalents 
and Borrowings) and note 4.15 
(Derivative financial instruments)

 ― The resources available to the Group 

taking account of its financial projections 
and existing headroom against 
committed debt facilities and covenants
 ― The principal risks and uncertainties to 
which the Group is exposed, as set out 
on pages 63 to 67, the likelihood of them 
arising and the mitigating actions 
available.

Viability statement
In accordance with provision C.2.2 of the 
Code, the Directors have assessed the 
prospects of the Company over a period 
significantly longer than 12 months. The 
Directors believe that an assessment 
period of three years is appropriate based 
on management’s reasonable expectations 
of the position and performance of the 
Company over this period, taking account 
of its short-term and longer-range plans. 

The Directors’ assessment has been 
performed using a two-stage approach:

i)  the assessment of the prospects of the 

Group through the review of the Group’s 
current position, strategy and business 
model, financial projections and principal 
risks. In particular, the Group’s financial 
performance has been assessed as 
relatively predictable given more 
than 90% of revenue and related cash 
flows are fully contracted or regulated. 
In addition, the resources available 
considering the financial projections 
provide significant headroom to serve 
its financing commitments. 

ii)  the assessment of the viability of the 
Company through the preparation of 
the most severe but plausible scenarios 
applied on these principal risks, the 
analysis of their financial impact (on 
revenue, profitability, cash generation 
and cash distribution), and the review of 
the mitigation factors that management 
reasonably believes would be available 
to the Company over this period. 

Each of the risks presented on pages 63 to 
67 have been assessed in terms of their 
potential financial impact. Out of those, the 
most severe but plausible scenarios 
(individual or combination) are presented in 
the following table.

Linked to the  
principal risk

R01 – 
Governmental 
regulations  
page 63 
R02 – 
Macroeconomic 
and political 
conditions  
page 64

R03 –  
Project 
execution 
(CAPEX) 
page 64

R05 – Resource 
climate change 
page 65

Risk scenario tested

Changes in 
governmental 
regulations in 
countries not 
covered by political 
risk insurance – 
financial impact of 
significant change 
in tax burden 

Construction and 
refurbishment  
activities – financial 
impact of significant 
cost overruns

Reduction of wind/
hydro resource due 
to climate change – 
financial impact 
resulting from the 
loss of revenue 
of the selected 
renewable assets

Significant compliance 
breach – financial 
impact in the form 
of hypothetical fines 
and associated 
reputational damage

Cyber-attack stopping 
a major asset for two 
weeks – financial 
impact of revenue 
loss from a major 
asset in that period

R07 –  
Fraud, bribery 
and corruption 
page 66

R08 –  
Cyber security 
and system 
integrity  
page 66

The results of the risk scenarios modelled 
showed that neither an individual risk nor 
a combination of the plausible risk events 
would have significant enough financial 
impact to endanger the viability of the 
Company over the period assessed. In 
addition, the geographical spread of the 
Group, present in 18 countries with 101 
operating plants and the significant portion
of non-recourse financing arrangements 
at the asset level, mitigate the impact at 
Group level.

68

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

69

Governance

70  Board of Directors
72  Corporate governance report
78  Report of the Nomination Committee
80  Report of the Audit & Risk Committee
86  Report of the Remuneration Committee
88  Remuneration at a glance
90  Annual Report on Remuneration
100 Summary of Remuneration Policy
104 Directors’ report
107 Statement of Directors’ responsibilities  
in respect of the financial statements

70

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Board of Directors

Craig A. Huff
Chairman
Committee Membership:  
Nomination Committee  
(Chair)

Joseph C. Brandt
President and Chief  
Executive Officer 

Craig co-founded ContourGlobal in 2005 and serves as the 
Chairman of the Board of Directors. He co-founded Reservoir 
Capital in 1998 and is a member of all fund Investment 
Committees. He currently serves on the boards of many of 
Reservoir Capital’s portfolio companies in industries such as 
energy, power, aircraft leasing and insurance. He has also been 
instrumental in the formation and development of a variety of 
hedge funds and private investment firms. Before founding 
Reservoir Capital, Craig was a partner at Ziff Brothers Investments. 
Prior to business school, he served in the US Navy as a nuclear 
submarine officer and nuclear engineer. Craig is the President 
of the Board of Trustees of St. Bernard’s School and serves as 
a Trustee of the Princeton Theological Seminary. He graduated 
magna cum laude from Abilene Christian University with a 
BS in Engineering Physics. He completed his MBA at Harvard 
Business School, where he graduated with high distinction 
as a Baker Scholar.

Joseph co-founded ContourGlobal and has served as 
ContourGlobal’s President and Chief Executive Officer since 
2005 and is a member of its Board of Directors. He has led 
development and operations in the global electric utility industry 
in Europe, the Americas and Africa for nearly two decades. 
Before co-founding ContourGlobal in 2005, Joseph worked at 
The AES Corporation, an international power company, from 1999 
to 2005, serving as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating 
Officer and Chief Restructuring Officer. At AES, his responsibilities 
included managing the Company’s global utility operations in the 
Americas, Africa and Eastern Europe. He served on the board of 
directors of many of AES’s key subsidiaries, including AES Gener 
in Chile where he was Chairman of the Board. Joseph received 
a BA from George Mason University, an MA from the University 
of Virginia and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. 
He also attended graduate school at the University of California, 
Berkeley and was a Fulbright Fellow at Helsinki University 
in Finland.

Gregg M. Zeitlin
Non‑Executive Director 

Alejandro Santo 
Domingo
Non‑Executive Director 
Committee Membership:  
Nomination Committee

Gregg has served on ContourGlobal’s Board of Directors since 
2008. He co-founded Reservoir Capital in 1998, serves as a 
Senior Managing Director, and is a member of all fund Investment 
Committees. He serves on the boards of several Reservoir Capital 
portfolio companies and has been instrumental in the formation 
and development of several investment firms seeded by Reservoir 
Capital. Before founding Reservoir Capital, Gregg was a partner at 
Ziff Brothers Investments. Before joining Ziff Brothers Investments, 
he was Vice President, Financial Strategy for Ziff Communications 
Company, where he focused on strategic partnerships and 
acquisitions, and ultimately, the sale of the Ziff family’s operating 
businesses. Previously, he worked at Sunrise Capital Partners and 
Wasserstein Perella & Co. Gregg graduated with Highest Honors 
from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance.

Alejandro has served on ContourGlobal’s Board of Directors 
since October 2017. He has been a Senior Managing Director 
at Quadrant Capital Advisors, Inc. in New York City since 2001. 
He was a member of the board of directors of SABMiller plc 
from 2005 to 2016 and Vice-Chairman of SABMiller plc. for Latin 
America from 2005 to 2016. Since October 2016 he has been 
a member of the board of Anheuser-Busch Inbev (ABI). He is 
Chairman of the board of Bavaria S.A. in Colombia. He is also 
Chairman of the board of Valorem, a Company which manages 
a diverse portfolio of industrial and media assets in Latin America. 
In addition, he is a Director of Millicom; JDE (Jacobs Douwe 
Egberts); Keurig Green Mountain; Florida Crystals, the world’s 
largest sugar refiner; Caracol TV, Colombia’s leading broadcaster; 
El Espectador, a leading Colombian Daily, and Cine Colombia, 
Colombia’s leading film distribution and movie theater Company. 
In the non-profit sector, he is Vice Chairman of the Wildlife 
Conservation Society, a member of the board of trustees of the 
Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Educational Broadcasting 
Corporation (WNET Channel Thirteen). He is also a member of 
the board and Treasurer of Aid for AIDS, a foundation dedicated 
to helping HIV and AIDS patients. He is a member of the board 
of DKMS Americas, a foundation dedicated to finding donors 
for leukemia patients. He is also a member of the board 
of Fundacion Pies Descalzos. Alejandro is a graduate 
of Harvard College.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

71

Ruth Cairnie
Independent  
Non‑Executive Director 
Committee Membership:  
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Dr. Alan Gillespie
Senior Independent  
Non‑Executive Director 
Committee Membership:  
Audit & Risk Committee 
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Ruth was appointed as an independent Non-Executive Director of 
ContourGlobal in January 2018. Ruth was formerly Executive Vice 
President Strategy & Planning at Royal Dutch Shell plc, where she 
held a number of senior international roles, including Vice 
President of the Global Commercial Fuels business. She served 
on the boards of Shell Pakistan Ltd and joint venture companies 
in Germany and Thailand. She is currently a non-executive director 
of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, Babcock International Group plc 
and Associated British Foods plc. She is also a member of the 
Advisory Board of the Rotterdam School of Management and 
sits on the Finance Committee of Cambridge University. She is a 
trustee of Windsor Leadership. Ruth graduated with joint honors 
in Mathematics and Physics from Bristol University and also holds 
a Master’s in Advanced Studies in Mathematics from Cambridge 
University. 

Ronald Trächsel
Independent  
Non‑Executive Director 
Committee Membership:  
Audit & Risk Committee (Chair)

Ronald served as a Director of ContourGlobal LP (the pre-IPO 
group parent) from May 2015. He has served as the Chief 
Financial Officer of the BKW Group since 2014. From 2007 to 
2014, Ronald served as the Chief Financial Officer of Sika Group, 
and from 1999 to 2007, he held several positions at Vitra Group, 
including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer. 
Before joining Vitra Group, Ronald also worked at Ringier Group, 
Ciba-Geigy Corporation and BDO/Visura. He also serves on 
various boards of directors, including the board of Swissgrid AG, 
KWO AG, Wyss Samen und Pflanzen AG and Creation Baumann 
AG. Mr. Trächsel received an MBA from the University of Bern.

Alan has served on ContourGlobal’s Board of Directors since 
October 2017. Alan was Senior Independent Director of Old 
Mutual plc from 2011 until 2018 and Chairman of the United 
Kingdom’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) from 
2009 until 2018. Prior to this, Alan was a Non-Executive Director 
of Elan Corporation plc from 1996 to 2007, Chairman of Ulster 
Bank Group from 2001 to 2008 and Senior Independent Director 
of United Business Media plc from 2008 to 2017. In the public 
sector, Alan served as Chairman of The Northern Ireland Industrial 
Development Board from 1996 to 2002, and as Chief Executive 
of the United Kingdom’s Commonwealth Development 
Corporation (CDC Capital Partners) from 2000 to 2003, where 
he was responsible for the creation of Globeleq, an electricity 
generation and transmission business across the emerging 
markets. He also served as Chairman of The International Finance 
Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) until 2012. Prior to his tenure 
at CDC, Alan’s investment banking career spanned 10 years at 
Citigroup, Inc. in London and Geneva, and 15 years at Goldman 
Sachs & Co. in London, where he was a Partner for 10 years. Alan 
received an MA and PhD from the University of Cambridge and is 
an Honorary Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge.

Daniel Camus
Independent Non‑Executive 
Director 
Committee Membership:  
Audit & Risk Committee 
Remuneration Committee 
(Chair)
Nomination Committee

Daniel served as a Director of ContourGlobal LP (the pre-IPO 
group parent) from April 2016. He is an independent director 
of Cameco Corp, a role held since 2011. Previous appointments 
include independent director of Valeo (France) and a member of 
the Supervisory Board of SGL Group SE (Germany) until 2018, and 
Chief Financial Officer of the Geneva-based humanitarian finance 
organization The Global Fund from 2012 to 2017. He has also 
served as Senior Advisor to Roland Berger Strategy Consultants 
since 2011. From 2002 to 2011, he served as Group CFO and 
Head of Strategy and International Activities of Electricité de 
France SA (EDF). Based in France and with an international 
presence, EDF is an integrated energy operator active in the 
generation, distribution, transmission, supply and trading of 
electrical energy. Before joining EDF, Daniel held various roles 
in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Germany, 
France, the United States and Canada. He held several senior 
responsibilities with the Hoechst and Aventis Groups. Daniel 
received his PhD in Economics from the Sorbonne University 
and is a Laureate of the Institute d’Études Politiques de Paris, 
specializing in finance.

72

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Corporate governance report

THE BOARD IS RESPONSIBLE 
FOR THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS 
OF THE COMPANY AND OUR 
GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK 
HELPS TO ENSURE THAT 
SUCCESS.

Dear shareholders,

I am pleased to introduce the 
corporate governance report 
which sets out how the Company 
has applied the principles and 
provisions of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code throughout 
2018. 

Board effectiveness
The Board is responsible for the long-term success of the 
Company and our governance framework helps to ensure 
that success. 

Maintaining a skilled, balanced and effective Board is crucial 
for the long-term success of the Group. During the year, we 
strengthened the independence of our Board, appointing Ruth 
Cairnie as independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 
January 2018. In 2019 we appointed Mariana Gheorghe as 
independent Non-Executive Director; Mariana will join the Board 
with effect from 30th June 2019. As well as strengthening our 
independence, these appointments improve the diversity and 
deepen the expertise of our Board. The Board is confident that 
the composition of the Board provides an appropriate balance 
of challenge and support. 

Risk management
The Board is responsible for maintaining sound risk management 
and internal control systems. As reported last year, in the lead-up 
to listing on the London Stock Exchange, much work was carried 
out to ensure that the Board had adopted relevant policies and 
procedures to support the development of a robust governance 
structure. During the year, we continued to refine our risk 
procedures and strengthen our risk assurance processes. 
A summary of our risk management and internal control 
procedures is detailed in the Audit & Risk Committee report 
on pages 80 to 85. 

Details of how the Company has applied the principles and 
complied with the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance 
Code are described more fully throughout this report. 

Craig A. Huff
Chairman

4th April 2019

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

73

Board Governance

Governance structure

The Company’s governance structure is designed such that the Board focuses on providing overall leadership to the Company 
and setting the Company’s values and standards. It also approves the strategic plan, monitors performance, and ensures that 
appropriate financial and human resources are in place for the Company to meet its objectives. The Board is also responsible 
for ensuring that appropriate systems, procedures and controls are in place to support the effective assessment and management 
of risk and the safeguarding of shareholder interests.

The Board operates in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association and has established certain Committees to assist 
it in discharging its responsibilities. Each Committee has its own written terms of reference (available on the Company’s website) 
which are reviewed annually.

Key Board roles and responsibilities

Board

Accountable to shareholders
Responsible for the long-term sustainable success of the Company by setting its strategy and values,  
promoting the desired culture, and ensuring that an appropriate risk management framework is in place.
The Schedule of Matters Reserved for the Board includes:

Strategic Issues
• Leadership of the 

Financial
• Approval of annual 

Company, setting values 
and standards

and half-year financial 
statements

• Approving the strategic 

• Approval of dividend 

plan and objectives
• Approving the Group’s 

annual budget

• Review performance of 
the Group in the light of 
strategic aims, business 
plans and budget

policy

• Approval of the annual 

budget

Structure and Capital
• Approval of changes 

and recommendations 
of changes to capital 
structure 

• Approval of changes 
to corporate structure

Risk and Internal Controls
• Ensuring maintenance of 
a sound internal control 
and risk management 
systems

• Reviewing the 

effectiveness of risk 
management and 
internal control

• Assessing the principal 
risks facing the Group

Board Membership
• Approval of changes to 
the structure, size and 
composition of the Board

• Ensuring adequate 
succession planning

Corporate Governance 
• Reviewing the Group’s 
overall governance 
arrangements
• Determining the 
independence of 
Directors

• Considering the balance 
of stakeholder interests

Chairman
Leads the Board and is responsible 
for its effectiveness

Non-Executive Directors
Constructively challenge and help 
develop the strategy

Chief Executive Officer
Leads the business and is responsible 
for executing the strategy set by 
the Board

Board Committees

Support the Board in the fulfilment of its duties

Nomination Committee

Audit & Risk Committee

 Remuneration Committee

Page 78

Page 80

Page 86

Company Secretary

Provides independent advice to the Board and Committees and ensures good information flow

74

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Corporate governance report continued

Board responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Chief Executive Officer
• Leadership of the business
• Work closely with the Chairman and the Board to propose, develop and implement the Company’s strategy and overall commercial 

objectives

• Oversee and manage all business activities, operations and performance of the Group within the authority delegated by the Board
• Lead the senior management in the day-to-day running of the Group’s business
• Regularly review the Group’s operational performance and strategic direction
• Evaluate opportunities for growth through acquisitions 
• Review and manage cost control and operating efficiencies throughout the Group
• Recommend the annual budget and financial plans
• Identify and execute strategic opportunities while optimizing the Group’s resources
• Communicate to the Group’s employees the expectations of the Board in relation to the Group’s culture, values and behaviour
• Manage the Group’s risk profile
• Keep the Chairman informed of important matters and maintain a dialogue on important and strategic issues facing the Group
• Make recommendations on remuneration policies, Board nominations and succession planning
• Ensure the executive team complies with the terms on which matters are delegated by the Board
• Support the Chairman in order to ensure that appropriate governance standards are applied throughout the Group
• Lead communications with shareholders and other stakeholders
• Provide, together with the Chairman, coherent leadership of the Company

Responsibilities of the Chairman
• Chair the Board meetings
• Promote a culture of openness and debate by facilitating the effective contribution of all Directors 
• Set the Board agenda ensuring that adequate time is available for discussion of all items and ensuring a focus on strategic items
• Ensure that the Directors receive accurate, timely and clear information in advance of meetings
• Ensure training and development needs of all Directors are met 
• Ensure that all new Directors receive a full, formal and tailored induction
• Ensure constructive relations between Executive and Non-Executive Directors
• Hold meetings with the Non-Executive Directors without the Executive Director present
• Lead the Board in establishing and periodically reviewing the Group’s values and behavioral standards
• Ensure compliance with the Board’s approved procedures
• Chair the general meetings
• Ensure effective communication with shareholders and stakeholders
• Ensure shareholders’ views are communicated to the Board

Senior Independent Director
Alan Gillespie has been Senior Independent Director since 
2017. In this role, Alan provides a sounding board for the 
Chairman, and leads the Non-Executive Directors’ appraisal 
of the Chairman on an annual basis. Alan is available to 
shareholders if they have concerns which contact through 
the normal channels of the Chief Executive Officer or 
Chairman has failed to resolve or for which such contact 
may not be appropriate. When appropriate, the Senior 
Independent Director will support the Nomination Committee 
in ensuring orderly succession for the Chairman.

Non-Executive Directors 
The Non-Executive Directors provide objective and 
constructive challenge to management and help develop 
proposals on strategy. The Chairman and Non-Executive 
Directors will meet regularly without the Executive Director 
present. Their role includes upholding the highest standards 
of integrity and probity and providing support to other 
Directors in instilling the appropriate culture, values and 
behaviours in the boardroom and beyond. They will also 
scrutinize the performance of the management in meeting 
agreed goals and objectives and monitor the reporting 
performance.

The Board’s areas of focus in 2018
Strategy
• Approved the acquisition of the Spanish CSP portfolio from Acciona Energía, S.A.U. and the subsequent sale of a minority 

stake in the portfolio 

• Reviewed the business case for a number of potential acquisitions including the acquisition of a Mexican CHP portfolio 

from Alpek

• Approved the annual budget
• Reviewed the performance of the Group against corporate objectives

Structure and capital
• Approved the financing related to the acquisition of the Spanish CSP portfolio

Risk and internal controls 
• Assessed the risks to the achievement of ContourGlobal’s strategy
• Conducted a robust assessment of the principal risks and uncertainties which could impact the Group
• Assessed, with the support of the Audit & Risk Committee, the effectiveness of the Group’s internal control processes

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

75

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
As required by the Code there is a clear division of responsibilities 
between the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The purpose 
of each role is clear and distinct and set out in respective job 
descriptions. Although the Board agrees that there should be 
a clear division of responsibilities, it recognizes that overly 
prescribing the responsibilities of the Chairman and Chief 
Executive Officer may reduce their flexibility to act in unforeseen 
circumstances. The list of responsibilities sets out the division of 
responsibilities but is not intended to provide a definitive list of 
the individual responsibilities of each of the Chairman and the 
Chief Executive Officer.

Non-Executive Directors 
Pursuant to the Relationship Agreement entered into between 
the Company, ContourGlobal LP, the Reservoir Funds, Reservoir 
Capital and the Company President and Chief Executive Officer, 
Joseph C. Brandt, Reservoir Capital is able to appoint two 
Non-Executive Directors to the Board while it continues to control 
25% or more of the Company’s shares. The two such appointees 
as non-independent Non-Executive Directors are the Chairman, 
Craig A. Huff, and Gregg M. Zeitlin.

The Company therefore complies with provision B.1.2 of the 
Code as at least half the Board, excluding the Chairman, 
comprise Non-Executive Directors determined by the Board 
as independent. 

Relationship Agreement 
In November 2017, the Company, ContourGlobal LP, the Reservoir 
Funds, Reservoir Capital and the Company President and Chief 
Executive Officer, Joseph C. Brandt entered into a Relationship 
Agreement. The principal purpose of the Relationship Agreement 
is to ensure that the Company can carry on an independent 
business as its main activity. The Relationship Agreement contains, 
among others, undertakings from ContourGlobal LP (the ‘Major 
Shareholder’), the Reservoir Funds and Reservoir Capital that: (i) 
transactions and agreements with it (and/or any of its controlled 
affiliates) will be conducted at arm’s-length and on normal 
commercial terms; (ii) neither it nor any of its controlled affiliates 
will take any action that would have the effect of preventing the 
Company from complying with its obligations under the Listing 
Rules; and (iii) neither it nor any of its controlled affiliates will 
propose or procure the proposal of a shareholder resolution 
which is intended or appears to be intended to circumvent the 
proper application of the Listing Rules (the ‘Independence 
Provisions’). Furthermore, Reservoir Capital has agreed to procure 
the compliance of its associates with the Independence 
Provisions. The Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, 
Joseph C. Brandt, has given similar undertakings.

The Relationship Agreement will continue for so long as: (i) the 
shares are listed on the premium listing segment of the Official List 
and traded on the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market for listed 
securities; and (ii) the Reservoir Funds and the Major Shareholder 
and their controlled affiliates hold an interest in 10% or more of 
the issued ordinary share capital of the Company (or which carries 
10% or more of the aggregate voting rights in the Company from 
time to time). The Directors believe that the terms of the 
Relationship Agreement will enable the Group to carry on its 
business independently of Reservoir Capital, the Reservoir 
Funds and the Major Shareholder.

The Company has complied with the undertakings of the 
Relationship Agreement throughout the period under review and, 
so far as it is aware, the major shareholder and its associates have 
also complied with the provisions including any procurement 
obligation.

Board process 
The Board meets formally at least five times a year, with ad hoc 
meetings called as and when required at short notice. The Board 
met seven times in 2018. 

The Board has an annual calendar of agenda items to ensure that 
all matters are given due consideration and are reviewed at the 
appropriate point in the regulatory and financial cycle. At least 
once a year, the Board will undertake a full strategic review of 
the business operations as part of the budget review.

All Directors are expected to attend all meetings of the Board 
and any Committees of which they are members, and to devote 
sufficient time to the Company’s affairs to fulfil their duties as 
Directors. In signing their letters of appointment each Non-
Executive Director has confirmed that they are able to allocate 
sufficient time to the Company to discharge their responsibilities 
effectively. Non-Executive Directors will need to attend scheduled 
and emergency Board and Committee meetings, at least one site 
visit per year, the AGM and any other general meetings of the 
Company. In addition, the Non-Executive Directors are expected 
to commit appropriate preparation time ahead of each meeting.

Where Directors are unable to attend a meeting, they are 
encouraged to submit any comments on papers to be considered 
at the meeting to the Chairman in advance to ensure that their 
views are recorded and taken into account during the meeting. 
The Chairman and Non-Executive Directors will meet without 
the Executive Director present on a number of occasions 
throughout the year.

Appointment and election
The Board considers all Directors to be effective, committed to their 
roles and have sufficient time to perform their duties. Accordingly, 
all members of the Board will be offering themselves for re-election 
at the Company’s 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM). 

All of the Directors have service agreements or letters of 
appointment and the details of their terms are set out in the 
Directors’ Remuneration Report on page 95.

Board and Committee attendance
Attendance at scheduled meetings of the Board and its 
Committees held during 2018 is shown overleaf. The number 
of meetings that the Director was eligible to attend is shown in 
brackets. In addition, a number of ad hoc meetings took place 
during the year.

Development
Induction
On joining the Board, Directors receive a full, formal and tailored 
induction program. 

Ongoing development
Directors are regularly updated on the Group’s businesses and 
the markets in which they operate through briefings to the Board 
by senior management. Additional knowledge is also gained 
through updates by external specialists on technical and macro-
economic developments where necessary. Each Board meeting 
also includes a section covering legal, regulatory and governance 
development updates. Directors are encouraged to request 
additional information at any time, with the necessary resources 
being made available to them. 

76

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Corporate governance report continued

As part of their development in 2018, all Board members took the 
opportunity to participate in a site visit to the Company’s recently 
acquired concentrated solar power plants in Spain and to meet 
with the regional management team. Such visits provide the 
Board with a deeper understanding of the culture throughout 
the organization and further visibility of talent, and the Board 
intends to conduct such visits at least annually. 

The Chairman, with the support of the Company Secretary, 
ensures that the development and ongoing training needs 
of individual Directors and the Board as a whole are reviewed 
and agreed at least annually. 

Information and support
Agendas and accompanying papers are distributed to the 
Board and Committee members in advance of each Board or 
Committee meeting. These include reports from members of 
senior management and external advisors. Members of senior 
management are invited to attend meetings to present relevant 
matters to the Board. Directors have direct access to senior 
management should they require additional information on 
any of the items to be discussed. All Board Committees are 
supported by the Company Secretary.

The Board and the Audit & Risk Committee also receive 
further regular and specific reports to allow the monitoring of 
the adequacy of the Company’s systems of internal controls. 
The information supplied to the Board and its Committees will be 
kept under review and formally assessed on an annual basis as 
part of the Board evaluation exercise to ensure it is fit for purpose 
and supports the Directors in effectively discharging their duties 
under the Companies Act, Listing and Disclosure Rules and 
the Code.

Evaluation and effectiveness
A performance evaluation of the Board was undertaken for 2018. 
The evaluation process was as follows:
–  The Chairman and Company Secretary agreed areas 
of focus that were central to the Board’s effectiveness 
–  One-to-one interviews were conducted by the Company 

Secretary with each Director 

–  Responses were compiled by the Company Secretary 

and reviewed with the Chairman

–  A summary of the responses was presented to the 

Board for discussion

– Actions were agreed by the Board

Area of focus

Action

Board composition

Board meetings

Board materials

Strategy and training

Agreed to appoint an additional 
independent Non-Executive Director

Agreed to schedule regular update 
meetings on significant M&A projects 
to ensure the Board is kept abreast 
of developments 

Management agreed to review the 
format of the Board pack to ensure 
that executive summaries clearly flag 
key issues for Board discussion

Agreed to amend the structure of 
the 2019 Board strategy meeting 
and include a section on board 
effectiveness and governance

In accordance with the Code, an external evaluation will be carried 
out every three years.

Committee evaluations
Committee evaluations were carried out as part of the Board 
evaluation process; the outcome of those evaluations can be 
found in the relevant Committee report.

Director evaluations
The individual performance of the Directors was evaluated during 
the Board evaluation process. The Chairman provided feedback 
on the performance of individual Directors in one-to-one 
meetings. Following the evaluation, the Chairman confirms that 
each Director continues to make a valuable contribution to the 
Board and demonstrates commitment to their role. Feedback on 
the Chairman was provided by the Senior Independent Director 
who took into account the views of the other Directors.

Conflicts of interest
The Company’s Articles of Association set out the policy for 
dealing with Directors’ conflicts of interest and are in line with the 
Companies Act 2006. The Articles permit the Board to authorize 
conflicts and potential conflicts, as long as the conflicted or 
potentially conflicted Director is not counted in the quorum and 
does not vote on the resolution to authorize. The Board has a 
procedure by which Directors are briefed on their duty to avoid 
conflicts of interests and are required to immediately notify the 
Company Secretary when a conflict or potential conflict does 
arise in order that Board authorization can be sought. 

Director

Executive Director

Joe Brandt

Chairman

Craig Huff

Non-Executive Directors

Daniel Camus

Ruth Cairnie

Alan Gillespie

Alejandro Santo Domingo

Ronald Trächsel

Gregg Zeitlin

Board  
(7 meetings)

Audit & Risk 
Committee  
(5 meetings)

Remuneration 
Committee  
(7 meetings)

Nomination 
Committee  
(3 meetings)

7

7

6

7

7

7

7

7

–

–

5

–

5

–

5

–

–

–

7

7

7

–

–

–

3

3

1 (1)¹

3

1 (1)¹

1 The figure in brackets represents the maximum number of meetings the Director could have attended.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

77

If the Board determines that a conflict or potential conflict can be 
authorized, it may impose additional conditions to manage such 
conflicts of interest. In addition, Directors are reminded at the 
beginning of each Board meeting to notify the Board of any further 
conflicts of interest in accordance with sections 175, 177 and 182 
of the Companies Act 2006.

Moreover, we distribute the Guide to targeted third parties and 
require that they too sign it as part of our risk-based due diligence 
process. This ensures that our business partners understand our 
expectations and that working with us means working according 
to our values. 

Focusing on third parties
Managing third-party risks is a key element of our program. 
We do so according to our Policy for Engaging Suppliers and 
Third Party Service Providers, which requires that all third parties, 
with the exception of certain low-risk suppliers, receive risk-based 
due diligence through the Compliance Third-Party Intake Portal. 
All third parties must first be approved by Compliance before 
being engaged by the Company. 

Using the Portal, our Compliance team can conduct routine 
auditing, monitor third-party engagements and update due 
diligence when required. 

Company-wide commitment
In line with our Company-wide commitment, we analyze social 
responsibility projects, acquisitions, joint ventures and new 
developments for corruption risk. We make sure appropriate 
due diligence is conducted before proceeding.

Board independence
The Board currently consists of eight Directors (including the 
Chairman) four of whom are considered to be independent:

Non-Independent
Craig A. Huff (Chairman)
Joseph C. Brandt (President & Chief Executive Officer)
Gregg M. Zeitlin (Non-Executive Director)
Alejandro Santo Domingo (Non-Executive Director)

Independent
Alan Gillespie (Senior Independent Director)
Ruth Cairnie (Non-Executive Director)
Daniel Camus (Non-Executive Director) 
Ronald Trächsel (Non-Executive Director)

Compliance statement
This corporate governance statement, together with the 
Nomination Committee report on pages 78 and 79, the Audit 
& Risk Committee report on pages 80 to 85, and the Directors’ 
Remuneration report on pages 86 to 99, provide a description of 
how the main principles of the 2016 edition of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code (the Code) have been applied by the Company 
during 2018. The Code is published by the Financial Reporting 
Council and is available on its website at www.frc.org.uk. It is the 
Board’s view that, throughout the year ended 31st December 
2018, the Company was in compliance with the relevant provisions 
set out in the Code. This statement complies with sub-sections 2.1, 
2.2(1), 2.3(1), 2.5, 2.7, 2.8A and 2.10 of Rule 7 of the Disclosure 
Guidance and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct 
Authority. The information required to be disclosed by sub-section 
2.6 of Rule 7 is shown on pages 104 and 105.

Relations with shareholders
As part of its ongoing investor relations program, the Group aims 
to maintain an active dialogue with its stakeholders including 
institutional investors to discuss issues relating to the performance 
of the Group including strategy and new developments. 

The Non-Executive Directors are available to discuss any matter 
stakeholders might wish to raise, and the Chairman and 
independent Non-Executive Directors will attend meetings with 
investors and analysts as required. Investor relations activity is a 
standing item on the Board’s agenda and ensuring a satisfactory 
dialogue with shareholders and receiving reports on the views of 
shareholders is a matter reserved for the Board.

The Chairman, and the Chairmen of the Audit & Risk and 
Remuneration Committees, are present at the AGM to answer 
questions put to them by shareholders. To encourage 
shareholders to participate in the AGM process, the Company 
offers electronic proxy voting through the CREST service and 
all resolutions are proposed and voted on at the meeting on an 
individual basis by shareholders or their proxies. Voting results 
will be announced through the Regulatory News Service and 
made available on the Company’s website.

Acting with integrity

We are deeply committed to acting with integrity throughout 
our business and it is a key area of focus across all of our 
operations – from ensuring health and safety to building 
a culture of compliance that protects our investments and 
corporate reputation. To this end, we set and follow the highest 
standards of ethical conduct.

Detecting and preventing corruption
Much like our Health and Safety Program, our Anti-Corruption 
Compliance Program is designed to ensure our workers and 
employees do the right thing and are protected. It is designed to 
detect and prevent corruption in our Company – upholding the 
tenth principal of the United Nations Global Compact, to which we 
are signatories: ‘Businesses should work against corruption in all 
its forms, including extortion and bribery.’ Our anti-corruption 
commitment begins with the tone-at-the-top. In town-hall meetings 
and in-person training, our senior management regularly reinforce 
the message to our employees and third parties that corruption or 
other unethical conduct will not be tolerated even where it could 
facilitate the Company’s immediate business objectives.

The Board and Audit & Risk Committee oversee the Compliance 
Program through quarterly reporting on the program, key 
performance indicators, initiatives, and developments in the 
field by the Chief Compliance Officer, who oversees the program. 
We cascade the commitment throughout the Company by 
delivering training on our values, policies and procedures to our 
offices, plants and functions. These sessions were supplemented 
by an online anti-corruption course that employees are required 
to take upon joining the Company and periodically thereafter. 
Our Anti-Corruption Policy and its accompanying Anti-Corruption 
Compliance Guide are the cornerstones of our program. 
The Guide provides an overview of the program, applicable laws, 
our expectations and employees’ responsibilities. Employees 
are required to sign the Guide soon after they join the Company 
and periodically thereafter, acknowledging that they have read, 
understood and agree to abide by it. 

78

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Report of the Nomination Committee

Members of the Nomination Committee

Craig A. Huff (Chairman)

Ruth Cairnie (appointed 6th August 2018)

Daniel Camus

Alan Gillespie 

Alejandro Santo Domingo  
(appointed 6th August 2018)

Meeting attendance shown on page 76

Key areas of focus in the year
Board composition
• Commenced the recruitment process for a 

Chief Financial Officer 

• Considered the appointment of a further 

independent Non-Executive Director

Committee composition
• Recommended a change in composition  

of the Remuneration Committee

• Recommended a change in composition  

of the Nomination Committee

Dear shareholders,

On behalf of the Board I am 
pleased to present a report on 
the Nomination Committee’s 
activities in 2018.

Roles and responsibilities
The role of the Nomination Committee is set out in its terms 
of reference which are available on the Company’s website. 
The Committee plays an important role in making recommendations 
of appropriate candidates for appointment to the Board. It also 
keeps under review the composition of the Board and its 
Committees; the balance of skills, knowledge and experience 
on the Board; and the size, structure and composition of the Board. 
The Nomination Committee is also responsible for making 
recommendations to the Board concerning succession planning.

Specific duties of the Nomination Committee include:
• Regularly reviewing the structure, size and composition 

(including the skills, knowledge, experience and diversity) 
of the Board and making recommendations to the Board with 
regard to any changes

• Putting in place plans for orderly succession of appointments 
to the Board and senior management, taking into account the 
challenges and opportunities facing the Company and the skills 
and experience needed within the Board and the Company

• Leading the process for Board appointments as and when they 

arise, identify and nominate candidates and make 
recommendations for Board approval

• Review annually the time required from Non-Executive Directors.

Meetings
The Nomination Committee will normally meet at least twice per 
year and otherwise as required in order to discharge its duties. 
It met three times in 2018. Only members of the Nomination 
Committee have the right to attend meetings, but other Directors, 
executives or advisers may be invited to attend all or part of any 
meeting as appropriate.

2018 activities
During 2018 the Committee:
• commenced the recruitment process for a Chief Financial Officer
• recommended a change in composition of the Remuneration 

Committee

• recommended a change in composition of the Nomination 

Committee

• considered the appointment of a further independent  

Non-Executive Director.

Committee composition
During the year, the Committee considered the composition 
of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees. It reviewed 
the balance of skills and experience on the Board and 
determined that Ruth Cairnie would be a valuable addition to 
the Remuneration Committee given her extensive experience 
of remuneration committee matters in UK listed companies. 
The Committee’s recommendation to the Board was approved 
and Ruth became a member of the Remuneration Committee in 
April 2018, replacing Ronald Trächsel. In addition, the Committee 
reviewed its own composition and agreed that it would benefit 
from the experience of additional Non-Executive Directors. 
It therefore recommended the appointment of Ruth Cairnie 
and Alejandro Santo Domingo to the Committee. The Board 
accepted its recommendation.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

79

Diversity at ContourGlobal 

12.5%

% women on the Board  
at 31st December 2018

20% 

% women expected to be on the 
Board from 30th June 2019 

56%

% women in executive 
management 
at 31st December 2018

19%

% female employees 
in ContourGlobal 
at 31st December 2018

Board composition
The Committee reviewed the balance and composition of the 
Board and determined that an additional independent Non-
Executive Director would add value. A role specification was 
drawn up which included knowledge of, and experience in, 
one of the Group’s key growth regions; global power sector 
knowledge; and experience in M&A. Egon Zehnder was 
appointed as external search consultant to assist with the 
selection and recruitment process. 

Shortlisted candidates were interviewed and the preferred 
candidate subsequently met with other members of the Board. 

Since the year end, Mariana Gheorghe has been appointed to the 
Board with effect from 30th June 2019. In recommending Mariana 
for appointment to the Board, a number of factors were taken into 
account, including: 

• the relevance of her experience, including her strategic and 

operational experience as Chief Executive Officer and President 
of OMV Petrom, a Romanian oil and gas company, and her 
financial experience gained through a number of senior 
finance roles; and 

• the benefits of diversity that she would bring to the Board in 
terms of skills, industry experience, gender and nationality. 

During the year, the Committee appointed Spencer Stuart to begin 
the recruitment process for a Chief Financial Officer and a brief 
was provided on preferred attributes. Further details will be 
provided in next year’s Committee report.

Neither Egon Zehnder nor Spencer Stuart has any other 
connection with the Group. 

Diversity
The Company recognizes that no individual should be 
discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, ethnicity, 
religious belief, political affiliation, gender orientation, sexual 
orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, medical condition, 
physical or mental disability, marital status, worker’s compensation 
status, veteran status, citizenship status, or any other legally 
protected status and this extends to Board appointments. 
The Board further recognizes the benefits of diversity, including 
gender diversity, on the Board, although it believes that all 
appointments should be made on merit, while ensuring that 
there is an appropriate balance of skills and experience within 
the Board.

Across the Group employees are geographically diverse and 
Group offices are populated with many nationalities.

Annual evaluation
The Committee’s annual evaluation was carried out as part of the 
Board review process described on page 76. No changes were 
considered necessary to the Committee’s terms of reference and 
the Committee was considered to be effective in fulfilling its role 
throughout 2018.

Craig A. Huff
Chairman of the Nomination Committee

4th April 2019

 
80

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Report of the Audit & Risk Committee

Dear shareholders,

On behalf of the Board, 
I am pleased to present the 
Company’s Audit & Risk 
Committee report. 

During 2018, the Committee’s meetings focused primarily on 
approval of the significant accounting judgments contained in the 
annual report and accounts, reviewing the risk management and 
internal control framework, oversight and development of internal 
audit activities, and reviewing compliance activities. 

Further details on the activities of the Committee during the year 
and how it has discharged its responsibilities are provided in the 
report below.

Ronald Trächsel
Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee

4th April 2019

Members of the Audit and Risk Committee

Ronald Trächsel (Chairman)

Daniel Camus 

Alan Gillespie

Meeting attendance shown on page 76

Key areas of focus in the year
Financial reporting
• Considered the significant accounting 

judgments and policies adopted in respect 
of the Group’s half-year and annual financial 
statements and agreed their appropriateness

External audit
• Approved PricewaterhouseCoopers’ audit plan 
and audit fee for the 2018 financial statements 

Internal control and risk management
• Received updates on progress in respect of the 
continued development and improvement of 
the Group’s risk management systems and 
assurance programs 

• Reported to the Board on our evaluation of the 
effectiveness of the Group’s systems of internal 
control and risk management

Internal audit
• Appointed the Head of Internal Audit and a 

co-sourcing partner to conduct internal audits

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

81

Committee composition and meetings
All members of the Committee are independent Non-Executive 
Directors with a wide range of skills and experience. In the Board’s 
view, the Committee has competence relevant to ContourGlobal’s 
sector; Ronald Trächsel and Daniel Camus have extensive 
experience of international energy companies and Alan Gillespie 
has a significant amount of experience in industrial development 
and development finance. As required by the UK Corporate 
Governance Code, Ronald Trächsel has recent and relevant 
financial experience. 

Internal controls and risk management systems
• Reviewing the risk register and ensuring the Board receives 
regular updates on action taken to mitigate risk faced by 
the Group.

• Assisting the Board with developing and monitoring the 

Company’s risk management framework.

• Providing an independent assessment and opinion on the 

effectiveness and efficiency of the Company’s internal control 
and risk management systems. 

