Three Months Ended
EX-4.1 2 p75452exv4w1.htm EX-4.1 exv4w1
Exhibit 4.1
31 MARCH 2008
Amendment No. 3
to the Facility Agreement Dated July 27, 2006
to the Facility Agreement Dated July 27, 2006
By and Between
First Solar Manufacturing GmbH,
Frankfurt (Oder)
as Borrower,
Frankfurt (Oder)
as Borrower,
First Solar Holdings GmbH,
Mainz
as Joint and Several Debtor, und
Mainz
as Joint and Several Debtor, und
First Solar GmbH
Mainz
as Joint and Several Debtor, and
Mainz
as Joint and Several Debtor, and
IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG,
Düsseldorf
as Bank, Agent and Security Interest Agent, and
Düsseldorf
as Bank, Agent and Security Interest Agent, and
Commerzbank AG Filiale Mainz,
Mainz
as Bank, and
Mainz
as Bank, and
Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz,
Mainz
as Bank, and
Mainz
as Bank, and
Landesbank Sachsen Aktiengesellschaft,
Leipzig
as Bank
Leipzig
as Bank
PREAMBLE
1. | IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, Düsseldorf, as syndication leader together with the banking syndicate of First Solar Manufacturing GmbH as Borrower, made available, subject to the joint and several liability of First Solar Holdings GmbH, Mainz, and First Solar GmbH, Mainz, three loan facilities up to the total amount of EUR102,044,000.00 to finance a manufacturing site for the production of solar modules on a cadmium-telluride base with an annual capacity of 100 MWp in Frankfurt/Oder according to the conditions of the Facility Agreement dated July, 27 2006 including Amendment No. 1 dated September 12, 2006 and Amendment No. 2 dated March 15, 2007 (Facility Agreement). | |
2. | This Amendment changes several conditions of the Facility Agreement. |
WHEREFOR, the Parties agree to the following Amendment:
1. | DEFINITIONS | |
The terms used in this Amendment have the meaning attributed to them in the Facility Agreement, in so far as there is no modification thereof in this Amendment. | ||
2. | CHANGES TO THE FACILITY AGREEMENT | |
2.1 | Changes. The Facility Agreement is changed herewith. The amended version is attached in Annex 1. | |
2.2 | Effective Date. The amended version of the Facility Agreement is effective retroactively as of 31.12.2007 following the signing of this Amendment by all Parties to the Agreement. | |
2.3 | Continuity in Other Respects. Except for the changes to the Facility Agreement accepted in this Amendment, the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. | |
3. | DOCUMENTS | |
The Borrower shall ensure that, no later than four (4) weeks after the date of this Amendment, the documents listed in Annex 2 shall be submitted to the Banks, whereby the content of said documents shall be in a form and manner satisfactory to the Banks. | ||
4. | GENERAL CONDITIONS | |
4.1 | Partial Effect. Should individual conditions of this Amendment be deemed entirely or partially invalid or should a gap be found in this modification agreement, then the |
validity of the other conditions shall not be affected. In lieu of the ineffective conditions or in order to fill the gap, an appropriate provision should be agreed to that, insofar as legally possible, comes closest to what the Parties would have desired or would have agreed to according to the meaning and purpose of the Amendment, had they considered the matter. | ||
4.2 | Applicable Law. This Amendment is subject to the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. | |
4.3 | Venue. Exclusive venue for any disputes arising out of or relating to this Amendment shall be Düsseldorf. | |
4.4 | Requirement of Writing. Changes and Modifications to this Amendment must be in writing. This requirement of a writing also applies to this No. 4.4. |
SIGNATURES
31 March 2008 | /s/ Karl-Heinz Harz | |||
First Solar Manufacturing GmbH | ||||
31 March 2008 | /s/ Karl-Heinz Harz | |||
First Solar GmbH | ||||
31 March 2008 | /s/ Karl-Heinz Harz | |||
First Solar Holdings GmH | ||||
31 March 2008 | /s/ Roman Boguhn /s/ Lothar Brosig | |||
Commerzbank AG Filiale Mainz | ||||
31 March 2008 | /s/ Anja Lange /s/ Thomas Richter | |||
IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG | ||||
31 March 2008 | /s/ Antje Gruber /s/ Christine Schettgen | |||
Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz | ||||
31 March 2008 | /s/ Beate Schneider /s/ Doreen Will | |||
Landesbank Sachsen | ||||
Aktiengesellschaft |
Annex 1
Amended Facility Agreement Annex 1
between
First Solar Manufacturing GmbH,
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder)
as Borrower
subject to the joint and several liability of
First Solar Holdings GmbH,
Mainz
Mainz
and
First Solar GmbH
Mainz
Mainz
and
IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG,
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
as Bank, Agent and Security Agent and
Commerzbank AG Mainz Branch
Mainz
as Bank and
Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz
Mainz
as Bank and
Landesbank Sachsen Aktiengesellschaft
Leipzig
as Bank
Preamble
First Solar Inc., Phoenix, Arizona intends to construct and operate a production plant in Frankfurt/Oder for the production of solar modules on the basis of cadmium-telluride having a capacity of 100 MWp (hereinafter referred to as the Project) through First Solar Manufacturing GmbH, Frankfurt (Oder): the shares in First Solar Manufacturing GmbH, Frankfurt (Oder) are held by First Solar Inc., Phoenix, Arizona through First Solar Holdings GmbH, Mainz .
M+W Zander FE GmbH was retained as the general contractor for the construction of the buildings as well as the infrastructure. Various suppliers will deliver and install the components for the production lines pursuant to separate agreements.
The distribution of the solar modules is supposed to take place through First Solar GmbH, Mainz, a 100% subsidiary of First Solar Inc., Phoenix, Arizona on the basis of a distributor contract.
The projected total costs for the Project are EUR 117.7 million.
The debt capital will be provided to the First Solar Manufacturing GmbH, Frankfurt (Oder) by a syndicate of banks under the lead arrangement of IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG pursuant to the following terms and conditions.
The Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Brandenburg will secure 80% of the claims of the banks in connection with the following described term loan and working capital loan by creating deficiency guarantees (Ausfallbürgschaften) for the benefit of the banks.
The subsidies contemplated for the Project were applied for in December 2005/January 2006 and approved by the European Commission on 26 April 2006.