• Assisting the Board and senior management with identifying 

The Secretary to the Committee is Kerry Watson, Company 
Secretary. 

and monitoring areas of risk and challenging control 
weaknesses.

In order to maintain effective communication, the Chief Executive 
Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Head of Internal Audit, the external 
audit engagement partner and other members of senior 
management are invited to attend Committee meetings as 
necessary. Other members of the Board also attend as guests 
on an ad hoc basis. At the conclusion of meetings, the external 
audit engagement partner is given the opportunity to discuss 
matters without executive management being present. 

The Committee will normally meet no fewer than three times a 
year. It met five times during 2018; attendance at those meetings 
can be found on page 76.

Internal audit
• Reviewing and approving the role and mandate of the internal 

audit function where relevant.

• Approving the internal audit charter on an annual basis.
• Monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the internal audit 

function where relevant.

• Providing advice for the continuous improvement of the internal 

audit activity.

• Reviewing, assessing and approving the internal audit plan, 

activities and reports.

• Reviewing management’s action plans to address the results 

of internal audit engagements.

Outside of the formal meeting program, the Audit & Risk 
Committee Chairman will maintain a dialogue with key individuals 
involved in the Company’s governance, including the Chairman, 
the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the external 
audit lead partner and the Head of Internal Audit.

The Chairman reports formally to the Board on Committee 
proceedings after each meeting and Committee meeting papers 
and minutes are made available to all members of the Board.

Compliance
• Reviewing the effectiveness of the Group’s whistleblowing 

policies. 

• Monitoring the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s 

compliance function.

• Reviewing the Company’s systems and controls for the 

prevention of bribery and fraud.

• Reviewing regular reports from the Company’s Chief Compliance 

Officer

Role 
The primary role of the Committee is to ensure the integrity 
of the financial reporting and audit processes, ensure the 
maintenance of a sound internal control and risk management 
framework, and review the Company’s internal control and risk 
management systems, in order to safeguard shareholder interests. 
The Committee assists the Board by providing advice and 
guidance on the following areas:

The ultimate responsibility for reviewing and approving the annual 
report and accounts and the half-yearly reports remains with the 
Board. The Audit & Risk Committee will give due consideration to 
laws and regulations, the provisions of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code and the requirements of the Listing Rules.

The Committee’s terms of reference are available on our website 
at www.contourglobal.com.

Financial and narrative reporting
• Monitoring and reviewing the integrity of the financial statements 
• Reviewing and challenging the significant accounting judgments 

contained in the financial statements, ensuring that the 
judgments, methods and policies applied by management are 
appropriate.

• Reviewing clarity and completeness of disclosure and advising 
the Board whether, taken as a whole, the annual report is fair, 
balanced and understandable.

External audit
• Monitoring the appropriateness of the Group’s relationship 

with the external auditors, including auditors’ independence, 
terms of engagement, fees and provision of non-audit services.

• Reviewing the effectiveness of the external audit process, 

making recommendations to the Board on the appointment, 
reappointment or removal of the external auditors.

• Ensuring the audit contract is tendered at least every ten years.
• Approving the policy on the supply of non-audit services.
• Approving the audit plan.
• Reviewing the findings of the external audit.

82

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Report of the Audit & Risk Committee continued

Activities 

Our activities during the year and up to the date of this report have principally related to financial reporting, the external audit, internal 
control and risk management, and the development of the internal audit function.

Financial reporting

We have: 
• considered information presented by management on significant accounting judgments and policies adopted in respect of the 

Group’s half-year and annual financial statements and agreed their appropriateness

• considered accounting matters relating to key areas including accounting presentation in relation to the sell-down of certain 
assets, impairment testing, the clarity and completeness of reporting and the impact of IFRS 15 on the financial statements

• examined key points of disclosure and presentation to ensure the adequacy, clarity and completeness of the financial statements 
• discussed audit reports with the external auditors which highlighted key accounting matters and significant judgments in respect 

of each set of financial statements 

• reviewed documentation prepared to support the going concern judgment and the viability statement given on page 67.

Significant issues relating to the financial statements
Significant accounting matters and judgments are identified by the finance team and the external audit process and are reviewed by 
the Audit & Risk Committee. The detailed assessment of such matters are performed by management and evaluated by the external 
auditors and the Audit & Risk Committee based on their review of the joint work performed. The significant matters and judgments 
considered by the Committee in respect of the 2018 financial statements are set out in the table below.

Significant matters and judgments

How the issues were addressed

Impairment of property, plant and equipment, 
and financial and contract assets

At 31st December 2018, the Group had $3,253.1 million of property, 
plant and equipment, the majority of which related to power plant 
assets, and $498.2 million of financial and contract assets, the 
majority of which related to concession arrangements. Impairment 
assessments of these assets requires significant judgment 
including assumptions of future cash flows, discount rates and 
inflation which are by essence judgmental.

Accounting for business combinations and valuation 
of assets acquired and liabilities assumed

In May 2018, the Group acquired a portfolio of Concentrated Solar 
Power (CSP) plants in Spain. Consideration was given to the 
allocation of the purchase price for the CSP portfolio.

IFRS 15 – Revenue recognition 

IFRS 15 became applicable to the Group from 1st January 2018; its 
impact required judgment to be exercised particularly in relation to 
the Group’s concession agreements. 

Sell-down and Adjusted EBITDA

In October 2018 the Group closed the sell-down of Italy and 
Slovakia assets. In December 2018 the Group signed the sell-
down of Spanish CSP assets. Minority sell-downs sold at a 
significant premium are part of the core strategy of the Group.

The Committee has reviewed the indicators of impairment 
and main assumptions retained and described in the financial 
statements. The Audit & Risk Committee concurred with 
the testing performed with regards to wind farms in Brazil, 
and agreed with management’s judgment that no impairment 
charge was necessary. 

In relation to the acquisition, the Committee considered the 
appropriateness of the items to which the purchase price has 
been allocated as well as main assumptions used in relation 
with discount rates and future cash flows. 

The Committee reviewed the conclusions of the technical analysis 
conducted for the vast majority of the Group’s existing assets. It 
considered the approach taken by management in assessing the 
impact and concurred that the new standard would result in 
changes in relation to its concession agreements, as well for 
specific topics in relation with Arrubal and Maritsa power plants.

The Committee understood the new sell-down strategy and 
reviewed the integration within Adjusted EBITDA of the net 
gain of sell-down of assets, considering (i) it reflects the capacity 
of the Group to sell at a significant premium, (ii) it is part of the 
core strategy of the Group from 2018 onwards and, (iii) certain 
competitors include such gain in EBITDA calculation. On that basis 
the Committee concurred with the analysis and recommended 
to transparently disclose the reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA 
to GAAP metrics and to add Proportionate Adjusted EBITDA 
as a key KPI considering the new sell-down strategy.

 
 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

83

External audit

We have: 
• approved PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) audit plan 

and audit fee for the 2018 financial statements 

• reviewed the independence, objectivity and effectiveness 

of PwC

• recommended to the Board the reappointment of PwC
• approved revisions to the policy on the provision of 

non-audit services 

• noted the non-audit fees payable to PwC, having regard 

to the policy on the provision of non-audit services

The Audit & Risk Committee is responsible for overseeing the 
Group’s relationship with its external independent auditors, PwC. 
This includes the ongoing assessment of the auditors’ 
independence and the effectiveness of the external audit process, 
the results of which inform the Committee’s recommendation to 
the Board as to the auditors’ appointment (subject to shareholder 
approval) or otherwise.

Appointment and tenure
The French firm of PwC was first appointed as the external 
auditors of the Group in 2013. The UK firm was first appointed at 
the time of the IPO and hence the UK firm was the first appointee 
to the audit of ContourGlobal plc. Matthew Hall is the current lead 
audit partner.

PwC is required to rotate the lead audit partner every five years 
for a listed client. Therefore, a new lead audit partner is expected 
to be selected for the 2022 audit. The Committee intends to put 
the external audit out to tender at least every 10 years.

The Company confirms that it has complied with the provisions of 
the Competition and Markets Authority’s Statutory Audit Services 
for Large Companies Market Investigation (Mandatory Use of 
Competitive Tender Processes and Audit & Risk Committee 
Responsibilities) Order 2014 for the financial year under review.

Non-audit services
The engagement of the external audit firm to provide non-audit 
services to the Group can impact on the independence 
assessment, and the Group has therefore adopted a policy for the 
approval by the Audit & Risk Committee of any such non-audit 
services. The policy specifies prohibited services which cannot be 
carried out by the external auditors (generally activities that would 
involve the external auditors taking on management responsibility) 
and sets the framework within which non-audit services may 
be provided. The Committee has pre-approved the types and 
quantum of non-audit services which are subject to review by the 
Chief Financial Officer as long as they are below the trivial amount. 
Requests above a certain limit must be approved by the Audit & 
Risk Committee Chairman and above a further limit by the Audit & 
Risk Committee. Details of all non-audit services approved by the 
Chief Financial Officer or Audit & Risk Committee Chairman are 
reported and ratified at the next meeting of the Audit & 
Risk Committee.

During the year, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP were engaged 
to provide certain non-audit services principally in respect of 
the significant acquisition of a 250 MW portfolio of five CSP plants 
in Spain (completed in May 2018). PwC’s work included 
the preparation of a report on the Company’s financial position 
and prospects, a working capital report, and a short form report 
on the prior three years of the target company’s financial 
statements. In addition, PwC supported the bond refinancing 
by way of an interim review of the Group’s financial statements 
at the end of the first quarter of 2018. 

In approving the use of PwC to provide these services, the 
Board took the view that PwC’s knowledge of the Company, 
its operations and its financial policies meant that it was best 
placed to provide the services, and it was comfortable that their 
independence would not be compromised. Details of the fees 
paid to PwC in 2018 can be found in note 4.33 to the financial 
statements. The fees paid to PwC in respect of non-audit services 
during the year totaled $1.2 million, representing 29% of the total 
auditors’ fees. Non-audit services mainly related to acquisitions 
and corporate bond refinancing. All such activities remained 
within the policy approved by the Committee and there were 
no contingent fee arrangements in respect of any of the non-audit 
services provided.

During the year, the non-audit services policy was amended to 
delete the cumulative annual limit for non-audit fees and provide 
that non-audit services should be approved by the Committee on 
an exceptions basis.

Independence and objectivity 
The Committee is responsible for safeguarding the independence 
and objectivity of the external auditors to ensure the integrity of 
the external audit process. It is responsible for the development, 
implementation and monitoring of the Company’s policies on 
external audit which set out the approach to be taken when using 
the external auditors for non-audit work. 

Having reviewed the auditors’ independence and performance 
and concluded that there are no issues, the Audit & Risk 
Committee has recommended that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
be re-appointed as the Company’s auditors at the next annual 
general meeting.

There are no contractual obligations restricting the choice of 
external auditors.

Internal controls and risk management

During the year we: 
• considered the internal control assessment conducted 

by the Internal Control function 

• reviewed the results of a combined Compliance and 
Finance audit undertaken by a third-party assurance 
provider

• reported to the Board on our evaluation of the 

effectiveness of the Group’s systems of internal control 
and risk management, informed by reports from PwC 
and the third-party assurance provider

• reviewed the risk management process and the 

risk register

The Board is ultimately responsible for the management of risk 
across the Group and for reviewing the effectiveness of its internal 
control and risk management systems. The Board has carried out 
a robust assessment of the principal risks facing the Company, 
including those that would threaten its business model, future 
performance, solvency or liquidity. Further details of the 
Company’s risk management approach, structure and principal 
risks are set out in the strategic report on pages 60 to 67.

The Board delegates responsibility for assisting with the annual 
review of the effectiveness of its internal control and risk 
management systems to the Committee. In reviewing their 
effectiveness, the Committee considered: 
• the internal control assessment conducted by the Internal 

Control function. Against an environment of a newly listed entity, 
recently acquired assets and established businesses, the 
assessment took into account the expected maturity level of 
internal controls across the Group. The review provided the 
Committee with assurance that the internal control processes 
reviewed were continuing to operate effectively 

84

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Report of the Audit & Risk Committee continued

• progress against the internal control objectives set for 2018
• the output of PwC’s internal controls report 
• reports on the combined Compliance and Finance audit 

from the third-party provider 

• updates on progress in respect of the continued development 
and improvement of the Group’s risk management systems 
and assurance programs. 

The main features of the internal control and risk management 
systems in relation to the financial reporting process, which were 
in place for the year under review and up to the date of approval 
of the annual report and accounts, include: 

Internal control: the Internal Control function has designed 
and formalized the Book Of Internal Control Rules to enforce 
a Company way of working together by using common working 
practices in line with the essential internal control standards. 
This proposes a set of operations, reporting and compliance 
control activities (including IT systems) that each entity should 
apply and comply with to the full extent of their capabilities.

The Company has maintained strong internal control 
documentation from corporate to business level, central to 
which is the internally developed Internal Control Online Tool, 
used to document and monitor the operation of key internal 
control procedures. The tool serves as a record of every 
instance of controls being performed and reviewed.

The Internal Control function performs bi-monthly spot checks and 
one mid-year review on the operation of the key controls across 
the Group, achieving coverage across control areas and divisions.

In addition, an Internal Control Monthly Status Report is released 
on a monthly basis and shared with senior management, 
reinforcing monitoring and reporting. The report provides the 
main KPIs and results of spot check reviews as well as qualitative 
analysis for the main processes. 

Financial reporting: Business Reviews, including the consolidated 
management accounts, provide timely and accurate financial and 
non-financial information to senior management on a monthly 
basis and quarterly to the Board. The results of Operations 
(financial and non-financial) are reviewed against budget and 
prior year on a monthly basis. Management monitors financial 
and business activities through budget, forecasts and annual 
objectives. The annual budget is approved by the Board. 
The Group prepares its financial statements under IFRS and 
issues results statements annually and half-yearly.

The Group has a comprehensive Reporting and Accounting 
Manual (‘RAM’), covering a wide range of policies and procedures, 
including accounting policies, reporting and KPIs and key cycles 
in order to provide reliable and timely consolidated financials.

Compliance: ContourGlobal management is committed to acting 
with integrity and transparency and enforces this through a strong 
tone-at-the-top. The Company has a dedicated Compliance 
function that is headed by the Chief Compliance Officer who 
reports directly to the CEO and who also has direct access to the 
Board and the Audit & Risk Committee. All employees are 
required to acknowledge and adhere to a number of compliance 
policies and take compliance training as part of their commitments 
to the Company.

Further details on compliance are provided in the business review 
section.

Information systems: A risk management process exists within 
IT to monitor and manage IT specific risks at a granular level. 
A suite of IT policies and procedures has been established by 
management. A framework is in place to ensure these policies 
are appropriately reviewed, updated and approved on a 
periodic basis.

Management has initiated several cyber security projects with a 
focus on existing scanning capabilities, updating security policies, 
implementing a security information and event management 
system (‘SIEM’), hardening of the network devices and encryption 
of corporate systems and equipment. 

Debt Compliance: The Debt Compliance monitoring process 
is designed to ensure that there are no unexpected covenant 
compliance issues. This process is managed by the VP Debt 
Compliance, under the responsibility of the two divisional CFOs 
for asset level debt and the Group CFO for corporate level debt. 
The role of the VP Debt Compliance is to coordinate the 
monitoring of ContourGlobal’s financial agreements and corporate 
bond and ensure timely compliance with both financial and 
non-financial covenant reporting deadlines, debt payments and 
other requirements. ContourGlobal has developed a debt 
monitoring tool within SharePoint called CG Debts. The tool tracks 
all requirements of external debts across the Group, including 
financial and non-financial covenants as well as positive and 
negative undertaking in the agreements.

Hedging: The Treasury department has put a hedging policy in 
place, which is overseen by the Hedging Committee. The hedging 
policy clarifies the rules and responsibilities for any hedging 
activity. The hedging policy is reviewed bi-annually by the 
Hedging Committee, whose members have the necessary 
knowledge and experience to assess the financial impact of 
each hedge transaction. Any new significant hedging transaction 
requires approval from the Hedging Committee before being 
executed. All hedging contracts are managed centrally and are 
executed by the Treasury department. Hedging transactions are 
tracked by the Treasury department on a monthly basis to monitor 
the realized gains/losses and the mark to market positions. 
Treasury collaborates closely with the Group financial teams 
to ensure the appropriate accounting treatment is applied to 
each of the hedging contracts.

The Audit & Risk Committee, on behalf of the Board, has reviewed 
the effectiveness of the internal control systems and risk 
management processes in place, taking account of any material 
developments since the year end. The Committee has not 
identified, nor been advised of, any failings or weaknesses 
that it has determined to be significant. As part of its review, 
the Committee noted that no significant internal control matters 
had been raised by PwC in the context of the annual audit. 

Internal audit

During the year we: 
• appointed a co-sourcing partner to conduct internal audits 

following a competitive tender process

• appointed the Head of Internal Audit 
• approved the internal audit charter
• approved the 2019 internal audit risk-based plan

The Committee considered the need for an internal audit function 
during 2018 and concluded that a co-sourcing partner would 
provide better support to the Group taking into account access 
to specialist skills and expertise, resource requirements and cost 
optimization. As reported last year, the Committee agreed that 
the function should be led by a Company Head of Internal Audit 
to develop an internal audit strategy and coordinate activities. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

85

Annual evaluation
The Committee’s annual evaluation was carried out as part of 
the Board evaluation process described on page 76. A report 
on the Committee’s performance was provided by the Company 
Secretary. Feedback showed that the Board had confidence in 
the effectiveness of the Committee.

Fair, balanced and understandable
At the request of the Board, the Audit & Risk Committee has 
conducted a review of the Annual Report to assess whether 
it presents a fair, balanced and understandable view of the 
Company’s position and prospects. The Audit & Risk Committee’s 
review took account of the process by which the Annual Report 
is prepared which includes analysis of changes to applicable 
reporting requirements and standards, and a robust schedule 
of review and verification by senior management and external 
advisors to ensure disclosures are accurate. 

The Audit & Risk Committee is satisfied that the Annual Report is 
fair, balanced and understandable, and provides the information 
necessary for shareholders to assess the Company’s position and 
performance, business model and strategy and has advised the 
Board accordingly.

Ronald Trächsel
Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee

4th April 2019

In June 2018, KPMG LLP was appointed as co-sourcing partner 
to support the initial development phase of internal audit activities 
including the drafting of an internal audit charter and three-year 
internal audit plan, both of which were approved by the Committee. 

A Head of Internal Audit was appointed with effect from 
December 2018. To safeguard independence, the Head of Internal 
Audit reports to the Committee although a reporting line to the 
CEO is maintained in respect of day-to-day operations. The Head 
of Internal Audit retains ultimate responsibility to the Committee 
for ensuring the delivery of the internal audit strategy and plan.

While there were no internal audits conducted during the year, 
following a competitive tender process Deloitte LLP was 
appointed in January 2019 to continue the development of 
internal audit activities.

Compliance 

During the year we: 
• received regular compliance reports from the General 

Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer 

• considered and discussed two audit reports prepared by a 
third-party assurance provider on adherence to compliance 
and finance policies and procedures at certain sites

The Committee received reports from the General Counsel & 
Chief Compliance Officer which detailed progress against 
the 2018 Compliance KPIs and the status of investigations 
into employee disclosures through whistleblowing channels, 
including statistics on the volume and general nature of all 
disclosures made.

Two audits of adherence to certain compliance and finance 
procedures policies were undertaken by a third-party assurance 
provider. The aim of the audit was to test compliance with and 
general understanding of the Company’s control and ethical 
environment. The Committee noted the results of the audit reports 
which confirmed that employees were focused on and aware of 
compliance, finance policies and risks in these areas.

Whistleblowing
The Company maintains a web and telephone-based reporting 
hotline for employees and third parties to report potential 
violations of Company policy or the law, including those related 
to matters of financial reporting or controls. The whistleblowing 
policy applies to all employees of the Group, and allows for 
anonymous reporting, where permitted by local law. 

The Audit & Risk Committee is responsible for monitoring 
the Group’s whistleblowing policy, and the policy is reviewed 
periodically by the Board. The Audit & Risk Committee believes 
that the policy and its oversight are effective, facilitate the 
proportionate and independent investigation of reported matters, 
and allow appropriate remedial measures to be taken.

Advice provided to the Committee 
The Committee has independent access to the services of the 
Company Secretary, Head of Internal Audit and to the external 
auditors, and may obtain outside professional advice as necessary 
in the performance of its duties.

86

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Report of the Remuneration Committee

Dear shareholder,

I am pleased to present the 
Directors’ Remuneration report 
for 2018.

At the 2018 AGM we presented our first Directors’ Remuneration 
report, including our Remuneration Policy. The Committee was 
pleased that it received the support of 99.8% of our shareholders 
for our Remuneration Policy, and 99.9% for our Annual 
Remuneration Report. For 2019 we are not proposing to make any 
substantive changes to the way in which we operate our policy.

Performance in 2018
The Company made strong progress in 2018, delivering Adjusted 
EBITDA of $610.1 million, an increase of 19% from 2017 and within 
the target range set out at the half year results. Funds from 
operations increased by 18% to $302.3 million and the Company’s 
growth strategy continued to be executed with the completion 
and integration of the acquisition of the CSP portfolio in Spain. 
A Lost Time Incident (LTI) rate of 0.03 was maintained, missing 
out on Target Zero with one LTI in 2018, but a very strong health 
and safety record overall. 

Our remuneration reporting
This year we have enhanced the disclosures throughout our 
Directors’ Remuneration report. This includes significantly more 
retrospective detail of our annual bonus targets, as well as details 
of our prospective LTIP measures and targets. 

We have also provided more detail on the Private Incentive Plan 
(PIP) arrangements. The PIP is a legacy plan established by 
Reservoir Capital Group (our major shareholder) in connection with 
its original investment in the business and modified in anticipation 
of listing. ContourGlobal plc is not a party to the PIP and has no 
financial obligation to pay cash or issue shares to settle the PIP. 
Consequently the Remuneration Committee has no authority over 
the plan. However, the Company has recognized it as an expense 
in the year as required by accounting standards, and benefits 
resulting from this legacy arrangement will be disclosed in 
future remuneration reports. More information about the PIP 
can be found on pages 97 and 98. As part of establishing and 
strengthening transparency, in this section we have also included 
details of a carried interest arrangement which has been in 
existence since 2008, funded by a minority co-owner of assets. 

In the interests of succinct reporting, this report includes a 
summary of our Remuneration Policy. The full Policy is shown 
in the 2017 annual report which is available on the Company’s 
website at www.contourglobal.com.

Members of the Remuneration Committee

Daniel Camus (Chairman)

Ruth Cairnie

Alan Gillespie

Meeting attendance shown on page 76

Key areas of focus in the year
Annual bonus
• Considered and approved bonus pay-out 

for 2018 and set targets for 2019

Long-term incentive arrangements
• Approved the grant of a long-term incentive 
award to the President & CEO and senior 
management

Reporting
• Considered the disclosure of the legacy PIP, 
following Reservoir Capital’s finalization of 
the allocation to the President & CEO 

Compliance and governance 
• Reviewed practices and changes to corporate 

governance environment with regards to 
remuneration arrangements and the 
Committee’s remit 

• Conducted a competitive tender exercise 

for external advisers 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

87

Outturns for 2018 and implementation for 2019
There will be no increase to the President & CEO’s salary for 2019.

The annual bonus out-turn was at 52% of maximum, reflecting 
ContourGlobal’s progress in the year. The President & CEO has 
voluntarily agreed to defer 20% of his annual bonus for 2018.

The 2019 annual bonus opportunity and LTIP award for the 
President & CEO will be at the same level as last year (100% of 
salary in each case). The performance measures and weightings 
are also consistent with last year.

Response to the UK Corporate Governance Code
During 2018 the Committee considered the impact of the revised 
UK Corporate Governance Code. Our policies are already in line 
with the new Code in a number of areas. Our LTIP includes a 
post-vesting holding period bringing the total time frame to five 
years. In terms of the Code provisions on pension, the operation 
of our policy is currently in line with the Code, since the President 
& CEO does not receive any pension contributions. The Committee 
is mindful of the Code and shareholder views when determining 
the package for a new Chief Financial Officer.

The Committee has increased its remit and will be reviewing 
workforce remuneration and related polices during the year. 
Our current policy, via our share plan rules, allows for vested 
and unvested shares to continue following the cessation of 
employment. However we intend to review our policy on post-
cessation holdings prior to our next Remuneration Policy approval. 

In line with the remuneration reporting regulations, this report will 
be subject to an advisory shareholder vote at our forthcoming 
AGM, and I hope you will support our report. 

Yours sincerely

Daniel Camus
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

4th April 2019

Index to the Remuneration report

Part 1: Remuneration at a glance
• Summary of remuneration policy and 

implementation for 2019 ........................................ 88

• Alignment of remuneration strategy with  

our core principles ................................................... 89

Part 2: Annual Report on Remuneration 
• Governance ............................................................... 90
• Single total figures of remuneration.................... 91
• 2018 annual bonus ................................................... 91
• Long term incentive awards ................................. 92
• 2018 deferred bonus awards ............................... 93
• Implementation of Non-Executive Director 

remuneration policy ................................................ 93
• Director shareholdings and share interests .... 94
• Director service contracts ..................................... 95
• Payments for loss of office .................................... 95
• Policy on external appointments ......................... 95
• Percentage change in remuneration ................. 95
• Comparison of overall performance and pay . 96
• Relative importance of spend on pay ............... 96
• External advisors to the Committee ................... 96
• Statement of voting on the Remuneration 

report .............................................................................97
• Legacy equity arrangements.................................97
• Statement of compliance and approval ............ 99

Part 3: Remuneration Policy
• Summary of Remuneration Policy ..................... 100

 
88

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Remuneration at a glance

Remuneration 
component

Summary of Remuneration Policy

Remuneration for 2019 for the President & CEO 

Salary

• Normally reviewed annually, with any changes taking 

effect from 1st January.

• Set taking into account a number of factors including 
individual and Company performance, an individual’s 
skills and experience, the responsibilities of the role.

• When considering any increase, the Committee is guided 

by the general increase for the broader employee 
population. 

Base salary effective  
1st January 2019

Increase from  
2018

$1,200,000

0%

• The general increase awarded to the broader 

UK employee population was 0%.

Pension and 
benefits

• The Company may make contributions, or payment in 

• The current President & CEO does not receive any 

lieu of contributions, to a pension scheme up to the value 
of 20% of base salary per annum.

• Benefits may include, but are not limited to, private 

medical insurance, dental insurance, Company car or 
allowance, life assurance and income protection. Benefits 
in relation to relocation or expatriation may be provided.

pension contributions.

• The President & CEO will continue to benefit from 

medical insurance, dental insurance, life assurance, 
and disability cover which cumulatively amount to 
circa $30,000 per year. 

Annual 
performance 
bonus

• Maximum opportunity of 100% of base salary.
• Subject to stretching performance conditions, set 

by the Committee at the start of each financial year.
• At least 70% of the bonus will be subject to corporate 

objectives with the balance based on individual 
objectives.

• The Committee may adjust the bonus outcome 

taking into account any relevant factors, 
including the Company’s underlying performance.
• Any bonus earned in excess of 50% of maximum 
is deferred into shares for a period of two years. 

• Malus and clawback provisions apply.

Long-Term 
Incentive Plan 
(LTIP)

• Maximum opportunity of 100% of base salary.
• Performance measured over three years. 
• The Committee has the flexibility to vary the performance 

measures and weightings for each award taking into 
account the business priorities at the time of grant.
• The Committee may reduce the vesting outcome if it 
considers that it is not consistent with the Company’s 
overall performance.

• An additional two-year holding period applies  

post-vesting.

• Malus and clawback provisions apply.

• The overall framework of the annual bonus for 2019 

is consistent with last year.

• The maximum opportunity will be 100% of salary for 

the President & CEO. 

• Performance measures for 2019 are:

Adjusted EBITDA

Funds from Operations (FFO)

Operational metrics

Growth metrics

Personal objectives

17.5%

17.5%

21%

14%

30%

• Targets and performance against these measures will 

be disclosed retrospectively.

• The maximum opportunity will be 100% of salary for the 

President & CEO, consistent with last year. 

• Performance measures and targets for the 2019 LTIP 
award are as follows. Awards vest on a straight-line 
basis between 25% and 100% achievement of 
compound annual growth in Adjusted EBITDA.

Adjusted 
EBITDA  
per share 
growth % 
p.a.
(50%)

25% and 
above

Health 
and 
safety
 (25%)

Zero 
lost time 
incidents

–

–

0.03

0.06

10%

0.09

Below 10%

Below 
0.09

100% 
vesting

75% 
vesting

50% 
vesting

25% 
vesting

0% 
vesting

Growth 
(25%)

All IRR and schedule  
objectives met

All IRR and schedule 
objectives met within  
5% variance

–

All IRR and schedule 
objectives met within  
10% variance
IRR and schedule 
objectives have more  
than 10% variance

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

89

Remuneration 
component

Share 
ownership 
guidelines

Legacy 
arrangements 

Summary of Remuneration Policy

Remuneration for 2019 for the President & CEO 

• Executive Directors are required to build and retain a 

The President & CEO has met the guidelines in full.

shareholding in the Company equivalent to at least 200% 
of salary.

• The President & CEO has interests in a ‘Private Incentive 
Plan’ (PIP). These relate to legacy commitments prior to 
ContourGlobal’s listing, reflecting that the President & 
CEO co-founded the Company in 2005. 

• The Company is not a party to the PIP and has no 

While the allocation and terms of the President & CEO’s 
award were substantially agreed prior to IPO, Reservoir 
Capital finalized the implementation of the award on 
27th December 2018. The PIP does not form part of 
ContourGlobal plc’s ongoing policy.

financial obligation in connection with it.

• The President & CEO also has a carried interest 

arrangement which was established in 2008 and which 
is funded by a minority co-owner of certain assets of 
the Company. The Company has no financial obligation 
in relation to these interests.

Alignment of remuneration strategy with our core principles
ContourGlobal’s core business principles guide our day-to-day operations and our sustainable business strategy, driving positive, 
long-term and measurable business impacts. 

Our principles are aligned with the metrics used under our remuneration approach for Executive Directors, as illustrated below. 

ContourGlobal – our core business principles

Operate safely 
and efficiently and 
minimize 
environmental 
impact

Grow well

Manage  
our business 
responsibly

Enhance our  
operating 
environment

Measures used in incentive schemes

Adjusted EBITDA growth 

Funds From Operations (FFO)

Availability Factor (AF)

Lost Time Incidents

Refurbishment milestones

M&A milestones  
(completion of projects; growth targets)

IRR and schedule objectives 

Strategic personal objectives

 Annual bonus metric   LTIP metric

 
 
 
 
90

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Annual Report on Remuneration

Governance
Membership of the Remuneration Committee during the year is shown below. The Board considers each of the Committee members 
to be independent in accordance with the Code. 

Members:

Secretary:

External advisers:

Internal advisers:

Meetings held:

Role:

Daniel Camus (Chairman)
Ruth Cairnie (appointed to the Committee on 21st February 2018)
Dr Alan Gillespie
Ronald Trächsel (stepped down from the Committee on 21st February 2018)

Kerry Watson (Company Secretary)

Aon advised the Committee until November 2018. Deloitte became advisers to the Committee from 
November 2018.

Joseph C. Brandt (Chief Executive) and Sarah Flanigan (Executive Vice President) were consulted and 
invited to attend meetings as necessary. Care was taken to ensure there were no conflicts of interest 
when consulting with senior management and no director or member of management was present 
when matters relating to their own remuneration were discussed.

The Committee held seven meetings during 2018. See page 76 for attendance at Committee meetings.

The Board has delegated responsibility to the Committee for: 

• setting, approving and implementing the remuneration policy, including pension arrangements and 
any compensation payments, for the Executive Director, the Company Chairman, Senior Managers 
and Company Secretary

• within the terms of the agreed remuneration policy and in consultation with the Chairman of the Board 
and/or Chief Executive, as appropriate, determining the total individual remuneration package of each 
Executive Director and the Chairman of the Board and other senior management including bonuses, 
incentive payments and share option or other share awards

• approving the design of, and determining targets for, any performance-related pay schemes operated 

by the Company 

• monitoring the operation of performance-approved pay schemes and approving the total annual 

payments made under such schemes

• ensuring that contractual terms on termination, and any payments made, are fair for the individual 
and the Company, that failure is not rewarded and that the duty to mitigate loss is fully recognized.

The Committee’s terms of reference are available on our website at www.contourglobal.com.

Introduction
This section sets out details of the remuneration of the Executive Director and Non-Executive Directors (including the Chairman) earned 
between 1st January 2018 and 31st December 2018 and also describes the operation of the Remuneration Committee.

This Annual Report on Remuneration will, together with the Annual Statement of the Remuneration Committee Chairman on pages 86 
and 87, be proposed for an advisory vote by shareholders at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM). Where required, data has 
been audited by the external auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and this is indicated where appropriate.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

91

Single total figures of remuneration (audited information)
The table below sets out a single figure for the total remuneration received by the Executive Director and Non-Executive Directors 
for the year 1st January to 31st December 2018. The 2017 figures relate to remuneration received between the date of incorporation 
of the Company (26th September 2017) and 31st December 2017. As the Company listed on 14th November 2017, part of the 2017 
remuneration relates to the period when the Company was privately owned:

Base salary 
and fees1
$000

Taxable 
Benefits2
$000

Annual bonus
$000

Long-term 
incentives3
$000

Pension
$000

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

Executive Directors

Joseph C Brandt

Total

Non-Executive Directors

1,200

1,200

250

250

30

30

Craig A. Huff

Daniel Camus
Ruth Cairnie4

Dr Alan Gillespie

Ronald Trächsel

Alejandro Santo 
Domingo

Gregg M. Zeitlin

Total

333

89

73

100

89

73

73

830

63

17

–

19

17

14

14

144

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

6

6

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

624

624

187

187

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1,854

1,854

333

89

73

100

89

73

73

830

Total

2017

443

443

63

17

–

19

17

14

14

144

1  Non-Executive Director fees are paid in GBP. The numbers in the table have been converted to USD using the average exchange rate for 2018 of $1.33:£1.
2  Benefits include medical insurance, dental insurance, life assurance and disability cover.
3  There were no long-term incentive awards vesting based on performance ending in 2018.
4  Appointed on 3rd January 2018.

2018 Annual Bonus (audited information)
In 2018, the bonus opportunity depended on achievement of corporate objectives (70%) and individual objectives (30%). Maximum 
opportunity for the President & CEO was 100% of salary. Full disclosure of the specific performance metrics, targets and achievement 
against these is provided below.

Group scorecard (70% of bonus opportunity)

Performance target

Weighting

0% of  
element

25% of  
element

50% of  
element

100% of  
element

Performance  
achieved

Bonus  
award

Financial metrics (50%)

Adjusted EBITDA

Funds From Operations

Operations metrics (30%)

Health and safety – Lost 
Time Incident Rate

Total Fleet Availability 
Factor 

Total Fleet Equivalent 
Forced Outage Rate

Vorotan refurbishment 
milestones

Austria Wind Repowering 
milestones

Growth metrics (20%)

Growth metrics

Total

25%

25%

Less than 
$600m

Less than 
$300m

$600m

$615m

$630m

$300m

$307.5m

$315m

15%

0.09

0.06

0.03

2.5% Less than 83.61

83.61

88.25

2.5% Greater than 2.0

2.0

1.9

0.00

92.9

1.8

$610.1m

$302.3m

0.03

92.9%

Greater than 2.0

5% Milestones not 
met

100% awarded if Unit 1 of the Tatev HPP is 
completed in 2018 and on budget

Completed on budget and 
on time

5% Milestones not 
met

100% awarded if Velm and Schharndorf 
projects are on schedule and on budget

On schedule/budget
On schedule/budget

20% Milestones not 
met

100% awarded if milestones met related to:
Completion of Spanish CSP and Mexican 
CHP acquisitions 
EBITDA growth from additional M&A 
MW growth in key regions

Spanish CSP acquisition 
closed, Mexican CHP signed 
but not closed
Target not met
Target not met

42% of 
element

33% of 
element

50% of 
element

100% of 
element

0% of 
element

100% of 
element

100% of 
element

17% of 
element

42% of 
Group 
element

92

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Annual Report on Remuneration continued

Personal performance (30% of bonus opportunity)
The remaining 30% of the bonus is based on the critical role the President & CEO plays in the delivery of key Company objectives. 
Achievement for the year was assessed by the Committee based on the following performance:

Performance areas

Key achievements

Growth

• Successful sale of minority interests the Group’s Italian and Slovakian solar portfolio at an 

attractive premium.

• Progression of launch of Bonaire battery storage.
• Diversification of the Group’s portfolio through the entrance into biogas. 
• Re-working of the Mexico CHP acquisition to ensure an improved outcome for the Group.

Health & Safety

• Development of new KPIs for implementation in 2019 to monitor and improve the Group’s 

Operations

Financing

health and safety record going forward. 

• Ten health and safety audits completed within the Group.

• Progress in building the UK corporate center.
• Successful integration of the Spanish CSP assets following their acquisition in the year.
• Kosovo EPC technical proposals managed to deadlines.
• Progress on both the Vorotan refurbishment and Austrian wind repowering

• Refinancing of EUR 750 million Euro HY bond at record low coupon and first ever seven year tenor.
• Upsized EUR 80 million LC facility.

Social investment and People • 122 social initiatives – $2.4 million in various social initiatives across the Group’s geographies.

• Successful launch of People@CG.
• Published Five Whys analyzes increased by +50%.

Taking into account the above performance the Committee determined that 77% of this element of the annual bonus was achieved.

Overall bonus award

Group scorecard element  

(70% of maximum)

Personal objectives 
element (30% of 
maximum)

Total bonus earned
(% of maximum)

Total bonus earned
($)

President & CEO

42%

77%

52%

$624,000

The Committee considered the Company’s underlying performance prior to finalization of the annual bonus, and was satisfied that it 
reflected the overall performance of the Company.

The President & CEO has voluntarily agreed to defer 20% of the total bonus earned ($124,800) into shares.

Long-term incentive awards with performance periods ending in the year (audited information)
There were no long-term incentive awards capable of vesting in relation to performance in the year.

Long-term incentive awards granted in 2018 (audited information)
The President & CEO was granted an LTIP award of 100% of base salary in 2018.

Executive Director

President & CEO

Date of award

Form of award

Number of LTIP 
shares awarded

28th June 2018

Conditional award

391,646

Value of awards 
at date of grant1
£896,088

Performance  

period

1st Jan 2018 –  
31st Dec 2020

1  The number of shares was calculated by reference to base salary expressed in GBP and a share price of 228.8p, being the average closing share price for the 

five dealing days immediately before the date of grant.

LTIP awards granted during 2018 were subject to the following performance conditions.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

93

Growth

25%

Adjusted EBITDA  
per share % growth p.a.

Health and safety
Lost time incident rate

50%

25%

25% and above

Zero lost time incidents

All IRR and schedule objectives met

–

–

10%

Below 10%

0.03

0.06

–

0.09

All IRR and schedule objectives met 
within 5% variance

–

All IRR and schedule objectives met 
within 10% variance

IRR and schedule objectives have 
more than 10% variance

Weighting

100% vesting

75% vesting

50% vesting

25% vesting

0% vesting

Vesting is calculated on a straight-line basis between these points. The Growth element will only be capable of vesting if the quality of 
growth (IRR rates) and construction project schedule objectives are met. 

In line with our Remuneration Policy, a two-year additional holding period will apply for any shares vesting.

Deferred bonus awards granted in 2018 (audited information)
During the year, the Company also granted a deferred bonus award to the President & CEO. The conditional award was granted 
in respect of a deferral of 20% of the bonus amount determined for Mr. Brandt for the 2017 bonus year.

Executive Director

Date of award

Form of award

Number of 
shares awarded

President & CEO

25th June 2018 Deferred Bonus Award

55,241

Value of awards 
at date of grant1
$180,000

Vesting date

4th April 2020

1  The number of shares was calculated by reference to the amount expressed in GBP divided by the ContourGlobal share price of 232p, being the closing share 

price on 3rd April 2018. This was the date on which the award was approved in principle by the Remuneration Committee. 

Pension and benefits (audited information)
The President & CEO does not currently receive any pension contributions.

Other benefits received include medical insurance, dental insurance, life assurance, and disability cover which cumulatively amount 
to circa $30,000 per year.

Implementation of Non-Executive Director Remuneration Policy in 2019
The annual fees for serving as the Chairman or a Non-Executive Director were last reviewed by the Board on 4th April 2019. They 
remain unchanged for 2019.

Chairman

Non-Executive Director

Additional fees

Senior Independent Director

Audit & Risk Committee Chairman

Remuneration Committee Chairman

Fees effective 
from 1st January 
2018

Fees effective 
from 1st January 
2019

£250,000

£55,000

£250,000

£55,000

£20,000

£12,000

£12,000

£20,000

£12,000

£12,000

Each Non-Executive Director will also be entitled to reimbursement of reasonable business-related expenses, including any tax thereon.

94

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Annual Report on Remuneration continued

Statement of Directors’ shareholdings and share interests (audited information)
The Remuneration Committee has approved share ownership guidelines which require the President & CEO to accumulate and 
maintain a holding in ordinary shares in the Company equivalent to no less than 200% of salary. At least 50% of any vested share 
awards (net of tax) must be retained until the guideline is achieved. The President & CEO has met his shareholding requirement.

The table below sets out the Executive Director’s share interests as at 31st December 2018. 

Total number of 
beneficially 
owned shares at 
31st December 
2018

Interest in shares 
arising from 
holdings of Class 
S units in 
ContourGlobal 
LP¹

Unvested 
interests in share 
schemes 
awarded without 
performance 
conditions at 
31st December 
2018

Unvested 
interests 
in share 
incentive 
schemes 
awarded subject 
to performance 
conditions as at
31st December 
2018

Shareholding 
requirement 
(% of basic 
salary)

Current  
shareholding 
(% of basic 
salary)

Joseph C. Brandt

1,654,452

6,943,864

55,241

391,646

200%

317%

1  The Private Incentive Plan comprises an interest in Class S units, Class C units and Class B units. The interest in shares shown is for the Class C units only. 
The number of shares delivered through the Class B and Class C units is uncapped and could be substantial depending upon levels of return to Reservoir 
Capital Group. 

The President & CEO participates in the Private Incentive Plan (PIP), a legacy arrangement under which he holds an interest in shares. 
Further details on the PIP and the allocation of shares under award for the President & CEO are provided on page 97.

There were no changes to the Executive Director’s interests in the Company’s shares during the period between 31st December 2018 
and 29th March 2019.

Non-Executive Directors’ shareholdings (audited information)
Non-Executive Director
Craig A. Huff1

Daniel Camus
Ruth Cairnie3

Dr Alan Gillespie

Ronald Trächsel
Alejandro Santo Domingo2
Gregg M. Zeitlin1

Shareholding as at 31st December 2018

–

35,000

–
200,0004
24,0004

–

–

1  Craig A. Huff and Gregg M. Zeitlin each has an indirect interest in ordinary shares as a result of their interests in entities controlled by Reservoir Capital that 

in turn have indirect interests in the Company.

2  Alejandro Santo Domingo has an indirect interest in ordinary shares as a result of having a discretionary shared interest in certain entities which have indirect 

interests in the Company. Alejandro Santo Domingo disclaims all beneficial interests and control in respect to such ordinary shares.

3  Appointed on 3rd January 2018.
4  As disclosed in the Prospectus, at Admission Dr. Alan Gillespie and Ronald Trächsel were issued ordinary shares in the Company at the offer price, by way 

of private subscription.

There are no share ownership guidelines for Non-Executive Directors. There were no changes to the Non-Executive Directors’ interests 
in the Company’s shares during the period between 31st December 2018 and 29th March 2019.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

95

Service contracts
The President & CEO has a service contract as follows:

Joseph C. Brandt

Date of service contract

14th November 2017

Notice period

6 months either party

All Non-Executive Directors have letters of appointment with the Company for a three-year term. Each appointment is terminable 
by either party on one month’s written notice. All Non-Executive Directors are subject to annual re-election at each AGM. 

The dates of appointment of each of the Non-Executive Directors serving at 31st December 2018 are summarized in the table below.

Date of service contract

Date of appointment

Craig A. Huff (Chairman)

Daniel Camus

Ruth Cairnie

Alan Gillespie

Ronald Trächsel

Alejandro Santo Domingo

Gregg M. Zeitlin

3 years

3 years

3 years

3 years

3 years

3 years

3 years

23rd October 2017

23rd October 2017

3rd January 2018

23rd October 2017

23rd October 2017

23rd October 2017

23rd October 2017

The President & CEO’s service contract and the Non-Executive Directors’ letters of appointment are available for inspection at the 
Company’s registered office during normal business hours and will be available for inspection at the AGM.

Payments to past Directors and payments for loss of office (audited information)
During the year, the Company has not made any payments to past Directors; neither has it made any payments to Directors for loss 
of office.

Policy on external appointments
The Board believes that it may be beneficial to the Group for executives to hold Non-Executive Directorships outside the Group. 
Any such appointments are subject to approval by the Board, and will be determined based on the impact on their role within the 
Company. The Board will determine on a case-by-case basis whether the Directors will be permitted to retain any fees arising from 
such appointments. The President & CEO currently does not hold any external directorships.

Percentage change in the remuneration
The following table shows the movement in the salary, benefits and annual bonus of the President & CEO from 2017 to 2018, compared 
with that of the UK employees.

President & CEO

UK employees

1  Bonuses for this group of employees are approved later in the year. 

Percentage change in remuneration from 2017 to 2018

Percentage change

in remuneration  

from 2017 to 2018

0

1

Percentage changes
in benefits

Percentage change
in annual bonus

6

10

(23)

N/A1

96

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Annual Report on Remuneration continued

Comparison of overall performance and pay
The chart opposite shows the Company’s total shareholder return performance compared with that of the FTSE 250 over the period from 
the date of the Company’s admission onto the London Stock Exchange to 31st December 2018. The FTSE 250 Index has been chosen as 
an appropriate comparator as it is the index of which the Company is a constituent. TSR is defined as the return on investment obtained 
from holding a company’s shares over a period. It includes dividends paid, the change in capital value of the shares and any other 
payments made to or by shareholders within the period.

The total remuneration of the President & CEO along with the value of bonuses paid and LTIP vesting, as a percentage of the maximum 
opportunity, is provided for the same period.

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Source: Datastream (Thomson Reuters)

FTSE 250
ContourGlobal plc

This graph shows shows the value, by 31st December 2018, of £100 invested in ContourGlobal on 14th November, 
compared with the value of £100 invested in the FTSE 250 on the same date.

14th Nov 2017

Joseph C. Brandt, President & CEO

Total remuneration (000)

Actual bonus (% of maximum)

LTIP vesting (% of maximum)

31st Dec 2018

20171

$443
75%2
N/A3

2018

$1,854

52%
3
N/A

1  The figure for 2017 represents the remuneration earned in the period from 14th November 2017, being the date of listing, to 31st December 2017.
2  The President & CEO voluntarily agreed to a cap of 100% on his annual bonus for 2017.
3  There were no LTIP awards vesting based on a performance period ending in 2017 or 2018.

Relative importance of the spend on pay
The following table shows the Company’s total spend on pay for all employees compared to Group performance and dividend 
distribution in 2017 and 2018. 

Employee costs ($m)

Average number of employees

Adjusted EBITDA ($m)

Dividend distributions ($m)

2017

67.5

1,873

513.2

N/A

2018

% change

76.1

1,472

610.1

44.1

12.7

(20)

18.9

N/A

External advisors to the Committee
During the year, the Committee undertook a competitive tender process, the outcome of which was that Deloitte LLP were appointed 
as advisors to the Remuneration Committee in November 2018.

Details of the advice and services provided by both Deloitte LLP and their predecessor Aon are set out in the table below.

Advisor

Aon

Deloitte LLP

Area of advice/services provided

Provided advice on the development of remuneration policy, design and implementation of incentive plans, 
guidance on performance metrics and targets, and updates on developments in best practice and market 
practice. Aon received fees of £125,000 in respect of this advice.

Provided guidance and advice in respect of best practice in remuneration arrangements and external 
benchmarking data relating to senior hires. Deloitte received fees of £21,150 in respect of this advice. Deloitte 
also provides tax services to ContourGlobal and was appointed as co-sourcing partner for internal audit 
services from 2019. 

Both Deloitte LLP and Aon are members of the Remuneration Consultants Group and are signatories to its voluntary Code of Conduct, 
which requires their advice to be objective and independent. The Committee is satisfied that this is the case and that the provision of 
other services in no way compromised their independence.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

97

Statement of voting on the Remuneration Report at the AGM
The 2018 AGM was the Company’s first year AGM as a public company. Details on the voting results for the remuneration resolutions 
are as follows:

Remuneration Policy

Annual Report on Remuneration

% of votes cast 
in favour at the  

2018 AGM

99.82%

99.85%

% of votes cast against 
at the 2018 AGM

0.18%

0.15%

Number  
of votes  
withheld

3,884,676

4,051,824

The Chairman of the Remuneration Committee will engage with the Company’s major investors concerning the Company’s approach 
to remuneration, and will report back to the other members of the Remuneration Committee on such dialogue as necessary.

Legacy equity arrangements – the Private Incentive Plan (PIP) 
The President & CEO, along with certain members of the ContourGlobal plc management team, have interests in a ‘Private Incentive 
Plan’ (PIP). As disclosed at the time of IPO and in last year’s Directors’ Remuneration report, the PIP is a legacy equity arrangement 
established by Reservoir Capital Group (the major shareholder in the Company) in connection with its original investment in the 
business. 

The Company is not a party to the PIP and has no financial obligation to pay cash or issue shares to settle the PIP. All shares 
that might be delivered to the President & CEO under the award would be funded by Reservoir Capital Group. Consequently, 
the Remuneration Committee has no authority over the plan, or the allocation and release of awards. 

The PIP is not an ongoing element of the executive remuneration policy at ContourGlobal plc, and no new allocations will be made 
under the plan.

History
Joseph C. Brandt, the current President & CEO, founded the Company together with Reservoir Capital Group in 2005. Around 
that time, incentive arrangements were established which enabled the President & CEO, along with other senior management, 
to participate in the return on invested capital above a required return hurdle. To date participants have not received any payments 
as a result of these arrangements. 

The PIP therefore relates to legacy commitments connected with the founding of ContourGlobal and the growth of the Company 
in the years prior to its listing on the London Stock Exchange, and modified in anticipation of the listing. 

As disclosed in the 2017 DRR, the allocation and terms of the award remained subject to finalization. The allocations and terms of 
the President & CEO’s award were substantially agreed prior to listing. Reservoir Capital finalized the implementation of his allocation 
on 27th December 2018. 

Overview of the PIP
The award is in the form of partnership units in Contour Management Holdings LLC which is a partner in ContourGlobal L.P. 
(the limited partnership through which Reservoir Capital Group owns shares in the Company). The award comprises Class S units, 
Class C units and Class B units. 

Under the terms of the PIP, these units entitle the award-holder to receive from Contour Management Holdings LLC cash or shares 
in the Company if certain financial performance conditions are achieved.

Class S Units

Class C Units

Class B Units

Basis of awards

These units are similar in nature to a restricted stock award of 6,943,864 ContourGlobal plc 
shares, subject to an underpin share price. 

These units represent a value share between management and Reservoir Capital Group.

Illustration of value receivable under the PIP for Joseph C Brandt
The value of Class C and Class B Units will be dependent on the timing of the disposal of Reservoir Capital Group’s holding in 
ContourGlobal plc, the share price at that time as well as any dividends received in the interim. The table below illustrates the value 
to Joseph C Brandt under various sale price scenarios, assuming Reservoir Capital Group will have disposed of its shareholdings 
within three years following Admission. 

Average sale price

Shares related to Class C units
and Class B units (m)1

Shares related  

to Class S units (m)

Total value (£m)2

£3.00

£3.50

£4.00

£5.00

£5.50

Nil

0.4

3.2

6.0

12.77

6.9

6.9

6.9

6.9

6.9

20.8

25.8

40.4

64.8

108.4

1  Assumes USD/GBP rate of $1.275, no dividends on ContourGlobal plc shares and that ContourGlobal’s shares are sold or valued on 1st November 2020. 
2  Total value has been calculated using the average sale price in each scenario.
3  The number of shares delivered under the Class C units and Class B units increases above 12.8m in higher sale price scenarios. 

98

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Annual Report on Remuneration continued

PIP interests awarded (audited information)
While the allocations and terms of the President & CEO’s award were substantially agreed prior to listing, Reservoir Capital finalized 
the implementation of his allocation on 27th December 2018. Details of the award are as follows:

Date of award

Form of award

Joseph C. Brandt

27th December 2018

Class S units Up to 6,943,864 
ContourGlobal 
plc shares

Value of award  
at date of grant

£12,228,145

Class C units

Class B units

Value share between 
management and Reservoir 
Capital Group 
(see below)

Vesting date

Units vest in equal tranches over 
the three year period from IPO. 
The date of full vesting is 
27th December 2020

Units vest in equal tranches over 
the three year period from IPO. 
The date of full vesting is 
27th December 2020

Fully vested

Additional information on PIP awards
Class S units deliver an award of shares in ContourGlobal plc subject to certain thresholds. These units are similar in nature to 
a restricted stock award of 6.9m ContourGlobal plc shares, subject to an underpin share price. At final implementation Reservoir 
Capital Group set the underpin share price for the Class S units at $2.23 (c.£1.75) (threshold) to $2.28 (c.£1.79) (maximum), assuming 
no dividends, to reflect the share price at the time of final allocation rather than the £2.57 threshold referred to in the Prospectus. 
This underpin may be tested at any time from December 2020.

Class C units and Class B units are structured as a value share between management and Reservoir Capital Group, and deliver 
an award of ContourGlobal plc shares subject to certain thresholds after deducting the value arising from the Class S units. 
Distributions from Class C units and Class B units are subject to Reservoir Capital Group realizing value from its investment 
in ContourGlobal plc, and the scheme stays in effect until Reservoir Capital Group has disposed of all its ordinary shares in 
ContourGlobal plc.

Class B units are fully vested and are not forfeitable. Class C units and Class S units vest in equal tranches over the three year 
period from IPO. A third of the units are therefore already vested, subject to the achievement of thresholds, and the full vesting 
date is 27th December 2020. Unvested units will ordinarily be forfeited in the event of resignation or termination for cause. 

Carried interest in Brazilian assets (unaudited)
On 30th June 2008, Joseph C. Brandt was awarded a carried interest, funded by Aguila Ltd, a minority shareholder in Kani LP, 
which is an entity formed to develop and acquire hydroelectric and associated cogeneration assets in Brazil. The Company is not 
party to the carried interest and has no financial obligation in relation to the interest. 

Under the arrangement, funded by Aguila Ltd, management receive in aggregate 18% of the value created above an IRR hurdle 
of 9%. Payments would be made on the occurrence of a final liquidity event in respect of the assets. Since ContourGlobal plc has 
a controlling interest in Kani LP, sale of the assets would require the approval of the ContourGlobal plc Board. 

The President & CEO’s carried interest amounts to 46% of the 18% total carried interest. No service conditions apply. 

These interests are not considered to relate to director ‘qualifying services’ in the period prior to IPO.

Payments from the carried interest are uncapped. The value to the President & CEO will depend on a number of factors, including 
the timing of any sale, the sale price achieved and the extent to which the IRR 9% hurdle has been met. A current estimate of 
potential value in the event of a sale is in the region of $1 million to $3.5 million.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

99

Statement of compliance
The report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 and The Large and Medium-sized 
Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 (as amended). It also meets the requirements of the UK Listing 
Authority’s Rules and the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, and has been prepared in line with the recommendations of the 
UK Corporate Governance Code and the voting guidelines of major UK institutional investor bodies.

Approval
This report was approved by the Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Remuneration Committee, on 4th April and signed 
on its behalf by:

Daniel Camus
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

4th April 2019 

100

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Summary of Remuneration Policy

Summary of Directors’ Remuneration Policy
Our Remuneration Policy for Executive and Non-Executive Directors was presented and approved by shareholders at our 2018 AGM 
receiving 99.8% support. It is intended that the Remuneration Policy will apply for three years following approval. 

The Remuneration Policy table detailing the key components of the forward-looking remuneration package is provided below for 
reference. The full Remuneration Policy can be found in the 2017 annual report available on our website at www.contourglobal.com.

Executive Directors

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Maximum opportunity

Performance metrics

Executive Director performance 
is a factor considered when 
determining salaries.

In considering any increase in 
base salary, if any increase is to 
be made the Committee is guided 
by the general increase for the 
broader employee population.

However, more significant 
increases may be awarded from 
time to time in certain 
circumstances. For example, an 
increase in the individual’s role or 
responsibility, an increase in the 
scale or complexity of the 
Company, or when an individual 
has been appointed to a new role 
at a below market salary while 
gaining experience.

Base salary

To help recruit and retain 
executives of suitable caliber to 
deliver the Company’s strategic 
goals and business outputs.

Reflects the individual’s 
experience, performance and 
responsibilities within the 
Company.

Salaries are normally reviewed 
annually with any changes taking 
effect from 1st January each year.

Salaries are set taking into 
consideration a number of 
factors, including:
• Individual and Company 

performance

• Skills and experience of each 

individual

• Responsibilities and 

accountabilities of each role
• Mix of package of the individual
• Salary increases for the overall 

employee population

• Changes in size or complexity 

of the Company

• Market competitiveness
• External indicators, such 

as inflation

The Committee aims to set levels 
that are broadly aligned with 
equivalent roles at relevant peers 
and other companies of broadly 
comparable size and complexity, 
taking into account the country 
in which the Director is based 
where appropriate.

Benefits

To provide a market competitive 
benefits package to assist 
with recruitment and retention 
of Executive Directors of 
suitable caliber.

Benefits may include, but are 
not limited to, private medical 
insurance, dental insurance, 
Company car or allowance, life 
assurance and income protection.

There is no formal maximum limit 
as benefit costs can fluctuate 
depending on changes in 
provider cost and individual 
circumstances.

Not performance related.

Under certain circumstances, 
additional benefits in relation 
to relocation or expatriation 
may be provided. 

Executive Directors are eligible 
for other benefits which are 
introduced for the wider 
workforce on broadly 
similar terms.

Any reasonable business related 
expenses (including tax thereon) 
incurred in connection with the 
role may be reimbursed.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

101

Executive Directors

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Maximum opportunity

Performance metrics

Pensions

To provide a market competitive 
pension package to assist with 
recruitment and retention of 
Executive Directors of suitable 
caliber.

Annual performance bonus

To incentivize and reward the 
achievement of annual strategic 
business priorities. 

Delivery of a proportion of 
remuneration in shares reinforces 
retention and provides alignment 
with the interests of shareholders 
over the longer-term.

The Company may make 
contributions, or payment in lieu 
of contributions, to a pension 
scheme.

The current President & CEO 
does not receive any pension 
contributions.

Annual bonuses are subject to 
achievement of stretching 
performance conditions, which 
are set by the Committee at the 
start of each financial year. At the 
end of the year, the Committee 
determines the extent to which 
these were achieved.

Annual bonuses are payable in 
cash, with any bonus earned in 
excess of the target bonus 
deferred into shares which vest 
after at least two years subject to 
continued employment. 

Participants may also be entitled 
to receive dividend equivalents 
on share awards that vest.

Bonus payments, including 
deferred bonus awards, are 
subject to recovery and 
withholding provisions in certain 
circumstances, including in the 
event of a material misstatement 
of accounts, an error in assessing 
the performance condition, 
serious misconduct, or any other 
exceptional circumstances which 
the Committee considers justify 
the operation of the recovery and 
withholding provisions.

Up to 20% of base salary per 
annum.

Not performance related.

The maximum bonus opportunity 
is 100% of base salary with 50% 
of maximum payable for on-target 
performance and 25% of 
maximum payable for 
threshold performance.

Performance is measured over 
the financial year. 

Performance measures and 
weightings are determined by 
the Committee each year and 
may vary to take into account 
changes in the business strategy.

At least 70% of the bonus will be 
subject to corporate objectives 
(such as EBITDA, cash flow, 
growth targets, Health & Safety 
and other corporate measures) 
with the balance being subject to 
measurable individual objectives.

The Committee may adjust the 
bonus outcome if it considers 
that the pay-out is inconsistent 
with the Company’s overall 
performance, taking into 
account any relevant factors. 
The Committee will consult 
with major shareholders if 
appropriate before any exercise 
of its discretion to increase the 
bonus outcome. 

In addition, the Committee has 
absolute discretion as to the 
amount of any bonus outcome, 
notwithstanding achievement 
of the measures applicable 
to the bonus, which may take 
into account the Company’s 
underlying performance.

102

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Summary of Remuneration Policy continued

Executive Directors

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Maximum opportunity

Performance metrics

Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP)

To reward delivery of sustained 
long-term performance and 
incentivize successful execution 
of business strategy over the 
longer term.

Facilitates share ownership to 
provide further alignment with 
shareholders.

Share ownership guidelines

To encourage Executive 
Directors to build a meaningful 
shareholding in the Company 
so as to further align interests 
with shareholders.

Awards will normally be granted 
annually to Executive Directors 
in the form of conditional free 
shares or nil (or nominal) 
cost options that normally 
vest after three years subject 
to performance conditions 
and continued service. 

Following vesting, awards will 
normally be subject to a holding 
period whereby vested awards, 
net of tax, must be retained for 
at least a further two years.

Participants may also be entitled 
to receive dividend equivalents 
on awards that vest

Awards are subject to recovery 
and withholding provisions in 
certain circumstances, including 
in the event of a material 
misstatement of accounts, 
an error in assessing the 
performance condition, serious 
misconduct, or any other 
exceptional circumstances which 
the Committee considers justify 
the operation of the recovery and 
withholding provisions.

Executive Directors are required 
to retain at least half of any share 
awards vesting (net of tax) under 
the Company’s discretionary 
share based employee incentive 
schemes until the guideline 
is met.

Shares owned outright on or 
following Admission will count 
towards the guideline.

The maximum award level is 100% 
of base salary per annum.

Performance is normally 
measured over three years.

No more than 25% of each 
performance element may vest 
for threshold performance.

The Committee has the flexibility 
to vary measures and weightings, 
including introduction of new 
measures, for each award taking 
into account business priorities 
at the time of grant. 

The Committee may reduce the 
vesting outcome if it considers 
that the level of vesting is 
inconsistent with the Company’s 
overall performance, taking into 
account any relevant factors.

Executive Directors are required 
to build and retain a shareholding 
in the Company equivalent to at 
least 200% of their base salary.

Not performance related.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

103

Chairman and Non-Executive Directors
Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Maximum opportunity

Performance metrics

Fees

To attract and retain a high-caliber 
Chairman and Non-Executive 
Directors by offering market-
competitive fee levels.

The Company Chairman is paid 
a single annual fee.

There is no maximum level 
of fees.

Not performance related.

When reviewing fee levels, 
account is taken of market 
movements in Non-Executive 
Director fees, Board Committee 
responsibilities, ongoing time 
commitments and the general 
economic environment.

Non-Executive Directors are 
paid an annual basic fee, plus 
additional fees for additional 
responsibilities such as a 
Committee Chairmanship and 
the role of Senior Independent 
Director, to reflect their extra 
responsibilities and time 
commitments.

Non-Executive Directors are 
encouraged to purchase shares 
in the Company annually to the 
value of 25% of their gross fees.

The Chairman’s fee is reviewed 
annually by the Committee and 
Chief Executive. Fee levels for 
Non-Executive Directors are 
determined by the Company 
Chairman and Executive 
Directors. 

Fee levels are set taking into 
consideration market levels in 
comparably sized companies, 
the time commitment and 
responsibilities of the role, 
and the experience and 
expertise required. 

The Chairman and Non-
Executives are not eligible 
to participate in incentive 
arrangements or to receive 
any pension. Reasonable travel, 
accommodation and other 
business-related expenses 
incurred in carrying out the 
role will be reimbursed by 
the Company, including any 
tax thereon.

Prior commitments and PIP 
For the duration of this Policy, the Company will honor any commitments made in respect of current or former Directors before the date on 
which either: (i) the Directors’ remuneration policy becomes effective; or (ii) an individual becomes a Director, even where such commitments 
are not consistent with the policy set out in this report or prevailing at the time any such commitment is fulfilled. For the avoidance of doubt, 
all outstanding historical awards that were granted in connection with, or prior to, listing including those made by ContourGlobal LP under the 
PIP remain eligible to vest based on their original or modified terms. 

104

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Directors’ report

In accordance with section 415 of the Companies Act 2006, 
the Directors of ContourGlobal plc present their report to 
shareholders on the audited consolidated financial statements 
for the year ended 31st December 2018. 

Together with the interim dividend of 4.0 cents (US dollar) paid 
in September 2018, this would bring the total dividend for the 
year to 13.4 cents (US dollar). 

Strategic report 
As permitted by section 414C of the Companies Act 2006, certain 
information required to be included in the Directors’ report has 
been included in the strategic report. Specifically, this relates to 
information on the likely future developments of the business 
of the Group, financial risk management and the disclosure of 
greenhouse gas emissions for which the Company is responsible. 

Dividend
The Directors recommend the payment of a final dividend of 9.4 
(2017: nil) cents (US dollar) per ordinary share on 30th May 2019 
in respect of the year ended 31st December 2018, subject to 
approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting. 
The dividend will payable to shareholders on the register 
at the close of business on 3rd May 2019. 

The declaration and payment by the Company of any future 
dividends and the amounts of any such dividends depend on 
ContourGlobal’s ability to maintain its credit rating, its investments, 
results, financial condition, future prospects, profits being available 
for distribution, consideration of certain covenants under the terms 
of outstanding indebtedness, and any other factors deemed by 
the Directors to be relevant at the time, subject always to the 
requirements of applicable laws. The Directors expect that 
dividends, which were previously distributed biannually, will be 
distributed on a quarterly basis going forward.

Relations with other capital providers
The Board recognizes the contribution made by other providers 
of capital to the Group and welcomes the views of such providers 
in relation to the Group’s approach to corporate governance.

Additional information incorporated into this Directors’ report, including information required in accordance with the Companies Act 
2006, can be found as follows:

Disclosure

Financial risk management objectives and policies  
(including hedging policy and use of financial instruments)

Future business developments

Going concern

Greenhouse gas emissions

Directors’ responsibilities statement

Events since the reporting date

Diversity policy

Notes 4.14, 4.15 and 4.17 to the financial statements  

Location

Strategic report – pages 1 to 67

Strategic report – page 67

Strategic report – page 54

Page 106

Note 4.34 to the consolidated financial statements

Nomination Committee report

For the purposes of LR 9.8.4CR, the information required to be disclosed by LR 9.8.4R can be found in the following locations:

Disclosure

Interest capitalized

Detail of long-term incentive schemes

Contracts of significance with a controlling shareholder

Agreements with controlling shareholder

Note 4.7 to the consolidated financial statements

Location

Directors’ Remuneration report

Relationship Agreement on page 75

Relationship Agreement on page 75

Directors
The Directors of the Company who held office during the year and up to the date of this report are:

Craig A. Huff

Joseph C. Brandt

Ruth Cairnie

Daniel Camus

Alan Gillespie

Alejandro Santo Domingo

Ronald Trächsel

Gregg M. Zeitlin

Biographies of the Directors are provided in the Governance section on pages 70 and 71.

Service in the year ended 31st December 2018

Served throughout the year

Served throughout the year 

Appointed 3rd January 2018

Served throughout the year 

Served throughout the year 

Served throughout the year 

Served throughout the year 

Served throughout the year 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

105

Share capital
Details of the Company’s share capital are set out in Note 4.22 
to the Consolidated Financial Statements, including details on the 
movements in the Company’s issued share capital during the year.

In accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association, 
the Directors are subject to annual re-election by shareholders. 
All of the continuing Directors will stand for re-election at the 
forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

As at 31st December 2018, the Company’s issued share capital 
consisted of 670,712,920 ordinary shares. No shares are held 
in treasury. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in the 
Company is 670,712,920.

The Company’s issued ordinary share capital ranks pari passu 
in all respects and carries the right to receive all dividends and 
distributions declared, made or paid on or in respect of the 
ordinary shares.

Powers of Directors
Subject to the Company’s Articles of Association, the Companies 
Act 2006 and to any authorities provided by special resolution, 
the business of the Company is managed by the Board, which 
may exercise all the powers of the Company. 

Directors’ interests
Information on share ownership by Directors can be found in the 
Remuneration report on page 94.

Ordinary shareholders are entitled to receive notice of, and 
to attend and speak at, any general meeting of the Company. 
On a show of hands every shareholder present in person 
or by proxy (or being a corporation represented by a duly 
authorized representative) shall have one vote, and on a poll 
every shareholder who is present in person or by proxy shall 
have one vote for every share of which he is the holder. 
The Notice of Annual General Meeting specifies deadlines 
for exercising voting rights and appointing a proxy or proxies.

Directors’ indemnities and director and officer liability 
insurance
As at the date of this report, the Company has granted qualifying 
third-party indemnities to each of its Directors against any liability 
that attaches to them in defending proceedings brought against 
them, to the extent permitted by the Companies Act. In addition, 
Directors and Officers of the Company and its subsidiaries 
have been and continue to be covered by director and officer 
liability insurance. 

Other than the general provisions of the Articles of Association 
(and prevailing legislation), there are no specific restrictions on 
the size of a holding or on the transfer of the ordinary shares. 

The Directors are not aware of any agreements between holders 
of the Company’s shares that may result in the restriction of the 
transfer of securities or on voting rights. No shareholder holds 
securities carrying any special rights or control over the 
Company’s share capital.

Authority to purchase own shares
Subject to authorization by shareholder resolution, the Company 
may purchase its own shares in accordance with the Companies 
Act 2006. Any shares which have been bought back may be held 
as treasury shares or cancelled immediately upon completion of 
the purchase.

Prior to listing, the Company was generally and unconditionally 
authorized by its shareholders to make market purchases (within 
the meaning of section 693 of the Companies Act 2006) of up to 
a maximum of 67,071,292 of its ordinary shares. The Company has 
not repurchased any of its ordinary shares under this authority, 
which is due to expire at the 2019 AGM, and accordingly has an 
unexpired authority to purchase up to 67,071,292 ordinary shares 
with a nominal value of £670,712.92.

Articles of Association
The Company’s Articles of Association were adopted pursuant 
to a resolution passed at a general meeting of the Company 
held on 8th November 2017. The Articles of Association may only 
be amended by special resolution at a general meeting of the 
shareholders. The Company’s current articles are available on 
our website at www.contourglobal.com.

Directors’ appointment and re‑election
The Board has the power at any time to elect any person to be 
a Director.

Under the Relationship Agreement, ContourGlobal LP is entitled 
to appoint two Non-Executive Directors to the Board while it 
continues to control 25% or more of the Company’s shares. 
Further details of the Relationship Agreement can be found on 
page 75. The appointees by Reservoir Capital are Craig A. Huff 
and Gregg M. Zeitlin.

Research and development
ContourGlobal plc is constantly engaged in process and product 
innovation. For examples of the Company’s R&D activities, please 
refer to the business review.

Sustainable development
The business review section of this report, on pages 36 to 55, 
focuses on the Company’s health and safety, environmental 
compliance and employment performance and outlines the 
Company’s core values and commitment to the principles of 
sustainable development and the development of community 
relations programs. 

Financial instruments 
Details of the Group’s use of financial instruments can be found 
in Notes 4.15 and 4.17 to the financial statements. 

Political donations
It is the Company’s policy not to make political donations. 
No political contributions were made in 2018 (2017: £nil).

Charitable donations
Please refer to page 37.

Overseas branches
ContourGlobal plc does not have any branches. A full list of the 
Group’s controlled subsidiaries is disclosed in Note 4.29 of the 
Consolidated Financial Statements.

Major shareholdings
The table below shows the interests in ordinary shares notified to 
the Company in accordance with the Disclosure Guidance and 
Transparency Rules as at 31st December 2018 and 29th March 
2019.

31st December 2018

29th March 2019

Number  
of shares

%  
of 
shares

Number  
of shares

%  
of 
shares

ContourGlobal LP¹ 478,932,408

71 478,932,408

GIC Private Limited 60,944,000

9

60,944,000

71

9

1  The Reservoir Funds own approximately 99.6% of ContourGlobal LP and 
are themselves ultimately managed and controlled by Reservoir Capital. 
The managing member of Reservoir Capital is RCGM, LLC. 

106

Directors’ report continued

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

If ContourGlobal sells certain of its assets or experiences specific 
kinds of changes in control (as defined in the Euro Bond 
Indenture), ContourGlobal must offer to purchase the Euro Bonds 
at a purchase price equal to 100% and 101% respectively of the 
principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest 
thereon to, but excluding, the date of purchase.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The 2019 AGM will be held on 21st May 2019 in London. At the 
AGM, shareholders will have the opportunity to ask questions of 
the Board, including the Chairmen of the Board Committees.

Full details of the AGM, including explanatory notes, are contained 
in the Notice of the AGM. The Notice sets out the resolutions to 
be proposed at the AGM and an explanation of each resolution. 
All documents relating to the AGM are available on the Company’s 
website at www.contourglobal.com. 

Audit information
Each of the Directors who were members of the Board at the 
date of the approval of this report confirms that so far as he or 
she is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the 
Company’s auditors are unaware, and that he or she has taken 
all the reasonable steps that he or she ought to have taken as 
a Director to make him or herself aware of any relevant audit 
information and to establish that the Company’s auditors are 
aware of the information.

The confirmation is given and should be interpreted in accordance 
with the provisions of section 418 of the Companies Act 2006.

The strategic report, comprising the inside front cover and pages 
1 to 67, and the Directors’ report, comprising pages 68 to 106, 
which together form the management report as required under 
the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules 4.1.8R, have 
been approved by the Board on 4th April 2019 and are signed 
on its behalf by 

Joseph C. Brandt
President, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director 
ContourGlobal plc

4th April 2019

Significant contractual arrangements
Relationship Agreement
A Relationship Agreement is in place between the Company, 
ContourGlobal LP, the Reservoir Funds, Reservoir Capital and the 
Company President and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph C. Brandt 
(the ‘Relationship Agreement’). The principal purpose of the 
Relationship Agreement is to ensure that the Company can carry 
on an independent business as its main activity. The Board is 
satisfied that the Company is capable of carrying on its business 
independently of its major shareholder, ContourGlobal LP, and 
that the Board makes its decisions in a manner consistent with 
its duties to the Company and stakeholders of ContourGlobal plc. 
Further details on the Relationship Agreement can be found in 
the corporate governance report on page 75.

Revolving Credit Facility
CG Power Holdings, the Company (together with its permitted 
successors and assignees, the ‘Parent Guarantor’), ContourGlobal 
Worldwide Holdings S.à.r.l., ContourGlobal Terra Holdings S.à.r.l. 
and certain other subsidiaries of the Company entered into a 
€75 million senior secured revolving credit facility (RCF) with BNP 
Paribas Securities Corp., Credit Suisse AG, London Branch and 
Goldman Sachs Bank USA as lenders, the effective date of which 
is 9th November 2018. The guarantees and all of the obligations 
under the RCF are secured by a first-priority lien on the shares 
of CG Power Holdings and on the capital stock of each RCF 
guarantor (other than the Parent Guarantor), subject to certain 
exceptions and release under certain circumstances. The RCF 
is scheduled to mature three years after the effective date. 
Borrowings under the RCF bear interest at floating rates equal 
to either LIBOR plus 2.25% margin or Alternate Base Rate plus 
1.25% margin.

Euro Bonds
On 26th July 2018, CG Power Holdings issued the Euro Bonds 
in a private offering exempt from the registration requirements 
of the Securities Act 1933, as amended. The Euro Bonds have 
an aggregate principal amount of €750 million split between two 
tranches: €450 million of 3.375% Senior Secured Notes due 2023 
and €300 million of 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2025. 
The Euro Bonds were issued pursuant to the Euro Bond Indenture.

The Euro Bond Indenture provides that ContourGlobal may:

(a)  prior to 1st August 2020 for the 2023 Notes and prior to 1st 

August 2021 for the 2025 Notes, redeem all or part of the Euro 
Bonds by paying 100% of the principal amount of the Euro Bonds 
redeemed plus a make-whole premium and accrued and unpaid 
interest, if any, to, but not including, the redemption date;

(b)  prior to 1st August 2020 for the 2023 Notes and prior to 1st 

August 2021 for the 2025 Notes, on one or more occasions, 
redeem through the use of net proceeds of specified equity 
offerings up to 40% of the principal amount of the Euro Bonds, 
upon giving prior notice, at a redemption price equal to 
103.375% for the 2023 Notes and 104.125% for the 2025 Notes 
of the aggregate principal amount of the Euro Bonds being 
redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional 
amounts, if any, to, but not including, the redemption date, 
provided that at least 60% of the original aggregate principal 
amount of the Euro Bonds remains outstanding after the 
redemption and the redemption occurs within 180 days of 
the date of the closing of such equity offering; and

(c)  redeem all or part of the Euro Bonds on or after 1st August 
2020 for the 2023 Notes and 1st August 2021 for the 2025 
Notes at the redemption prices set forth in the Offering 
Memorandum.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

107

Statement of Directors’ responsibilities  
in respect of the financial statements

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report 
and the financial statements in accordance with applicable 
law and regulation.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial 
statements for each financial year. Under that law the Directors 
have prepared the Group financial statements in accordance with 
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by 
the European Union and parent company financial statements in 
accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting 
Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 
102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and 
Republic of Ireland’, and applicable law). Under company law the 
Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they 
are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of 
affairs of the Group and parent company and of the profit or loss 
of the Group and parent company for that period. In preparing 
the financial statements, the Directors are required to:

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting 
records that are sufficient to show and explain the Group and 
parent company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable 
accuracy at any time the financial position of the Group and 
parent company and enable them to ensure that the financial 
statements and the Directors’ Remuneration report comply with 
the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the Group financial 
statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity 
of the parent company’s website. Legislation in the United 
Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial 
statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

The Directors consider that the annual report and accounts, taken 
as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the 
information necessary for shareholders to assess the group and 
parent company’s performance, business model and strategy.

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them 

consistently;

Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed in 
the Directors’ Report confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:

• state whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by the European 
Union have been followed for the Group financial statements 
and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 102, 
have been followed for the Company financial statements, 
subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in 
the financial statements;

• make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable 

and prudent; and

• the parent company financial statements, which have been 
prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally 
Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting 
Standards, comprising FRS 102 ‘The Financial Reporting 
Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’, and 
applicable law), give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, 
financial position and profit of the Company;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis 

• the Group financial statements, which have been prepared 

unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Group and parent 
company will continue in business.

in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union, 
give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position 
and profit of the Group; and 

The Directors are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of 
the Group and parent company and hence for taking reasonable 
steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other 
irregularities.

• the strategic report includes a fair review of the development 

and performance of the business and the position of the Group 
and parent company, together with a description of the principal 
risks and uncertainties that it faces. 

Joseph C. Brandt
President, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director 
ContourGlobal plc

4th April 2019

108

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

WE MANAGE OUR FINANCES 
WITH CARE AND PRECISION TO 
SUPPORT OUR GROWTH STRATEGY. 
THIS SECTION GIVES THE DETAIL 
ON OUR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 
AND POSITION FOR 2018.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

109

Financial statements

110  Independent auditors’ report to the 
members of ContourGlobal plc
118  Consolidated statement of income 

and other comprehensive income

119  Consolidated statement of financial position
120 Consolidated statement of changes 

in equity

121  Consolidated statement of cash flows
122 Notes to the consolidated financial 

statements

175 Company balance sheet
175 Company statement of changes in equity
176 Notes to the Company financial statements 
180 Shareholder information

110

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Independent auditors’ report to the members of ContourGlobal plc

Report on the audit of the financial statements

Opinion
In our opinion:

• ContourGlobal plc’s Group financial statements and Company financial statements (the ‘financial statements’) give a true and fair view 
of the state of the Group’s and of the Company’s affairs as at 31st December 2018 and of the Group’s profit and cash flows for the year 
then ended;

• the Group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) 

as adopted by the European Union;

• the Company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting 

Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and 
Republic of Ireland’, and applicable law); and

• the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the 

Group financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.

We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual Report, which comprise: the consolidated statement of financial 
position and the Company balance sheet as at 31st December 2018; the consolidated statement of income and other comprehensive 
income, the consolidated statement of cash flows, and the consolidated statement of changes in equity and Company statement of 
changes in equity for the year then ended; and the notes to the financial statements, which include a description of the significant 
accounting policies.

Our opinion is consistent with our reporting to the Audit Committee.

Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (‘ISAs (UK)’) and applicable law. Our responsibilities 
under ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. 
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Independence
We remained independent of the Group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial 
statements in the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard, as applicable to listed public interest entities, and we have fulfilled 
our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, we declare that non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s Ethical Standard were not provided 
to the Group or the Company.

Other than those disclosed in note 4.33 to the financial statements, we have provided no non-audit services to the Group or the 
Company in the period from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2018.

Our audit approach
Overview

Materiality

Audit scope

Key audit
matters

• Overall Group materiality: $15.0 million (2017: $12.5 million), based on 2.5% of Adjusted EBITDA.
• Overall Company materiality: $16.5 million (2017: $8.0 million), based on 1% of total assets (2017: 1% of total 

assets, capped at 95% of Group materiality).

• We conducted our audit work over 12 components located in ten countries.
• Seven components were subject to an audit of their complete financial information due to their size.
• Specific audit procedures were performed on certain balances and transactions in respect of five 

components.

• We visited component auditors in five countries, covering all of the financially significant components and 

two further components

The key audit matters are:
• Accounting for business combinations and power purchase agreements (PPA) in the year of acquisition 

including valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed (Group).