Now, therefore, on the basis of the instructions on the application for the Federal guarantees including parallel state guarantees, the Parties agree as follows:
1. Definitions
1.1. | The following definitions apply to this Facility Agreement: | |
Agreed Replacement and Expansion Investments are the investments for placement in expansion made by the Borrower up to the maximum amount foreseen in the Business Plan for the respective business year, whereby the maximum amount is increased by the amounts which were foreseen but not used for replacement and expansion investments in the Business Plan for the respective previous business years; | ||
Supply Agreements mean the following contracts:; |
(a) | all supply agreements between the Borrower and the FS GmbH; | ||
(b) | all supply agreements and other agreements on the delivery and services related to solar modules between the Borrower and third-party customers of solar modules; and | ||
(c) | all supply agreements and other agreements on the delivery and services related to solar modules between FS GmbH and third-party customers of solar modules; |
End of the Construction Phase means the point in time in which the Borrower achieves a nominal capacity with their production facility in the amount of 100 megawatts; | ||
Agent means IKB Deutsche Industriebank Aktiengesellschaft, Düsseldorf; | ||
Old Bank means a Bank which transfers its rights and obligations under the Contract Documents completely or partially pursuant to Clause 27 (Assignments and Transfers) of this Facility Agreement to a New Bank. | ||
Deficiency Guarantees means the deficiency guarantees from the Federal Republic of Germany (for 48 % of the total amount of the Term Loan and initially 48 % of the Revolver) and the State of Brandenburg (for 32 % of the total amount of the Term Loan and initially 32 % of the Revolver) in an amount totaling 80 % of the amount of the Term Loan and the Revolver which, as is apparent from Annex 6a (Decision on the approval of the deficiency guarantees plus supplements), are issued for the benefit of the Banks with regard to the Facility Agreement, including the General Terms and Conditions for the Assumption of Guarantees by the Federal Republic of Germany (the Bund) and Federal States issuing Parallel Guarantees in the form apparent from Annex 6b; | ||
Banking Day means a day on which the credit institutions in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt am Main are open for general business and which is a TARGET Day; |
Banks means IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, Düsseldorf, as well as any third parties joining this Facility Agreement pursuant to Clause 27 as lenders; | ||
Majority of Banks means the Banks, whose QuotasQuotas in each case of a made decision account for at least 66 2/3% of all QuotasQuotas; | ||
Base Interest Rate means the base interest rate as defined in § 247 German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, BGB); | ||
Bridge Loan means the bridge loan in the amount of EUR 22,000,000 pursuant to Clause 2.1; | ||
Guarantors means the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Brandenburg; | ||
Guarantee Amount: means the amount as defined for the respective calendar year in clause 24.6; | ||
Business Plan means the business plan of the Borrower contained in Annex 28 (Business Plan) to this Facility Agreement; | ||
Cash Flow available for Debt Service is defined in Annex 15 (Definition of Key Financial Figures); | ||
Cash Flow Waterfall means the following sequence of application of the Cash from Operations: |
(1) | due tax payments of the Borrower; | ||
(2) | interest payments and compensation for the Loans | ||
(3) | interest payments and compensation for all other bank financing of the Borrower; | ||
(4) | repayment of principal on the Loans; | ||
(5) | repayment of all other bank financing of the Borrower; | ||
(6) | leasing expenses of the Borrower and | ||
(7) | Agreed Replacement and Expansion Investments; |
Cash Flow from Operations is defined in Annex 15 (Definitions of Key Financial Figures); | ||
Threatening Event of Default means any circumstance or event, which would with the expiry of a grace period or giving of notice constitute an event of default; | ||
EBITDA is defined in Annex 15 (Definitions of Key Financial Figures) to this Facility Agreement; |
Equity is defined in Annex 15 (Definitions of Key Financial Figures) to this Facility Agreement; | ||
Equity Ratio is defined in Annex 15 (Definitions of Key Financial Figures) to this Facility Agreement; | ||
EPC Contractors are M+W Zander FE GmbH as well as all suppliers who have concluded an equipment supply agreement with the Borrower relating to the Project; | ||
EPC Agreements are the General Contractor Agreement concluded between M+W Zander FE GmbH and the Borrower on 13 December 2005 and 5 January 2006, the two contracts on the delivery of technical installations concluded between VON ARDENNE Anlagentechnik GmbH and the Borrower/FS LLC on 31 March 2006, the contract on the delivery of technical installations concluded between Cincinnati Machine LLC and the Borrower on 16 February 2006 and the contract on the delivery of technical installations concluded between NPC Corporation and the Borrower on 15 February 2006; | ||
Permitted Financial Liabilities are Financial Liabilities |
(a) | from or in connection with this Facility Agreement granted partner loans/loans by Sponsors pursuant to the provisions of the Sponsor Contracts, | ||
(b) | entered into with the approval of the majority of the banks and the Guarantors: | ||
Permitted Material and Capital Investments are | |||
(a) | Agreed Replacement and Expansion investments | ||
(b) | third party funded Material and Capital Investments (even if reporting of same in the balance sheet is not required) provided that the payment and repayment entitlements of said third parties are insolvency firm and subordinate to the entitlements of the Agent and of the Banks under this Facility Agreement and | ||
(c) | Material and Capital Investments made with the approval of the majority of the banks and the Guarantors |
EU Decision means the decision of the EU Commission dated 26 April 2006 on the Deficiency Guarantees and the Investment Subsidies and Supports; | ||
EURIBOR means the interest rate published by Reuters on its screen service on page EURIBOR 01 at or around 11:00 a.m. local time in Brussels on the Interest Fixing Date for a period of time corresponding to the Interest Period following the Interest Fixing Date or, if a fixing of interest is not possible in this manner, the interest rate determined by the Agent on the basis of the quotations from the Reference Banks for loans with a |
duration corresponding to the respective Interest Period on the relevant Interest Fixing Date pursuant to Clause 7.7; | ||
Fee Letter means the fee letter concluded between the Borrower, FS GmbH, FS and the Agent before this Facility Agreement is concluded; | ||
Financial Liabilities are all liabilities from or in connection with |
(a) | Monies made available by way of loans taken out or within the scope of repayable subsidiary funds | ||
(b) | an acceptance draft bank discount or guaranteed loan, | ||
(c) | a promissory note, a debenture or a certified security of any other kind, including a bond, | ||
(d) | leasing and lease purchase agreements and third party funded Material and Capital Investments (even if same do not have to be reported in the balance sheet), | ||
(e) | sold or discounted receivables (including factoring, unless the buyer assumes the full risk of default), | ||
(f) | derivate transactions with the exception of hedging agreements and the Interest Securing Contract, | ||
(g) | Liabilities, guarantees, co-signature agreements and other potential liabilities for third party financial liabilities, | ||
(h) | received deposits or granted deferrals to pertinent legal entities if same is done primarily for financing purposes and | ||
(i) | potential recourse liabilities for guarantees and co-signature agreements issued by third parties. |