• Impairment of property, plant and equipment and financial and contract assets (Group).
• Risk of fraud in revenue recognition and IFRS 15 transition (Group).

The scope of our audit
As part of designing our audit, we determined materiality and assessed the risks of material misstatement in the financial statements. 
In particular, we looked at where the Directors made subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates 
that involved making assumptions and considering future events that are inherently uncertain.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

111

Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities, including fraud
Based on our understanding of the Group and industry, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and 
regulations related to breaches of health and safety regulations, environmental regulations and unethical and prohibited business 
practices, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also 
considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies 
Act 2006 and the Listing Rules and UK and international tax legislation. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities 
for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal 
risks were related to posting inappropriate journal entries and/or management bias in accounting estimates that would result in the 
overstatement of Adjusted EBITDA. The Group engagement team shared this risk assessment with the component auditors so that 
they could include appropriate audit procedures in response to such risks in their work. Audit procedures performed by the Group 
engagement team and/or component auditors included:

• Discussions with management, internal legal counsel and enquiries of the Group’s legal advisors, including consideration of known 

or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud;

• Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their significant accounting estimates;
• Identifying and testing journal entries that increase Adjusted EBITDA, in particular journal entries posted with unusual account 

combinations or posted by members of senior management with a financial reporting oversight role;

• Incorporating elements of unpredictability into the audit procedures performed; 
• Reviewing the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA in the Annual Report, including the clear disclosure of the reconciliation of Adjusted 
EBITDA to statutory profit and ensuring that sufficient prominence was given to statutory profit measures in the Annual Report; and

• Reviewing the disclosures in the Annual Report and financial statements against the specific legal requirements and involving 
technical experts to help us assess the compliance of disclosures against relevant legislation, for example within the Directors’ 
Remuneration Report and the Corporate Governance Report.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and 
regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. 
Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, 
as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in the auditors’ professional judgement, were of most significance in the audit of the financial 
statements of the current period and include the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) 
identified by the auditors, including those which had the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the 
audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team. These matters, and any comments we make on the results of our procedures 
thereon, were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, 
and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. This is not a complete list of all risks identified by our audit. 

Key audit matter

Accounting for business combinations and power purchase 
agreements (PPA) in the year of acquisition including 
valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed 
(notes 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 4.5, 4.10, 4.11 and 4.25)

The Group acquired new power plant portfolios in Spain, Italy 
and Romania. Accounting for acquisitions can be complex, with 
judgement required in both the identification of assets acquired, 
including any intangible assets, and the valuation of assets 
acquired and liabilities assumed in accordance with IFRS 3 
‘Business Combinations’.

The calculation of fair value is subjective due to the inherent 
uncertainty involved in the valuation of assets and liabilities, and 
this requires the application of judgment by management and 
technical expertise. In particular the method of valuation, future 
forecasts and underlying assumptions all have a material impact 
on the valuation of assets and liabilities, including the value of 
property, plant and equipment which typically represents the 
most significant asset acquired.

Under IFRS 3, an intangible asset must be recognised on an 
acquisition where it arises from contractual or legal rights 
acquired and is separable from the business. Due to the 
complex nature of the acquisition agreements and related 
power purchase agreements there is often judgment in 
determining the legal and contractual rights associated with the 
PPA and therefore there is a risk that intangible assets acquired 
may not be recognised.

How our audit addressed the key audit matter
During the year, the Group acquired the shares of new asset 
portfolios in Spain for consideration of $1,141.0 million and Italy 
and Romania combined for $27.7 million.

We read the sale and purchase agreements (‘SPAs’) associated 
with the acquisitions in Spain, Italy and Romania, and performed 
audit procedures over both the identification of assets acquired 
(including any potential intangible assets) and the valuation 
of assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

We considered the completeness of the intangible assets 
identified by management with reference to the specific legal 
and contractual rights associated with the SPAs. From our review 
and assessment of the SPAs, and audit procedures performed 
over the valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, 
we found that the judgments made surrounding the identification 
of assets and liabilities acquired were appropriate.

We involved our specialists in our audit of the valuation of 
assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Our work included 
assessment of the appropriateness of the valuation models 
used, assessment of the discount rate used in the models by 
reference to comparable assets, and the evaluation of future 
cash flow forecasts for each of the power plants acquired. We 
found that the valuation models used, judgments and estimates 
made surrounding the valuation of assets and liabilities acquired 
to be reasonable.

112

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Independent auditors’ report to the members of ContourGlobal plc continued

Key audit matter

Following acquisition, the Group’s power plants sell their 
output either under Power Purchase Agreements (‘PPAs’), 
other long-term arrangements or in accordance with local 
regulations. Accounting for these arrangements may be complex 
with a number of judgments required to assess the accounting 
standards applicable to each agreement. These include whether 
the arrangement contains a lease under IFRIC 4 ‘Determining 
whether an arrangement contains a lease’ or constitutes 
a service concession to be accounted for under IFRIC 12 
‘Service concession arrangements’. These judgments impact the 
measurement and classification of assets, the basis for revenue 
recognition under the arrangements, and the related disclosures 
in the financial statements. Once the basis of accounting has 
been initially determined, this does not change over time.

Impairment of property, plant and equipment and financial 
and contract assets (notes 2.3, 2.4, 4.11 and 4.12)

The Group has $3.25 billion of property, plant and equipment, 
the majority of which relates to power plant assets, and 
$0.5 billion of financial and contract assets, the majority 
of which relate to concession arrangements.

Impairment assessments of these assets requires significant 
judgment and there is the risk that potential impairment triggers 
are not identified by management and, in the event that there 
is an impairment trigger, there is a risk that the calculation of 
the recoverable amount of the asset is incorrect and therefore 
the value of the assets may be misstated.

In the event that an impairment trigger is identified, the 
recoverable value of property, plant and equipment is assessed 
by a value in use calculation (which is based on future cash flow 
forecasts and related valuation assumptions) and for financial 
and contract assets, by assessing expected credit losses. 
Forecasts and assumptions used in value in use calculations are 
inherently judgemental and therefore may give rise to increased 
risk of misstatement.

Impairment indicators were identified in the current year for the 
Brazilian wind power plants following lower than expected wind 
conditions and technical performance issues. These were tested 
for impairment using value in use calculations. No impairments 
in the underlying carrying value of the assets were identified.

No impairment indicators were identified in respect of the 
financial and contract assets.

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

We assessed the likelihood of a liability arising from the earn 
out payments as stipulated in the Spanish SPA. This involves 
estimation by management as the earn out payments are 
calculated by reference to uncertain future events. We found 
the estimates made by management in the calculation of the 
earn out liability were reasonable.

We assessed the completeness of disclosures for each 
acquisition against the requirements of the relevant accounting 
standards and found that there were no omissions of 
disclosures.

Furthermore, we have evaluated management’s assessment 
of the statutory regulation that governs the sale of energy from 
solar assets in Spain (in place of a PPA) and their assessment 
of the PPAs in Italy and Romania (including tying back key terms 
to the contract). Management have reached the conclusion that 
there are no arrangements/features within the PPAs or Spanish 
regulations that indicate that these either contain a lease or 
represent a service concession arrangement. From our review 
of the new PPAs in the year, our understanding of the regulations 
in Spain, and other audit evidence obtained, we found that the 
judgments made in determining the appropriate accounting 
framework for the PPA/regulation were reasonable, and the 
associated measurement and classification of related balances 
and disclosures in the financial statements were consistent 
with the requirements of the relevant accounting standards.

We evaluated impairment triggers identified by management 
in their assessment by reviewing performance data by power 
plant, considering significant variances in performance against 
forecasts, and from meetings we held with divisional finance 
directors to discuss individual plant performance. We have also 
considered other information gathered during the course of our 
audits of components and assessed whether there are any other 
indicators of impairment. No impairment triggers other than the 
Brazilian Wind power plants already noted by management were 
identified from our assessment.

We performed audit procedures over the value in use 
calculations prepared by management for the Brazilian wind 
power plants. We used PwC valuation specialists to assess 
the methodology applied in the valuation and the discount rate 
used in the valuation. We benchmarked the discount rate to 
comparable assets and considered the underlying assumptions 
based on our knowledge of the Group and its industry. We 
tested the accuracy of management’s forecasting by reference 
to the accuracy of historical forecasts compared to actual cash 
flows. We also validated key assumptions related to future 
capacity by reference to resource forecasts, board approved 
forecasts specific to wind assets and comparability of expected 
wind conditions per forecasts to actual wind conditions during 
the year.

We tested management’s sensitivity analysis to ensure 
appropriate judgement had been applied.

Based on our audit procedures performed we found the 
methodology and assumptions used in the calculation of value 
in use for the Brazilian wind power plants and the conclusion 
that no impairment charge was required, were reasonable.

We also assessed the disclosures around the impairment 
assessments completed and the associated sensitivity analyses 
and have found these to be appropriate.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

113

Key audit matter

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Risk of fraud in revenue recognition and IFRS 15 transition 
(notes 2.1, 2.3, 2.4 and 4.2)

In addition to the judgements regarding the basis of accounting 
for revenues under the different Power Purchase Agreements 
(PPAs), there is a risk that revenues recognised in the financial 
period may be misstated due to fraud or error.

The majority of revenues earned are from power sales 
comprising both capacity payments and energy payments. 
These are calculated based on pre-determined criteria set out 
in the PPAs, which typically include fixed contracted capacities 
as well as contracted prices. These revenues are not considered 
to give rise to heightened risk as there is little judgement 
involved in the calculation of these revenues.

However in some PPAs a portion of revenue is inherently more 
judgemental, for example capacity payments in relation to 
certain renewable plants which in some cases include specific 
performance obligations set out in the PPA such as minimum 
supply agreements. The failure to meet these obligations can 
give rise to a reduction in revenues earned under the PPA.

During the year, the Group have adopted IFRS 15, Revenue 
from Contracts with Customers, from 1st January 2018. IFRS 15 
introduced a five-step model to be applied to all contracts with 
customers. The Group have followed the modified retrospective 
approach in application of the new standard. To determine the 
impact of IFRS 15 on the Group, management grouped power 
purchase agreements with similar contractual terms, and 
performed a detailed revenue accounting assessment for 
each group. This requires management to exercise judgement, 
in particular in the identification of separate performance 
obligations.

The impact of IFRS 15 did not have a material impact on 
profitability of the Group in 2018.

The largest impacts were noted in relation to the service 
concession contracts in Senegal, Togo and Rwanda that are 
accounted for under IFRIC 12. For these contracts, a number 
of distinct performance obligations were noted, including for 
major maintenance. On the financing component of these 
service concession contracts, IFRS 15 requires the calculation 
of the interest element to be based on the financing rate 
that could have been obtained locally at the time of asset 
construction, as opposed to the incremental rate of the contract 
under the previous model. Management generated an estimate 
of the rate by reference to the last USD bonds issued by the 
local government in these countries. As a result of this change, 
there was a significant reduction in the value of the financial 
and contract assets in the opening balance sheet at 1st January 
2018 for the related concession arrangements.

We assessed the detailed analysis prepared by management in 
relation to the accounting for each power purchase agreement 
at inception as outlined above, and, where appropriate, when a 
substantive change to the PPA is made. We note that there were 
no significant changes to existing PPAs during the year.

In order to test the accuracy and occurrence of revenue from 
power sales, we obtained the periodic invoices for capacity 
and energy payments for each component and traced these 
to subsequent cash collected. For the largest component 
(which represents approximately 30.6% of Group revenue), 
we also reperformed the calculation of revenue based on 
the formulae set out in the contract.

In respect of renewables plants where PPAs include revenues 
linked to uncertain future performance obligations (for example 
capacity payments which are dependent on future levels of 
power generation), we have tested revenue to ensure that 
where revenues are recognized there is not a reasonable 
foreseeable chance of revenues being reversed in future 
periods as a result of a failure to meet future performance 
obligations. While there is inherent uncertainty in future levels 
of power generation for renewable assets, we found that 
Management’s estimates appeared reasonable and consistent 
with historical performance of the associated assets.

We also assessed journal entries posted to revenue accounts 
to identify any unusual or irregular items, and where such items 
were identified we performed specific tests of detail to validate 
the appropriateness of the journal.

In respect of IFRS 15, we have performed a detailed review 
of management’s process, involving our own accounting 
specialists, including specific consideration of management’s 
judgements surrounding the identification of performance 
obligations and estimates used in the calculation of transaction 
adjustments, for example the appropriate rate to calculate 
the interest element of the financing component of service 
concession arrangements. We found that the principles behind 
the adjustments made as a result of adopting IFRS 15, including 
associated judgements and estimates, were appropriate.

For the in scope overseas components impacted by changes 
identified from the IFRS 15 transition (Spain, Bulgaria, Senegal, 
Togo and Rwanda) we have performed detailed audit testing 
over the transition adjustments and found these to be 
accurately calculated.

We also assessed the disclosures included in the financial 
statement in respect of the adoption of IFRS 15 and found these 
to be appropriate.

We determined that there were no key audit matters applicable to the Company to communicate in our report.

114

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Independent auditors’ report to the members of ContourGlobal plc continued

How we tailored the audit scope
We tailored the scope of our audit to ensure that we performed enough work to be able to give an opinion on the financial statements 
as a whole, taking into account the structure of the Group and the Company, the accounting processes and controls, and the industry 
in which they operate.

The Group financial statements are a consolidation of multiple reporting components, comprising the Group’s operating locations 
(including operating and related financing entities) and other centralised functions.

The Group’s reporting components vary significantly in size and we identified seven components that, in our view, required an audit 
of their complete financial information due to specific risk criteria and/or their size and contribution to the Group. Specific risk based 
audit procedures were performed at five further reporting components, based on the contribution of each to specific financial statement 
line items.

Where the work was performed by component auditors, we determined the level of involvement we needed to have in the audit work 
at those entities to conclude whether sufficient appropriate audit evidence has been obtained as a basis for our opinion on the Group 
financial statements as a whole. The Group engagement team visited the four largest components (in three countries) and two further 
full scope components. These visits involved discussing the audit approach and any issues arising from our work, as well as meeting 
local management. For all components, we received detailed reports on the findings of their audit work and held a number of calls 
with the component teams before, during and after the completion of their work. We also reviewed the working papers of all full 
scope component teams at the year end.

The Group consolidation, including the consolidated financial statement disclosures, and certain centrally managed functions and 
balances were audited at the head office by the Group audit engagement team.

The Company is principally a holding company and there are no branches or other locations to be considered when scoping the audit. 
As a single entity, one financial statement line item, being Cash at bank and in hand, was in scope for the Group audit. Otherwise, 
the Company is audited on a stand-alone basis and hence testing has been performed on all material financial statement line items.

Materiality
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. We set certain quantitative thresholds for materiality. These, 
together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit and the nature, timing and extent of our audit 
procedures on the individual financial statement line items and disclosures and in evaluating the effect of misstatements, both 
individually and in aggregate on the financial statements as a whole. 

Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements as a whole as follows:

Company financial statements

$16.5 million (2017: $8.0 million).

1% of total assets (2017: 1% of total assets, 
capped at 95% of Group materiality).

We believe that total assets is an appropriate 
benchmark for the Company as this entity 
is principally a holding company.

Group financial statements

Overall materiality

$15.0 million (2017: $12.5 million).

How we determined it

2.5% of Adjusted EBITDA.

Rationale for benchmark 
applied

We applied Adjusted EBITDA as the benchmark 
for materiality and we consider that this is the key 
profit based measure used by management in 
both assessing the performance of the business 
and reporting performance of the business to 
stakeholders. Management use this measure as 
it allows the underlying profitability of the Group's 
core business activities, including the contribution 
from associates, to be assessed year on year. 
It eliminates balances related to the initial acquisition 
of assets (which are not directly related to ongoing 
performance of the assets) and certain other items 
which give rise to fluctuations in results which are 
not directly linked to the performance of the asset.

For each component in the scope of our Group audit, we allocated a materiality that is less than our overall Group materiality. 
The range of materiality allocated across components was between $0.75 million and $11.0 million.

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them misstatements identified during our audit above $750,000 
(Group audit) (2017: $500,000) and $750,000 (Company audit) (2017: $500,000) as well as misstatements below those amounts that, 
in our view, warranted reporting for qualitative reasons.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

115

Going concern
In accordance with ISAs (UK) we report as follows:

Reporting obligation

Outcome

We are required to report if we have anything material to add 
or draw attention to in respect of the directors’ statement in 
the financial statements about whether the directors considered 
it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting 
in preparing the financial statements and the directors’ 
identification of any material uncertainties to the Group’s and 
the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern over 
a period of at least twelve months from the date of approval 
of the financial statements.

We are required to report if the directors’ statement relating 
to Going Concern in accordance with Listing Rule 9.8.6R(3) is 
materially inconsistent with our knowledge obtained in the audit.

We have nothing material to add or to draw attention to.

However, because not all future events or conditions can 
be predicted, this statement is not a guarantee as to the 
Group’s and Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. 
For example, the terms on which the United Kingdom may 
withdraw from the European Union are not clear, and it is difficult 
to evaluate all of the potential implications on the Group’s trade, 
customers, suppliers and the wider economy. 

We have nothing to report.

Reporting on other information 
The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our auditors’ report 
thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other 
information and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in this report, 
any form of assurance thereon. 

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider 
whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or 
otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify an apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are 
required to perform procedures to conclude whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material 
misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement 
of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report based on these responsibilities.

With respect to the Strategic Report and Directors’ Report, we also considered whether the disclosures required by the UK Companies 
Act 2006 have been included. 

Based on the responsibilities described above and our work undertaken in the course of the audit, the Companies Act 2006 (CA06), 
ISAs (UK) and the Listing Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) require us also to report certain opinions and matters as 
described below (required by ISAs (UK) unless otherwise stated).

Strategic Report and Directors’ Report
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit, the information given in the Strategic Report and Directors’ 
Report for the year ended 31st December 2018 is consistent with the financial statements and has been prepared in accordance with 
applicable legal requirements. (CA06)

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the Group and Company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, 
we did not identify any material misstatements in the Strategic Report and Directors’ Report. (CA06)

The directors’ assessment of the prospects of the Group and of the principal risks that would threaten the solvency or liquidity 
of the Group
We have nothing material to add or draw attention to regarding:

• The directors’ confirmation on page 74 of the Annual Report that they have carried out a robust assessment of the principal risks 

facing the Group, including those that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity.
• The disclosures in the Annual Report that describe those risks and explain how they are being managed or mitigated.
• The directors’ explanation on page 67 of the Annual Report as to how they have assessed the prospects of the Group, over what 
period they have done so and why they consider that period to be appropriate, and their statement as to whether they have a 
reasonable expectation that the Group will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the period 
of their assessment, including any related disclosures drawing attention to any necessary qualifications or assumptions.

We have nothing to report having performed a review of the directors’ statement that they have carried out a robust assessment of 
the principal risks facing the Group and statement in relation to the longer-term viability of the Group. Our review was substantially 
less in scope than an audit and only consisted of making inquiries and considering the directors’ process supporting their statements; 
checking that the statements are in alignment with the relevant provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code (the ‘Code’); and 
considering whether the statements are consistent with the knowledge and understanding of the Group and Company and their 
environment obtained in the course of the audit. (Listing Rules)

116

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Independent auditors’ report to the members of ContourGlobal plc continued

Other Code Provisions
We have nothing to report in respect of our responsibility to report when: 

• The statement given by the directors, on page 107, that they consider the Annual Report taken as a whole to be fair, balanced and 

understandable, and provides the information necessary for the members to assess the Group’s and Company’s position and 
performance, business model and strategy is materially inconsistent with our knowledge of the Group and Company obtained 
in the course of performing our audit.

• The section of the Annual Report on page 82 describing the work of the Audit Committee does not appropriately address matters 

communicated by us to the Audit Committee.

• The directors’ statement relating to the Company’s compliance with the Code does not properly disclose a departure from a relevant 

provision of the Code specified, under the Listing Rules, for review by the auditors.

Directors’ Remuneration
In our opinion, the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the 
Companies Act 2006. (CA06)

Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit
Responsibilities of the directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities set out on page 107, the directors are responsible for the 
preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair 
view. The directors are also responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial 
statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the Group’s and the Company’s ability to continue as 
a going concern, disclosing as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless 
the directors either intend to liquidate the Group or the Company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a 
high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material 
misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, 
they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. 

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the FRC’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/
auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditors’ report.

Use of this report
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the Company’s members as a body in accordance with 
Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume 
responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where 
expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

117

Other required reporting

Companies Act 2006 exception reporting
Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the Company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from 

branches not visited by us; or

• certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
• the Company financial statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited are not in agreement with the 

accounting records and returns. 

We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility. 

Appointment
We were appointed by the directors on 13th December 2017 to audit the financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2017 
and subsequent financial periods. The period of total uninterrupted engagement is 2 years, covering the years ended 31st December 
2017 to 31st December 2018.

Matthew Hall (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors 
London

4th April 2019

118
118

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements

Consolidated statement of income and other comprehensive income

Year ended 31st December 2018

In $ millions

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Other operating (expenses)/income – net

Acquisition related items

Income from Operations

Other expenses – net

Share of profit in associates

Finance income

Finance costs

Realized and unrealized foreign exchange gains and (losses) and change in fair value of derivatives

Profit before income tax

Income tax expenses

Net profit

Profit/(Loss) attributable to 

• Group

• Non-controlling interests

Earnings per share (in $)

• Basic

• Diluted

In $ millions

Net profit for the period

Items that will not be reclassified subsequently to income statement

Changes in actuarial gains and losses on retirement benefit, before tax

Deferred taxes on changes in actuarial gains and losses on retirement benefit

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to income statement

(Loss)/gain on hedging transactions

Deferred taxes on (loss)/gain on hedging transactions

Share of other comprehensive income of investments accounted for using the equity method

Currency translation differences

Other comprehensive (loss) for the period, net of tax

Total comprehensive (loss) for the period

Attributable to

• Group

• Non-controlling interests

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

Years ended  

31st December

Note

4.2

4.3

4.3

4.5

4.6

4.13

4.7

4.7

4.7

4.8

4.9

4.9

2018

1,253.0

(933.5)

319.5

(28.3)

(9.7)

(19.6)

261.9

(0.4)

2.9

10.6

(255.7)

8.5

27.8

(17.4)

10.4

15.0

(4.6)

0.02

0.02

2017

1,022.7

(716.3)

306.4

(31.9)

4.0

(9.5)

269.0

(12.7)

5.0

9.8

(186.0)

(44.5)

40.6

(27.1)

13.5

19.4

(5.9)

0.03

0.03

Years ended  

31st December

2018

10.4

(0.2)

(0.2)

–

(58.6)

(2.7)

(1.7)

–

(54.2)

(58.8)

(48.4)

(25.6)

(22.8)

2017

13.5

(0.6)

(0.7)

0.1

(19.7)

5.9

0.6

0.5

(26.7)

(20.3)

(6.8)

2.8

(9.6)

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

119

Consolidated statement of financial position

Year ended 31st December 2018

In $ millions

Non-current assets

Intangible assets and goodwill

Property, plant and equipment

Financial and contract assets

Investments in associates

Other non-current assets

Deferred tax assets

Current assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Derivative financial instruments

Other current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Assets held for sale

Total assets

In $ millions

Total equity and non-controlling interests

Issued capital

Share premium

Retained earnings and other reserves

Non-controlling interests

Non-current liabilities

Borrowings

Derivative financial instruments

Deferred tax liabilities

Provisions

Other non-current liabilities

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables

Borrowings

Derivative financial instruments

Current income tax liabilities

Provisions

Other current liabilities

Liabilities held for sale

Total liabilities

Total equity and non-controlling interests and liabilities

Note

4.10

4.11

4.12

4.13

4.18

4.8

4.19

4.20

4.15

4.21

4.11

4.22

4.23

4.15

4.8

4.25

4.24

4.27

4.23

4.15

4.25

4.28

4.11

31st 
December 
2018

31st 
December 
2017

3,969.8

117.4

3,253.1

498.2

26.6

22.9

51.6

1,178.1

112.8

337.3

1.1

30.0

696.9

–

3,203.5

137.1

2,350.3

617.7

27.1

29.5

41.8

1,134.1

54.1

271.8

–

27.1

781.1

13.7

5,147.9

4,351.3

31st 
December 
2018

31st 
December 
2017

680.5

8.9

380.8

105.6

185.2

3,701.2

3,286.8

53.0

163.8

41.2

156.4

766.2

292.9

273.2

16.8

17.4

17.4

148.5

–

773.5

8.9

380.8

187.3

196.5

3,016.5

2,672.6

49.7

65.5

62.2

166.5

548.4

169.1

217.5

14.7

23.7

10.8

112.6

12.9

4,467.4

5,147.9

3,577.8

4,351.3

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorized for issue on 4th April 2019 and signed on its behalf by: 

Joseph C. Brandt
Chief Executive Officer

4th April 2019

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

120

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

Year ended 31st December 2018

Invested 
capital

Share 
capital

Share 
premium

Currency 
Translation 
Reserve

Hedging 
reserve 

Actuarial 
reserve 

Retained 
earnings 
and 
other 
reserves

Non-
controlling 
interests

Total 
equity

Total

(32.9)

(36.0)

(1.0)

(621.7)

288.9

152.9

441.8

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1.6

380.8

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

In $ millions

Balance as of  
1st January 2017

Profit/(loss) for the period

Other comprehensive loss

Total comprehensive (loss)/
income for the period

980.5

–

–

–

Change in invested capital

(12.8)

–

–

–

–

–

(967.7)

1,320.7

(1,307.5)

(5.9)

Group restructure as a result 
of share for share exchange 
(note 4.22)

Capital reduction  
(note 4.22)

Cancellation of deferred 
shares (note 4.22)

Issue of shares – Listing on 
the London Stock Exchange 
(note 4.22)

Acquisition and contribution 
of non-controlling interest not 
resulting in a change 
of control

Acquisition of and 
contribution received from 
non-controlling interest

Dividends

Other

Balance as of 31st 
December 2017

Balance as of  
1st January 2018

Effect of changes in 
accounting standards  
(IFRS 15)

Balance as of 1st January 
2018 (restated)

Profit/(loss) for the period

Other comprehensive (loss)

Total comprehensive loss 
for the period

Transaction with non-
controlling interests

Sale non-controlling interest 
not resulting in a change of 
control (note 3.1)

Employee share schemes

Dividends

Other

Balance as of  
31st December 2018

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(23.0)

(23.0)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

7.0

7.0

–

–

–

–

–

(1.0)

–

–

–

–

(0.6)

(0.6)

19.4

–

19.4

19.4

(16.6)

2.8

(5.9)

(3.7)

(9.6)

–

(12.8)

(353.0)

1,307.5

5.9

–

–

–

–

382.4

–

–

–

–

–

13.5

(20.3)

(6.8)

(12.8)

–

–

–

382.4

(8.0)

(9.0)

(0.8)

(9.8)

–

–

54.4

54.4

(75.5)

(75.5)

0.2

0.2

–

(0.4)

(75.5)

(0.2)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

8.9

380.8

(55.9)

(30.0)

(1.6)

274.8

577.0

196.5

773.5

8.9

380.8

(55.9)

(30.0)

(1.6)

274.8

577.0

196.5

773.5

–

–

–

–

–

(38.1)

(38.1)

(9.1)

(47.2)

8.9

380.8

(55.9)

(30.0)

(1.6)

236.7

538.9

187.4

726.3

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(36.4)

(36.4)

–

(4.0)

(4.0)

–

(0.2)

(0.2)

15.0

–

15.0

15.0

(40.6)

(25.6)

(4.6)

(18.2)

10.4

(58.8)

(22.8)

(48.4)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(5.9)

(5.9)

20.9

20.9

28.0

48.9

4.1

(44.1)

1.1

4.1

(44.1)

1.1

–

(1.1)

(0.4)

4.1

(45.2)

0.7

8.9

380.8

(92.3)

(34.0)

(1.8)

233.7

495.3

185.2

680.5

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

121

Consolidated statement of cash flows

Year ended 31st December 2018

In $ millions

Cash flow from operating activities

Net profit 

Adjustment for:

Amortization, depreciation and impairment expense

Change in provisions

Share of profit in associates

Realized and unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses and change in fair value of 
derivatives

Interest expenses – net

Other financial items

Income tax expense

Change in financial lease and concession assets

Acquisition related items

Other items

Change in working capital

Income tax paid

Contribution received from associates

Net cash generated from operating activities

Cash flow from investing activities

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

Purchase of intangibles

Government grants

Acquisition of financial assets under concession agreements

Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash received

Sale of subsidiaries, net of divested cash

Other investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flow from financing activities

Proceeds from issuance of ContourGlobal plc. Shares

Dividends paid

Net repayment of amounts due from relating undertakings

Proceeds from borrowings

Repayment of borrowings

Debt issuance costs – net

Interest paid

Cash distribution to non-controlling interests

Transactions with non-controlling interest holders

Other financing activities

Net cash generated from financing activities

Exchange (losses)/gains on cash and cash equivalents

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

Cash & cash equivalents at beginning of the period

Cash & cash equivalents at end of the period

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

Years ended  

31st December

Note

2018

4.3

4.13

4.7

4.7

4.7

4.8

4.12

3.1

4.22

4.7

10.4

239.3

(2.2)

(2.9)

(8.5)

181.8

63.3

17.4

35.9

19.6

4.9

50.9

(35.1)

3.4

578.2

(81.1)

(1.2)

–

–

(910.4)

3.0

(6.5)

(996.2)

–

(44.1)

–

1,792.0

(1,151.1)

(16.1)

(180.9)

(19.5)

67.2

(72.1)

375.4

(41.6)

(84.2)

781.1

696.9

2017

13.5

185.6

3.8

(5.0)

44.5

166.5

9.6

27.1

15.7

9.5

6.0

(39.4)

(23.9)

7.1

420.6

(58.4)

(1.4)

0.7

(35.4)

(170.6)

–

(15.5)

(280.6)

402.3

(75.5)

21.3

310.9

(233.0)

(1.1)

(169.2)

(16.2)

(9.6)

(69.0)

160.9

46.4

347.4

433.7

781.1

122

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements
1.  General information
ContourGlobal plc (the ‘Company’) is a public listed company, 
limited by shares, domiciled in the United Kingdom and 
incorporated in England and Wales. It is the holding company 
for the group whose principal activities during the period were 
the operation of wholesale power generation businesses with 
Thermal and Renewables assets in Europe, Latin America and 
Africa, and its registered office is:

full year there were no changes in rights or proportion of control 
exercised as a result of this transaction. Although the share-for-
share exchange resulted in a change of legal ownership, this was 
a common control transaction and therefore outside the scope 
of IFRS 3. In substance, these financial statements reflect the 
continuation of the pre-existing group and the financial statements 
have been prepared by applying the principles of predecessor 
accounting. In each period, the financial statements have been 
prepared by applying the principles underlying the consolidation 
procedures of IFRS 10 ‘Consolidated Financial Statements’ 
(‘IFRS 10’).

The components of equity in the consolidated statement of 
changes in equity for the comparative period reflect the 
constituent parts of equity required to be separately disclosed 
under IAS 1, based upon the consolidated position prior to the 
capital reorganization, and non-controlling interests. As it is not 
meaningful to show the share capital for the predecessor Group, 
as of 1st January 2017, the remaining equity of the predecessor 
group is represented by the cumulative investment of 
ContourGlobal L.P. in the Group (shown as ‘Invested Capital’). 
The current and prior year consolidated statement of financial 
position presents the legal change in ownership of the Group, 
including the share capital of the Company following the capital 
reorganization that occurred in 2017 as described in note 4.22. 
The revised capital structure is also presented in the consolidated 
statement of changes in equity, which reflects the share for share 
exchange, capital reduction and cancellation of deferred shares 
that occurred during the prior year. 

2.  Summary of significant accounting policies
 Application of new and revised International Financial 
2.1. 
Reporting Standards (IFRS)

IFRS 15 Revenue from contract with customers
The Group adopted IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with 
Customers, from 1st January 2018. The Group used the modified 
retrospective approach for the first application under which the 
comparative amounts in the consolidated statement of income 
and other comprehensive income and the consolidated statement 
of financial position are not restated and instead are presented in 
accordance with IAS 18. To determine the impact of IFRS 15 on the 
Group, management grouped power purchase agreements with 
similar contractual terms, and performed a detailed revenue 
accounting assessment for each group. This exercise identified 
the following main impacts for the Group as being:

i) 

ii) 

 An increase in revenue from grossing up certain costs 
that were previously netted down: the Group recognized 
an increase of costs of sales to match the fair value of the 
gas supplied to its Arrubal plant from its main client and 
corresponding increase in revenue; this resulted in an 
increase of revenue by $19.6 million for the year ended 
31st December 2018;

 Additional performance obligations identified for service 
concession contracts which resulted in a decrease of revenue 
and an increase of costs of sales by $15.9 million for the year 
ended 31st December 2018 mainly due to the timing of major 
maintenance activities; and

iii) 

 A modification to a contract in Maritsa that is recognized 
prospectively from the contract modification; this resulted 
in an increase of revenue by $1.3 million for the year ended 
31st December 2018; 

6th Floor 
15 Berkeley Street 
London 
W1J 8DY 
United Kingdom

Registered number: 10982736

ContourGlobal plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Basis of preparation
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in 
accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 
as endorsed by and adopted for use by the European Union (EU), 
IFRS Interpretation Committee (IFRS IC) interpretations and with 
those parts of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies 
reporting under IFRS. The consolidated financial statements have 
been prepared on the going concern basis under the historical 
cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of financial assets 
and financial liabilities (including derivative instruments) at fair 
value through profit or loss.

The financial information is prepared in accordance with IFRS 
under the historical cost convention, as modified for the 
revaluation of certain financial instruments. The financial 
information is presented in millions of U.S. dollars, with one 
decimal. Thus numbers may not sum precisely due to rounding.

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of the 
consolidated financial statements are set out in note 2.3. These 
policies have been consistently applied to the periods presented, 
unless otherwise stated. In particular, as the Group has 
implemented IFRS 15 Revenue from contracts with customers 
using the modified retrospective approach, related amounts in the 
consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income 
and the consolidated statement of financial position for 2018 are 
not comparable with the corresponding amounts in 2017. See note 
2.1 for further details. The financial information presented is at 
and for the financial years ended 31st December 2018 and 
31st December 2017. Financial year ends have been referred 
to as 31st December throughout the consolidated financial 
statements as per the accounting reference date of ContourGlobal 
plc. Financial years are referred to as 2018 and 2017 in these 
consolidated financial statements.

The preparation of the IFRS financial statements requires the use 
of estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts 
of assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial 
statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses 
during the year. Although these estimates are based on 
management’s best knowledge of the amount, event or actions, 
actual results may differ from those estimates, as noted in the 
critical accounting estimates and judgements in note 2.4.

On 17th October 2017, the Company obtained control of the entire 
share capital of ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings S.à.r.l from 
ContourGlobal L.P. via a share-for-share exchange. The principal 
operating subsidiary undertakings of the Group are owned directly 
or indirectly by ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings S.à.r.l. For the 

The table below summarizes impacts of IFRS 15 implementation on the statement of income for the year ended 31st December 2018:

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

123

In $ millions

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Other operating income – net

Acquisition related items

Income from Operations

Other income (expenses) – net

Share of profit in associates

Finance income

Finance costs

Realized and unrealized foreign exchange gains and (losses) and change in fair 
value of derivatives

Profit before income tax

Income tax expenses

Net profit

Profit/(Loss) attributable to 

• Group

• Non-controlling interests

Statement 
of income 
under 
IAS 18

1,248.0

Notes

(929.8)

318.2

(28.3)

(9.7)

(19.6)

260.6

(0.4)

2.9

10.6

(255.7)

8.5

26.5

(16.7)

9.8

13.7

(4.0)

Impact of 
adopting 
IFRS 15

5.0

(3.7)

1.3

–

–

–

1.3

–

–

–

–

–

1.3

(0.7)

0.7

1.3

(0.6)

Statement 
of income 
under 
IFRS 15

1,253.0

(933.5)

319.5

(28.3)

(9.7)

(19.6)

261.9

(0.4)

2.9

10.6

(255.7)

8.5

27.8

(17.4)

10.4

15.0

(4.6)

The table below summarizes impacts of IFRS 15 implementation on the consolidated statement of financial position as of 1st January 2018:

In $ millions

Assets

Non-current assets

Property, plant and equipment

Financial and contract assets

Deferred tax assets

Current assets

Trade and other receivables

Liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Deferred tax liabilities

Provisions

Current liabilities

Other current liabilities

Equity and non-controlling interest

Retained earnings and other reserves

Non-controlling interests

1st January 

Notes

2018 Restatement

(1) (2)

(2)

(3)

(2)

(1)

(3)

3,281.6

3,009.8

2,350.3

617.7

41.8

271.8

271.8

240.3

127.7

65.5

62.2

112.6

112.6

383.8

187.3

196.5

(76.9)

(75.8)

(1.4)

(80.0)

5.6

(1.1)

(1.1)

(29.7)

(36.2)

(8.0)

(28.2)

6.5

6.5

(47.2)

(38.1)

(9.1)

1st January 
2018 
restated

3,204.7

2,934.0

2,348.9

537.7

47.4

270.7

270.7

210.6

91.5

57.5

34.0

119.1

119.1

336.6

149.2

187.4

124

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
2.  Summary of significant accounting 

policies continued

(1) The Group has assessed the performance obligations (‘POs’) 
as defined under IFRS 15 for all its power plants under service 
concession agreements, namely KivuWatt in Rwanda, Togo and 
Cap des Biches in Senegal. The identification of the following 
POs resulted in adjusting the value of the financial and contract 
assets, contract liabilities, provisions and related deferred tax 
assets and liabilities:

• Construction and transfer of the power plant: no change in initial 
values. The margin recognized during the construction period is 
immaterial as engineering of the project is largely outsourced.

• Significant financing component: revenue is represented by 

interest generated on the funding of the total construction costs, 
and is recognized over the period of the contract consistent with 
the previous model. Under IFRS 15, the interest rate corresponds 
to the last USD bonds issued by the country representing the 
financing rate that the local government could have obtained at 
the time of the construction (versus incremental rate of the 
contract for the previous model). These changes resulted in 
significantly reducing the value of the line item Financial and 
contract assets as of 1st January 2018 for the three assets.

• Operation, maintenance and major maintenance activities: such 
activities are part of the services rendered to the client during 
the concession period. A margin is applied which falls into a 
reasonable range for such activities in such countries. The major 
maintenance is considered as a distinct PO rendered after 
pre-defined thresholds and operating hours. As such, under 
IFRS 15 a revenue and a margin is applied to this PO when 
costs are incurred, which resulted in removing the gross 
maintenance provision initially recorded and included in the 
line item Provisions.

(2) As a result of (1), the identification of new POs and change in 
methodology resulted in adjusting the value of financial and 
contract assets, but also in recognizing:

• Contract assets (within line item Financial and contract assets): 

the value of contract assets and liabilities is dependent in 
particular on the timing of operation and maintenance activities 
as well as major maintenance activities, for which revenue is 
recognized as costs are incurred. 

• Deferred tax assets and liabilities resulting from a different 

revenue recognition in local GAAP in Togo and Cap des Biches. 
The changes incurred by the implementation of IFRS 15 triggered 
adjustment of historical deferred taxes recognized as a result.

(3) The Maritsa power purchase agreement (‘PPA’) was amended 
in April 2016. IFRS 15 requires recognizing the effect of such 
amendments prospectively (vs retroactively to the initial PPA date 
under the previous standard). This change resulted in particular in 
deferring revenue recognition over time.

IFRS 9 Financial instruments
The Group adopted IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’, from 1st January 
2018, which replaces IAS 39 (Financial instruments – Recognition 
and measurement) and addresses the classification and 
measurement of financial instruments, introducing new principles 
for hedge accounting and a new forward-looking impairment 
model for financial assets.

The adoption of IFRS 9 hedge accounting principles did not have 
any material impact on the financial statements. The adoption 
of IFRS 9 did not result in any changes in the measurement 
or classification of financial instruments at 1st January 2018. 
All classes of financial assets and financial liabilities had the 
same carrying values under IFRS 9 as they had under IAS 39 
as at 1st January 2018. 

2.2. 

 New standards and interpretations not yet mandatorily 
applicable

On 1st January 2019 the Group will adopt IFRS 16 ‘Leases’, which 
has been issued by the IASB and endorsed by the EU. This is a 
significant new standard for the Group and the expected impacts 
are discussed below.

In addition to IFRS 16, a number of additional new standards and 
amendments and revisions to existing standards have been 
published which will apply to the Group’s future accounting 
periods. They have not been early adopted. None of these are 
expected to have a significant impact on the consolidated results, 
financial position or cash flows of the Group when they are 
adopted.

IFRS 16 Leases
IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ was issued in January 2016 to replace IAS 17 
‘Leases’ and has been endorsed by the EU. The standard is 
effective for accounting periods beginning on or after 1st January 
2019 and will be adopted by the Group on 1st January 2019.

IFRS 16 will primarily change lease accounting for lessees; lease 
agreements will give rise to the recognition of an asset 
representing the right to use the leased item and a loan obligation 
for future lease payables. Lease costs will be recognized in the 
form of depreciation of the right to use asset and interest on the 
lease liability. Lessee accounting under IFRS 16 will be similar in 
many respects to existing IAS 17 accounting for finance leases, but 
will be substantively different to existing accounting for operating 
leases where rental charges are currently recognized on a 
straight-line basis and no lease asset or related lease creditor is 
recognized.

The impact of IFRS 16 on lessor accounting is less significant and 
not expected to have a material impact for the Group.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

125

The Group assessed the impact of the accounting changes that 
will arise under IFRS 16; the following changes to lessee 
accounting will have a material impact as follows:

• Right-of-use assets will be recorded for all assets that are leased 
by the Group; currently no lease assets or related liabilities are 
included on the Group’s consolidated statement of financial 
position for operating leases.

• Liabilities will be recorded for future lease payments in the 
Group’s consolidated statement of financial position for the 
‘reasonably certain’ period of the lease, which may include 
future lease periods for which the Group has extension options. 
Currently liabilities are generally not recorded for future 
operating lease payments, which are disclosed as commitments. 
The amount of lease liabilities will not exactly equal the lease 
commitments reported on 31st December 2018, as they will be 
discounted to present value and the treatment of termination 
and extension options may differ.

• Currently operating lease rentals are expensed on a straight-line 
basis over the lease term within operating expenses and these 
will be replaced by a depreciation charge for right-of-use assets 
and interest on lease liabilities; interest will typically be higher in 
the early stages of a lease and reduce over the term.
• Operating lease cash flows are currently included within 

operating cash flows in the consolidated statement of cash 
flows; under IFRS 16 these will be recorded as cash flows from 
financing activities reflecting the repayment of lease liabilities 
(borrowings) and related interest.

The right-of-use assets and liabilities for future lease payments 
assessed as of 1st January 2019 amounts to $24.6 million. The 
depreciation of the right-of-use assets and the finance charges on 
the liabilities assessed for 2019 are estimated at $3.5 million and 
$1.6 million respectively. The Group expects to apply the modified 
retrospective approach starting 1st January 2019.

2.3.  Summary of significant accounting policies
Principles of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include both the assets and 
liabilities, and the results and cash flows, of the Group and its 
subsidiaries and the Group’s share of the results and the Group’s 
investments in associates. 

Inter-company transactions and balances between Group 
companies are eliminated.

(a)  Subsidiaries 
Entities over which the Group has the power to direct the relevant 
activities so as to effect the returns to the Group, generally 
through control over the financial and operating policies, are 
accounted for as subsidiaries. Interests acquired in subsidiaries 
are consolidated from the date the Group acquires control.

(b)  Associates 
Where the Group has the ability to exercise significant influence 
over entities, generally from a shareholding of between 20% and 
50% of the voting rights, they are accounted for as associates. 
The results and assets and liabilities of associates are 
incorporated into the consolidated financial statements using 
the equity method of accounting. The Group’s investment in 
associates includes goodwill identified on acquisition. 

The Group determines at each reporting date whether there is 
objective evidence that the investment in the associate is 
impaired. If there is evidence, the Group calculates the amount of 
impairment as the difference between the recoverable amount of 
the investment in the associate and its carrying value and 
recognizes this amount as a reduction to the amount of ‘Share of 
profit of associates’ in the consolidated statement of income.

Business combinations
The acquisition consideration is measured at fair value which is 
the aggregate of the fair values of the assets transferred, the 
liabilities incurred or assumed and the equity interests in 
exchange for control. The consideration transferred includes the 
fair value of any asset or liability resulting from a contingent 
consideration arrangement. Any contingent consideration to be 
transferred by the Group is recognized at fair value at the 
acquisition date. Subsequent changes to the fair value of the 
contingent consideration are recognized in the consolidated 
statement of income. Where the consideration transferred, 
together with the non-controlling interest, exceeds the fair value of 
the net assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities acquired, the 
excess is recorded as goodwill. Acquisition related costs are 
expensed as incurred and classified as ‘Acquisition related items’ 
in the consolidated statement of income.

Goodwill is capitalized as a separate item in the case of 
subsidiaries and as part of the cost of investment in the case of 
associates. Goodwill is denominated in the currency of the 
operation acquired.

Changes in ownership interests in subsidiaries without change 
of control
Transactions with non-controlling interests that do not result in a 
gain or loss of control are accounted for as equity transactions – 
that is, as transactions with the owners in their capacity as owners. 
The difference between fair value of any consideration paid and 
the relevant share acquired of the carrying value of net assets of 
the subsidiary is recorded in equity.

Functional and presentation currency and currency translation 
The assets and liabilities of foreign undertakings are translated 
into US dollars, the Group’s presentation currency, at the year-end 
exchange rates. The results of foreign undertakings are translated 
into US dollars at the relevant average rates of exchange for the 
year. Foreign exchange differences arising on retranslation of 
opening net assets, and the difference between average 
exchange rates and year-end exchange rates on the result for the 
year are recognized directly in the currency translation reserve.

Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional 
currency using the exchange rates prevailing at the dates of the 
transactions. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from 
the settlement of transactions and from the translation of monetary 
assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are 
recognized at period end exchange rates in the consolidated 
statement of income line which most appropriately reflects the 
nature of the item or transaction. 

126

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
2.  Summary of significant accounting policies continued
The following table summarizes the main exchange rates used for the preparation of the consolidated financial statements of 
ContourGlobal:

Currency

EUR/USD

BRL/USD

BGN/USD

Closing rates

Year ended  
31st December 

Average rates

Year ended  
31st December 

2018

1.1467

0.2581

0.5863

2017

1.2005

0.3024

0.6138

2018

1.1811

0.2756

0.6040

2017

1.1299

0.3134

0.5774

Operating and reportable segments
The Group’s reporting segments reflect the operating segments which are based on the organizational structure and financial 
information provided to the Chief Executive Officer, who represents the chief operating decision-maker (‘CODM’). The Group’s 
organizational structure reflects the different electricity generation methods, being Thermal and Renewables. A third category, 
Corporate & Other, primarily reflects costs for certain centralized functions including executive oversight, corporate treasury and 
accounting, legal, compliance, human resources, IT, political risk insurance and facilities management and certain technical support 
costs that are not allocated to the segments for internal management reporting purposes. 

The principal profit measure used by the CODM is ‘Adjusted EBITDA’ as defined in note 4.1. A segmented analysis of ‘Adjusted EBITDA’ 
is accordingly provided in the notes to the consolidated financial statements (see note 4.1).

Revenue recognition
IFRS 15, Revenues from contracts with customers, is effective for periods beginning 1st January 2018. Under this standard, revenue 
recognition is based on the transfer of control, i.e. notion of control is used to determine when a good or service is transferred to the 
customer. In accordance with this, the Group has adopted a single comprehensive model for the accounting for revenues from 
contracts with customers, using a five-step approach for revenue recognition: (1) identifying the contract; (2) identifying the performance 
obligations in the contract; (3) determining the transaction price; (4) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations in the 
contract; and (5) recognizing revenue when the Group satisfies a performance obligation.

Revenue represents amounts receivable for goods or services provided in the normal course of business excluding amounts collected 
on behalf of third parties such as sales taxes, goods and services taxes and value added taxes.

Revenue is recognized when it is probable that future economic benefits will flow to the entity and these benefits can be measured 
reliably. Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable.

The Group revenue is mainly generated from the following:

revenue from power sales; 
(i) 
(ii)  revenue from operating leases; 
(iii)  revenue from financial assets (concession and finance lease assets); and 
(iv)  construction revenue from concession arrangements.

Certain of the Group power plants sell their output under Power Purchase Agreements (‘PPAs’) and other long-term arrangements. 
Under such arrangements it is usual for the Group to receive payment for the provision of electrical capacity or availability whether or 
not the offtaker requests the electrical output (capacity payments) and for the variable costs of production (energy payments). In such 
situations, revenue is recognized in respect of capacity payments as:

a) 

 Service income in accordance with the contractual terms, to the extent that the capacity has been made available to the contracted 
offtaker during the period. This income is recognized as part of revenue from power sales; 

b) 

 Financial return on the operating financial asset where the PPA is considered to be or to contain a finance lease or where the 
contract is considered to be a financial asset under interpretation IFRIC 12: ‘Service Concession Arrangements’. 

Under finance lease arrangements, those payments which are not included within minimum lease payments are accounted for as 
service income (outlined in (a) above). 

Energy payments under PPAs are recognized in revenue in all cases as the contracted output is delivered.

Interest income is accrued on a time basis, by reference to the principal outstanding and at the effective interest rate applicable, which 
is the rate that exactly discounts estimated future cash receipts through the expected life of the financial asset to that asset’s net 
carrying amount on initial recognition.

Revenues in the comparative periods are recognized in accordance with IAS 18. See note 2.1 for more details of the transition to IFRS 15.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

127

Government grants
Grants from the government are recognized where there is reasonable assurance that the conditions associated with the grants have 
been complied with and the grants will be received.

Acquisition related items
Acquisition related items include pre-acquisition costs such as various professional fees and due diligence costs, earn-outs and other 
related incremental costs incurred as part of completed or contemplated acquisitions.

Finance income and finance costs
Finance income primarily consists of interest income on funds invested. Finance costs primarily comprise interest expense on 
borrowings, unwinding of the discount/step up on financial and contract assets and provisions, interests and penalties that arise from 
late payments of suppliers or taxes, swap margin calls, bank charges, changes in fair value of the debt payable to non-controlling 
interests in our Bulgarian power plant, changes in the fair value of derivatives not qualifying for hedge accounting and unrealized 
& realized foreign exchange gains and losses.

Intangible assets and goodwill
Goodwill
For the purpose of impairment testing, goodwill acquired in a business combination is allocated to each of the cash generating units 
(‘CGUs’), or groups of CGUs that is expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination. Each unit or group of units represents the 
lowest level within the entity at which the goodwill is monitored for internal management purposes. 

The reporting units (which generally correspond to power plants) or group of reporting units have been identified as its cash-generating 
units.

Goodwill impairment reviews are undertaken at least annually.

Intangible assets
Intangible assets include licenses and permits when specific rights and contracts are acquired. Intangible assets separately acquired 
in the normal course of business are recorded at historic cost, and intangible assets acquired in a business combination are recognized 
at fair value at the acquisition date. When the power plant achieves its commercial operations date, the related intangible assets are 
amortized using the straight-line method over the life of the PPA, generally over 20 years (excluding software). Software is amortized 
over three years. A different amortization method may be used if it better reflects the pattern of economic benefits derived from the 
asset over time. 

Property, plant and equipment
Initial recognition and subsequent measurement
Property, plant and equipment are stated at historical cost, less depreciation, or at fair value if acquired in the context of a business 
combination. Historical cost includes an initial estimate of the costs of dismantling and removing the item and restoring the site on which 
it is located, when the entity has a present legal or constructive obligation to do so.

Property, plant and equipment acquired under finance leases is carried at the lower of market value and the present value of the 
related minimum lease payments. 

Costs relating to major inspections and overhauls are capitalized. Minor replacements, repairs and maintenance, including planned 
outages to our power plants that do not improve the efficiency or extend the life of the respective asset, are expensed as incurred. 

The Group capitalizes certain direct pre-construction costs associated with its power plant project development activities when it 
has been determined that it is more likely than not that the opportunity will result in an operating asset. Factors considered in this 
determination include (i) the availability of adequate funding, (ii) the likelihood that the Group will be awarded with the project or the 
barriers are not likely to prohibit closing the project, and (iii) there is an available market and the regulatory, environmental and 
infrastructure requirements are likely to be met. Capitalized pre-construction costs include initial engineering, environmental and 
technical feasibility studies, legal costs, permitting and licensing and direct internal staff salary and travel costs, among others. 
Pre-construction costs are charged to expense if a project is abandoned or if the conditions stated above are not met. Construction 
work in progress (‘CWIP’) assets are transferred out of CWIP when construction is substantially completed and the power plant achieves 
its commercial operations date (‘COD’), at which point depreciation commences. 

128

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
2.  Summary of significant accounting policies continued
Depreciation
Property, plant and equipment are depreciated using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

Generating plants and equipment

Lignite, coal, gas, oil, biomass power plants

Hydro plants and equipment

Wind farms

Tri and quad-generation combined heat power plants

Solar plants

Other property, plant and equipment

Useful lives as of 
31st December 
2017 and 2018

12 to 40 years

25 to 75 years

16 to 25 years

15 years

14 to 22 years

3 to 10 years

The range of useful lives is due to the diversity of the assets in each category, which is partly due to acquired assets and from assets 
groupings. 

The residual values and useful lives are reviewed at least annually and if expectations differ from previous estimates, the remaining 
useful lives are reassessed and adjustments are made. The remaining useful lives are assessed when acquisitions are made by 
performing technical due diligence procedures.

Impairment of non-financial assets
Assets that are subject to depreciation or amortization are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances 
indicate that carrying values may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized for the amount by which the asset’s carrying 
amount exceeds its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s fair value less costs of disposal (market 
value) and value in use determined using estimates of discounted future net cash flows of the asset or group of assets to which it 
belongs. For the purposes of assessing impairment, assets are grouped at the lowest levels for which there are largely independent 
cash inflows (cash-generating units). 

Leases
The determination of whether an arrangement is, or contains, a lease is based on the substance of the arrangement and requires an 
assessment of whether the fulfilment of the arrangement is dependent on the use of a specific asset or assets and whether the 
arrangement conveys the right to use the asset, or assets.

Accounting for arrangements that contain a lease as lessee
(i)  Accounting for finance leases as lessee  
Leases of property, plant and equipment where the Group holds substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership are classified as 
finance lease and such assets are capitalized at the commencement of the lease term at the lower of the present value of the minimum 
lease payments or the fair value of the leased asset. The asset is depreciated over the shorter of the useful life of the asset and the 
lease term. The obligations relating to finance leases, net of finance charges in respect of future periods, are recognized as liabilities. 
Leases are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method.

(ii)  Accounting for operating leases as lessee 
Leases where a significant portion of the risks and rewards are held by the lessor are classified as operating leases. Rentals are 
charged to the statement of income on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

Accounting for arrangements that contain a lease as lessor – Power purchase arrangements (‘PPA’) and other long-term contracts may 
contain, or may be considered to contain, leases where the fulfilment of the arrangement is dependent on the use of a specific asset 
such as a power plant and the arrangement conveys to the customer the right to use that asset. Such contracts may be identified as 
either operating leases or finance leases.

(i)  Accounting for finance leases as lessor 
Where the Group determines that the contractual provisions of a long-term PPA contain, or are a lease and result in the offtaker 
assuming the principal risks and rewards of ownership of the power plant, the arrangement is a finance lease. Accordingly the assets 
are not reflected as PP&E and the net investment in the lease, represented by the present value of the amounts due from the lessee is 
recorded within financial assets as a finance lease receivable. 

The capacity payments as part of the leasing arrangement are apportioned between minimum lease payments (comprising capital 
repayments relating to the plant and finance income) and service income. The finance income element is recognized as revenue, using 
a rate of return specific to the plant to give a constant rate of return on the net investment in each period. Finance income and service 
income are recognized in each accounting period at the fair value of the Group’s performance under the contract.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

129

(ii)  Accounting for operating leases as lessor 
Where the Group determines that the contractual provisions of the long-term PPA contain, or are, a lease, and result in the Group 
retaining the principal risks and rewards of ownership of the power plant, the arrangement is an operating lease. For operating leases, 
the power plant is, or continues to be, capitalized as property, plant and equipment and depreciated over its useful economic life. 
Rental income from operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the arrangement.

Concession arrangements
The interpretation IFRIC 12 governs accounting for concession arrangements. An arrangement within the scope of IFRIC 12 is one which 
involves a private sector entity (known as ‘an operator’) constructing infrastructure used to provide a public service, or upgrading it (for 
example, by increasing its capacity) and operating and maintaining that infrastructure for a specified period of time. 

IFRIC 12 applies to public-to-private service concession arrangements if:

(a)   The ‘grantor’ (i.e. the public sector entity – the offtaker) controls or regulates what services the operator must provide with the 

infrastructure, to whom it must provide them, and at what price, and

b) 

 The grantor controls through ownership, beneficial entitlement or otherwise any significant residual interest in the infrastructure at 
the end of the term of the arrangement. Infrastructure used in a public-to-private service concession arrangement for its entire 
useful life (a whole of life asset) is within the scope of IFRIC 12 if the conditions in a) are met.

Under concession arrangements within the scope of IFRIC 12, which comply with the ‘financial asset’ model requirements, the operator 
recognizes a financial asset, attracting income in consideration for the services it provides (design, construction, etc.), to the extent that 
it has an unconditional contractual right to receive cash or another financial asset from or at the direction of the grantor for the 
construction services; the grantor has little, if any, discretion to avoid payment, usually because the agreement is enforceable by law. 
The Group has an unconditional right to receive cash if the grantor contractually guarantees to pay the Group (a) specified or 
determinable amounts or (b) the shortfall, if any, between amounts received from users of the public service and specified or 
determinable amounts, even if payment is contingent on the Group ensuring that the infrastructure meets specified quality or efficiency 
requirements. This model is based on input assumptions such as budgets and cash flow forecasts. Any change in these assumptions 
may have a material impact on the measurement of the recoverable amount and could result in reducing the value of the asset. Such 
financial assets are recognized in the consolidated statement of financial position in an amount corresponding to the fair value of the 
infrastructure on first recognition and subsequently at amortized cost. The receivable is settled by means of the grantor’s payments 
being received. The financial income calculated on the basis of the effective interest rate, equivalent to the project’s internal rate of 
return, is reflected within the ‘Revenue from concession and finance lease assets’ line in the note 4.2 ‘Revenue’ to the consolidated 
financial statements. Cash outflows relating to the acquisition of financial assets under concession agreements are presented as part of 
cash flow from investing activities. Net cash inflows generated by the financial assets’ operations are presented as part of cash flow 
from operating activities.

Under arrangements within the scope of IFRIC 12 which complies with the ‘intangible asset’ model requirements, the operator 
recognizes an intangible asset in accordance with IAS 38 to the extent that it has a right to charge users of the public service. Such 
intangible asset is recognized in the consolidated statement of financial position at cost on first recognition and subsequently measured 
over its useful economic life at cost less accumulated amortization and impairment losses. Net cash inflows generated by the intangible 
asset’s operations are presented as part of cash flow from operating activities.

Financial assets
Classification of financial assets
The Group classifies its financial assets in the following categories: at fair value through statement of income and loans and receivables.

a)  Financial assets at fair value through statement of income 
Financial assets have been acquired principally for the purpose of selling, or being settled, in the short term. Financial assets at fair 
value through statement of income are ‘Cash and cash equivalents’ which includes restricted cash and derivatives held for trading 
unless they are designated as hedges. 

b)  Loans and receivables 
Loans and receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market. 
They are included in current assets, except those that mature greater than 12 months after the end of the reporting period, which are 
classified in non-current assets. The Group’s loans and receivables comprise ‘Trade and other receivables’ and ‘Financial and contract 
assets’ in the consolidated statement of financial position.

The classification depends on the entity’s business model for managing the financial assets and the contractual terms of the cash flows. 

130

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
2.  Summary of significant accounting 

policies continued
Recognition and measurement
Regular way purchases and sales of financial assets are 
recognized on trade date (that is, the date on which the Group 
commits to purchase or sell the asset). 

At initial recognition, the Group measures a financial asset at its 
fair value plus, in the case of a financial asset not at fair value 
through income, transaction costs that are directly attributable to 
the acquisition of the financial asset. Transaction costs of financial 
assets carried at fair value through income are expensed in the 
consolidated statement of income and other comprehensive 
income. Financial assets are derecognized when the rights to 
receive cash flows from the financial assets have expired or have 
been transferred and the Group has transferred substantially all 
the risks and rewards of ownership.

a)  Financial assets at fair value through statement of income 
Gains or losses on financial assets at fair value through statement 
of income are recognized in the consolidated statement income 
and other comprehensive income. These are presented within 
finance income and finance costs respectively.

b)  Loans and receivable 
These financial assets are held for collection of contractual cash 
flows, where those cash flows represent solely payments of 
principal and interest, and are measured at amortized cost. 
Interest income from these financial assets is included in finance 
income using the effective interest rate method. Any gain or loss 
arising on de-recognition is recognized directly in profit or loss 
and presented in finance income.

Impairment
The Group assesses, on a forward-looking basis, the expected 
credit losses associated with its financial assets carried at 
amortized cost. The impairment methodology applied depends 
on whether there has been a significant increase in credit risk.

Allowances for expected credit losses are made based on the risk 
of non-payment taking into account ageing, previous experience, 
economic conditions and forward looking data. Such allowances 
are measured as either 12-months expected credit losses or 
lifetime expected credit losses depending on changes in the 
credit quality of-the counterparty.

While the financial assets of the Company are subject to the 
impairment requirements of IFRS 9, the identified impairment loss 
was immaterial.

Derivative financial instruments and hedging activities
Derivative instruments are measured at fair value upon initial 
recognition in the consolidated statement of financial position 
and subsequently are re-measured to their fair value at the end 
of each reporting period. The accounting for subsequent changes 
in fair value depends on whether the derivative is designated as 
a hedging instrument and, if so, the nature of the item being 
hedged.

Derivative instruments are presented according to their maturity 
date, regardless of whether they qualify for hedge accounting 
under IFRS 9 (hedging instruments versus trading instruments). 
Derivatives are classified as a separate line item in the 
consolidated statement of financial position.

As part of its overall foreign exchange and interest rate risk 
management policy, the Group enters into various hedging 
transactions involving derivative instruments. 

The full fair value of a hedging derivative is classified as a 
non-current asset or liability when the remaining maturity of the 
hedged item is more than 12 months; it is classified as a current 
asset or liability when the remaining maturity of the hedged item is 
less than 12 months.

The Group designates certain derivatives as either:

a) 

 Hedges of fair value of recognized assets or liabilities (fair 
value hedges);

In connection with the Group’s hedging policy, the Group uses 
forward exchange contracts for currency risk management as well 
as foreign exchange options.

b) 

 Hedges of a particular risk associated with the cash flows of 
recognized assets and liabilities and highly probable forecast 
transactions (cash flow hedges).

The Group uses interest rate swap contracts for interest rate risk 
management in order to hedge certain forecasted transactions 
and to manage its anticipated cash payments under its variable 
rate financing by converting a portion of its variable rate financing 
to a fixed rate basis through the use of interest rate swap 
agreements, and a cross currency swap contract for both currency 
and interest rate risk management.

Items qualifying as hedges
The Group formally documents all relationships between hedging 
instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk management 
objectives and strategies for undertaking hedge transactions 
and the method used to assess hedge effectiveness. Hedging 
transactions are expected to be highly effective in achieving 
offsetting changes in cash flows and are regularly assessed to 
determine that they actually have been highly effective throughout 
the financial reporting periods for which they are implemented.

When derivative instruments qualify as hedges for accounting 
purposes, as defined in IFRS 9 ‘Financial instruments’, they are 
accounted for as follows:

a)  Cash flow hedges that qualify for hedge accounting

• The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives 

that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges is 
recognized in the cash flow hedge reserve within equity and 
through the consolidated statement of other comprehensive 
income (‘OCI’). The gain or loss relating to the ineffective portion 
is recognized immediately within the consolidated statement of 
income. Amounts recognized directly in OCI are reclassified to 
the consolidated statement of income when the hedged 
transaction affects the consolidated statement of income.
• If a forecast transaction or firm commitment is no longer 

expected to occur, amounts previously recognized in OCI are 
reclassified to the consolidated statement of income as finance 
income or finance costs.

If a hedging instrument expires or is sold, terminated or exercised 
without replacement or rollover, or if its designation as a hedge is 
revoked, amounts previously recognized in OCI remain in 
accumulated OCI until the forecast transaction or firm commitment 
occurs, at which point they are reclassified to the consolidated 
statement of income.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

131

b)  Derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting 
Certain derivative instruments do not qualify for hedge accounting. 
Changes in the fair value of any derivative instrument that does 
not qualify for hedge accounting are recognized immediately in 
profit or loss and are included in finance income/finance costs.

In connection with the Group’s hedging policy, the Group uses 
forward exchange contracts for currency risk management as well 
as foreign exchange options, interest rate swap contracts for 
interest rate risk management in order to hedge certain 
forecasted transactions and to manage its anticipated cash 
payments under its variable rate financing by converting a portion 
of its variable rate financing to a fixed rate basis through the use of 
interest rate swap agreements, and a cross currency swap 
contract for both currency and interest rate risk management.

Inventories 
Inventories consist primarily of power generating plant fuel and 
non-critical spare parts that are held by the Group for its own use. 
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost, using a first-in, first-out 
method, and net realizable value, which is the estimated selling 
price in the ordinary course of business, less applicable selling 
expenses.

Emission quotas
Some companies of the Group emit CO2 and have as a result 
obligations to buy emission quotas on the basis of local legislation. 
The emissions made by the Company emitting CO2 which are in 
excess of any allocated quotas are purchased at free market price 
and shown as inventories before their effective use. If emissions 
are higher than allocated quotas, the Company recognizes an 
expense and respective liability for those emissions. At the end of 
each reporting period, CO2 quotas that remain available to the 
Company are revalued at the lower of costs or prevailing market 
value.

Trade receivables
Trade receivables are recognized initially at fair value, which is 
usually the invoiced amount, and subsequently carried at 
amortized cost using the effective interest method, less provision 
for impairment. Details about the Group’s impairment policies on 
financial assets and the calculation of the provision for impairment 
are provided on page 130.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash in hand and current 
balances with banks and similar institutions and short-term 
investments, all of which are readily convertible to cash and are 
subject to insignificant risk of changes in value and have an 
original maturity of three months or less. Bank overdrafts are 
included within current borrowings. Cash and cash equivalents 
also includes cash deposited on accounts to cover for short-term 
debt service of certain project financings and which can be drawn 
for short-term related needs.

Maintenance reserves held for the purpose of covering long-term 
major maintenance and long-term deposits kept as collateral to 
cover decommissioning obligations are excluded from cash and 
cash equivalents and included in non-current assets.

Share capital and share premium
Ordinary shares are classified as equity. Incremental costs directly 
attributable to the issue of new shares or options are shown in 
equity as a deduction from the proceeds.

The premium received on the issue of shares in excess of the 
nominal value of shares is credited to the share premium account 
and included within shareholders’ equity.

Financial liabilities
a)  Borrowings 
Borrowings are recognized initially at fair value of amounts 
received, net of transaction costs. Borrowings are subsequently 
measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method; 
any difference between the proceeds (net of transaction costs) 
and the redemption value is recognized in the consolidated 
statement of income over the period of the borrowings using 
the effective interest method.

Borrowings are removed from the balance sheet when the 
obligation specified in the contract is discharged, cancelled or 
expired.

Borrowings are classified as current liabilities unless the Group 
has an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at 
least 12 months after the reporting period.

b)  Trade and other payables  
Financial liabilities within trade and other payables are initially 
recognized at fair value, which is usually the invoiced amount, and 
subsequently carried at amortized cost using the effective interest 
method.

Trade and other payables are presented as current liabilities unless 
payment is not due within 12 months after the reporting period.

Unless otherwise stated, carrying value approximates to fair value 
for all financial liabilities.

Provisions
Provisions principally relate to decommissioning, maintenance, 
environmental, tax and legal obligations and which are recognized 
when there is a present obligation as a result of past events; it is 
probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the 
obligation; and the amount can be reliably estimated.

Provisions are re-measured at each statement of financial position 
date and adjusted to reflect the current best estimate. Any change 
in present value of the estimated expenditure attributable to 
changes in the estimates of the cash flow or the current estimate 
of the discount rate used are reflected as an adjustment to the 
provision. The increase in the provisions due to passage of time 
are recognized as finance costs in the consolidated statement 
of income.

Current and deferred income tax
The tax expense for the period comprises current and deferred 
tax. Tax is recognized in the consolidated statement of income, 
except to the extent that it relates to items recognized in other 
comprehensive income. In this case, the tax is also recognized in 
other comprehensive income.

The current income tax charge is calculated on the basis of the tax 
laws enacted or substantively enacted at the statement of financial 
position date in the countries where the Group and its subsidiaries 
operate and generate taxable income. Management periodically 
evaluates positions taken in tax returns with respect to situations 
in which applicable tax regulation is subject to interpretation. It 
establishes provisions where appropriate on the basis of amounts 
expected to be paid to the tax authorities.

132

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
2.  Summary of significant accounting 

policies continued

Deferred income tax is recognized on temporary differences 
arising between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their 
carrying amounts in the consolidated financial statements. 
However, deferred tax liabilities are not recognized if they arise 
from the initial recognition of goodwill; deferred income tax is not 
recognized if it arises from initial recognition of an asset or liability 
in a transaction other than a business combination that at the time 
of the transaction affects neither accounting nor taxable profit or 
loss. Deferred income tax is determined using tax rates (and laws) 
that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the statement 
of financial position date and are expected to apply when the 
related deferred income tax asset is realized or the deferred 
income tax liability is settled.

Deferred income tax assets are recognized only to the extent that 
it is probable that future taxable profit will be available against 
which the temporary differences can be utilized.

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are offset when there 
is a legally enforceable right to offset current tax assets against 
current tax liabilities and when the deferred income taxes assets 
and liabilities relate to income taxes levied by the same taxation 
authority on either the same taxable entity or different taxable 
entities where there is an intention to settle the balances on a 
net basis. 

2.4.  Critical accounting estimates and judgments
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in line 
with the Group’s accounting policies set out in note 2.3 involves 
the use of judgment and/or estimation. These judgments and 
estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of the 
relevant facts and circumstances, giving consideration to previous 
experience, and are regularly reviewed and revised as necessary. 
Actual results may differ from the amounts included in the 
consolidated financial statements. The estimates and judgments 
that have the most significant effect on the carrying amounts of 
assets and liabilities are presented below. 

Critical accounting judgements 
Accounting for long-term power purchase agreements and 
related revenue recognition 
When power plants sell their output under long-term power 
purchase agreements (‘PPA’), it is usual for the operator of the 
power plant to receive payment (known as a capacity payment) for 
the provision of electrical capacity whether or not the offtaker 
requests electrical output. There is a degree of judgement as to 
whether a long-term contract to sell electrical capacity constitutes 
a service concession arrangement, a form of lease, or a service 
contract. This determination is made at the inception of the PPA, 
and is not required to be revisited in subsequent periods under 
IFRS, unless the agreement is renegotiated. 

Given that the fulfilment of the PPAs is dependent on the use of a 
specified asset, the key judgement in determining if the PPA 
contains a lease is the assessment of whether the PPA conveys a 
right for the offtaker to use the assets. In practice, the key criteria in 
assessing if that right exists is the judgement whether there is only a 
remote possibility that parties other than the offtaker will take more 
than an insignificant amount of the power output and the price the 
offtaker will pay is neither fixed nor at market price rates. 

In assessing whether the PPA contains a service concession, the 
Group considers whether the arrangement (i) bears a public 
service obligation; (ii) has prices that are regulated by the offtaker; 
and (iii) the residual interest is transferred to the offtaker at an 
agreed value. 

All other PPAs are determined to be service contracts. 

Concession arrangements – For those agreements which are 
determined to be a concession arrangement, there are 
judgements as to whether the infrastructure should be accounted 
for as an intangible asset or a financial asset depending on the 
nature of the payment entitlements established in the agreement. 

Concession arrangements determined to be a financial asset – 
The Group recognizes a financial asset when demand risk is 
assumed by the grantor, to the extent that the contracted 
concession holder has an unconditional right to receive payments 
for the asset. The asset is recognized at the fair value of the 
construction services provided. The fair value is based on input 
assumptions such as budgets and cash flow forecasts, future costs 
include maintenance costs which impact the overall calculation of 
the estimated margin of the project. The inputs include in 
particular the budget for fixed and variable costs. Any change in 
these assumptions may have a material impact on the 
measurement of the recoverable amount and could result in 
reducing the value of the asset. The financial asset is 
subsequently recorded at amortized cost calculated according to 
the effective interest rate method. Revenue for operating and 
managing the asset is recorded as revenue in each period. 

Leases – For those arrangements determined to be or to contain 
leases, further judgment is required to determine whether the 
arrangement is finance or operating lease. This assessment 
requires an evaluation of where the substantial risks and rewards 
of ownership reside, for example due to the existence of a bargain 
purchase option that would allow the offtaker to buy the asset at 
the end of the arrangement for a minimal price. 

Assessing property, plant and equipment for impairment 
triggers
The Group’s property, plant and equipment are reviewed for 
indications of impairment (an impairment ‘trigger’). Judgement is 
applied in determining whether an impairment trigger has 
occurred, based on both internal and external sources. External 
sources may include: market value declines, negative changes in 
technology, markets, economy, or laws. Internal sources may 
include: obsolescence or physical damage, or worse economic 
performance than expected, including from adverse weather 
conditions for renewable plants. In the current year, impairment 
triggers were noted for Brazilian wind power plants (see note 4.11). 

Provisions for claims
The Group receives legal or contractual claims against it from time 
to time, in the normal course of business. Judgments are made as 
to the potential likelihood of any claim succeeding when making 
a provision or disclosing a contingent liability. The timeframe for 
resolving legal or contractual claims may be judgemental, as is 
the amount of possible outflow of economic benefits. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

133

Critical accounting estimates
Service concession arrangements
The Group has service concession arrangements for Senegal, 
Rwanda, Togo and Brazil. In order to calculate the gross profit 
margin that is recognized in relation to operation, maintenance 
and major maintenance activities during the concession period, 
the Group makes an estimate of the future costs of these activities 
that will be incurred over the remaining contract life. Whilst the 
level and related costs of such activities is generally predictable 
with a reasonable degree of accuracy, should significant 
unanticipated costs be incurred, this would reduce gross profit 
margins for these activities over the future life of the contract.

Estimation of useful lives of property, plant and equipment 
Property, plant and equipment represents a significant proportion 
of the asset base of the Group, primarily due to power plants 
owned, being 63.2% (2017: 54.0%) of the Group’s total assets. 
Estimates and assumptions made to determine their carrying value 
and related depreciation are significant to the Group’s financial 
position and performance. The annual depreciation charge is 
determined after estimating an asset’s expected useful life and its 
residual value at the end of its life. The useful lives and residual 
values of the Group’s assets are determined by management 
at the time the asset is acquired and reviewed annually for 
appropriateness. The Group derives useful economic lives 
based on experience of similar assets, which may exceed the 
period covered by contracted power purchase agreements.

Recoverable amount of property, plant and equipment 
Where an impairment trigger has been identified (see critical 
accounting judgements section), the Group makes significant 
estimates in its impairment evaluations of long-lived assets. The 
determination of the recoverable amount is typically the most 
judgmental part of an impairment evaluation. The recoverable 
amount is the higher of (i) an asset’s fair value less costs of 
disposal (market value), and (ii) value in use determined using 
estimates of discounted future net cash flows (‘DCF’) of the asset 
or group of assets to which it belongs. 

The Group generally uses value in use to derive the recoverable 
amount of property, plant and equipment. Management applies 
considerable judgment in selecting several input assumptions in 
its DCF models, including discount rates and capacity/availability 
factors. These assumptions are consistent with the Group’s 
internal budgets and forecasts for such valuations. Examples of 
the input assumptions that budgets and cash flow forecasts are 
sensitive to include macroeconomic factors such as growth rates, 
inflation, exchange rates, and, in the case of renewables plants, 
environmental factors such as wind, solar and water resource 
forecast. Any changes in these assumptions may have a material 
impact on the measurement of the recoverable amount and could 
result in impairing the tested assets. See note 4.11 for further 
information on the impairment tests performed, and relevant 
sensitivity analysis. 

Provisions
The Group makes provisions when an obligation exists, resulting 
from a past event and it is probable that cash will be paid to settle 
it, but the exact amount of cash required can only be estimated on 
a reliable basis. Major provisions are detailed in note 4.25. The 
main estimates relate to site decommissioning and maintenance 
costs, and environmental remediation for various sites owned. 

Site decommissioning, maintenance and environmental provisions 
are recognized based on management’s assessment of future 
costs which would need to be incurred in accordance with 
existing legislation or contractual obligations to restore the sites 
or make good any environmental damage. These costs are 
measured at the present value of the future expenditures 
expected to be required to settle the obligation using a pre-tax 
discount rate which reflects current market assessments of the 
time value of money and the risks specific to the obligation. 
Management apply judgement in the estimation of future cash 
flows to settle these obligations and in the estimation of an 
appropriate pre-tax discount factor. The pre-tax discount rate used 
varies from 2.0% to 11.0%. If this was to decrease by 1% it would 
increase decommissioning, environmental and maintenance 
provisions by $3.5 million and $3.2 million for the years ended 
31st December 2018 and 31st December 2017.

Fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a 
business combination
Business combinations are recorded in accordance with IFRS 3 
using the acquisition method. Under this method, the identifiable 
assets acquired and the liabilities assumed are recognized at their 
fair value at the acquisition date.

Therefore, through a number of different approaches and with the 
assistance of external independent valuation experts for 
acquisitions as considered appropriate by management, the 
Group identifies what it believes is the fair value of the assets 
acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date. These 
valuations involve the use of judgement and include a number of 
estimates. Judgement is exercised in identifying the most 
appropriate valuation approach which is then used to determine 
the allocation of fair value. The Group typically uses one of the 
cost approach, the income approach and the market approach.

Each of these valuation approaches involve the use of estimates in a 
number of areas, including the determination of cash flow projections 
and related discount rates, industry indices, market prices regarding 
replacement cost and comparable market transactions. While the 
Group believes that the estimates and assumptions underlying the 
valuation methodologies are reasonable, different assumptions could 
result in different fair values. 

Taxes
Significant judgment is sometimes required in determining the 
accrual for income taxes as there are many transactions and 
calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain 
during the ordinary course of business. The Group recognizes 
liabilities based on estimates of whether additional taxes will be 
due. These areas include, but are not limited to, the deductibility 
of interest on certain borrowings used to finance acquisitions 
made by the Group and the price at which goods and services are 
transferred between Group companies. Where the final tax 
outcome of these matters is different from the amounts that were 
recorded, such differences will impact the current and deferred 
income tax provisions, results of operations and possibly cash 
flows in the year in which such determination is made.

Deferred tax assets are recognized on tax loss carry-forwards 
when it is probable that taxable profit will be available against 
which the tax loss carry-forwards can be utilized. Estimates of 
taxable profits and utilizations of tax loss carry-forwards are 
prepared on the basis of profit and loss forecasts as included in 
the medium-term business plan and, if necessary, on the basis of 
additional forecasts. 

134

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
3.   Major events and changes in the scope of consolidation
3.1.  2018 transactions
Sale of Ukrainian assets
On 26th February 2018, the Group sold 100% of its stake in Ukrainian power plant Kramatorsk representing a total of 120 MW for a cash 
amount of $3.0 million (see note 4.11). This asset was presented as an asset held for sale as of 31st December 2017. The sale has no 
material impact on the full year 2018 financial statements.

Additional solar portfolio acquisition
On 23rd December 2017, the Group signed the acquisition of a 23 MW Renewable portfolio consisting of 10 photovoltaic plants in Italy 
(15 MW), one photovoltaic plant in Romania (7 MW) and two biogas plants in Italy (2 MW).

The transaction closed on 22nd March 2018 for the Italian plants. The total cash consideration amounts to €22.6 million ($27.7 million) 
including €17.0 million ($20.8 million) for the acquisition of 100% of the shares and €5.6 million ($6.9 million) for the repayment of 
shareholders loans.

The transaction closed on 26th June 2018 for the Romania plant. The total cash consideration amounts to €7.7 million ($9.0 million) 
including €0.3 million ($0.4 million) for the acquisition of 100% of the shares and €7.4 million ($8.6 million) for the repayment of 
shareholders’ loans.

On a consolidated basis, had these acquisitions taken place as of 1st January 2018, the Group would have recognized 2018 
consolidated revenue of $1,256.1 million and consolidated net profit of $14.5 million.

Determination of fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at acquisition date of:

In $ millions

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Other assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Borrowings

Other liabilities

Total liabilities

Total net identifiable assets

Net purchase consideration

Goodwill

Solar 
portfolio

2.6

53.9

13.8

6.0

76.2

27.4

27.6

55.0

21.2

21.2

–

These acquisitions contributed to consolidated revenue and net result for the year respectively of $8.4 million and $0.3 million.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

135

Acquisition of Spanish CSP portfolio
On 27th February 2018, the Group signed the acquisition of Acciona Energia’s 250 MW portfolio of five 50 MW Concentrating Solar 
Power plants (‘CSP’) in South-West Spain. The total enterprise value amounts to €962.8 million, including an amount payable to Acciona 
Energía of approximately €806.8 million ($956.6 million) and existing net debt (including adjustment for working capital) of €156.0 
million ($184.4 million). The acquisition agreement also includes earn-out payments to Acciona Energía of up to €27 million ($32 million). 
As of 31st December 2018 a €9.4 million ($10.8 million) earn-out was recognized. 