Freely Disposable Net Assets means the assets of a company (as described in Section 266 clause 2, A, B and C German Commercial Code (HGB)), minus (a) the liabilities (as described in Section 266 clause 3, B, C and D German Commercial Code (HGB)) and (b) the share capital of the company, whereby the following adjustments of the balance sheet items shall be made: |
(i) | the amount of any share capital increase made by the respective company contrary to the obligations under the Contract Documents shall be deducted from the share capital; | ||
(ii) | loans or other liabilities assumed by the respective company contrary to the obligations under the Contract Documents are to disregarded; and | ||
(iii) | assets whose book value is substantially lower than the market value in the balance sheet shall be accounted for at their fair |
market value, provided that they are not necessary for the business operation and a sale of those assets makes economic sense. |
FS means First Solar Inc., Phoenix, Arizona; | ||
FS GmbH means First Solar GmbH, Mainz; | ||
FS Group means FS and its Subsidiaries; | ||
FS Holdings means First Solar Holdings GmbH, Mainz, a 100% subsidiary of FS; | ||
FS LLC means First Solar US Manufacturing LLC., Perrysburg, Ohio, a former 100% subsidiary of FS; which was merged with FS as the acquiring company as of 03/31/2007; | ||
Shareholders means FS and FS Holdings; | ||
Permits means all public law permits, consents, licenses, authorizations and approvals required for the construction and operation of the Project, listed in Annex 12 (Permits for the Construction and Operation of the Project) except for the Subsidy Order, the Deficiency Guarantee and the EU Decision; | ||
Total Liabilities is defined in Annex 15 (Definitions of Key Financial Figures) to this Facility Agreement; | ||
Investment Account means the account No.  ###-###-#### 01 at the Commerzbank AG, Mainz (Routing Code 550 400 22) to be established by the Borrower pursuant to Clause 13.2; | ||
Investment Subsidies means the investment subsidies in the amount of EUR 23,756,000 to be provided by the Federal Republic of Germany for the Project in accordance with the Investment Subsidy Act (Investitionszulagengesetz) 2005; | ||
Investment Subsidies and Supports means the investment subsidy granted and to be granted under the Subsidy Order in the amount of EUR 21,531,000 and the investment support provided and to be provided for the Project by the Federal Republic of Germany in accordance with the Investment Subsidy Act (Investitionszulagengesetz) 2005 in the amount of EUR 23,756,000; | ||
IP License Agreement: is the contract to be concluded between the Borrower and FS regarding the rights of use for all licenses, patents and other industrial property rights, which are necessary for the Project; | ||
Loans means the Term Loan, the Bridge Loan and the Revolver; | ||
Borrower: is the First Solar Manufacturing GmbH, Mainz; |
Market Disruption Notice means the notice by the Agent about an event within the meaning of Clause 8 (Market Disruption); | ||
Maximum Distribution Margin: is the maximum uniform distribution margin of 2%, which is contained in the sale prices of the products sold by FS GmbH to end users from US and German production; | ||
Maximum Commission Entitlement: is the maximum commission entitlement of 2%, pertaining to FS GmbH from the Borrower from the sale for its account; | ||
Excess Amount is defined in Clause 23.1; | ||
CET means central European time, and when applicable central European daylight savings time; | ||
New Bank means a bank which completely or partially assumes the rights and obligations of an Old Bank under the Contract Documents pursuant to Clause 27 (Assignments and Transfers); | ||
Project is defined in the Preamble; | ||
Project Progress Report means the report to be prepared by the Project Appraiser pursuant to Clause 17.8 with regard to the progress of the Project, which especially contains a comparison of the costs already incurred for the Project at the time of such report to the costs for the Project foreseen in the Business Plan and the confirmation that the Project has made the progress corresponding to the investments as of the respective time, the Project has no delays compared to the Schedule and that all Permits required as of that time have been granted; | ||
Project Appraiser means the technical expert appointed by the Agent which at the time of conclusion of this Facility Agreement is the firm Lahmeyer International GmbH, Bad Vilbel; | ||
Project Account is the project account no. 2011112 00 at the Commerzbank AG, Mainz (Routing Code 550 400 22) to be established by the Borrower pursuant to Clause 13.1 of this Facility Agreement; | ||
Project Account FS GmbH is the account to be set up by FS GmbH pursuant to the draft Security Contract attached herewith as Annex 18a (Contract on the Pledging of an Account) under account no. 2009330 00 with Commerzbank AG, Mainz (Routing Code 550 400 22); | ||
Project Contracts means the contracts listed in Annex 5 (Project Contracts) to this Facility Agreement; | ||
PwC means PricewaterhouseCoopers Aktiengesellschaft Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Lise-Meitner-Str. 1, 10589 Berlin having the mandate to act for the Guarantors in case of such guarantees; |
Quota means the portion attributed to each Bank of the obligation to provide the Loan or the amount, which is provided. The Quotas as of the signing of this Facility Agreement are set forth in Annex 1 (Quotas); | ||
Reference Banks means the Deutsche Bank AG, the Commerzbank AG and the Dresdner Bank AG; | ||
Reference Interest Rate means EURIBOR; | ||
Revolver means the loan for working capital facility in the amount of EUR 27,000,000 pursuant to Clause 2.1 of this Facility Agreement; | ||
Fixed Assets and Capital Investments: are additions to fixed assets, which have to be reported in the balance sheet or its appendix pursuant to the accounting principles applicable to the Borrower; in particular additions from or in connection with: |
(a) | concessions, commercial licensing rights and similar rights and values as well as licenses to such rights and values; | ||
(b) | goodwill; | ||
(c) | land parcels, rights equivalent to land rights and buildings, including buildings erected on third party owned land parcels; | ||
(d) | technical equipment and machines, other equipment, production and business equipment; | ||
(e) | stakes in and loans to affiliated companies; | ||
(f) | investments; | ||
(g) | loans to companies of which the Company is a stakeholder; | ||
(h) | fixed asset securities and other loans; |
Debt Service Coverage Level is defined in Annex 15 (Definitions of Key Financial Figures); | ||
Debt Service Reserve means an amount of EUR 3,000,000; | ||
Debt Service Reserve Investment Account is the account to be set up by the Borrower pursuant to Clause 13.4 under account no. 2011112 12 with Commerzbank AG, Mainz (Routing Code 550 400 22); | ||
Debt Service Reserve Account is the account no. 2011112 04 at the Commerzbank AG, Mainz (Routing Code 550 400 22) to be established in accordance with Clause 13.4 by the Borrower and also refers to the Debt Service Reserve Investment Account; |
Service and Supply Contract 5N is the German Supply and Service Agreement between the Borrower, FS and 5N PV Gesellschaft fuer photovoltaische Produkte mbH and 5N Plus Inc. dated 3/30/2007; | ||
Security means the security interests and other forms of security listed in Annex 13 (Security) as well as all future security agreed between the Banks and the Borrowers; | ||
Security Agent means IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG; | ||
Security Agreements means all declarations to be issued and all contracts to be concluded in connection with the Security; | ||
Sponsors means the Shareholders; | ||
Sponsors Agreements means the Sponsors Agreement FS Holdings, the Sponsors Agreement USA I and the Sponsors Agreement USA II; | ||