The acquisition combines the Group’s solar and Spanish thermal operating expertise into a sizable portfolio of assets enabling 
synergies with existing European operations.

The acquisition closed on 10th May 2018.

On a consolidated basis, had this acquisition taken place as of 1st January 2018, the Group would have recognized 2018 consolidated 
revenue of $1,316.8 million and consolidated net profit of $16.0 million.

Determination of fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at acquisition date of:

In $ millions

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Other assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Borrowings

Other liabilities

Total liabilities

Total net identifiable assets

Net purchase consideration

Goodwill

Spanish 
CSP 
portfolio

–

1,202.8

89.2

76.1

1,368.1

186.4

225.2

411.5

956.6

956.6

–

The acquisition contributed to consolidated revenue and net loss for the year respectively of $112.8 million and $6.6 million.

Sale of non-controlling interests which did not result in a change of control
Solar Italy and Slovakia portfolio
The Group completed in October 2018 the sale of 49% minority interest of the Italian and Slovakian portfolio with Credit Suisse Energy 
Infrastructure Partners for an amount of €63.4 million ($73.1 million), of which €3.3 million ($3.8 million) consists of working capital 
adjustments. Cash amount received at closing amounted to €60.1 million ($69.3 million), of which €42.4 million ($48.9 million) was 
for the sale of shares and €17.7 million ($20.4 million) was for the sale of existing shareholder loans. 

In line with IFRS 10 ‘Consolidated financial statements’, this transaction is considered as an equity transaction as it does not result in a 
loss of control. Therefore, the net cash gain on sale of these assets, which represented an amount of €18.2 million or $20.9 million, was 
recorded as an increase in the equity attributable to owners of the parent. It corresponds to the difference between the consideration 
received for the sale of shares (€42.4 million or $48.9 million) and of the carrying amount of non-controlling interest sold (€24.2 million 
or $28.0 million). 

Spanish CSP portfolio
The Group signed in December 2018 an agreement to sell a 49% minority interest of the Spanish CSP portfolio with Credit Suisse 
Energy Infrastructure Partners for an amount of €134 million. The sale is expected to close in the first half of 2019 and is not expected 
to result in a change of control. 

136

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
3.   Major events and changes in the scope of consolidation continued
3.2.  2017 transactions
Acquisition of a Thermal and a Renewable portfolio in Brazil
On 17th March 2017, the Group closed the acquisition of 80% of a 206 MW Brazilian portfolio. The portfolio consists of seven 
hydroelectric plants totaling 130 MW in the states of Bahia, Goiás and Rio de Janeiro and four high-efficiency cogeneration facilities 
(‘Solutions’) totaling 76 MW in Paraná, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The total consideration amounts to BRL 576.8 million (or $182.4 
million) including certain price adjustments. A total of BRL 547.3 million (or $173.1 million) was paid in cash at the closing date. 

On a consolidated and annualized basis, had this acquisition taken place as of 1st January 2017, the Group would have recognized 2017 
consolidated revenue of $1,037.9 million and consolidated net profit of $18.5 million.

Determination of fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at acquisition date:

In $ millions

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Other assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Borrowings

Other liabilities

Total liabilities

Total net identifiable assets

Total net identifiable assets % acquired

Net purchase consideration

Goodwill

Hydro Brazil

Solutions 
Brazil

28.4

160.0

17.9

17.9

224.2

61.1

19.6

80.7

143.5

129.7

129.7

–

–

38.1

10.8

15.3

64.2

–

11.5

11.5

52.7

52.7

52.7

–

Total 
Brazilian 
portfolio 
acquired

28.4

198.1

28.7

33.2

288.4

61.1

31.1

92.2

196.2

182.4

182.4

–

The acquisition contributed to 2017 consolidated revenue and net result for respectively $57.8 million and $18.9 million.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

137

Additional solar portfolio acquisition
In December 2017, the Group closed the acquisition of 100% of a 19.1 MW operational solar photovoltaic plants in Italy from ErgyCapital 
S.p.A. The plants, located in the regions of Puglia, Piemonte, Lazio and Campania, are in close proximity to ContourGlobal’s existing 
Italian solar portfolio and benefit from approximately 12 years of Feed-in-Tariff. The total consideration amounts to €9.6 million 
(or $11.4 million) corresponding to acquisition of shares.

Subsequent to the closing the Group refinanced the portfolio and issued new facilities for a total of €55.8 million (or $66.4 million), 
of which €38.8 million (or $46.2 million) was drawn in 2017, at an interest rate of Euribor 6M+2.35% per annum, 70% of which is swapped 
at 0.653%+2.35% per annum, maturing on 30th June 2028.

On a consolidated and annualized basis, had this acquisition taken place as of 1st January 2017, the Group would have recognized 2017 
consolidated revenue of $1,032.9 million and consolidated net profit of $14.3 million.

Preliminary determination of fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at acquisition date:

In $ millions

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Other assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Borrowings

Other liabilities

Total liabilities

Total net identifiable assets

Net purchase consideration

Goodwill

Solar 
portfolio

0.1

75.7

11.4

3.6

90.7

70.6

8.8

79.4

11.4

11.4

–

The acquisition contributed to 2017 consolidated revenue and net result for respectively $0.5 million and $0.6 million.

Acquisition of non-controlling interests which did not result in a change of control
The Group also completed in 2017 the acquisition of 19.7% minority interests in ContourGlobal Hydro Cascade CJSC (Vorotan project) 
for a consideration of $9.8 million. After this transaction, the Group owns 100% of the Vorotan project.

This transaction did not result in a change of control and have therefore been accounted for within shareholders’ equity as transactions 
with owners without change of control acting in their capacity of owners. 

138

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements
4.1.  Segment reporting
The Group’s reportable segments are the operating segments overseen by distinct segment managers responsible for their 
performance with no aggregation of operating segments. 

Thermal Energy for power generating plants operating from coal, lignite, natural gas, fuel oil and diesel. Thermal plants include Maritsa, 
Arrubal, Togo, Kramatorsk (sold in February 2018), Cap des Biches, KivuWatt, Energies Antilles, Energies Saint-Martin, Bonaire and our 
equity investees (primarily Termoemcali and Sochagota). Our Thermal segment also includes plants which provide electricity and certain 
other services to beverage bottling companies.

Renewable Energy for power generating plants operating from renewable resources such as wind, solar and hydro in Europe and 
South America. Renewables plants include Asa Branca, Chapada I, II, III, Inka, Vorotan, Austria Portfolio 1 & 2, Spanish Concentrated 
Solar Power and our other European and Brazilian plants.

The Corporate & Other category primarily reflects costs for certain centralized functions including executive oversight, corporate 
treasury and accounting, legal, compliance, human resources, IT, political risk insurance and facilities management and certain technical 
support costs that are not allocated to the segments for internal management reporting purposes.

The CODM assesses the performance of the operating segments based on Adjusted EBITDA which is defined as profit for the period 
from continuing operations before income taxes, net finance costs, depreciation and amortization, acquisition related expenses and 
specific items which have been identified and adjusted by virtue of their size, nature or incidence. In determining whether an event or 
transaction is specific, management considers quantitative as well as qualitative factors such as the frequency or predictability of 
occurrence.

The Group also believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it is frequently used by security analysts, investors, ratings 
agencies and other interested parties to evaluate other companies in our industry and to measure the ability of companies to service 
their debt.

The CODM does not review nor is presented a segment measure of total assets and total liabilities.

All revenue is derived from external customers. 

Geographical information
The Group also presents revenue in each of the geographical areas in which it operates as follows: 

• Europe (including our operations in Austria, Armenia, Northern Ireland, Italy, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, 

Spain and Ukraine)

• South America (including Brazil, Peru and Colombia) and Caribbean Islands (including Dutch Antilles and French Territory)
• Africa (including Nigeria, Togo, Senegal and Rwanda).

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

In $ millions

Revenue

Thermal Energy

Renewable Energy

Total revenue

Adjusted EBITDA

Thermal Energy

Renewable Energy

Corporate & Other1

Total adjusted EBITDA

Reconciliation to profit before income tax

Depreciation and Amortization (note 4.3)

Finance costs net (note 4.7)

Share of adjusted EBITDA in associates2

Share of profit in associates (note 4.13)

Acquisition related items (note 4.5)

Costs related to CG plc IPO (note 4.6)3

Cash gain on sale of minority interest in assets4

Restructuring costs5

Private incentive plan6

Other7

Profit before income tax

139

Years ended  

31st December

2018

2017

850.1

402.9

1,253.0

730.2

292.5

1,022.7

327.1

309.4

(26.4)

610.1

(239.3)

(236.6)

(21.2)

2.9

(19.6)

(0.4)

(20.9)

(6.7)

(4.1)

(36.3)

27.8

332.1

211.1

(29.9)

513.2

(185.6)

(220.7)

(21.6)

5.0

(9.5)

(12.7)

–

–

–

(27.5)

40.6

1 

Includes corporate costs of $26.9 million (31st December 2017: $29.7 million) and other income for $0.5 million (31st December 2017: costs of $0.2 million). 
Corporate costs corresponds to selling, general and administrative expenses before depreciation and amortization (31st December 2018: $1.4 million, 
31st December 2017: $2.2 million). 

2  Corresponds to our share of Adjusted EBITDA of plants accounted for under the equity method (Sochagota, Termoemcali and Productora de Energía de Boyacá) 

which are reviewed by our CODM as part of our Thermal Energy segment.

3  The Group successfully completed the Initial Public Offering in the United Kingdom of ContourGlobal plc. Costs associated with this project were separately 

analyzed by our CODM.

4  Represents the cash gain on the divestment of 49% stake of our Italian and Slovakian solar portfolio.
5  Represents redundancy and staff-related restructuring costs.
6  Represents the private incentive plan as described in note 4.26 share-based compensation plan.
7  Mainly reflects the non-cash impact of finance lease and financial concession payments. 

140

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
Cash outflows on capital expenditure

In $ millions

Thermal Energy

Renewable Energy

Total capital expenditure

Years ended  

31st December

2018

31.2

49.9

81.1

2017

28.6

29.8

58.4

Geographical information
The geographical analysis of revenue, based on the country of origin in which the Group’s operations are located, and Adjusted EBITDA 
is as follows:

In $ millions
Europe1

South America and Caribbean2

Africa

Total revenue

Years ended  

31st December

2018

864.3

250.0

138.7

2017

627.9

254.4

140.3

1,253.0

1,022.7

1  Revenue generated in 2018 in Bulgaria and Spain amounted to $383.0 million and $333.8 million respectively (31st December 2017: $298.2 million and 

$178.7 million respectively).

2  Revenue generated in 2018 in Brazil amounted to $163.4 million (31st December 2017: $180.5 million). 

In $ millions

Europe 

South America and Caribbean

Africa

Corporate & Other

Total adjusted EBITDA

Years ended  

31st December

2018

374.3

180.8

81.4

(26.4)

610.1

2017

268.1

196.9

78.2

(29.9)

513.2

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

4.2.  Revenue

In $ millions

Revenue from power sales

Revenue from operating leases

Revenue from concession and finance lease assets

Other revenue1

Total revenue

141

Years ended  

31st December

2018

965.2

104.0

60.5

123.3

2017

757.3

96.8

89.9

78.8

1,253.0

1,022.7

1  Other revenue primarily relates to environmental, operational and maintenance services rendered to offtakers in our Bulgaria, Togo, Rwanda and Senegal power 

plants. Other revenue increased mainly as a result of the adoption of IFRS 15, Revenue from contracts with customers.  

Some of our main plants are operating under specific accounting principles:

• Our Togo, Rwanda (KivuWatt) and Senegal (Cap des Biches) plants are operating pursuant to concession agreements that are under 

the scope of IFRIC 12.

• Our Energies Saint Martin and Bonaire plants are operating pursuant to power purchase agreements that have the characteristics of 

a finance lease. 

• Our Vorotan plant in Armenia is operating pursuant to a power purchase agreement that has the characteristics of an operating lease. 

The Group has one customer contributing more than 10% of Group’s revenue.

Customer A

4.3.  Expenses by nature

In $ millions

Fuel costs

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

Operation and maintenance costs1

Employee costs

Emission allowance utilized2

Professional fees

Purchased power

Insurance costs

Other expenses3

Total cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expenses

Years ended  

31st December

2018

30.6%

2017

29.2%

Years ended  

31st December

2018

244.9

239.3

77.8

76.1

138.9

19.6

64.9

20.9

79.4

961.8

2017

234.0

185.6

67.0

67.5

47.1

9.0

48.2

18.5

71.3

748.2

1  Operation and maintenance costs include ongoing costs associated with the operation and maintenance of all plants. 
2  Emission allowances utilized corresponds mainly to the costs of CO2 quotas in Maritsa which are passed through to its offtaker as well as changes in fair value of 

CO2 quotas in the period.

3  Other expenses include operating consumables and supply costs of $15.8 million (2017: $14.0 million) and facility costs of $16.5 million (2017: $14.6 million). Facility 

costs include operating leases expenses of $4.1 million (2017: $3.5 million).

142

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4.4.  Employee costs and numbers

In $ millions

Wages and salaries

Social security costs

Share-based payments

Pension and other post-retirement benefit costs

Other

Total employee costs before private incentive plan

Private incentive plan1

Total employee costs

Annual average number of full-time equivalent employees 

• Thermal

• Renewable

• Corporate

Years ended  

31st December

2018

(57.8)

(12.0)

(0.7)

(0.8)

(4.9)

(76.1)

(4.1)

(80.2)

1,472

930

341

201

2017

(52.4)

(10.7)

–

(0.8)

(3.5)

(67.5)

–

(67.5)

1,873

1,441

265

167

1   See note 4.26 Share-based compensation plans for a description of the private incentive plan.

The decrease in annual average number of full-time equivalent employees is related to the sale of our Ukrainian assets in February 
2018. 

4.5.  Acquisition related items

In $ millions

Acquisition costs1

Acquisition related items

Years ended  

31st December

2018

(19.6)

(19.6)

2017

(9.5)

(9.5)

1  Acquisition costs include notably pre-acquisition costs such as due diligence costs and professional fees, earn-outs and other related incremental costs incurred 

as part of completed acquisitions or contemplated acquisitions. In 2018, costs incurred primarily related to completed acquisition in Spain and Italy or contemplated 
acquisition in Mexico. In 2017, costs incurred primarily related to completed acquisitions in Brazil and Italy, and contemplated acquisition projects in Spain, Peru, 
Mexico, Austria and Italy. 

4.6.  Other expenses – net

In $ millions

Costs related to CG plc IPO1

Other income (expenses) – net

Years ended  

31st December

2018

(0.4)

(0.4)

2017

(12.7)

(12.7)

1  Represents costs recognized in the consolidated statement of income resulting from the Initial Public Offering (‘IPO’) in the United Kingdom of ContourGlobal plc in 

November 2017. In 2017, an additional $19.9 million of IPO costs were recognized as a deduction of share premium. Also in 2017, cash outflows of $19.2 million 
related to these costs are disclosed in the ‘other financing activities’ line of the consolidated statement of cash-flows.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

4.7.  Finance costs – net

In $ millions

Finance income

Net change in fair value of derivatives1

Net realized foreign exchange differences

Net unrealized foreign exchange differences2

Realized and unrealized foreign exchange gains and (losses) and change in fair value of derivatives

Interest expenses on borrowings

Finance charges related to corporate bond refinancing3

Other4

Finance costs

Finance costs – net 

143

Years ended  

31st December

2018

10.6

11.4

1.4

(4.3)

8.5

(192.4)

(21.9)

(41.4)

(255.7)

(236.6)

2017

9.8

(13.5)

(38.0)

7.0

(44.5)

(176.3)

–

(9.6)

(186.0)

(220.7)

1  Change in fair value of derivatives relates primarily to interest rate swaps and interest rate options.
2  Unrealized foreign exchange differences primarily relate to loans in subsidiaries that have a functional currency different to the currency in which the loans are 

denominated. 

3  Fees in conjunction with the refinancing of our initial €750 million bond in July 2018.
4  Other mainly includes costs associated with other financing, fair valuation of debt to non-controlling interests, the unwinding effect of certain liabilities as well as 

income and expenses related to interests and penalties for late payments. The movement during the year is mainly due to the loss on fair value on debt to 
non-controlling interest and increased amortization of deferred financing costs due to new borrowings in Brazil and borrowings acquired in our Spanish CSP 
portfolio.

Income tax expense and deferred income tax

4.8. 
Income tax expense

In $ millions

Current tax expense

Deferred tax (expense) benefit

Income tax expense

Years ended  

31st December

2018

(34.6)

17.1

(17.4)

2017

(27.7)

0.6

(27.1)

The main jurisdictions contributing to the income tax expense for the year ending 31st December 2018 are i) Bulgaria, ii) Brazil and iii) 
Spain. The tax on the Group’s profit before income tax differs from the theoretical amount that would arise from applying the statutory 
tax rate of the parent company applicable to the results of the consolidated entities as follows:

Effective tax rate reconciliation

In $ millions

Profit before income tax

Profit before income tax at statutory tax rate 

Statutory tax rate (UK)1

Tax effects of:

Differences between statutory tax rate and foreign statutory tax rates

Changes in unrecognized deferred tax assets2

Reduced rate and specific taxation regime

Change in tax laws and rates

Impact of foreign currencies on deferred tax basis3

Permanent differences and other items

Income tax expense

Effective rate of income tax

1  Deferred taxes have been measured using tax rates substantively enacted at the balance sheet date.
2  Mainly relates to tax losses in Luxembourg and Brazil where deferred tax assets are not recognized. 
3  Relates to entities which have a functional currency different from their local currency.

Years ended  

31st December

2018

27.8

(5.3)

19.0%

9.8

(17.4)

6.1

–

(0.3)

(10.3)

(17.4)

62.6%

2017

40.6

(7.8)

19.25%

5.7

(40.1)

6.6

(0.7)

1.6

7.6

(27.1)

66.7%

144

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
Net deferred tax movement
The gross movements of net deferred income tax assets (liabilities) were as follows:

In $ millions

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) as of 1st January

Effects of change in accounting standards (IFRS 15)

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) as of 1st January (restated)

Statement of income

Deferred tax recognized directly in other comprehensive income

Acquisitions

Currency translation differences and other

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) as of 31st December

Including net deferred tax assets balance of:

Deferred tax liabilities balance of:

Analysis of the net deferred tax position recognized in the consolidated statement of financial position
The net deferred tax positions and their movement can be broken down as follows:

In $ millions

As of 1st January 2017

Statement of income

Other comprehensive income

Acquisitions

Currency translations and other

As of 31st December 2017

Effect of changes in accounting standards (IFRS 15)

As of 1st January 2018 (restated)

Statement of income

Other comprehensive income

Acquisitions

Currency translations and other

As of 31st December 2018

Long-term 
assets

Derivative 
financial 
instruments

Tax losses

16.4

0.3

–

1.5

1.4

19.7

–

19.7

(11.3)

–

8.7

(0.5)

16.6

(43.4)

(6.4)

–

(5.2)

(4.0)

(58.9)

18.9

(40.0)

14.4

–

(143.8)

5.8

(163.6)

8.2

(0.3)

0.7

0.4

(0.7)

8.3

–

8.3

(1.1)

(1.7)

7.8

(1.0)

12.3

Years ended  

31st December

2018

(23.7)

13.6

(10.1)

17.1

(1.7)

(120.9)

3.4

(112.2)

51.6

(163.8)

Other1

(2.4)

7.0

–

1.8

0.9

7.2

(5.3)

1.9

15.1

–

6.4

(0.9)

22.5

2017

(21.2)

–

(21.2)

0.6

0.7

(1.4)

(2.4)

(23.7)

41.8

(65.5)

Total

(21.2)

0.6

0.7

(1.4)

(2.4)

(23.7)

13.6

(10.1)

17.1

(1.7)

(120.9)

3.4

(112.2)

1  Other mainly relates to deferred interest, foreign currency differences and tax credits.

Analysis of the deferred tax position unrecognized in the consolidated statement of financial position
Unrecognized deferred tax assets amount to $190.9 million as of 31st December 2018 (31st December 2017: $187.7 million) and can be 
broken down as follows: 

In $ millions

Unrecognized deferred tax assets on tax losses

Unrecognized deferred tax assets on deductible temporary differences

Total unrecognized deferred tax assets

Years ended  

31st December

2018

168.8

22.1

190.9

2017

167.7

20.0

187.7

Main tax losses and deductible temporary differences not recognized reside in i) Luxembourg, ii) Brazil, iii) Colombia, iv) Spain and v) UK. 
The related deferred tax assets were not recognized as sufficient taxable profit is not expected to be generated in the foreseeable future. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

145

4.9.  Earnings per share

Profit attributable to CG plc shareholders (in $ millions)

Number of shares (in millions)

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

Potential dilutive effects related to share-based compensation

Adjusted weighted average number of shares

Profit attributable to CG plc shareholders per share (in $)

Years ended 31st December 

Basic

15.0

670.7

0.02

2018

Diluted

15.0

670.7

0.8

671.5

0.02

Basic

19.4

614.2

0.03

2017

Diluted

19.4

614.2

–

614.2

0.03

There is no dilutive impact from the Private Incentive Plan (PIP) on the earnings per share as the shares are settled in full by existing 
shares held by Reservoir Capital Group. 

4.10.  Intangible assets and goodwill

In $ millions

Cost

Accumulated amortization and impairment

Carrying amount as of 31st December 2016

Additions

Acquired through business combination

Currency translation differences

Reclassification

Amortization charge

Closing net book amount

Cost

Accumulated amortization and impairment

Carrying amount as of 31st December 2017

Additions

Disposals

Acquired through business combination

Currency translation differences

Reclassification

Amortization charge

Closing net book amount

Cost

Accumulated amortization and impairment

Carrying amount as of 31st December 2018

Project 
development 
rights

Software 
and Other

Goodwill

0.5

–

0.5

–

–

0.1

–

–

0.6

0.6

–

0.6

–

–

–

(0.1)

–

–

0.5

0.5

–

0.5

121.7

(8.9)

112.8

0.5

29.2

(2.9)

–

(8.0)

131.6

166.2

(34.6)

131.6

0.5

(0.1)

2.6

(15.8)

0.4

(8.0)

111.2

149.0

(37.8)

111.2

14.6

(9.2)

5.4

0.9

–

0.3

0.1

(1.8)

4.9

16.7

(11.7)

4.9

0.8

–

–

(0.2)

1.8

(1.6)

5.7

18.7

(13.0)

5.7

Total

136.8

(18.1)

118.7

1.4

29.2

(2.5)

0.1

(9.8)

137.1

183.5

(46.3)

137.1

1.3

(0.1)

2.6

(16.1)

2.1

(9.6)

117.4

168.2

(50.8)

117.4

The project development rights mainly relate to the fair value of licenses acquired from the initial developers for our wind parks in 
Peru and Brazil. 

Acquisitions in 2017 relate to the acquisition of an intangible asset related to a concession arrangement in the Thermal and Renewable 
portfolio in Brazil. Acquisitions through business combinations in 2018 mainly related to green certificates in Romania.

For the years ended 31st December 2017, and 2018, certain triggering events were identified, and the related intangible assets were 
tested for impairment. These impairment tests did not result in any impairment (refer to note 4.11). 

146

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4.11.  Property, plant and equipment
Assets acquired through business combinations are explained in Note 3 Major events and changes in the scope of consolidation.

The power plant assets predominantly relate to wind farms, natural gas plants, fuel oil or diesel plants, coal plants, hydro plants, solar 
plants and other buildings.

Other assets mainly include IT equipment, furniture and fixtures, facility equipment, asset retirement obligations and vehicles, and 
project development costs.

In $ millions

Cost

Accumulated depreciation and impairment

Carrying amount as of 1st January 2017

Additions 

Disposals

Reclassification

Acquired through business combination

Currency translation differences

Depreciation charge

Closing net book amount

Cost

Accumulated depreciation and impairment

Carrying amount as of 31st December 2018

Power  
plant  

assets

Construction 
work in 
progress

3,194.9

(1,028.2)

2,166.7

10.7

(0.3)

10.1

1,141.6

(204.4)

(216.0)

2,908.3

4,440.8

(1,532.5)

2,908.3

26.5

–

26.5

66.8

(0.6)

(12.7)

–

(19.4)

–

60.6

60.6

–

60.6

Land

27.7

(0.5)

27.2

–

(0.2)

–

44.4

(3.7)

–

67.7

68.2

(0.5)

67.7

Other

216.6

(86.6)

130.1

26.3

(0.1)

2.6

70.7

0.6

(13.6)

216.6

333.5

(116.9)

216.6

Total

3,465.6

(1,115.3)

2,350.3

103.8

(1.2)

–

1,256.7

(226.9)

(229.6)

3,253.1

4,903.1

(1,649.9)

3,253.1

Construction work in progress in 2018 predominantly related to our Austria Wind project repowering, our Vorotan refurbishment project 
and our Bonaire and Maritsa plants.

Additions in 2018 mainly related to the projects and plants in construction work in progress and project development costs related to 
our Kosovo project.

Assets acquired through business combination mainly relate to the acquisition of a Spanish CSP portfolio and are detailed in note 3.1.

Depreciation included in ‘cost of sales’ in the consolidated statement of income amounted to $229.4 million in the period ended 
31st December 2018 whereas depreciation included in ‘selling, general and administrative expenses’ amount to $0.2 million in the 
year ended 31st December 2018.

In 2018, the Group did not capitalize any significant borrowing costs in relation to project financing.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

In $ millions

Cost

Accumulated depreciation and impairment

Carrying amount as of 1st January 2017

Additions 

Disposals

Reclassification

Acquired through business combination

Currency translation differences

Depreciation charge

Impairment charge

Transferred to disposal group classified as held for sale1

Closing net book amount

Cost

Accumulated depreciation and impairment

Carrying amount as of 31st December 2017

Power  
plant 
 assets

Construction 
work in 
progress

2,706.1

(699.9)

2,006.2

8.4

(4.0)

11.8

216.0

95.9

(161.4)

(2.7)

(3.5)

2,166.7

3,194.9

(1,028.2)

2,166.7

20.9

–

20.9

16.6

(0.6)

(12.2)

1.0

0.9

–

–

(0.1)

26.5

26.5

–

26.5

Land

17.8

(0.3)

17.5

–

(0.1)

–

8.1

1.7

–

–

–

27.2

27.7

(0.5)

27.2

147

Total

2,868.2

(754.1)

2,114.0

47.7

(5.3)

(1.3)

277.1

98.2

(172.4)

(3.3)

(4.3)

2,350.3

3,465.6

(1,115.3)

2,350.3

Other

123.4

(53.9)

69.5

22.7

(0.6)

(0.9)

52.0

(0.3)

(11.0)

(0.6)

(0.7)

130.1

216.6

(86.6)

130.1

1  The Group decided to sell its Kramatorsk Ukrainian power plant and signed a share purchased agreement on 22nd December 2017. The Group classified the asset 

as Assets held for sale in conformity with IFRS 5 and tested the asset for impairment on the basis of the share purchase price less costs to sell. As a result, the 
Group recorded an impairment charge of $3.3 million in 2017. 

In relation to this, as at 31st December 2017, $13.7 million of assets were classified as Assets held for sale and $12.9 million of liabilities 
were classified as Liabilities held for sale. Of the $13.7 million, $4.3 million related to Property, plant and equipment, $8.0 million related 
to working capital and $1.4 million related to cash and cash equivalents. Of the $12.9 million, $0.9 million related to provisions, 
$9.2 million related to working capital and $2.8 million related to borrowings. The disposal was completed in February 2018.

Construction work in progress in 2017 predominantly relates to our Maritsa plant and Austria Wind project repowerment.

Depreciation included in ‘cost of sales’ in the consolidated statement of income amount to $171.8 million in the year ended 
31st December 2017 whereas depreciation included in ‘selling, general and administrative expenses’ amount to $0.7 million in the 
year ended 31st December 2017. 

Assets acquired through business combination relate to the acquisition of a Thermal and Renewable portfolio in Brazil and Italy, 
and are detailed in note 3.2.

In 2017, the Group did not capitalize any significant borrowing costs in relation to project financing.

Impairment tests on tangible and intangible assets
For the years ended 31st December 2017 and 2018 certain triggering events were identified primarily driven by lower performance 
of the assets, change of regulation and environmental factors, requiring an impairment test of the relevant assets.

The recoverable amount is determined as the higher of the value in use determined by the discounted value of future cash flows 
(discounted cash flow method or ‘DCF’, determined by using cash flows projections consistent with the following year budget and the 
most recent forecasts prepared by management and approved by the Board) and the fair value (less costs to sell), determined on the 
basis of market data (comparison with the value attributed to similar assets or companies in recent transactions).

148

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
Impairment tests were performed for the year ended 31st December 2018 using the following assumptions and related sensitivity 
analysis.

In $ millions

Brazilian wind  
power plants

Net book value

Valuation approach

Discount rate

Capacity factor

Sensitivity analysis

655.9

DCF

10%

Wind scenario  
at P90

Discount rate increased 
by 1% 
Wind scenario at P95

The sensitivity calculations show that an increase by 1% of the discount rate and a wind scenario at P95 for Brazilian wind power plants 
assets would not have a material impact on the results of impairment tests or, therefore, on the Group’s consolidated financial 
statements as of 31st December 2018.

Changes to be made to the key impairment test assumptions to reduce the value in use to net book value would not correspond to the 
definition of a reasonable change as defined by IAS 36.

For the year ended 31st December 2017, in relation to the sale of its Ukrainian power plant, the Group conducted an impairment test 
which resulted in an impairment charge of $3.3 million based on the sales proceeds.

For the year ended 31st December 2017 impairment tests were performed in relation with Brazilian wind and hydro power plants and 
confirmed the carrying value of the assets.

Impairment tests were also performed for the year ended 31st December 2017 using the following assumptions and related sensitivity 
analysis.

In $ millions

Brazilian wind  
power plants

Brazilian hydro  
power plants

Net book value

Valuation approach

Discount rates

Capacity factor

Sensitivity analysis

801.6

255.8

DCF

DCF

11%

11%

Wind scenario  
at P50

Hydro scenario  
at P75

Discount rate increased 
by 1% 
Wind scenario at P75

Discount rate increased 
by 1% 
5% cut in EBITDA 
margin

The sensitivity calculations show that an increase by 1% of the discount rate and a wind scenario at P75 for Brazilian wind power plant 
assets or a 5% cut in EBITDA margin for Brazilian hydro power plants would not have a material impact on the results of impairment 
tests or, therefore, on the Group’s consolidated financial statements as of 31st December 2017.

The P-factor quantifies the uncertainty of annual energy yield predictions. P75 is the energy level that wind turbines are 75% likely 
to produce over an average year, given the uncertainties in the measurement, analysis and operations of wind turbines. P50 is the 
average annual energy yield predicted for wind farms, which corresponds to the annual energy output that wind farms are most likely 
to achieve.

Changes to be made to the key impairment test assumptions to reduce the value in use to net book value would not correspond 
to the definition of a reasonable change as defined by IAS 36. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

4.12.  Financial and contract assets

In $ millions

Contract assets – Concession arrangements1

Finance lease receivables2

Other

Total financial and contract assets

149

Years ended  

31st December

2018

437.6

54.3

6.3

498.2

2017

550.0

62.0

5.7

617.7

1  The Group operates plants in Togo, Rwanda and Senegal which are in the scope of the financial model of IFRIC 12 ‘Service Concession Arrangements’.
  Our Togo power plant was commissioned in 2010 and is operated under a power purchase agreement with a unique offtaker, Compagnie Energie Electrique du 
Togo (‘CEET’) which has an average remaining contract life of approximately 16.8 years as of 31st December 2018 (31st December 2017: 17.8 years). At expiration, 
the Togo plant, along with all equipment necessary for the operation of the plant, will be transferred to the Republic of Togo. This arrangement is accounted for as 
a concession arrangement and the value of the asset is recorded as a financial asset. The all-in base capacity tariff under the Togo power purchase agreement is 
adjusted annually for a combination of U.S., Euro and local consumer price index related to the cost structure. 

  Our Rwanda power plant consists of the development, construction and operation of Gas Extraction Facilities (‘GEF’) and an associated power plant. The GEF is 
used to extract methane and biogas from the depths of Lake Kivu in Rwanda and deliver the gas via submerged gas transport pipelines to shore-based power 
production facilities totaling 26 MW of gross capacity. The PPA runs for 25 years starting on the commercial operation date and ending in 2040.

  Our Cap des Biches power plant in Senegal consists of the development, construction and operation of five engines with a flexi-cycle system technology based on 
waste heat recovery totaling about 86 MW. A PPA integrating all the Cap des Biches requirements and agreements on price was signed for 20 years starting on 
the commercial operation date of the project and ending in 2036.

2  Relates to finance leases where the Group acts as a lessor, and includes our Bonaire plant in the Dutch Caribbean and our Saint Martin plant in the French Territory. 
Bonaire has an average remaining contract life of approximately 6.6 years as of 31st December 2018 (31st December 2017: 7.6 years); Saint Martin has an average 
remaining contract life of approximately 4.3 years as of 31st December 2018 (31st December 2017: 5.3 years).

  No losses from impairment of contracted concessional assets and finance lease receivables in the above projects were recorded during the years ended 

31st December 2018 and 2017.

  Cash outflows relating to the acquisition of financial assets under concession agreements amounted to $0.0 million as of 31st December 2018 (31st December 
2017: $35.4 million). Net cash inflows generated by the financial assets’ operations amounted to $83.1 million as of 31st December 2018 (31st December 2017: 
$52.7 million).  

4.13.  Investments in associates
Set out below are the associates of the Group as of 31st December 2018: 

Operational plant

Sochagota

Termoemcali

Productora de Energía de Boyacá

Evacuacion Villanueva del Rey, S.L.

Country of incorporation Ownership interests

Date of acquisition

Associate

Associate

Associate

Associate

Colombia

Colombia

Colombia

Spain

49.0%

37.4%

50.0%

39.9%

2006 and 2010

2010

2016

2018

Evacuacion Villanueva del Rey, S.L. is a facility designated to evacuate solar energy from the Spanish CSP plants acquired in 2018.

Set out below is the summarized financial information for the investments which are accounted for using the equity method 
(presented at 100%):

In $ millions

Years ended 31st December 2017

Sochagota

Termoemcali

Productora de Energía de Boyacá

Years ended 31st December 2018

Sochagota

Termoemcali

Productora de Energía de Boyacá

Evacuacion Villanueva del Rey, S.L.

Current 
assets

Non-current 
assets

Current 
liabilities

Non-current 
liabilities

Revenue Net income

70.0

24.6

0.0

38.0

23.2

0.3

0.3

4.4

49.5

–

13.4

47.3

–

3.2

22.1

15.6

0.0

12.7

12.2

0.7

0.4

8.2

32.1

0.0

1.0

24.2

–

3.1

35.1

32.9

–

29.8

33.5

–

–

5.8

6.2

(0.3)

(0.7)

9.3

(0.5)

–

150

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
The reconciliation of the investments in associates for each year is as follows: 

In $ millions

Balance as of 1st January 

Share of profit

Dividends

Other comprehensive income

Balance as of 31st December 

Years ended  

31st December

2018

27.1

2.9

(3.4)

–

26.6

2017

25.7

5.0

(4.3)

0.6

27.1

4.14.  Management of financial risk
The Group’s overall risk management program focuses on the unpredictability of financial markets and seeks to minimize potential 
adverse effects on the Group’s financial performance. The Group uses derivative financial instruments to hedge certain risk exposures.

Interest Rate Risk
Interest rate risk arises primarily from our long-term borrowings. Interest cash flow risk arises from borrowings issued at variable rates, 
partially offset by cash held at variable rates. Typically for any new investments, the Group hedges variable interest risk on a newly 
issued debt in a range of 75% to 80% of the nominal debt value. Interest rate risk is managed on an asset by asset basis through 
entering into interest rate swap agreements, entered into with commercial banks and other institutions. The interest rate swaps qualify 
as cash flow hedges. Their duration matches the duration of the debt instruments. Approximately 22.9% the Group’s existing debt 
obligations carry variable interest rates in 2018 (2017: 30.7%) (taking into account the effect of interest rate swaps). 

These agreements involve the receipt of variable payments in exchange for fixed payments over the term of the agreements without 
the exchange of the underlying principal amounts. The main interest rate exposure for the Group relates to the floating rates with the 
TJLP, EURIBOR and LIBOR (refer to note 4.23). A change of 0.5% of those floating rates would result in an increase in interest expenses 
by $4.1 million in the year ended 31st December 2018 (2017: $4.5 million).

Foreign Currency Risk
Foreign exchange risk arises from various currency exposures, primarily with respect to the Euro, Brazilian Real and Bulgarian Lev. 
Currency risk comprises (i) transaction risk arising in the ordinary course of business, including certain financial debt denominated in 
a currency other than the currency of the operations; (ii) transaction risk linked to investments or mergers and acquisition; and (iii) 
translation risk arising on the consolidation in US dollars of the consolidated financial statements of subsidiaries with a functional 
currency other than the US dollar. However the exposure to the Bulgarian Lev is considered remote due to the pegging mechanism 
of the Lev on the Euro.

To mitigate foreign exchange risk, (i) most revenues and operating costs incurred in the countries where the Group operates are 
denominated in the functional currency of the project company, (ii) the external financial debt is mostly denominated in the currency that 
matches the currency of the revenue expected to be generated from the benefiting project, thereby reducing currency risk, and (iii) the 
Group enters into various foreign currency sale/forward and/or option transactions at a corporate level to hedge against the risk of 
lower distribution. Typically, the Group hedges its future distributions in Brazil through a combination of forwards and options for any 
new investment in the country. The analysis of financial debt by currency is presented in note 4.23. 

Potential sensitivity on the post-tax profit result for the year linked to financial instruments is as follows:

• if the US dollar had weakened/strengthened by 10% against the Euro, post-tax profit for the year ended 31st December 2018 would 

have been $5.4 million higher/lower (2017: $0.5 million higher/lower).

• if the US dollar had weakened/strengthened by 10% against the Brazilian Real, post-tax profit for the year ended 31st December 2018 

would have been $1.8 million higher/lower (2017: $2.2 million higher/lower). 

Commodity and electricity pricing risk
The Group’s current and future cash flows are generally not impacted by changes in the prices of electricity, gas, oil and other fuel 
prices as most of the Group’s non-renewable plants operate under long-term power purchase agreements and fuel purchase 
agreements. These agreements generally mitigate against significant fluctuations in cash flows as a result in changes in commodity 
prices by passing through changes in fuel prices to the offtaker. 

In the particular case of the Brazilian hydro power plants, the Group hedges most of its exposure against the change in local electricity 
price in case of low generation. In such a case, Brazilian hydro power plants may be required to buy electricity on the market.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

151

Credit risk
Credit risk relates to risk arising from customers, suppliers, partners, intermediaries and banks on its operating and financing activities, 
when such parties are unable to honor their contractual obligations. Credit risk results from a combination of payment risk, delivery risk 
(failure to deliver services or products) and the risk of replacing contracts in default (known as mark to market exposure – i.e. the cost of 
replacing the contract in conditions other than those initially agreed). The Group analyzes the credit risk for each new client prior to 
entering into an agreement. In addition, in order to minimize risk, the Group contracts Political Risk Insurance policies from multilateral 
organizations or commercial insurers which usually provide insurance against government defaults. Such policies cover project 
companies in Armenia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Nigeria, Peru, Rwanda, Togo, Senegal and Slovakia.

Where possible, the Group restricts exposure to any one counterparty by setting credit limits based on the credit quality as defined by 
Moody’s and S&P and by defining the types of financial instruments which may be entered into. The minimum credit ratings the Group 
generally accepts from banks or financial institutions are BBB- (S&P) and Baa3 (Moody’s). For offtakers, where credit rating are CCC+ or 
below, the Group generally hedges its counterparty risk by contracting Political Risk Insurance. 

If there is no independent rating, the Group assesses the credit quality of the customer, taking into account its financial position, past 
experience and other factors. 

Trade receivables can be due from a single customer or a few customers who will purchase all or a significant portion of a power plant’s 
output under long-term power purchase agreements. This customer concentration may impact the Group’s overall exposure to credit 
risk, either positively or negatively, in that the customers may be affected by changes in economic, industry or other conditions. 

Ageing of trade receivables – net are analyzed below:

In $ millions

Trade receivables not overdue

Past due up to 90 days

Past due between 90 – 180 days

Past due over 180 days

Total trade receivables 

Years ended  

31st December

2018

97.7

11.5

0.7

15.6

125.5

2017

105.7

31.1

1.9

3.0

141.7

As of 31st December 2018, $49.3 million (31st December 2017: $65.4 million) of trade receivables were outstanding in connection with 
our Bulgarian power plant, Maritsa East 3. 

The Group deems the associated credit risk of the trade receivables not overdue to be suitably low.

Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk arises from the Group not being able to meet its obligations. The Group mainly relies on long-term debt obligations to fund 
its acquisitions and construction activities. All significant long-term financing arrangements are supported locally and covered by the 
cash flows expected from the power plants when operational. The Group has, to the extent available at acceptable terms, utilized 
non-recourse debt to fund a significant portion of the capital expenditures and investments required to construct and acquire its electric 
power plants and related assets. 

On 6th September 2017, the Group also entered into a €50 million revolving credit facility available for general corporate purposes, 
maturing in September 2020, and which remained undrawn as of 31st December 2017.

On 9th November 2018, the Group also entered into a €75 million revolving credit facility available for general corporate purposes, 
maturing in November 2021, and which remains undrawn as of 31st December 2018. A $7.5 million letter of credit was issued but not 
drawn under this facility.

A rolling cash flow forecast of the Group’s liquidity requirements is prepared to confirm sufficient cash is available to meet operational 
needs and to comply with borrowing limits or covenants. Such forecasting takes into consideration the future debt financing strategy, 
covenant compliance, compliance with internal statement of financial position ratio targets and, if applicable external regulatory or legal 
requirements – for example, cash restrictions.

The subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and, unless they have expressly guaranteed any of the holding company 
indebtedness, have no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to pay any amounts due pursuant to such debt or to make any funds 
available whether by dividends, fees, loans or other payments.

Some of the Group’s subsidiaries have given guarantees on the credit facilities and outstanding debt securities of certain holding 
companies in the Group.

152

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
The table below analyzes the Group’s financial liabilities into relevant maturity groupings based on the remaining period to the 
contractual maturity date: 

In $ millions

Year ended 31st December 2017

Borrowings1

Trade and other payables 

Derivative financial instruments

Other non-current liabilities2

Year ended 31st December 2018

Borrowings1

Trade and other payables 

Derivative financial instruments

Other non-current liabilities2

Less than  

1 year

Between  
1 and 5 
years

402.1

200.1

169.1

14.7

18.2

592.9

244.7

292.9

16.8

38.5

1,819.0

1,690.1

–

27.9

101.0

1,614.4

1,532.8

–

35.7

45.9

Over  

5 years

1,079.6

1,035.9

–

21.8

21.9

1,864.1

1,838.8

–

17.3

8.0

Total

3,300.7

2,926.1

169.1

64.4

141.1

4,071.4

3,616.3

292.9

69.8

92.4

1  Borrowings represent the outstanding nominal amount (note 4.23). Short-term debt of $244.7 million as of 31st December 2018 relates to the short-term 

portion of long-term financings that mature within the next twelve months, that we expect to repay using cash on hand and cash received from operations.

2  This corresponds to the debt to non-controlling interest that is described in note 4.24 .

The table below analyzes the Group’s forecasted interest to be paid into relevant maturity groupings based on the interests 
maturity date:

In $ millions

Forecast interest expense to be paid

Year ended 31st December 2018

Less than  

1 year

181.0

Between  
1 and 5 
years

584.1

Over  

5 years

421.4

Total

1,186.5

The Group’s forecasts and projections, taking into account reasonably possible changes in operating performance, indicate that the 
Group has sufficient financial resources, together with assets that are expected to generate free cash flow to the Group. As a 
consequence, the Group has reasonable expectation to be well placed to manage its business risks and to continue in operational 
existence for the foreseeable future (at least for the twelve month period from the approval date of these financial statements). 
Accordingly, the Group continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the consolidated financial statements.

Capital risk management 
The Company considers its capital and reserves attributable to equity shareholders to be the Company’s capital.

The Group’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern while providing 
adequate returns for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders and to maintain a capital structure to optimize the cost of capital. 

In order to maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Group may adjust the amount of dividends paid to shareholders, return capital to 
shareholders, issue new shares or sell assets to reduce debt. It may also increase debt provided that the funded venture provides 
adequate returns so that the overall capital structure remains supportable. 

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

153

4.15.  Derivative financial instruments
The Group uses interest rate swaps to manage its exposure to interest rate movements on our borrowings, a foreign exchange forward 
contract to mitigate its currency risk and cross currency swap contracts in Cap des Biches project in Senegal to manage both currency 
and interest rate risks. The fair value of derivative financial instruments are as follows:

In $ millions

Interest rate swaps – Cash flow hedge1

Cross currency swaps – Cash flow hedge2

Foreign exchange forward contracts – Trading2

Foreign exchange option contracts – Trading2

Total

Less non-current portion:

Interest rate swaps – Cash flow hedge

Cross currency swaps – Cash flow hedge

Foreign exchange forward contracts – Trading

Foreign exchange option contracts – Trading

Total non-current portion

Current portion

Year ended 31st December

2018

2017

Assets

Liabilities

Assets

Liabilities

–

1.1

–

–

1.1

–

–

–

–

–

1.1

49.0

14.0

1.3

5.4

69.8

33.8

14.0

1.3

3.9

53.0

16.8

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

35.4

20.9

3.0

5.1

64.4

23.8

20.8

–

5.1

49.7

14.7

1 

Interest rate swaps – Cash flow hedge relates to the hedging of the variable elements for certain project financing.

2  The Group has also executed a series of offsets to protect the value, in USD terms, of the BRL-denominated expected distributions from the new Brazilian portfolio. 
The first two years of BRL-denominated distributions have been hedged using a series of forward exchange contracts and the distributions expected in years three 
to five have been protected against material depreciation of the BRL using option contracts. If hedge accounting does not apply, change in fair value is recognized 
in the consolidated statement of income.

The notional principal amount of:

• the outstanding interest rate swap contracts and cross currency swap qualified as cash-flow hedge amounted to $645.2 million as of 

31st December 2018 (31st December 2017: $572.0 million).

• the outstanding foreign exchange forward and option contracts amount to $71.8 million as of 31st December 2018 (31st December 

2017: $92.8 million).

In 2015, the Group entered into cross currency swaps in our Cap des Biches project in Senegal. The fair value of the instruments as of 
31st December 2018 amounts to $12.8 million (31st December 2017: $20.9 million). The accounting and risk management policies, and 
further information about the derivative financial instruments that we use, are set out in note 4.14.

The Group recognized an income of $10.7 million in 31st December 2018 in relation to its interest rate and cross currency swaps within 
Finance costs net (31st December 2017: loss of $12.1 million).

4.16.  Fair value measurements
Fair value measurements of financial instruments are presented through the use of a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the 
valuation techniques used in fair value calculations. The Group’s policy is to recognize transfers into and out of fair value hierarchy 
levels as at the end of the reporting period.

The levels in the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

• Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Group has the ability to access 

at the measurement date.

• Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or 

indirectly.

• Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

There were no transfers between fair value measurement levels between 31st December 2018 and 31st December 2017.

154

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
When measuring our interest rate, cross currency swaps and foreign exchange forward and option contracts at fair value on a recurring 
basis at both 31st December 2018 and 2017, we have measured these at level 2 in the fair value hierarchy with the exception of the debt 
to non-controlling interests which is level 3. The fair value of those financial instruments is determined by using valuation techniques. 
These valuations techniques maximize the use of observable data where it is available and rely as little as possible on entity specific 
estimates.

The Group uses a market approach as part of their available valuation techniques to determine the fair value of derivatives. The market 
approach uses prices and other relevant information generated from market transactions.

The Group’s finance department performs valuation of financial assets and liabilities required for financial reporting purposes as 
categorized at level 2. The Group’s only derivatives are interest rate swaps, foreign exchange forward contracts, foreign exchange 
option contracts and cross currency swap contracts in our Cap des Biches project in Senegal.

4.17.  Financial instruments by category

In $ millions  
Year ended 31st December 2017

Financial and contract assets

Trade and other receivables

Other non-current assets1

Cash and cash equivalents

Total

In $ millions  
Year ended 31st December 2018

Derivative financial instruments

Financial and contract assets

Trade and other receivables

Other non-current assets1

Cash and cash equivalents

Total

In $ millions  
Year ended 31st December 2017

Borrowings

Derivative financial instruments

Trade and other payables

Other current liabilities1

Other non-current liabilities

Total

Assets at fair 
value 
through 
profit and 
loss

Loans and 
receivables

617.7

215.4

18.4

–

851.5

–

–

0.7

781.1

781.8

Financial asset category

Derivative 
used for 
hedging

Total net 
book value 
per balance 
sheet

–

–

–

–

–

617.7

215.4

19.1

781.1

1,633.3

Assets at fair 
value 
through 
profit and 
loss

Loans and 
receivables

Financial asset category

Derivative 
used for 
hedging

Total net 
book value 
per balance 
sheet

–

498.2

284.5

2.6

–

785.3

–

–

–

–

696.9

696.9

1.1

–

–

–

–

1.1

1.1

498.2

284.5

2.6

696.9

1,483.3

Liabilities at 
fair value 
through 
profit and 
loss

–

8.1

–

–

85.0

93.1

Financial liability category

Other 
financial 
liabilities at 
amortized 
cost

2,890.1

–

169.1

67.5

81.5

Derivative 
used for 
hedging

–

56.3

–

–

–

3,208.2

56.3

Total net 
book value 
per balance 
sheet

2,890.1

64.4

169.1

67.5

166.5

3,357.6

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

155

Liabilities at 
fair value 
through 
profit and 
loss

–

6.7

–

–

69.2

75.9

Other 
financial 
liabilities at 
amortized 
cost

3,560.0

–

292.9

100.5

87.2

Financial liability category

Derivative 
used for 
hedging

–

63.1

–

–

–

Total net 
book value 
per balance 
sheet

3,560.0

69.8

292.9

100.5

156.4

4,040.6

63.1

4,179.6

In $ millions 
Year ended 31st December 2018

Borrowings

Derivative financial instruments

Trade and other payables

Other current liabilities1

Other non-current liabilities

Total

1  These balances exclude receivables and payables balances in relation to taxes disclosed in notes 4.18, 4.20 and 4.28 respectively. 

4.18.  Other non-current assets

In $ millions

CO2 quotas receivable1

VAT receivables2

Advance to supplier3

Restricted cash

Other

Total other non-current assets

Years ended  

31st December

2018

–

6.0

9.7

–

7.2

22.9

2017

3.6

10.3

9.5

0.7

5.4

29.5

1  Long-term receivables relating to the Maritsa power plant and to be received through a pass-through mechanism agreed with its offtaker. A similar liability is 

presented in note 4.24.

2  VAT receivables mainly relate to the Vorotan project. The amount is expected to be recovered over a five-year period from the acquisition date in 2015 and was 

discounted using a rate of 10.0%. A current portion of $3.4 million is presented in ‘trade and other receivables’ in the consolidated statement of financial position as 
of 31st December 2018 ($4.7 million as of 31st December 2017).

3  Advance payment to supplier relates to Vorotan EPC contract as part of the refurbishment program.

4.19.  Inventories

In $ millions

Fuel 

Spare parts

Other1

Total

Provision

Total inventories

1   Increase mainly relates to emission allowances purchased and in transit by our Maritsa business. 

Years ended  

31st December

2018

13.0

35.6

68.7

117.3

(4.5)

112.8

2017

12.8

25.3

21.0

59.1

(5.0)

54.1

156

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4.20.  Trade and other receivables

In $ millions

Trade receivables – gross

Accrued revenue (unbilled)

Provision for impairment of trade receivables

Trade receivables – Net

Other receivables

Trade and other receivables

Years ended  

31st December

2018

127.9

145.2

(2.5)

270.6

66.7

337.3

2017

144.1

57.4

(2.4)

199.1

72.7

271.8

All trade and other receivables are short term and the net carrying value of trade receivables is considered a reasonable approximation 
of the fair value. The ageing of trade receivables – net is presented in note 4.14. 

All trade and other receivables are pledged as security in relation with the Group’s project financings.

The increase in accrued revenue (unbilled) is primarily related to the acquisition of our Spanish CSP assets, to CO2 quotas in connection 
with our Maritsa plant and to our Arrubal plant.

Other receivables primarily correspond to indirect tax receivables, mainly in our power plants in Rwanda, Senegal and Armenia and to 
the current portion of our financial lease assets. 

4.21.  Cash and cash equivalents
Certain restrictions on our cash and cash equivalents have been primarily imposed by financing agreements or long-term obligations. 
They mainly include short-term security deposits kept as collateral and debt service reserves that cover short-term repayments and 
which meet the definition of cash and cash equivalents. 49.2% of our cash and cash equivalents as of 31st December 2018 is pledged 
as security in relation with the Group’s project financings (31st December 2017: 41.0%); cash and cash equivalents also includes $212.9 
million as of 31st December 2018 (31st December 2017: $107.2 million) of cash balances relating to debt service reserves required by 
project finance agreements. 

4.22.  Issued capital 
Issued capital of the Company amounted to $8.9 million as at 31st December 2018, with changes as follows:

Allotted, authorized, called up and fully paid

Incorporation on 26th September 2017

Issue of shares – 17th October 2017

As at 17th October 2017

Share capital reduction – 19th October 2017

As at 19th October 2017

Issue of ordinary shares – Listing on the London Stock Exchange

Issue of ordinary shares – Management

Share reorganization – cancellation of deferred shares

As at 31st December 2017

As at 31st December 2018

Number

100

1,002,000,000

1,002,000,100

–

1,002,000,100

122,399,020

712,920

(454,399,120)

670,712,920

670,712,920

Nominal 
value

£ million

$ million

1.00

1.00

1.00

(0.99)

0.01

0.01

0.01

0.01

0.01

0.01

–

1,002.0

1,002.0

(992.0)

10.0

1.2

–

(4.5)

6.7

6.7

–

1,320.7

1,320.7

(1,307.5)

13.2

1.6

–

(5.9)

8.9

8.9

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

157

On incorporation, 26th September 2017, the Company issued 100 ordinary shares with a nominal value of £1.00 to its Parent Company, 
ContourGlobal LP. The amount due was settled through an intercompany receivable.

On 17th October 2017, the Company issued to its Parent Company, ContourGlobal L.P. 1,002,000,000 ordinary shares with a nominal 
value of £1.00 each as payment for its acquisition of ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings S.à r.l. 

On 19th October 2017, the Company passed a special resolution supported by a solvency statement to reduce its share capital under 
s641(a) of the Companies Act 2006 by reducing the share capital of the Company of $1,320,736,335 divided into 1,002,000,100 ordinary 
shares of £1.00, each fully paid, to $13,207,366 divided into 1,002,000,100 ordinary shares of £0.01, each fully paid, by the cancellation of 
the paid up share capital to the extent of £0.99 per share upon each of the 1,002,000,100 ordinary shares reducing the nominal amount 
of all such shares from £1.00 to £0.01.

On 8th November 2017, the Company passed a resolution to consolidate the 1,002,000,100 ordinary shares of £0.01 each in the share 
capital of the Company into 1 ordinary share of £10,020,001 and the sub-division of that share into 547,600,980 ordinary shares and 
454,399,120 deferred shares each of £0.01. 

On 14th November 2017, the Company completed the pricing of its initial public offering of ordinary shares at £2.50 per share, 
comprising 122,399,020 new shares and 54,026,083 existing shares. The Company also issued additional 712,920 new shares 
subscribed by its management. The issuance of these new shares resulted in the recognition of a share premium of £306.5 million 
($400.7 million), net of listing costs deducted of $19.9 million, resulting in total share premium of $380.8 million.

The Group restructure resulted in a $353.0 million debit to retained earnings and other reserves, which represents a capital 
reorganization reserve.

Finally, the Company cancelled all existing 454,399,120 deferred shares, resulting in a total net ordinary shares of 670,712,920 shares 
as of 31st December 2017.

There have been no share transactions in the year ended 31st December 2018.

During the year the Group paid dividends of $17.3 million on 31st May 2018 and $26.7 million on 7th September 2018. 

In $ millions

Declared during the financial year:

Final dividend for the year ended 31st December 2018: 2.6000 US cents per share (2017: nil)

Interim dividend for the year ended 31st December 2019: 3.9659 US cents per share (2017: nil)

Total dividends provided for or paid

Years ended  

31st December

2018

2017

17.3

26.7

44.1

–

–

–

During the year 2017, ContourGlobal LP paid dividends of $54.2 million on 19th April 2017 and ContourGlobal plc paid dividends of 
$21.3 million on 8th November 2017. 

4.23.  Borrowings
Certain power plants have financed their electric power generating projects by entering into external financing arrangements which 
require the pledging of collateral and may include financial covenants as described below. The financing arrangements are generally 
non-recourse (subject to certain guarantees) and the legal obligation for repayment is limited to the borrowing entity. 

158

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
The Group’s principal borrowings with a nominal outstanding amount of $3,616.3 million in total as of 31st December 2018 
(31st December 2017: $2,926.1 million) primarily relate to the following:

Type of borrowing

Currency

Corporate bond1

EUR

Loan Agreement2

Project bond

Loan Agreement2

Loan Agreement/
Debentures3

Loan Agreement

Loan Agreement 

Loan Agreement

Loan Agreement3

Loan Agreement/Corp. 
Financing 4

EUR

USD

EUR

BRL

EUR

EUR

USD

BRL

EUR

Loan Agreement 

USD

Loan Agreement

Loan Agreement3

Loan Agreement

USD

BRL

EUR

Project 
Financing

Corporate 
Indenture

Issue 

2018

Spanish CSP

2018

Inka

2014

Spanish CSP

2009

Chapada I

2015

Arrubal

Maritsa

Vorotan

Chapada II

Solar Italy

Cap des 
Biches

Togo

2011

2006

2016

2016

2017

2015

2008

Asa Branca

2011

Austria Wind

2013

Loan Agreement

USD

KivuWatt

2011

Debentures5

Debentures

Loan Agreement

Bridge loan

BRL

BRL

EUR

BRL

Hydro Brazil 
Portfolio II

Hydro Brazil 
portfolio I

2018

2013

Maturity

2023  
2025

2036

2034

2029

2032  
2029

2021

2023

2034

2032

2024-2028

2033

2028

2030

2027

2026

2026

2027

Outstanding 
nominal 
amount 
12.31.18  

($ million)

Outstanding 
nominal 
amount 
12.31.17 
($ million)

860.0

840.4

Rate

3.375%,4.125%

3.438%

6.0%

EURIBOR 6M + Variable

TJLP + 2.18%/IPCA + 8%

4.9%

EURIBOR + 0.125%

LIBOR + 4.625%

TJLP + 2.18%

Mix of fix and variable rates

–

189.0

–

198.7

207.9

200.8

137.3

165.1

125.4

110.1

USD-LIBOR BBA (ICE)+3.20%

102.9

120.1

98.7

82.0

52.5

53.0

50.4

83.1

7.16% (Weighted average)

TJLP+ 1.92%

EURIBOR 6M + 2.45% and 
4.305%/EURIBOR 3M+1.95% 
and 4.0%

LIBOR plus 5.50% and mix of 
fixed rates

CDI +3%,4.2%

8.8%

Mix of fix and variable rates

CDI + 5%

722.1

184.6

168.0

166.2

165.8

163.3

142.0

132.1

116.3

105.5

96.1

95.0

83.6

74.1

72.7

43.2

41.0

–

Solar Slovak

2009-2015

2023-2026

2017

2020

Hydro Brazil 
Portfolio II 
and Solutions 
Brazil

Other Credit  
facilities (individually  
< $40 million)

Various

Various

2012-2013

2016-2034

184.7

108.7

1  Corporate bond issued by ContourGlobal Power Holdings S.A. in June 2016 for €550 million with two additional €50 million and €100 million taps in July 2016 and 
February 2017 was fully refinanced in July 2018. A new €750 million dual-tranche corporate bond was issued by ContourGlobal Power Holdings S.A. in July 2018, 
it includes €450 million bearing a fixed interest rate of 3.375% maturing in 2023 and €300 million bearing a fixed interest rate of 4.125% maturing in 2025.

2  On 10th May 2018, the Group acquired a Renewable portfolio in Spain representing a total of 250 MW, including a pre-existing debt due in 2029 with an 

outstanding nominal of €146.5 million ($168.0 million) at 31st December 2018 and a new debt issued in 2018 and due in 2036 with an outstanding nominal of 
€629.7 million ($722.1 million) at 31st December 2018.

3  Taxa de Juros de Longo Prazo (‘TJLP’) represents the Brazil Long Term Interest Rate, which was approximately 6.98% at 31st December 2018 (31st December 2017: 

7.0%). 

4  On 4th December 2017, the Group acquired a Renewable portfolio in Italy representing a total of 19.1 MW and subsequently to the closing the Group refinanced the 

portfolio. On 22nd March 2018, the Group acquired a Renewable portfolio in Italy representing a total of 15 MW.

5  On 17th March 2017, the Group acquired a Thermal and Renewable portfolio in Brazil representing a total of 205.6 MW.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

159

With the exception of our corporate bond and revolving credit facility, all external borrowings relate to project financings. Such project 
financings are generally non-recourse (subject to certain guarantees). 

The carrying amounts of the Group’s borrowings are denominated in the following currencies:

In $ millions

US Dollars

Euros

Brazilian Reals

Total

The carrying amounts and fair value of the current and non-current borrowings are as follows:

Years ended  

31st December

2018

625.4

2,338.8

595.8

3,560.0

2017

645.4

1,525.1

719.6

2,890.1

In $ millions

Credit facilities

Bonds

Total

Net debt as of 31st December 2018 and 2017 is as follows:

In $ millions

Cash and cash equivalents

Borrowings – repayable within one year

Borrowings – repayable after one year

Interests payable, deferred financing costs and other

Net debt

Cash and cash equivalents

Borrowings – fixed interest rates

Borrowings – variable interest rates

Interests payable, deferred financing costs and other

Net debt

Carrying amount

Years ended  
31st December 

Fair Value

Years ended  
31st December 

2018

2,472.0

1,088.0

3,560.0

2017

1,787.0

1,103.1

2,890.1

2018

2,617.9

1,058.8

3,676.7

2017

1,861.5

1,175.9

3,037.4

Years ended  

31st December

2018

696.9

(244.7)

2017

781.1

(200.1)

(3,371.6)

(2,726.0)

56.3

36.0

(2,863.1)

(2,109.0)

696.9

(2,790.3)

(826.0)

56.3

781.1

(2,028.1)

(898.0)

36.0

(2,863.1)

(2,109.0)

160

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

In $ millions

As of 1st January 2017

Cash flows

Acquisitions/disposals

Proceeds of borrowings

Repayments of borrowings

Currency translations differences and other

As of 31st December 2017

Cash flows

Acquisitions/disposals

Proceeds of borrowings

Repayments of borrowings

Currency translations differences and other

As of 31st December 2018

Cash and 
cash 

equivalents Borrowings

Total net 
debt

433.7

263.5

37.4

–

–

46.4

781.1

(124.7)

82.1

–

–

(41.6)

(2,529.9)

(2,096.2)

–

(116.0)

(310.9)

233.0

(166.2)

263.5

(78.6)

(310.9)

233.0

(119.8)

(2,890.1)

(2,109.0)

–

(213.8)

(1,792.0)

1,151.1

184.8

(124.7)

(131.7)

(1,792.0)

1,151.1

143.2

696.9

(3,560.0)

(2,863.1)

Debt Covenants and restrictions
The main long-term financial debts include certain financial covenants, principally as follows:

• debt Service Coverage Ratio greater than 1.05, 1.10, 1.15, 1.20, 1.30 depending on borrowings, 
• net debt/EBITDA lower than 7.5 (São Domingos II), 3.25 (Brazil Hydro and Solutions), 
• decreasing Senior Debt and Total Debt (Arrubal), 
• debt/Equity ratio: 85/15, 80/20, 75/25, 64.16/35.84 depending on borrowings, 
• equity/Asset ratio above 15% or 25% depending on borrowings, 
• loan Life Coverage Ratio greater than 1.10 (Solar Italy) or 1.35 (Projected – KivuWatt).

Non-financial covenants includes the requirement to maintain proper insurance coverage, enter into hedging agreements, maintain 
certain cash reserves, restrictions on dispositions, scope of the business, and mergers and acquisitions. 

These covenants are monitored appropriately to ensure that the contractual conditions are met. 

Securities given
Corporate bond and Revolving Credit Facility at CG Power Holdings level are secured by pledges of shares of certain subsidiaries 
(ContourGlobal LLC, ContourGlobal Spain Holding Sàrl, ContourGlobal Bulgaria Holding Sàrl, ContourGlobal Latam Holding Sàrl, 
ContourGlobal Terra Holdings Sàrl and ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings Sàrl), and guarantees from ContourGlobal plc, and the 
above subsidiaries.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

161

The Group typically grants securities in relation to the issuance of project financing. The table below provides an overview of the main 
guarantees provided under existing project financing as of 31st December 2018:

Project financing

Facility

Maturity

Security/Guarantee given

CSP Spain (excluding 
Alvarado)

Long Term Facility

2036

CSP Spain Alvarado

Long Term Facility

2029

First ranking security interest in the shares of all the entities in the borrower 
group plus pledge of receivables and project accounts. Assignment of 
insurances.

First ranking security interest in the shares of the borrower group plus pledge 
of project accounts. Assignment of rights under project contracts.

Inka

Inka 

Senior Secured 
Notes

Letter of Credit 
Agreement

2034

Pledge of shares of Energía Eólica SA, EESA assets, accounts, assignment of 
receivables of the project contracts and insurances.

2019

$8.5 million ContourGlobal plc guarantee to Credit Suisse.

Chapada I

Long Term Facility

2032

Arrubal

Arrubal Term Loan 2021

Pledge of shares of Chapada I SPVs and Holding, SPVs assets, accounts, 
assignment of receivables of the project contracts and insurances.

Pledge of (i) the shares of CG La Rioja, (ii) project accounts, (iii) insurance 
policies, (iv) receivables on project documents (PPA, Operations & 
Maintenance, Gas Supply Agreement), (v) mortgage over the power station 
and industrial items.

Credit Facility

2023

Pledge of the shares, any dividends on the pledged shares and the entire 
commercial enterprise of ME-3, including the receivables from the ME-3 PPA.

Maritsa

Vorotan

Long Term Facility

2034

Chapada II

Long Term Facility

2032

Cap des Biches

Credit Facility

2033

Togo

Loan agreement

2028

Asa Branca

Credit Facility

2030

Energie Europe Wind 
& Solar

Credit Facilities

2023-28

Pledge of shares of ContourGlobal HydroCascade CSJC assets and project 
accounts, assignment of receivables arising from the project contracts and 
insurances.

Pledge of shares of Chapada II SPVs and Holding, SPVs assets, accounts, 
assignment of receivables of the project contracts and insurances.

Pledge over CG Senegal and CG Cap des Biches Sénégal shares, pledge 
over the project accounts, charge over the assets of CG Cap des Biches 
Sénégal, assignment of receivables of CG Cap des Biches Sénégal and the 
insurance policies, direct agreement on the project contracts. 

ContourGlobal plc guarantee on cash shortfall for Debt service, and (i) a 
pledge of CG Togo LLC and CG Togo SA capital stock, (ii) a charge on 
equipment, material and assets of CG Togo SA, (iii) the assignment of 
receivables of CG Togo SA, (iv) the assignment of insurance policies, and (v) 
a pledge on the project accounts. 

Pledge of shares of Asa Branca Holding SA, pledge of the receivables under 
the Asa Branca PPA, pledge on certain project accounts, mortgage of assets 
of the Asa Branca Windfarm Complex, assignment of credit rights under 
project contracts (EPC, land leases, O&M).

Pledge of the shares, assets, cash accounts and receivables. €10.3 million 
CG Solar Holdings guarantee for the benefit of UBI and Natixis covering a 
Primavera plant potential adverse impact on FiT further to a GSE inspection.

KivuWatt

Financing 
Arrangement

2026

•  Secured by, among others, (i) KivuWatt Holdings’ pledge of all of the shares 

of KivuWatt held by KivuWatt Holdings, (ii) certain of KivuWatt’s bank 
accounts and (iii) KivuWatt’s movable and immovable assets.

•  ContourGlobal plc $1.2 million guarantee for the benefit of KivuWatt under 

the PPA and Gas Concession to the Government of Rwanda and to 
Electrogaz (outside of the loan guarantee).

•  $8.5 million UK Plc guarantee to cover DSRA as of 31st December 2018.

Debentures

2026

First ranking security interest in the shares of all the entities in the borrower 
group (ex-minorities) plus pledge of receivables.

Hydro Brazil Portfolio II 
and Solutions Brazil

French Caribbean

Letter of Credit 
Agreement

2021

On 22nd December, 2010, a €2.4 million letter of credit facility was entered 
into to fund obligations under the debt service reserve account (in 
accordance with the Saint Martin loan agreement). This letter of credit expires 
in June 2021. No amounts have been recognized in relation to letter of credit 
in either period.

Pledge of shares of Chapada III SPVs and Holding, SPVs assets, accounts, 
assignment of receivables of the project contracts and insurances. 
Corporate guarantee from ContourGlobal do Brazil Holding Ltda until 
Financial Completion.

Chapada III

Long Term Facility

2032

162

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4.24.  Other non-current liabilities

In $ millions

Debt to non-controlling interest1

Deferred payments on acquisitions2

CO2 quotas payables3

Other4

Total other non-current liabilities

Years ended  

31st December

2018

69.2

23.2

–

64.0

156.4

2017

85.0

52.4

3.7

25.4

166.5

1  Debt to non-controlling interests: in 2011, the Group purchased a 73% interest in Maritsa power plant. NEK owns the remaining 27% of Maritsa power plant. The 
shareholders’ agreement states that all distributable results available should be distributed to their shareholders, with no unconditional right to avoid dividends. 
Consequently and in accordance with IAS 32 ‘Financial Instruments: presentation’, shares held by NEK do not qualify as equity instruments and are recorded as a 
liability to non-controlling interests in the Group’s consolidated statement of financial position. The fair value of the debt to non-controlling interest is determined 
using a discounted cash flow method based on management’s current best estimate of the future distributable profits to the minority shareholder NEK over the PPA 
period. This debt is discounted using a European risk free rate and adding the credit default swap (‘CDS’) spread for Bulgaria.

2  As of 31st December 2018, deferred payments and earn-outs on acquired entities mainly relate to deferred payments to be made to initial developers. 
3  CO2 quotas are described in note 4.18.
4  The increase is primarily related to contractual obligations in Brazil, including penalties where wind asset capacity falls below contracted PPA, and to our Spanish 

CSP acquisition.

The change in the debt to Maritsa non-controlling interest is presented below:

Years ended  

31st December

In $ millions

Beginning of the period

Dividends 

Change in fair value recognized in profit and loss

Currency translation adjustments

End of the period

4.25. Provisions

In $ millions

As of 1st January 2017

Acquired through business combination

Additions

Unused amounts reversed

Amounts used during the period

Currency translation differences and other

As of 31st December 2017

Effect of changes in accounting standards (IFRS 15)

As of 1st January 2018 as restated

Acquired through business combination

Additions

Unused amounts reversed

Amounts used during the period

Currency translation differences and other

As of 31st December 2018

2018

85.0

(19.5)

7.2

(3.5)

69.2

Decommissioning/
Environmental/
Maintenance provision

Legal and 
other

33.8

2.8

15.5

(0.5)

–

1.8

53.4

(28.3)

25.1

9.8

10.2

–

–

(2.5)

42.7

38.0

5.3

6.0

(24.4)

(3.3)

(2.0)

19.6

–

19.6

–

2.6

(4.9)

(0.1)

(1.3)

15.9

2017

93.1

(16.2)

(3.8)

11.9

85.0

Total

71.8

8.1

21.5

(24.9)

(3.3)

(0.2)

73.0

(28.3)

44.7

9.8

12.8

(4.9)

(0.1)

(3.8)

58.6

 
Provisions have been analyzed between current and non-current as follows:

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

In $ millions

Current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

As of 31st December 2017

Current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

As of 31st December 2018

Decommissioning/
Environmental/
Maintenance provision

Legal and 
other

1.0

52.4

53.4

–

32.9

32.9

9.8

9.8

19.6

17.4

8.3

25.7

163

Total

10.8

62.2

73.0

17.4

41.2

58.6

Site decommissioning provisions are recognized based on assessment of future decommissioning costs which would need to be 
incurred in accordance with existing legislation to restore the sites. Maintenance provisions mainly related to our maintenance 
obligations under our concession agreement contract in Togo and Senegal. These amounts are no longer recognized as provisions 
following the transition to 15 (see note 2.1).

Legal and other provisions include amounts arising from claims, litigation and regulatory risks which will be utilized as the obligations 
are settled and includes sales tax and interest or penalties associated with taxes.

Legal and other provisions have some uncertainty over the timing of cash outflows. 

4.26. Share-based compensation plans
Private Incentive Plan
The President & CEO (‘CEO’), along with certain members of the ContourGlobal management team, have interests in a ‘Private Incentive 
Plan’ (PIP). This is a legacy equity arrangement established by Reservoir Capital (the major shareholder in the Company) and no new 
allocations will be made under this plan. The Company is not a party to the PIP and has no financial obligation, or obligation to issue 
shares, in connection with it, although it is required to recognize the plan as an expense in accordance with IFRS 2. All shares that might 
be delivered under the award will be funded by Reservoir Capital.

While the allocations and terms of the CEO’s award were substantially agreed prior to IPO, Reservoir Capital finalized the 
implementation of CEO award on 27th December 2018 and of other managers awards in January 2019. As a result, the PIP charge 
recognized in personnel expenses in 2018 line relates only to the CEO and will increase in 2019 and 2020. The charge is recognized 
in the consolidated statement of income with line item ‘Other operating income/expense – net’ and is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA 
calculation as it does not constitute a present or future liability nor a cash out for the Company and will be fully funded by 
Reservoir Capital.

The award is in the form of partnership units in Contour Management Holdings LLC which is a partner in ContourGlobal L.P. (the limited 
partnership through which Reservoir Capital owns shares in the Company). The award comprises Class S units, Class C units and Class 
B units. All units deliver an award of shares in ContourGlobal plc.

Under the terms of the PIP, those units entitle the award-holder to have shares in the Company delivered to him if certain financial 
performance conditions are achieved.

The CEO’s holding of units in ContourGlobal L.P. is as follows:

Basis of awards

Class S Units

Class C Units 
Class B Units

Up to 6,943,864 ContourGlobal plc shares (excluding the impact of any accrued dividends)

Value share between management and Reservoir Capital Group

164

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
The terms of the value share between management and Reservoir Capital are based on a ‘waterfall’ which operates broadly as follows:

i) 

 Class S Units are similar in nature to a restricted stock award, subject to an underpin share price. At final allocation, Reservoir 
Capital Group set the underpin share price for the Class S units at $2.23 (£1.74), rather than the £2.57 threshold referred to in the 
Prospectus, to reflect the share price at the time of final allocation.

ii) 

 Class C Units are based on sharing 12% of value above a 6% p.a. threshold on $2.0 billion of total value to ContourGlobal L.P., but 
after deducting value arising from Class S Units.

iii) 

 Class B Units are based on sharing 18% of value above a 9% p.a. threshold on $2.4 billion of total value to ContourGlobal L.P., but 
after deducting value arising from Class C Units and Class S Units. The Class B Units also have a catch-up feature that, at valuations 
significantly above the threshold value, allow management to receive additional value.

Distributions from Class B and C Units are subject to Reservoir Capital realizing value from its investment in ContourGlobal, and the 
scheme stays in effect until Reservoir Capital has disposed of all its Ordinary Shares in the Group. Class B Units are fully vested and are 
not forfeitable. Class C and S Units vest in equal tranches over the three-year period from IPO. The date of full vesting is 27th December 
2020. Unvested units will ordinarily be forfeited in the event of resignation or termination for cause.

As of 31st December 2018, in accordance with IFRS 2, the Company recognized a personnel charge of $4.1 million in relation with the PIP.

ContourGlobal long-term incentive plan
Effective 28th June 2018, ContourGlobal implemented a long-term incentive plan (‘LTIP’) consisting of the free attribution of up 1,818,441 
ordinary shares to certain executive managers (the ‘grantees’). These shares will vest on 31st December 2020 subject to the grantee’s 
continued service and to the extent to which some of the four performance conditions set for the awards are satisfied at the 
vesting date:

iv)   EBITDA condition: 50.0 % of award to the compounded annual growth rate of the Company’s EBITDA between the grant date 

and the vesting date.

v) 

 IRR condition: 12.5 % of award to the internal rate of return on qualifying Company projects between the grant date and the 
vesting date.

vi)  LTIR condition: 25.0 % of award to the lost time incident rate of the Company as at the vesting date.

vii)   Project milestones condition: 12.5 % of award to the number of corporate milestones completed on qualifying projects conditions 

between the grant date and the vesting date.

The LTIP awards have been valued using the Monte Carlo model and the resulting share-based payments charge is being spread 
evenly over the period between the grant date and the vesting date (30 months). Fair value at the grant date was estimated to be $1.48.

Key assumptions used in valuing this plan were:

Expected life

Vesting period

Expecting vesting

Expected volatility

Risk-free interest rate

2 years

2.5 years

75%

16.8%

0.82%

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

165

Dividend yield of 0% has been assumed since grantees are compensated for dividends under clause 6.3 of the Long Term Incentive Plan.

Expected volatility is a measure of the amount by which the Group’s shares are expected to fluctuate during the life of an option. 

Outstanding as of 31st December 2017

Granted during the year

Forfeited

Vested

Outstanding as of 31st December 2018

Number of 
shares 

–

1,818,441

(264,688)

–

1,553,753

The Group’s charge for equity-settled share-based incentives for the year of $0.7 million (2017: $nil) has been included within selling, 
general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of income. 

4.27.  Trade and other payables

In $ millions

Trade payables

Accrued expenses

Trade and other payables

Years ended  

31st December

2018

98.2

194.7

292.9

2017

53.9

115.2

169.1

The increase in trade and other payables mainly comes from CO2 emission quotas purchased in our Maritsa power plant. 

4.28. Other current liabilities

In $ millions

Deferred revenue

Deferred payment on acquisition1

Other taxes payable

Other2

Other current liabilities

Years ended  

31st December

2018

10.1

23.3

48.0

67.1

148.5

2017

6.0

1.8

45.1

59.7

112.6

1  Relates to the deferred payment of the Renewable portfolio in Europe, Brazil and Peru as of 31st December 2018 and to the deferred payment of the Thermal and 

Renewable portfolio in Brazil as of 31st December 2017.

2  Mainly relates to contractual obligations in Brazil, including penalties and other commitments where wind asset capacity falls below contracted PPA.

166

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4.29.  Group undertakings
ContourGlobal plc owns (directly or indirectly) only ordinary shares of its subsidiaries. There are no preferred shares scheme in place in 
the Group.

ContourGlobal plc

United Kingdom 15 Berkeley Street 6th Floor, London, United Kingdom, W1J 8DY

Consolidated subsidiaries

Ownership

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

ContourGlobal Hydro Cascade CJSC

100%

Armenia

AGBU building; 2/2 Meliq-Adamyan str., 0010 Yerevan, 
Armenia

100%

Austria

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

ContourGlobal erneuerbare Energie Europa 
GmbH

Windpark HAGN GmbH & Co KG

Windpark Deutsch Haslau GmbH

ContourGlobal Windpark Zistersdorf Ost 
GmbH

ContourGlobal Windpark Berg GmbH

ContourGlobal Windpark Scharndorf GmbH

ContourGlobal Windpark Trautmannsdorf 
GmbH

ContourGlobal Windpark Velm GmbH

ContourGlobal Management Europa GmbH

ContourGlobal Wind Holding GmbH

ContourGlobal Development GmbH

ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 AD

ContourGlobal Operations Bulgaria AD

ContourGlobal Management Sofia EOOD 

Galheiros Geração de Energia Elétrica S.A.

95%

62%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

73%

73%

100%

77%

Austria

Austria

Austria

Austria

Austria

Austria

Austria

Austria

Austria

Austria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Brazil

Santa Cruz Power Corporation Usinas 
Hidroelétricas S.A.

72%

Brazil

Contour Global Do Brasil Holding Ltda

100%

Brazil

Contour Global Do Brasil Participações Ltda

80%

Brazil

Abas Geração de Energia Ltda.

100%

Brazil

Ventos de Santa Joana IX Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

51%

Brazil

Calcedônia Geração de Energia Ltda.

100%

Brazil

Ventos de Santa Joana X Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana XI Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana XII Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana XIII Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana XV Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana XVI Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Asa Branca Holding S.A.