Term Loan means the term loan in the amount of EUR 53,044,000 pursuant to Clause 2.1; | ||
TARGET means the Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer payment system; | ||
TARGET Day is every day on which TARGET is open for the processing of payments; | ||
Subsidiary is any company which is directly or indirectly controlled by a person or with regard to which a person directly or indirectly holds more than 50 % of the voting rights or comparable rights, and to control for this purpose means the authority to instruct the management and to determine the guidelines for business policy or, in the case of a German stock company, to determine the members of the supervisory board appointed by the shareholders, be it as the holder of voting rights or on the basis of a contract or otherwise; | ||
Surplus Cash Flow is defined in Annex 15 (Financial Figures) to this Facility Agreement; | ||
Transfer means the transfer of rights and obligations under this Facility Agreement pursuant to Clause 27.3; | ||
Affiliated Enterprises means enterprises in which FS has a direct or indirect participation; | ||
Royalty Payments means any payments made by the Borrower pursuant to Clause 19.1.35. | ||
Sponsors Agreement FS Holdings means the Agreement between FS Holdings, the Agent, the Borrower, and FS GmbH pursuant to Annex 9a (Sponsors Agreement FS Holdings); |
Sponsors Agreement USA I means the Agreement between FS, FS Holdings, the Borrower, and the Agent pursuant to Annex 9b (Sponsors Agreement USA); | ||
Sponsors Agreement USA II means the Agreement between FS, the Borrower, and the Agent pursuant to Annex 9c (Sponsors Agreement USA pertaining to the Recourse Finanancing Insurance); | ||
Debt Level is defined in Annex 15 (Financial Figures) to this Facility Agreement; | ||
Insurance Policies means the insurance policies listed in Annex 11 (Insurance Policies); | ||
Insurance Consultant is Marsh GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, appointed by the Agent; | ||
Insurance Account is the account no. 2011112 03 at the Commerzbank AG, Mainz (Routing Code 550 400 22) to be established in accordance with Clause 13.4 by the Borrower; | ||
Contract Documents means this Facility Agreement, the Fee Letter and the Security Agreements; each including all respective supplements, modifications and additions made between the respective parties to the Facility Agreement and the Security Contracts at this time and to be made between them in the future to the extent only that same are expressly defined as such by the Agent and the Borrower; | ||
Material Adverse Change is the occurrence of an event which has a material adverse influence on the business operations, the financial situation or the commercial relationships of the Borrower, FS GmbH, FS Holdings, or FS and which results in the Borrower, FS GmbH, FS Holdings, no longer being able to comply with its financial or other obligations under the Contract Documents or which endangers or precludes their performance; | ||
Accountants means the accounting firm PwC Deutsche Revision Aktiengesellschaft Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft retained by the Borrower or another accountant appointed by the Borrower which is satisfactory to the Agent; | ||
Schedule means the schedule relating to the Project under Annex 8 (Schedule) which is provided by the Borrower and confirmed by the Project Appraiser, as amended from time to time with the consent of the Project Appraiser and the Agent in the actual form; | ||
Drawdown means a drawdown of a payout under one of the Loans; | ||
Drawdown Request means a request for a Drawdown under this Agreement pursuant to Annex 3 (Drawdown Request); | ||
Drawdown Period means with regard to |
(a) | the Term Loan and the Bridge Loan, the period from signing this Facility Agreement until 12/31/2007, | ||
(b) | the Revolver, the period from signing this Facility Agreement until 09/30/2012 ; |
Drawdown Date is a date on which a payout is supposed to be made under one of the Loans; | ||
Interest Determination Notice is the written notice of the Borrower about the duration of an Interest Period. | ||
Interest Determination Date is the second Banking Day prior to the beginning of each Iinterest Period; | ||
Interest Hedging Agreement is the framework contract for finance future transactions, to be concluded by the Borrower with the IKB Financial Products Société Anonyme, Luxemburg wherein the risk of change in interest rate is secured including all assets and all individual accounts hereunder for at least 75 % of the outstanding under the Term Loan up to its duration under consideration of redemption terms based o the Business Plan. | ||
Subsidy Order is the order from the Investitionsbank of the State of Brandenburg dated about the Investment Subsidies and Supports, as well as all related orders on supports and subsidies for the benefit of the Borrower which are still to be issued. | ||
1.2 | The use of quotation marks for certain terms and their derivatives serve as a reference to the definitions in Clause 1.1 of this Facility Agreement. If the same term is used without quotations marks, the general meaning resulting from the context applies. | |
The singular form of a word includes the plural, and the plural form includes the singular. | ||
2. | Loans |
The Banks grant the Borrower in accordance with their respective Quotas: | ||
2.1 | a term loan in the amount of EUR 53,044,000 (the Term Loan), a bridge loan in the amount of EUR 22,000,000 (the Bridge Loan), and a working capital loan in the amount of EUR 27,000,000 (the Revolver). | |
2.2 | The payout amount of the Loans is 100% respectively. | |
2.3. | FS GmbH and FS Holding are jointly and severally liable with the Borrower for all obligations of the Borrower under this Facility Agreement. |
2.4 | The liability of FS GmbH for liabilities of the Borrower under the Contract Documents and the right to foreclose the Security provided by FS GmbH shall be limited to the respective amount of the Freely Disposable Net Assets existing at the time of such payment or enforcement. | |
The restriction of the liability in the aforementioned Paragraph 1 shall only apply if FS GmbH objects to the recourse or the foreclosure of a Security on the grounds of the restricted liability within 15 Banking Days after the Agent has announced the recourse or the foreclosure and within 3 Banking Days after the successful appeal, the amount of the Freely Disposable Net Assets shall be determined by an independent auditor with the consent of the Agent. | ||
3. | Purpose of the Loans | |
3.1 | The Term Loan is exclusively designed for the partial financing of the fixed assets for the Project in accordance with the description in the overview Source of Funds / Use of Funds in Annex 2 (Source of Funds / Use of Funds). | |
3.2 | The Bridge Loan serves to pre-finance the Investment Supports. | |
3.3 | The Revolver serves the financing of the necessary operating funds for the Project. | |
4. | Quotas of the Banks | |
4.1 | Each Bank undertakes to participate in each Drawdown under the Loans pursuant to this Facility Agreement in an amount corresponding to its respective Quota on the respective Drawdown Date and to place the amount allocated to it at the disposition of the Agent. | |
4.2 | Each Bank is liable to the Borrower only with its Quota for compliance of the totality of the obligations imposed on the Banks under this Facility Agreement. Joint liability is excluded. | |
4.3 | To the extent that a Bank does not fulfill its obligations under this Facility Agreement, this does not relieve the other parties from the performance of their obligations under this Facility Agreement. | |
4.4 | The Banks are individual creditors and not joint creditors under this Facility Agreement. | |
4.5 | Except in the case of a corresponding order by the Majority of Banks or unless expressly regulated in this Agreement, the rights of the Banks will exclusively be exercised by the Agent as the representative of the Banks. | |
5. | Drawdowns | |
5.1 | The Borrower can request a Drawdown under one of the Loans within the respective Drawdown Period with a Drawdown Request in the form set forth in Annex 3 (Drawdown Request). The correctly filled out |
Drawdown Request must be received by the Agent not later than 10:00 am CET five Banking Days prior to the Drawdown Date as set forth in the drawdown request. |
5.2 | The Borrower is only authorized to submit Drawdown Requests if the preconditions for Drawdown set forth in Annex 4a (General Preconditions for Payout) and in Annex 4b (Special Preconditions for Drawdown) have each been fulfilled to the satisfaction of the Agent. | |
5.3 | Drawdowns under the Term Loan are only permitted if in addition to the preconditions set forth in Annex 4a (General Preconditions for Drawdown) and in Annex 4b (Special Preconditions for each Drawdown): |
(a) | Copies of invoices are presented which show progress in the project going beyond the total amount of EUR 22,000,000. The invoices are to be certified by the countersignature of an authorized person employed by the Borrower; and | ||
(b) | The respective last Project Progress Report to be provided under Clause 17.8 has been issued to the satisfaction of the Agent. |
Drawdowns will be made in a maximum amount of 56.72 % of the respective net invoice amount, which is in excess of EUR 22,000,000. | ||
Drawdowns under the Term Loan are made in amounts of at least EUR 3,000,000 except for the last Drawdown. | ||
There will be a maximum of twelve Drawdowns. | ||
5.4 | Drawdowns under the Bridge Loan are only permissible if in addition to the preconditions set forth in Annex 4a (General Preconditions for Drawdown) and in Annex 4b (Special Preconditions for each Drawdown): |
(a) | The Agent has copies of the invoices for supplies and services for which applications for the Investment Supports have been submitted; and | ||
(b) | The respective last Project Progress Report to be provided under Clause 17.8 has been issued to the satisfaction of the Agent. |
Drawdowns are made in the amount of a maximum of 20.5% of the respective net invoice amount. | ||
5.5 | A maximum of two Drawdowns per calendar month will be made in the amount of at least EUR 500,000. | |
5.6 | Unless agreed otherwise, all payouts are made to the Project Account FSM. | |
5.7 | As soon as all preconditions for the respective Drawdown under one of the Loans exist to the satisfaction of the Agent, the Agent will confirm this |
to the Banks. Each Bank must then provide to the Agent the amount allocable to it to be paid out on the respective Drawdown Date by no later than 11:00 a.m. CET. |
6. | Termination and Loss of the Loan | |
6.1 | The Borrower is entitled to terminate the Loans to the extent these Loans have not been used in Drawdowns in amounts of EUR 2,000,000 by advance written notice of five Banking Days if the Borrower has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Agent that the total financing of the Project is not endangered by the termination. | |
6.2 | In the case of termination of the Term Loan, the last due scheduled repayment installments shall be pro-rated, taking the terminated amount into account . | |
The Bridge Loan and the Revolver are reduced upon termination by the respective terminated amount. | ||
6.3 | The amounts of the Loans not used by expiration of the respective Drawdown Periods lapse at that time. Figure 6.2 applies accordingly. | |
7. | Interest | |
7.1 | The interest rate for the respective interest period is calculated for each Drawdown as a sum of the Reference Interest Rate and the respective margin applicable under Clause 7.6. The Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Banks of the interest rate for the pertinent interest period and its term two bank business days prior to the beginning of an interest period. | |
7.2 | The interest periods for the Term Loan and the Bridge Loan are, at the election of Borrower three or six months and for the Revolver, one, three or six months. The election for the first interest period for a Drawdown under a Loan is made in the Drawdown Request. The Borrower will inform the Agent about the duration of the interest period the Borrower desires for the subsequent interest periods of the relevant Drawdown by no later than 11:00 a.m. CET five Banking Days prior to the Interest Determination Date by using the form set forth in Annex 14 (Interest Determination Notice). | |
If the Borrower does not make an election in the Drawdown Request or by the scheduled date five Banking Days prior to the Interest Determination Date, the interest period has the duration of three months. | ||
7.3 | The first interest period of a Drawdown under a Loan begins with the Drawdown Date and ends upon expiration of one, three or six months, depending on the elected duration of the interest period, on the day corresponding in its number to the Drawdown Date. The first interest period for each additional Drawdown under the Loan begins with the last day of the previous interest period and ends on the last day of the duration determined or agreed for it. Each further Interest Period for a Drawdown |
under the respective Loan begins on the last day of the previous interest period and ends on the last day of the duration determined or agreed for it. If a repayment date under Clause 10 (Repayment) falls within the determined or agreed duration of an interest period, the interest period ends on the repayment date. |
7.4 | If the last day of an interest period falls on a day, which is not a Banking Day, the interest period is extended to the next Banking Day unless this day falls in the next calendar month. In this case, the interest period ends on the immediately preceding Banking Day. | |
7.5 | If more than one interest period under a respective Loan end on the same day, the relevant Drawdowns will be combined on the relevant day and will be treated in the future as a single Drawdown. | |
7.6 | The respective margin for the total duration of the Term Loan is 1.6 % p.a., for the Bridge Loan 2 % p.a. and for the Revolver 1.8 % p.a. | |
7.7 | If the Agent can only determine the Reference Interest Rate for an interest period on the basis of quotes from the Reference Banks, the applicable Reference Interest Rate for this interest period is the interest rate calculated by the Agent (if appropriate, rounded up to the next full sixteenth of a percentage point) from the arithmetic mean of the interest rates which have been notified to the Agent on the Interest Determination Date by at least two Reference Banks at approximately 11:00 a.m. CET. | |
7.8 | The interest will be accrued and is due for payment at the end of each interest period. The Agent will inform the Borrower and the Banks about the amount of the interest payments which are due in a timely manner prior to expiration of each interest period. | |
7.9 | To the extent that payments are made on dates other than the end of an interest period, the Borrower must compensate the Banks for all damages resulting from the early repayment. | |
A loss of margin is not being compensated. | ||
8. | Market Disruption | |
If one of the following events occurs, the Agent will inform the Borrower and the Banks about this without undue delay (Market Disruption Notice): |
(a) | the determination of EURIBOR is not possible and none or only one of the Reference Banks has provided an interest rate to the Agent by 11:30 a.m. CET on the respective Interest Determination Date which is required in order to determine the Reference Interest Rate, or | ||
(b) | the Agent has received a notice prior to the beginning of the interest period regarding a Drawdown from one or more Banks whose Quotas account in aggregate at least 50 % of all Quotas that for |
reasons generally affecting the European interbank market the refinancing costs for the Banks for this Drawdown are higher than the Reference Interest Rate for this interest period. |