100%

Brazil

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

Fleischmarkt 1, Top 01, Vienna 1010, Austria 

48 Sitnyakovo Blvd; 9-th fl., Sofia 1505, Bulgaria 

TPP ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3, Mednikarovo village 
6294, Galabovo District, Stara Zagora Region, Bulgaria

48 Sitnyakovo Blvd; 9-th fl., Sofia 1505, Bulgaria 

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Junior, 758, 3º andar, 
São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Junior, 758, 3º andar, 
Itaim Bibi, São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Júnior, 758, 3º andar, 
São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Júnior, 758, 3º andar, 
São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Junior, 758, 3º andar, 
São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rodovia Dr. Mendel Steinbruch, S/N – Km, 08 Sala 182 – 
Distrito Industrial – Maracanaú – CE

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Junior, 758, 3º andar, 
São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000 

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Consolidated subsidiaries

Ownership

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

167

Tespias Geração de Energia Ltda.

80%

Brazil

Asa Branca IV Energias Renováveis SA

100%

Brazil

Asa Branca V Energias Renováveis SA

100%

Brazil

Asa Branca VI Energias Renováveis SA

100%

Brazil

Asa Branca VII Energias Renováveis SA

100%

Brazil

Asa Branca VIII Energias Renováveis SA

100%

Brazil

Ventos de Santa Joana I Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana III Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana IV Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana V Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santa Joana VII Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santo Augusto IV Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Chapada do Piauí I Holdings S.A.

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Ventos de Santo Augusto III Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

Ventos de Santo Augusto V Energias 
Renováveis S.A.

100%

Brazil

100%

Brazil

ContourGlobal Desenvolvimento S.A.

100%

Brazil

Chapada do Piauí II Holding S.A.

51%

Brazil

Chapada do Piauí III Holding S.A.

100%

Brazil

Capuava Energy Ltda

Afluente Geração de Energia Eletrica S.A.

Goias Sul Geração De Energia S.A.

RIO PCH I S.A.

Bahia PCH I S.A.

ContourGlobal Swiss Holdings GmbH

ContourGlobal LATAM S.A.

ContourGlobal Solutions Holdings Ltd

80%

79%

80%

56%

80%

100%

100%

100%

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Swiss

Colombia

Cyprus

ContourGlobal Solutions Ltd

100%

Cyprus

Selenium Holdings Ltd

100%

Cyprus

ContourGlobal La Rioja, S.L

100%

Spain

Contourglobal Termosolar Operator S.L. 

ContourGlobal Termosolar, S.L. 

Rústicas Vegas Altas, S.L. 

Termosolar Majadas, S.L. 

Termosolar Palma Saetilla, S.L. 

Termosolar Alvarado, S.L. 

Evacuación Villanueva del Rey, S.L. 

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

40%

Spain

Spain

Spain

Spain

Spain

Spain

Spain

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Júnior, 758, 3º andar, 
São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Júnior, 758, 3º andar, 
São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Júnior, 758, 3º andar, 
São Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rodovia Dr. Mendel Steinbruch, S/N – Km, 08 Sala 182 – 
Distrito Industrial – Maracanaú – CE

Rodovia Dr. Mendel Steinbruch, S/N – Km, 08 Sala 182 – 
Distrito Industrial – Maracanaú – CE

Rodovia Dr. Mendel Steinbruch, S/N – Km 08, Sala 182, 
Distrito Industrial – Maracanaú – CE

Rodovia Dr. Mendel Steinbruch, S/N – Km, 08 Sala 182 – 
Distrito Industrial – Maracanaú – CE

Rodovia Dr. Mendel Steinbruch, S/N – Km, 08 Sala 182 – 
Distrito Industrial – Maracanaú – CE

Rodovia Dr. Mendel Steinbruch, S/N – Km, 08 Sala 182 – 
Distrito Industrial – Maracanaú – CE

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000 

Rodovia Dr. Mendel Steinbruch, S/N – Km, 08 Sala 182 – 
Distrito Industrial – Maracanaú – CE

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31 São 
Paulo 04542-000, Brazil 

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000 

Rua Leopoldo Couto de Magalhães Jr., 758 – cj. 31, São 
Paulo 04542-000 

Av. Presidente Costa e Silva, 1178, parte, Santo André

Praia do Flamengo, 70 – 1º andar, Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Praia do Flamengo, 70 – 2º andar, parte. Rio de Janeiro 
– RJ

Praia do Flamengo, 70 – 4º andar, Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Praia do Flamengo, 70 – 6º andar, parte. Rio de Janeiro 
– RJ

Kholrainstrasse 8 – 8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland

Carrera 7 No. 74-09, Bogotá, Colombia 

Capital Center, 2-4 Arch, Makarios III Avenue, 9th Floor, 
Nicosia 1065, Cyprus 

Capital Center, 2-4 Arch, Makarios III Avenue, 9th Floor, 
Nicosia 1065, Cyprus 

Capital Center, 2-4 Arch, Makarios III Avenue, 9th Floor, 
Nicosia 1065, Cyprus 

Arrúbal Power Plant, Polígono Industrial El Sequero, 
26150 Arrúbal, La Rioja, Spain.

Calle Orense, número 34, 7° piso – 28020 Madrid, Spain

Calle Orense, número 34, 7° piso – 28020 Madrid, Spain

Calle Orense, número 34, 7° piso – 28020 Madrid, Spain

Calle Orense, número 34, 7° piso – 28020 Madrid, Spain

Calle Orense, número 34, 7° piso – 28020 Madrid, Spain

Calle Orense, número 34, 7° piso – 28020 Madrid, Spain

Calle Orense, número 34, 7° piso – 28020 Madrid, Spain

168

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

Consolidated subsidiaries

Energies Antilles

Energies Saint-Martin

ContourGlobal Saint-Martin SAS

Ownership

Country of 
incorporation

100%

100%

100%

France

France

France

ContourGlobal Management France SAS

100%

France

ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings Limited

100%

Gibraltar

Registered address

8, Avenue Hoche 75008 Paris 

8, Avenue Hoche 75008 Paris 

5 Rue du Gal de Gaulle, 8 Immeuble le Colibri Marigot, 
97150 Saint-Martin

Immeuble Imaginem, 20-26 boulevard du Parc 92200 
Neuilly-sur-Seine

Hassans, Line Holdings Limited, 57/63 Line Wall Road, 
Gibraltar 

ContourGlobal Helios S.r.l. 

ContourGlobal Solar Holdings (Italy) S.r.l.

ContourGlobal Oricola S.r.l.

ContourGlobal Solutions (Italy) S.R.L.

Portoenergy S.r.l.

Officine Solari Barone S.r.l.

Officine Solari Camporeale S.r.l.

Contourglobal Mediterraneo S.r.l

PVP 2 S.R.L.

ContourGlobal Sarda S.r.l

Officine Solari Kaggio S.r.l.

Officine Solari Aquila S.r.l.

CONTOURGLOBAL ENERGETICA S.R.L.

Ergyca Eight Srl

Ergyca Green Srl

Ergyca Industrial Srl

Ergyca Light Srl

Ergyca One Srl

Ergyca Sole Srl

Ergyca Tracker Srl

Sungea S.R.L.

Rinnovabili Bari Max S.R.L. 

Solar 6 S.R.L. 

Solar Realty S.R.L. 

Solar 5 S.R.L. 

BS Energia New S.R.L. 

Campoverde Società’ Agricola S.R.L. 

Ecoenergia S.R.L. – Società’ Agricola 

ContourGlobal Management Italy S.R.L. 

ContourGlobal Kosovo L.L.C. 

ContourGlobal Luxembourg S.à r.l. 

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

100%

100%

100%

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Italy

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Contrada Piana del Signore s.n.c. 93012 Gela (CL)

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Via Cusani 5, Milan 20121, Italy 

Kosovo

Anton çeta 5a 1000 Pristina Republic of Kosovo

Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

Kani Lux Holdings S.à r.l.

80%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Africa Holdings S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Bulgaria Holding S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Spain Holding S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

Consolidated subsidiaries

Ownership

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

169

ContourGlobal Latam Holding S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

Vorotan Holding S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Terra 2 S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Terra 3 S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Terra 4 S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Terra 5 S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Terra 6 S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Solutions Holdings S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Senegal Holdings S.à r.l. 

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Terra Holdings S.à r.l 

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Power Holdings S.A.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Mirror 1 S.à r.l

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Mirror 2 S.à r.l

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Mirror 3 S.à r.l

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Spain O&M HoldCo S.à r.l. 

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Intermediate O&M S.à r.l. 

100%

Luxembourg

Aero Flash Wind, S.A.P.I. DE C.V. 

75%

Mexico

KivuWatt Holdings

100%

Mauritius 

ContourGlobal Solutions (Nigeria) Ltd

100%

Nigeria

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

Mexico City, Mexico/Tax Address : Ciudad de Tecate, 
Baja California

4th Floor, Tower A, 1 CyberCity, c/o Citco (Mauritius) 
Limited, Ebene, Mauritius 

St. Nicholas House, 10th Floor, Catholic Mission Street, 
Lagos, Nigeria 

ContourGlobal Solutions Nigeria Holdings 
B.V.

100%

Netherlands

Keplerstraat 34, Badhoevedorp 1171CD, Netherlands 

Contourglobal Bonaire B.V.

Energía Eólica S.A.

100%

100%

Peru

Netherlands

Kaya Carlos A. Nicolaas 3, Bonaire, Netherlands 

ContourGlobal Peru SAC

100%

Peru

Energía Renovable Peruana S.A.

100%

Peru

Energía Renovable del Norte S.A. 

100%

Peru

ContourGlobal Solutions (Poland) Sp. Z o.o. 

ContourGlobal Paraguay Holdings SA

ContourGlobal Solutions (Ploiesti) S.R.L.

100%

100%

100%

Poland

Paraguay

Romania

Petosolar S.R.L. 

100%

Romania

Av. Ricardo Palma 341, Office 306, Miraflores, Lima 18, 
Peru 

Av. Ricardo Palma 341, Office 306, Miraflores, Lima 18, 
Peru 

Av. Ricardo Palma 341, Office 306, Miraflores, Lima 18, 
Peru 

Av. Ricardo Palma 341, Office 306, Miraflores, Lima 18, 
Peru 

ul. Przemyslowa 2A, Radzymin 05-250 – Poland

Simon Bolivar, # 914 casi Parapiti, Asuncion, Paraguay 

Ploeisti, 285 Gheorge Grigore, Cantacuzino street, 
Prahova County, Ploeisti, Romania 

7 Ghiocei street, ap. 1, Panciu locality, Panciu city, Vrancea 
county, Romania 

KivuWatt Ltd

RENERGIE Solarny Park Holding SK I a.s.

PV Lucenec S.R.O.

100%

51%

51%

Rwanda

Plot 9714, Nyarutarama, P. O. Box 6679, Kigali, Rwanda 

Slovak Republic 25 Pribinova Str., Bratislava 811 09, Slovakia 

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

170

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

Consolidated subsidiaries

RENERGIE Solárny park Rimavské Jánovce 
s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Dulovo s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Gemer s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Hodejov s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Jesenské s.r.o.

Ownership

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

RENERGIE Solárny park Nižná Pokoradz s.r.o. 51%

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

RENERGIE Solárny park Riečka s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Rohov s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Starňa s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Včelince 2 s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Hurbanovo s.r.o.

AlfaPark s.r.o.

RENERGIE Druhá slnečná s.r.o.

SL03 s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Bánovce nad 
Ondavou s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Bory s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Budulov s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Kalinovo s.r.o.

ZetaPark Lefantovce s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny Lefantovce s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Michalovce s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Nižný Skálnik s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Otročok s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Paňovce s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Gomboš s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Rimavská Sobota 
s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Horné Turovce s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Uzovská Panica 
s.r.o.

RENERGIE Solárny park Zemplínsky Branč 
s.r.o.

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

51%

ZetaPark s.r.o.

ContourGlobal Cap des Biches Senegal S.à 
r.l.

ContourGlobal Togo S.A.

ContourGlobal Services Africa S.à r.l.

51%

100%

80%

100%

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovak Republic Pribinova 25, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Senegal 

2, Place de L’Indépendance, Dakar, BP 23607, Senegal 

Togo

Togo

Route D’Aného, Baguida, BP 3662, Lomé – Togo 

Immeuble SCI – Direction de l’administration 
pénitentiaire & de la réinsertion – Angle Rue Agbata, 
Boulevard du 13 Janvier - 01 BP 3662, Lomé - TOGO

77701 51 Schevchenko Street, Bogorychany city, Ivano-
Frankivsk region, Ukraine 

Co-Generation Technologies B1 LLC

38%

Ukraine

AMC Energy LLC

ContourGlobal Solutions Ukraine LLC

ContourGlobal Solutions (Northern Ireland) 
Limited

75%

100%

100%

Ukraine

Ukraine

02125, 1 Prospect Vyzvolyteliv, Kiev, Ukraine 

32, Konstantiniska street, 04071 Kiev, Ukraine

United Kingdom 6th Floor Lesley Tower, 42-26 Fountain Street, Belfast BT1 

5EF, Northern Ireland 

ContourGlobal Europe Limited

100%

United Kingdom 15 Berkeley Street, 6th Floor, London, United Kingdom, 

W1J 8DY

ContourGlobal Yield Limited

100%

United Kingdom 15 Berkeley Street, London, W1J 8DY

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

171

Ownership

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

Consolidated subsidiaries

Contour Global LLC

Contour Global Management Inc

ContourGlobal Services Brazil LLC

ContourGlobal Togo LLC

ContourGlobal A Funding LLC

ContourGlobal Senegal Holdings LLC

ContourGlobal Senegal LLC

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

US

US

US

US

US

US

US

US

CG Solutions Global Holding Company LLC

100%

ContourGlobal Mirror 6 S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Mirror 5 S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Mirror 7 S.à r.l

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Mirror 4 S.à r.l

100%

Luxembourg

ContourGlobal Ursaria 3 S.à r.l.

100%

Luxembourg

1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, 
Wilmington, Delaware 19801 

1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, 
Wilmington, Delaware 19801 

650 Fifth Ave – 17th Fl., New York, New York 10019 

2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, Wilmington, Delaware 
19808 

1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, 
Wilmington, Delaware 19801 

2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, Wilmington, Delaware 
19808 

1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, 
Wilmington, Delaware 19801 

Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, 
Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

35-37 Avenue de la Liberté L-1931 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg

Investments in associates accounted under 
the equity method: 

Ownership

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

TermoemCali I S.A. E.S.P.

Compañía Eléctrica de Sochagota S.A. E.S.P.

37%

49%

Productora de Energía de Boyacá S.A.S. E.S.P 50%

Colombia

Colombia

Colombia

Carrera 5A Nº 71-45, Bogotá, Colombia

Carrera 14 No. 20-21 Local 205A, Plaza Real, Tunja, Colombia 

Cr. 9 No. 74-08 Of. 105, Bogotá, Colombia

4.30.  Related party disclosure
ContourGlobal L.P. and Reservoir Capital Group
As of 31st December 2018 ContourGlobal plc and its subsidiaries have no significant trading relationship with the Group’s main 
shareholder, ContourGlobal L.P., and Reservoir Capital Group which ultimately controls ContourGlobal L.P.

Key management personnel 
Compensation paid to key management (executive committee members) amounted to $11.8 million in 31st December 2018 (31st 
December 2017: $8.7 million).

In $ millions

Salaries and short-term employee benefits

Termination benefits

Post employment benefits

Profit-sharing and bonus schemes

Private incentive plan1

Other share-based payments

Total

1  Refer to note 4.26. 

Years ended  

31st December

2018

2017

5.9

2.8

0.1

2.8

4.1

0.2

15.9

4.8

0.8

0.2

2.9

–

–

8.7

Directors’ emoluments are disclosed within the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the year ended 31st December 2018, and in relation 
to the period post incorporation of the Company for the year ended 31st December 2017. 

Certain members of management are party to an agreement with a company that co-owns (but has a minority share) with ContourGlobal 
certain assets in Brazil.  Under this arrangement, such members of management may receive distributions if the minority co-owner 
company achieves a certain level of return on its investment in those Brazilian assets.  This minority co-owner company is a related 
party to ContourGlobal as it is owned and controlled by one of the ContourGlobal Directors. ContourGlobal is not party to the 
arrangement and has no financial obligation related to it. 

172

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4.31.  Financial commitments and contingent liabilities
a) Commitments
The Group has contractual commitments with, among others, equipment suppliers, professional service organizations and EPC 
contractors in connection with its power projects under construction that require payment upon reaching certain milestones. As of 31st 
December 2018, the Group has completed all its construction projects and had $2.6 million of firm purchase commitments of property 
plant and equipment outstanding in connection with its Maritsa facilities and $14.0 million towards its EPC contractors for its Scharndorf 
wind farm. The Group has also contractual arrangements with Operating and Maintenance (O&M) providers and transmission operators 
as it relates to certain of its operating assets.

Maritsa has a long-term Lignite Supply Agreement (LSA) with Maritsa Iztok Mines (MMI) for the purchase of lignite. According to the 
agreement, Maritsa has to purchase minimum monthly quantities, amounting to 6,187 thousand standard tons per calendar year. 
The total commitment through the remaining term of the LSA (February 2024) is 31,451 thousand standard tons, equal to $304.3 million 
at December 2018 prices ($9.67 per standard ton), as compared to 37,638 thousands standard tons equal to $381.2 million at the end 
of 2017 ($10.13 per standard ton). In the event of a failure on the part of CG Maritsa East 3 AD (ME-3) to take a minimum monthly quantity 
in any month, ME-3 shall, except in cases caused by Force Majeure and certain actions of Bulgarian authorities as described in the 
contract, pay to MMI an amount equal to the difference between (i) the aggregate amount paid or payable in respect of lignite delivered 
during such month and (ii) the aggregate amount that would have been payable had the minimum monthly quantity been taken during 
such month.

Pursuant to Vorotan acquisition, the Group has agreed to refurbish the hydro power plants and intends to invest approximately 
$70 million over six years in a refurbishment program started in 2017 to modernize Vorotan and improve its operational performance, 
safety, reliability and efficiency. As of 31st December 2018 Vorotan disbursed $17.5 million of which $9.5 million was an advance 
payment to the EPC contractor.

b) Contingent liabilities 
The Group has contingent liabilities in respect of legal claims arising in the ordinary course of business. The Group reviews these 
matters in consultation with internal and external legal counsel to make a determination on a case-by-case basis whether a loss from 
each of these matters is probable, possible or remote. These claims involve different parties and are subject to substantial uncertainties. 

Operation & Maintenance contractor litigation (Energies Antilles) 
In 2015, a €5 million legal claim was brought against EA by the O&M contractor in relation to cost overruns following changes in French 
labor laws (‘IEG status’—Industries Electriques et Gazières). On 21st September 2018, judgment was rendered by the Commercial Court 
of Paris in favor of the O&M contractor. The Commercial Court appointed an expert to determine the amount of costs for which EA 
should be liable, as opposed to those costs that were attributable to the O&M contractor’s management decisions. To date, several 
meetings with the expert have already taken place. In parallel with the expert proceeding, EA appealed before the Paris Court of 
Appeal against the Commercial Court’s decision on legal grounds. The expert proceeding is not expected to conclude before the 
second half of 2019.

KivuWatt arbitration (KivuWatt Ltd)
On December 12, 2018, the Government of Rwanda filed a request for arbitration before the International Centre for the Settlement of 
Investment Disputes naming KivuWatt Ltd. as the respondent, alleging that it had suffered damages of approximately $80 million arising 
from KivuWatt’s delay in entering into commercial service. KivuWatt contests the Government’s right to damages over and above the 
$1.2 million in liquidated damages provided for in the PPA and already paid by KivuWatt and is preparing its response. 

No provision has been recorded as of 31st December 2018 in relation to the above claims as the Group considers that it is less than 
probable that liabilities will arise from these claims.

The Group from time to time is involved in disputes in relation to ongoing tax matters in a number of jurisdictions around the world. 
Where appropriate, provisions are recorded, based on the assessment of each case.

c) Lease commitments
Operating lease as a lessee
The Group is lessee under non-cancellable operating leases, primarily for office space and land to conduct its business. The future 
aggregate minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:

In $ millions

No later than 1 year

Later than 1 year and no later than 5 years

Later than 5 years

Total

Years ended  

31st December

2018

5.9

19.4

213.9

239.2

2017

5.9

21.0

243.3

270.2

Finance lease as a lessee
The future aggregate minimum lease payments under non-cancellable finance leases (Inka project) are as follows:

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

173

In $ millions

Minimum lease payments

No later than 1 year

Later than 1 year and no later than 5 years

Later than 5 years

Gross investment in the lease

Future finance interest

Present value of finance lease obligation

Years ended  

31st December

2018

2017

0.3

1.3

3.1

4.7

(1.7)

3.0

0.3

1.3

3.4

5.0

(1.9)

3.1

Operating lease as a lessor
The Group is lessor under non-cancellable operating leases. The future aggregate minimum lease payments under non-cancellable 
operating leases are as follows:

In $ millions

Minimum lease payments

No later than 1 year

Later than 1 year and no later than 5 years

Later than 5 years

Total

Years ended  

31st December

2018

2017

62.1

231.4

527.6

821.1

62.0

249.4

577.5

888.9

Finance lease as a lessor
The future aggregate minimum lease payments under non-cancellable finance leases (relating to our operation of Energies Saint Martin 
and Bonaire) are as follows:

In $ millions

Minimum lease payments

No later than 1 year

Later than 1 year and no later than 5 years

Later than 5 years

Gross investment in the lease

Less: unearned finance income

Total

In $ millions

Analyzed as:

Present value of minimum lease payments:

No later than 1 year

Later than 1 year and no later than 5 years

Later than 5 years

Total

Years ended  

31st December

2018

2017

11.6

45.8

26.5

83.9

(20.2)

63.7

12.0

47.2

38.1

97.3

(26.1)

71.2

Years ended  

31st December

2018

2017

11.0

35.4

17.3

63.7

11.4

36.4

23.4

71.2

4.32.  Guarantees and letters of credit
The Group and its subsidiaries enter into various contracts that include indemnification and guarantee provisions as a routine part of 
the Group’s business activities. Such contracts generally indemnify the counterparty for tax, environmental liability, litigation, and other 
matters, as well as breaches of representations, warranties, and covenants set forth in the agreements. In many cases, the Group’s 
maximum potential liability cannot be estimated, since some of the underlying agreements contain no limits on potential liability.

The Group also acts as guarantor to certain of its subsidiaries and obligor with respect to some long-term arrangements contracted 
at project level. 

For the financial guarantees and letters of credit, refer to note 4.23 Borrowings.

174

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Consolidated financial statements continued

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4. Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
4.33.  Statutory Auditors’ fees

In $ millions

Fees payable to the Group’s auditor for the audit of the Group’s annual accounts and consolidated 
financial statements

Fees payable to the Group’s auditor and its associates for other services:

• The audit of the Group’s subsidiaries

• Audit-related assurance services

• Other assurance services

• Tax compliance services

• Tax advisory services

• Other non-audit services

Total (net of out of pocket expenses)

Years ended  

31st December

2018

1.2

2017

1.3

1.4

0.3

1.1

–

–

0.1

4.1

1.1

–

6.6

–

–

0.1

9.1

In 2018 work was performed in respect of acquisitions ($0.8 million) and on bond refinancing ($0.4 million). In 2017 other assurance 
services mainly included exceptional events which included the Initial Public Offering in the United Kingdom of ContourGlobal plc 
($5.7 million) in November 2017. 

4.34.  Subsequent events
Acquisition of a portfolio in Mexico
On 7th January 2019, the Group signed the acquisition of two natural gas-fired combined heat and power (‘CHP’) plants, together 
with development rights and permits for a third plant, in Mexico from Alpek, for $724 million in cash. An additional payment at closing 
estimated at $77 million represents the value added tax assessed for the transaction and is expected to be refunded in full within 
12 months of closing. The CHP plants have a gross installed capacity of 518 MW.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019.

Company financial statements

Company balance sheet

At 31st December 2018

In $ millions

Fixed assets

Investments

Current assets

Debtors

Cash at bank and in hand

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Net current assets

Net assets

Capital and reserves

Called-up share capital

Share premium account

Reserves and retained earnings

Total shareholders' funds

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

175

Note

2018

2017

6

7

8

9

1,642.1 

1,620.7 

7.9 

0.4 

8.3 

(4.1)

4.2

1.7 

91.6 

93.3 

(18.0)

75.3

1,646.3 

1,696.0 

8.9 

380.8 

1,256.6 

1,646.3 

8.9 

380.8 

1,306.3 

1,696.0 

The Company’s loss for the year ended 31st December 2018 was $(6.3) million. Company’s profit for the period ended 31st December 
2017 was $14.2 million.

The financial statements on pages 175 to 179 were approved and authorized for issue by the board and were signed on its behalf by:

Joseph C. Brandt
Director

4th April 2019

Registered Number: 10982736 

Company statement of changes in equity

As at 31st December 2018

In $ millions

Issue of shares – 17th October 2017

Share capital reduction – 19th October 2017

Issue of shares at listing

Cancellation of deferred shares

Listing costs deducted from share premium

Dividends distribution

Profit for the year

At 31st December 2017

Share based payments1

Dividends distribution2

Profit for the year

At 31st December 2018

Called-up 
share 
capital

1,320.7 

(1,307.5)

1.6 

(5.9)

– 

– 

– 

Share 
premium 
account

Retained 
earnings 
and other 
reserves

– 

– 

400.7 

– 

(19.9)

– 

– 

– 

1,307.5 

– 

5.9 

(21.3)

14.2 

Total

1,320.7 

– 

402.3 

– 

(19.9)

(21.3)

14.2 

8.9 

380.8 

1,306.3 

1,696.0 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

0.7 

(44.1)

(6.3)

0.7 

(44.1)

(6.3)

8.9 

380.8 

1,256.6 

1,646.3 

1 

Includes CEO deferred bonus award and Long Term Investing Plan impact on equity.

2  During the year the Group paid dividends of $17.3 million on 31st May 2018 and $26.7 million on 7th September 2018 to ContourGlobal L.P.

 
 
176

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Company financial statements continued

Notes to the Company financial statements
1.  General information
ContourGlobal plc is a public limited company which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is domiciled in the United Kingdom 
and incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Act 2006. The Company was incorporated on 26th September 2017 and 
adopted FRS 102 from that date.

2. Statement of compliance 
The financial statements of ContourGlobal plc have been prepared in compliance with United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including 
Financial Reporting Standard 102, ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland’ 
(‘FRS 102’) and the Companies Act 2006. 

3.  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. The policies have been 
consistently applied throughout the period presented. 

3.1.  Basis of preparation
The Company financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified for the revaluation of 
certain financial assets and liabilities through profit or loss. The current year financial information presented is for the year ended 
31st December 2018, and the comparative for the period from 26th September 2017 to 31st December 2017. 

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with FRS 102 requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also 
requires management to exercise its judgment in the process of applying the Company’s accounting policies. The areas involving a 
higher degree of judgment or complexity, or areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the financial statements are set 
out below. The financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis under the historical cost convention.

As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, an entity profit and loss account is not included as it is part of the published 
consolidated financial statements of ContourGlobal plc.

 Exemptions for qualifying entities under FRS 102

3.2. 
The Company has taken advantage of the following FRS 102 disclosure exemptions available to qualifying entities:

• The requirements of Section 4 Statement of Financial Position 4.12 (a) (iv);
• The requirements of Section 7 Statements of Cash Flows;
• The requirements of Section 3 Financial Statement Presentation paragraph 3.17 (d); and
• The requirements of Section 11 Financial Instruments paragraphs 11.41(b), 11.41(c), 11.41(e), 11.41 (f), 11.42, 11.44, 11.47, 11.48(a)(iii), 11.48(a)(iii), 

11.48(a)(iv), 11.48(b) and 11.48(c).

3.3.  Foreign currency
(i)  Functional and presentation currency
The Company’s functional and presentation currency is the US Dollar.

(ii)  Transactions and balances
Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional currency using the spot exchange rate at the dates of the transactions.

At each period end foreign currency non-monetary items measured at historical cost are translated using the exchange rate on the date 
of the transaction.

Foreign exchange differences arising on retranslation are recognized directly in the currency translation reserve. Foreign exchange 
gains and losses resulting from the settlement of transactions and from the translation of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in 
foreign currencies are recognized at period end exchange rates in the statement of income line which most appropriately reflects the 
nature of the item or transaction.

Investments in subsidiaries

3.4. 
Investments in subsidiaries are held at cost, less any provision for impairment. Annually, the Directors consider whether any events or 
circumstances have occurred that could indicate that the carrying amount of fixed asset investments may not be recoverable. If such 
circumstances do exist, a full impairment review is undertaken to establish whether the carrying amount exceeds the higher of net 
realizable value or value in use. If this is the case, an impairment charge is recorded to reduce the carrying value of the related 
investment.

3.5.  Share capital
Ordinary shares are classified as equity. Incremental costs directly attributable to the issue of new shares are shown in equity as a 
deduction from the proceeds.

3.6.  Taxation
UK corporation tax is provided at amounts expected to be paid or recovered using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or 
substantively enacted by the balance sheet date. Unrecognized deferred tax assets as at as at 31st December 2018 were $1.4 million.

3.7.  Financial instruments
The Company has chosen to adopt Sections 11 and 12 of FRS 102 in respect of financial instruments.

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

177

a) Financial assets
Financial assets including amounts owed by group undertakings and other receivables and cash at bank and in hand are initially 
recognized at transaction price and are subsequently carried at amortized cost using the effective interest method.

At the end of each reporting period financial assets measured at amortized cost are assessed for objective evidence of impairment. 
If an asset is impaired the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated 
cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognized in profit or loss.

If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognized, the impairment 
is reversed.

The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been had the impairment 
not previously been recognized. The impairment reversal is recognized in profit or loss.

Financial assets are derecognized when (a) the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled; or (b) 
substantially all the risks and rewards of the ownership of the asset are transferred to another party; or (c) despite having retained some 
significant risks and rewards of ownership, control of the asset has been transferred to another party who has the practical ability to 
unilaterally sell the asset to an unrelated third party without imposing additional restrictions.

b) Financial liabilities
Financial liabilities include trade and other payables (including from intercompany Group companies).

Trade payables are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers.

Trade payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current 
liabilities. Trade payables are recognized initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective 
interest method.

3.8.  Dividend distribution
Dividends to the Company’s shareholders are recognized as a liability in the Company’s financial statements in the period in which the 
dividends are approved by the Company’s shareholders in the case of final dividends. In respect of interim dividends, these are 
recognized once paid.

3.9.  Critical accounting judgements and estimation uncertainty
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with FRS 102 requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also 
requires management to exercise their judgement in the process of applying the Company’s accounting policies. The area involving 
a higher degree of judgement or complexity, or areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the financial statements is:

• Carrying value of investments.

The Company considers annually whether there is any indication of impairment in the carrying value of investments in accordance with 
the accounting policy stated. Assessments of this nature involve judgement over the economic performance of individual investments, 
changes in the market in which they operate or where there are indications that the value of the underlying assets have declined during 
the period which are significantly more than expected as a result of the passage of time or normal use.

In the event that there is an indicator of impairment, the Company performs an impairment assessment to determine if the carrying 
value of the investment is supported by its recoverable amount. The determination of the recoverable amount is typically the most 
judgmental part of an impairment evaluation. The recoverable amount is the higher of (i) an investment’s fair value less costs of disposal 
(market value), and (ii) value in use determined using estimates of discounted future net cash flows (‘DCF’) of the investment.

4. Directors’ Emoluments and employees
The Company has 7 Directors and 4 employees as at 31st December 2018. The amount of employees charges, other than Directors’, 
recognized in the Company’s profit and loss statement in 2018 amounted to $1.5 million.

In $ millions

Wages and salaries

Social security costs

Share-based payments

Total employee costs

2018

(0.6)

(0.2)

(0.7)

(1.5)

2017

–

–

–

–

Full details of the Directors’ remuneration and interests are set out in the Directors’ remuneration report on page 86 to 103.

5. Auditors’ fees
The amounts payable to the Company’s auditors in respect of the statutory audit were $24,000. At end of period 31st December 2017 
fees were $24,000.

178

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Company financial statements continued

Notes to the Company financial statements continued
6. Investments in Subsidiaries
In $ millions

At 1st January

Acquisition of CG Worldwide Holdings SARL – 17th October 2017

Capital increase of CG Worldwide Holdings SARL

Capital repayment of CG Worldwide Holdings SARL

At 31st December

2018

1,620.7

–

48.0

(26.6)

2017

–

1,320.7

300.0

–

1,642.1

1,620.7

On 17th October 2017, the Company acquired a 100% holding in the shares of ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings S.à.r.l. for a total cost 
of $1,320.7 million from ContourGlobal L.P. via a share for share exchange agreement.

On 16th November 2017 and 20th February 2018, the Company contributed an additional $300 million and $48 million, respectively in 
ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings S.à.r.l. equity via a cash injection.

On 21st August, ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings repaid $26.6 million equity to the Company.

The Company’s directly wholly owned subsidiaries is ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings S.à.r.l. A full list of indirect subsidiaries and 
other undertakings as required by Section 409 of the Companies’ Act 2006 is shown on pages 166 to 171 of the Group’s financial 
statements.

7.  Debtors
In $ millions

Amounts owed by Group undertakings

VAT recoverable

Prepayments and accrued income

2018

2017

7.2

0.2

0.5

7.9

0.3

0.7

0.7

1.7

Amounts owed by Group undertakings are unsecured, interest free, have no fixed date of repayment and are repayable on demand. 

8. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
In $ millions

Trade payables 

Accrued expenses 

Amounts owed to Group undertakings 

2018

0.4 

2.1 

1.6 

4.1

2017

7.5 

3.3 

7.2 

18.0

Amounts owed to Group undertakings are unsecured, interest free, have no fixed date of repayment and are repayable on demand.

 
ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

9.  Called-up share capital
Issued capital of the Company amounted to $8.9 million as at 31st December 2018 and 31st December 2017.

Allotted, called up and fully paid

Issue of shares1

Issue of shares2

Share capital reduction3

Issue of shares – Listing on the London Stock Exchange4

Issue of shares 

Share reorganization – cancellation of deferred shares5

As at 31st December 2017

Number

100

1,002,000,000

–

122,399,020

712,920

(454,399,120)

670,712,920

Nominal 
value

1.00

–

(0.99)

–

–

–

0.01

£m

–

1,002.0 

(992.0)

1.2 

–

(4.5)

6.7 

179

$m

–

1,320.7 

(1,307.5)

1.6 

–

(5.9)

8.9

1  On incorporation, 26th September 2017, the Company issued 100 ordinary shares with a nominal value of £1.00 to its immediate parent, ContourGlobal LP. The 

amount due was settled through an intercompany receivable.

2  On 17th October 2017, the Company issued to its immediate parent, ContourGlobal L.P. 1,002,000,000 ordinary shares with a nominal value of £1.00 each in 

exchange for 100% of the issued share capital of ContourGlobal Worldwide Holdings S.à.r.l. (see Note 6).

3  On 19th October 2017, the Company passed a special resolution supported by a solvency statement to reduce its share capital under s641(a) of the Companies Act 
2006 by reducing the share capital of the Company of $1,320,736,335 divided into 1,002,000,100 ordinary shares of £1.00, each fully paid, to $13,207,366 divided 
into 1,002,000,100 ordinary shares of £0.01, each fully paid, by the cancellation of the paid up share capital to the extent of £0.99 per share upon each of the 
1,002,000,100 ordinary shares reducing the nominal amount of all such shares from £1.00 to £0.01.  
On 8th November 2017, the Company passed a resolution to consolidate the 1,002,000,100 ordinary shares of £0.01 each in the share capital of the Company into 
one ordinary share of £10,020,001 and the sub-division of that share into 547,600,980 ordinary shares and 454,399,120 deferred shares each of £0.01.

4  On 14th November 2017, the Company completed the pricing of its initial public offering of ordinary shares at £2.50 per share, comprising 122,399,020 new shares 

and 54,026,083 existing shares. The Company also issued additional 712,920 new shares subscribed by its management. The issuance of these new shares 
resulted in the recognition of a share premium of £306.5 million ($400.7 million).

5  On 14th November 2017, The Company canceled all existing 454,399,120 deferred shares, resulting in a total net ordinary shares of 670,712,920 shares as of 31st 

December 2017. 

As of 31st December 2018, the Company has issued 670,712,920 shares of £0.01 each, corresponding to an allotted, called up and fully 
paid capital of £6.7 million, or $8.9 million. There has been no change in the called-up share capital in 2018.

10.  Contingent Liabilities
The Company acts as a guarantor to certain of its subsidiaries with respect to various financial obligations and project financing 
agreements entered into by its subsidiaries. The main financial obligations are listed below:

• $8.5 million guarantee to external bank for Inka letter of credit;
• $8.5 million guarantee to cover KivuWatt debt service reserve account;
• Guarantee on cash shortfall for debt service in ContourGlobal Togo;
• Guarantee to Goldman Sachs in relation with the hedging instruments existing at ContourGlobal Power Holdings S.A.; 
• Parent guarantor (as defined in the indenture) under the €750 million bond indenture dated 19th July 2018;
• Guarantor under the corporate level revolving credit facility of €75 million dated 9th November 2018.

11. Related Parties
On 8th November 2017, prior to listing, the Company paid a $21.3 million dividend to its immediate parent, ContourGlobal L.P. 
This dividend was used by ContourGlobal L.P. to repay liabilities due to Company’s indirect subsidiaries. Since the listing, none 
of the Company or subsidiaries has contracted with related parties. As of 31st December 2018, the Company has no balance due 
or to be received from related party other than amounts due to and from subsidiary undertakings.

12.  Controlling party
The Company is majority owned by ContourGlobal L.P. The ultimate controlling party of ContourGlobal L.P. is Reservoir Capital funds.

13.  Subsequent events
On 7th January 2019, the Group signed the acquisition of two natural gas-fired combined heat and power (‘CHP’) plants, together 
with development rights and permits for a third plant, in Mexico from Alpek, for $724 million in cash. An additional payment at closing 
estimated at $77 million represents the value added tax assessed for the transaction and is expected to be refunded in full within 
12 months of closing. The CHP plants have a gross installed capacity of 518 MW.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019.

180

ContourGlobal plc / Annual Report 2018

Shareholder information

Warning about unsolicited approaches to 
shareholders and ‘Boiler Room’ scams
In recent years, many companies have 
become aware that their shareholders 
have received unsolicited phone calls or 
correspondence concerning investment 
matters. These are typically from overseas 
based ‘brokers’ who target UK shareholders, 
offering to sell them what often turn out 
to be worthless or high risk shares in 
UK investments. These operations are 
commonly known as ‘boiler rooms’. 

These ‘brokers’ can be very persistent 
and persuasive. ContourGlobal plc 
shareholders are advised to be extremely 
wary of such approaches and advised 
to only deal with firms authorized by the 
FCA. You can check whether an enquirer 
is properly authorized and report scam 
approaches by contacting the FCA on 
www.fca.org.uk/scams (where you may also 
review the latest scams) or by calling the 
FCA Consumer Helpline: 0800 111 6768.

Forward Looking Statements
This Annual Report has been prepared for, 
and only for, the members of ContourGlobal 
plc (‘the Company’) as a body, and for no 
other persons. The Company, its Directors, 
employees, agents or advisors do not 
accept or assume responsibility to any 
other person who receives or sees this 
document and any such responsibility or 
liability is expressly disclaimed. By their 
nature, the statements concerning the 
risks and uncertainties facing the Group 
in this Annual Report involve uncertainty 
because future events and circumstances 
can cause results and developments to 
differ materially from those anticipated. 
Forward-looking statements in this annual 
report reflect knowledge and information 
available at the date of preparation of 
this Annual Report and the Company 
undertakes no obligation to update 
these forward-looking statements after 
publication. Nothing in this Annual Report 
should be construed as a profit forecast.

Directors
Craig A. Huff  
Joseph C. Brandt  
Ruth Cairnie 
Daniel Camus 
Alan Gillespie  
Alejandro Santo Domingo  
Ronald Trächsel 
Gregg M. Zeitlin

Registered Office
15 Berkeley Street  
London 
W1J 8DY 
United Kingdom

Company Number
10982736

Auditor
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
1 Embankment Place 
London 
WC2N 6RH 
United Kingdom

Registrar
Equiniti Limited 
Aspect House 
Spencer Road 
Lancing 
West Sussex 
BN99 6DA 
United Kingdom

If you have already paid money to share 
fraudsters then contact Action Fraud on 
0300 123 2040.

Registrar
The Company’s register of shareholders 
is maintained by our Registrar, Equiniti 
Limited. All enquiries regarding 
shareholder administration including lost 
share certificates or changes of address 
should be communicated to the Registrar 
in writing or by calling 0871 384 2030 for 
callers from the UK1 or +44 (0)121 415 7047 
for callers from outside the UK. 

Shareholders can also view and manage 
their shareholdings online by registering 
at www.shareview.co.uk/myportfolio.

1  Calls to this number are charged at 10 pence 
per minute plus network extras. Lines are 
open 8.30am to 5.30pm Mondays to Fridays, 
excluding Bank Holidays in England and Wales.

Designed and produced by MerchantCantos 
www.merchantcantos.com

ContourGlobal plc
15 Berkeley Street 
6th floor 
London, W1J 8DY

www.contourglobal.com