Upon receipt of such a Market Disruption Notice the respective Drawdown shall be paid out if the Borrower does not instruct otherwise; the Agent and the Borrower will negotiate in good faith within a period of 10 days about an alternative method for determining the interest for the Drawdown. Such an alternative method can contemplate both another interest period and another reference interest rate. If no agreement is reached prior to expiration of this deadline, the interest rate for the relevant Drawdown for each Bank is the sum of the respective margin under Clause 7.6 and the annual refinancing costs for the relevant Bank with regard to its participation in the Drawdown. Each Bank will inform the Agent about this interest rate as quickly as possible and in any event prior to the end of the relevant interest period. | ||
9. | Default Interest | |
9.1 | If the Borrower does not fulfill a payment obligation under this Facility Agreement when due, the Borrower owes default interest from the due date until the date of payment in an amount of the Base Interest Rate plus 5 % p.a. or, if it is an interest payment with which the Borrower is in default, liquidated damages in the corresponding amount. A reminder is not required. | |
9.2 | The amount of the default interest or the damages will be determined by the Agent and will be notified to the Borrower and the Banks. | |
9.3 | The Banks retain the right to prove that they have suffered higher damages, and in the case of liquidated damages the Borrower retains the right to prove lower damages. | |
10. | Repayment | |
10.1 | The Term Loan is to be repaid quarterly in arrears on 31.03, 30.06, 30.09. and 31.12. of each year in 20 equal repayment installments; the first installment is due on 31.03.2008, and the last installment is due on 31.12.2012. | |
The amount of the respective installment shall be equivalent to the amount stipulated in the repayment plan provided in Annex 30 (Repayment Plan). In the event that any changes to the installments should have to be made, in particular because (i) the Borrower enforces the rights pursuant to Clause 6.1, the amount of the installments shall be recalculated based on the balance of the loan. | ||
The amount of said newly calculated installments shall be communicated to the Borrower and the Banks for their information by the Agent in writing in the form of an adjusted Repayment Plan in due time prior to the due date of the next installment. | ||
10.2 | The Bridge Loan is to be repaid in the amount of the respectively paid out Investment Subsidies, but no later than in full on 31.12.2008. The amounts |
received in the Investment Account in connection with the Investment Subsidies will be applied respectively at the end of the next interest period as a repayment of the Bridge Loan. |
10.3 | The final due date for the Revolving Facility is on 31.12.2012. | |
11. | Voluntary Repayment | |
11.1 | The Term Loan and the Bridge Loan can each be voluntarily repaid in advance in a single sum or in partial amounts of at least EUR 2,000,000 at the end of any interest period upon giving at least 5 Banking Days irrevocable written advance notice. | |
The voluntary repayment of the Bridge Loan is only permissible after complete repayment of the Term Loan. | ||
11.2 | The Borrower is obliged (1) to make a mandatory special repayment of the Term Loan at the end of the current interest period under the Term Loan and (2) after complete repayment of the Term Loan, to make a mandatory special repayment of the Revolver at the end of the current interest period under the Revolver and (3) after complete repayment of the Revolver, to make a mandatory special repayment of the Bridge Loan at the end of the current interest period under the Bridge Loan |
(a) | with 100% of each amount in excess of EUR 500,000 in an individual case and/or per business year of the Borrower derived from any proceeds from the sale of fixed assets of the Borrower unless the sale of assets to be replaced is involved. In the case of the sale of assets to be replaced, a mandatory special repayment must be made if the replacement acquisition has not been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Agent within 180 days after the date of sale; and | ||
(b) | with payments from the Insurance Policies to the extent that these exceed EUR 100,000 in an insured event to the extent that the payment is not used pursuant to Clause 13.3 within the deadline set there. |
11.3 | In the case of early repayment of the Term Loan, the respective last due scheduled repayment installment will be reduced by the specially repaid amount. | |
The Bridge Loan and the Revolver are reduced by the respective specially repaid amount upon early repayment. | ||
12. | New Drawdowns | |
Amounts repaid under the Term Loan and the Bridge Loan cannot again be drawn down. | ||
Each Drawdown under the Revolver can be completely or partially repaid as of the end of the respective interest period, whereby both the |
amount to be repaid as well as the remaining amount to be paid out cannot be less than EUR 500,000 if the outstanding amount is not completely repaid. The repayment of amounts paid out under the Revolver must be notified to the Agent in writing using the form set forth in Annex 16 (Template Repayment Revolver) at least five Banking Days prior to the end of the respective Interest Period. | ||
Amounts repaid under the Revolver can be again drawn down if the preconditions for Drawdown set forth in Clause 5 are satisfied. |
13. | Accounts | |
13.1 | The Borrower is required to establish the following accounts prior to the first Drawdown under the Loans, which accounts are to be maintained exclusively without overdraft capacity and are to be pledged with first ranking to the Security Agent and with regard to which the respective banks where the accounts are maintained have waived their pledge rights under their general terms and conditions: | |
13.1 | Project Account: | |
All payments of the Agent to the Borrower under the Loans will be made to the Project Account. | ||
Payments of the Borrower from the Project Account can only be made in accordance with the purpose of the respective Loans. In the case of a Threatening Event of Default under Clause 20, the Borrower is only entitled to make payments from the Project Account with the prior written consent of the Agent. | ||
13.2 | Investment Account | |
The Investment Account will be credited with payments under the Investment Supports. The Borrower undertakes to instruct the appropriate tax office to make payments for the Project on an annual basis under the Investment Supports exclusively to the Investment Account; or, if and as long as these payments cannot be made to the Investment Account for any technical reasons, to make same exclusively to the Project Account. The Borrower undertakes to transfer payments for the Project under Investment Supports within 5 bank business days after receipt to the Project Account or to the Investment Account. | ||
The Borrower can only use the funds in the Investment Account for the repayment of the Bridge Loan. Any other disposition of the funds is excluded. | ||
The Borrower hereby irrevocably authorizes the Agent to collect all of the amounts credited to the Investment Account as of the end of an interest period following the credit for repayment of the amounts paid out under the Bridge Loan. The Agent is hereby expressly released from the application of § 181 BGB. |
13.3 | Insurance Account | |
The Borrower will make sure that all payments in connection with the Insurance Policies are credited to the Insurance Account. | ||
The Borrower shall use funds in the Insurance Account only |
(a) | for a replacement acquisition or reconstruction of the assets affected by the insurance event if the Borrower proves the replacement acquisition to the satisfaction of the Agent within 180 days after the payout of the insurance amount, whereby a copy of the order is sufficient proof; | ||
(b) | if payments under the business interruption insurance are involved, to cover the ongoing costs of operations if the Borrower proves the operating costs to the satisfaction of the Agent within 180 days after the payout of the insurance amount; and | ||
(c) | if payments under the business liability insurance are involved, for the satisfaction of claims for damages under imperative provision of law. | ||
Any other disposition of the funds is excluded. |
13.4 | Debt Service Reserve Account | |
Before drawdown of any of the Loans Borrower is required to pay the Debt Service Reserve from the first Drawdown under the Loans into the Debt Service Reserve Account. The Borrower shall have the right to transfer the Debt Service Reserve to the Debt Service Investment Account as a time deposit. | ||
To the extent that a part or the entire amount of the Debt Service Reserve has been used to repay an amount due in connection with the Loans, the Borrower is required to again restock the Debt Service Reserve on the Agents first demand. | ||
The Debt Service Reserve remains in the Debt Service Reserve Account until all claims of the Banks under and in connection with the Facility Agreement have been fulfilled. | ||
The Borrower can only dispose of the interest credited to the Debt Service Reserve Account pursuant to a separate interest agreement between the Borrower and the account holding bank, but not of the Debt Service Reserve. | ||
If the Borrower does not comply with its payment obligations under the Facility Agreement, the Borrower hereby irrevocably authorizes the Agent to apply the Debt Service Reserve to settle due obligations under Clause 14.4. The Agent is released from the restrictions of Section 181 German Civil Code. |
14. | Payments of the Borrower and the Banks | |
14.1 | All payments of the Borrower and the Banks to the Agent under the Contract Documents are to be rendered to account number ###-###-####, routing number 30010400, IBAN: DE 91300104002013535410, a general account of the Borrower to be established for this purpose with IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, over which the Borrower has no authority to make dispositions. | |
14.2 | All payments of the Borrower to the Agent under the Contract Documents are due for payment in EUR on the due date by 10:00 a.m. CET. If payments under this Facility Agreement or the Contract Documents fall due on a day which is not a Banking Day, the due date is extended to the next Banking Day in the same calendar month, or if the next Banking Day falls in the next calendar month, the due date is the immediately preceding Banking Day. | |
14.3 | Each payment made by the Borrower or a third party make to the Agent for obligations of the Borrower under the Facility Agreement or the Contract Documents will be distributed by the Agent to the Banks without undue delay corresponding to their Quotas. If a repayment is the result of the termination of the Facility Agreement in relation to a specific Banks pursuant to Clause 15.3 the Agent will distribute the payment to such Banks. | |
14.4 | If a payment of the Borrower or a third party for the obligations of the Borrower is not sufficient to satisfy all obligations of the Borrower towards the Banks upon receipt of the payment, the Agent is authorized to credit the received payments to the obligations of the Borrower in the following sequence: |
| first, to the outstanding costs and disbursements of the Agent, | ||
| second, to any outstanding fees, | ||
| third, to default interest, | ||
| fourth, to due interest, | ||
| fifth, to due amounts of principal, | ||
| sixth, to all other due payments. |
Any different determinations by the respective Borrower of how to credit the payment will not be taken into account. | ||
14.5 | Interest and fees will be calculated on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed in relation to a year having 360 days. |
15. | Changes in certain Bases of the Contract, Taxes | |
15.1 | If changes in law or changes in guidelines, orders or requirements of the banking supervisory authorities with regard to minimum reserves or liquidity or equity capital requirements (e.g., the requirements under the so-called Basel II Principles) result in, |
(a) | an increase of the costs of a Bank for maintaining its obligations assumed under this Agreement, | ||
(b) | an increase of the costs of a Bank of providing, complying with or financing its participation in a Drawdown or the maintenance of its credit promise, or | ||
(c) | a decrease in any amount or interest which the relevant Bank has received or is supposed to receive under or in connection with this Facility Agreement, |
the relevant Bank is entitled to demand payment of an amount equal to these additional costs or the reduction from the Borrower. A Bank which intends to demand the amounts mentioned under (a) through (c) must inform the Borrower accordingly through the Agent. This notice must state the determined amount of the additional costs or the reduction, the time at which these costs or the reduction was fist incurred, as well as the reason for it. The Banks are, however, not obliged to provide statements, which contain confidential information about their organization or internal business, affairs or which would permit corresponding conclusions to be drawn. The payment of the amount of the additional costs or the reduction is due 15 Banking Days after receipt of the notice at the Borrower. | ||
15.2 | The obligation to compensate costs pursuant to Clause 15.1 (a) or (b) above or the obligation to pay the difference amount pursuant to Clause 15.1 (c) above shall not exist, if the respective request or order of the banking supervisory authority is directed only against an individual Bank and is not related to the Project or a person involved in the Project. | |
15.3 | In case that the Borrower is obliged to make a payment pursuant to Clause 15.1 (a) and (b) or payment of the difference amount pursuant to Clause 15. 1 (c) above, it shall be entitled to terminate the Facility Agreement regarding such Banks, which ask for payments pursuant to Clause 15.1. The Borrower shall then be obliged to repay the outstanding Loans as far as they relate for the Quotas of such Banks at the end of the respective Interest Period or, together with a prepayment indemnity (Vorfälligkeitsentschädigung), during the respective Interest Period. The calculation of the prepayment indemnity shall be done in accordance with actual binding judgments. |
15.4 | The Borrower must make all payments to the Banks without deductions or withholdings for taxes, levies, fees or similar burdens to the extent that the Borrower is not required by law to make the deduction or the withholding. | |
If the Borrower is required by law to make deductions or withholdings of tax, levies or fees, it must increase the amounts to be paid so that the net amount remaining after the deduction or the withholding corresponds to the amount which the Banks would receive upon payment of the originally owed amount without deduction or withholding. | ||
If a Bank receives at a later stage a tax credit, a tax refund or a tax reduction, which results from a payment, which has to be made in accordance which Clause 2 above, the Bank has to pay (if is able to pay notwithstanding the received payment) to the Borrower an amount in its own fair judgment. However, if the tax credit, the tax refund or the tax reduction is not related to a payment made by a Borrower pursuant to sub-clause 2 above or the total amount does not correspond, (a) the respective Bank is permitted to decide in its own discretion about the reasonable level of amount to be paid to the Borrower and the point of time of such payment, (b) the Bank shall decide in its own fair judgment about the use, the application or the regulation of such tax refunds or tax privileges and (c) the respective Bank is not obliged to release any information regarding its own tax issues or calculations. | ||
If a Bank which has paid an amount to the Borrower according to Paragraph 3 notifies, that the payment or privilege relating to the payment was incorrect or has been withdrawn, the Borrower has to refund such an amount to the Bank after request, which is in the Banks own fair judgment necessary to bring the Bank in the same situation as if the Bank would have been able to receive the refund or the privilege. | ||
15.5. | Each Bank shall represent to the Borrower after its request a letter largely equivalent to the form of Rundschreiben des Bundesfinanzministeriums vom 20.Oktonber 2005 (Circular of the German Ministry of Finance) dated 20 October 2005 (IV B 7 S2742a 43/05) to § 8a KStG. | |
16. | Representations and Warranties | |
16.1 | The Borrower represents to the Agent and the Banks on the date on which this Facility Agreement is signed that the following statements are correct: | |
16.1.1 | The Borrower is a duly established company with limited liability under German law. The Borrower has the authority to conduct and continue its present business without restrictions and to own and possess its current assets. | |
16.1.2 | The Borrower is entitled to validly conclude the Contract Documents as well as the Project Agreements, to exercise its rights under these contracts |
and to perform its obligations under these contracts and has all corresponding Permits at the respective point in time. |
16.1.3 | All Permits as well as all applications or other actions relating to public authorities which the Borrower is required to obtain or carry out according at the respective time, based on the status of the Project, have been obtained or carried out by the Borrower and have been granted by a final order and have not been withdrawn or revoked. | |
16.1.4 | The presented and to be presented annual and quarterly financial statements to the Banks pursuant to the provisions of this Facility Agreement were prepared in accordance with applicable statutory provisions and present a true and fair view of the assets, the financial situation and the earnings position of the Borrower, and there have been no Material Adverse Effects at the Borrower since the time such financial statements have been prepared. | |
16.1.5 | There is no event of default under this Facility Agreement and no Threatening Event of Default. | |
16.1.6 | There are not proceedings before a court, an arbitral tribunal or an administrative authority pending or threatened against or initiated by the Borrower which in the aggregate exceed an amount in controversy of EUR 2,000,000. | |
16.1.7 | The Borrower conducts its business in accordance with all applicable legal provisions, including environmental provisions and in accordance with all applicable administrative regulations and orders. | |
16.1.8 | The Borrower has not established any security interest except the Security over any of its assets. | |
16.1.9 | The respective Borrower has properly submitted all tax declarations and has paid all taxes when due, regardless of their type. | |
16.1.10 | The Borrower is neither insolvent nor is insolvency imminent. The Borrower has not been served with an application to commence insolvency proceedings nor have such proceedings been commenced. | |
16.1.11 | The Borrower has completely and accurately disclosed to the Agent and the Banks all facts and information which upon exercising the care of a prudent businessman could be assumed would be of importance for the credit decision of the Banks. All information which the Borrower or one of its advisors has forwarded to the Agent or the Banks in writing are accurate and complete at the time they were forwarded to the Banks or the Agent. | |
16.1.12 | The Borrower has at least until the repayment of the Loans the unrestricted right to dispose or right of use over all relevant licenses, intellectual property rights or similar rights for the Project or has secured access to these rights under contract law by way of the Project Agreements. | |
16.1.13 | The Borrower is drawing down the Loans for its own account. |
16.1.14 | Except for the Project Contracts listed in Annex 5 (Project Contracts), no other material products which have not been notified by the Borrower to the Agent are required for the construction and the operation of the Project. The Borrower is not aware of, and has not been notified about any performance defaults under the Project Contracts, nor should the Borrower have been aware of such performance defaults as a result of the specific circumstances unless the Borrower has informed the Agent about such a performance default without undue delay. | |
16.2 | The representations and warranties contained in Clause 16.1 are deemed to have been repeated by the Borrower for each Drawdown and for each payment of interest with regard to the set of facts and the respective circumstances existing at that time if the respective Borrower has not notified the Agent in writing at least five Banking Days prior to the Drawdown or the interest payment that the Borrower cannot make one of the representations and warranties set forth in Clause 16.1 of this Facility Agreement, and the notice must state the reasons. This does not affect the rights under Clause 20.1.3 | |
17. | Obligations to provide Information | |
17.1 | The Borrower will make available to the Agent for the purpose of forwarding to the Banks and the Guarantors his own certified financial statements (inter alia, balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow account) and auditors reports as well as the certified consolidated financial statements (inter alia, balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow account) and audit reports for FS GmbH, FS Holdings (consolidated) as well as FS (consolidated) within 120 days after conclusion of the his business year. The auditors report is to contain an opinion about the conditions, as they pertain to the market standard, of the internal delivery and service commerce according to Clause 19.1.14. | |
Together with its respective audited financial statements, the Borrower will also present the calculation of the Surplus Cash Flow. | ||
In the event that the Borrower should intend to make payments pursuant to Clause 19.1.36, Borrower shall present the audited annual report for the fiscal year preceeding the pertinent payment along with the calculation of the Equity Resources Quota and of the Debt Service Coverage Level and a confirmation of compliance with same in the form of the template provided in Annex 29 (Template Confirmation Financial Indices). | ||
17.2 | The Borrower will provide to the Agent for the purpose of forwarding to the Banks and the Guarantors a certificate of the Accountant within 120 days after conclusion of its respective business year that the Accountant has examined the information of the Borrower (i) on the agreed key financial figures in Clause 18 (Key Financial Figures) and on the Surplus Cash Flow and (ii) on the amount of the investments made with regard to the plausibility of the information and no objections have been raised. |
17.3 | The Borrower will provide to the Agent for the purpose of forwarding to the Banks and the Guarantors within 45 days after the end of each business quarter the quarterly interim numbers, if any, (balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow account, liquidity status, information on inventories, debtors and creditor payment periods, with all information being accompanied by a comparison of the actual numbers to the planned numbers in the Business Plan). | |
The Borrower will provide information, in the context of its quarterly reporting, about the produced number of solar modules in the amount of the produced mega watts and will also provide for a calculation of the key financial figures pursuant to Clause 18 (Key Financial Figures) within 45 days after the end of its respective business quarter. | ||
If the Borrower intends to make Royalty Payments, Borrower will provide the first audited annual report in 2007 and subsequently the respective quarterly interim numbers along with the calculation of the Equity Resources Quota and of the Debt Service Coverage Level and a confirmation of compliance with same in the form of the template provided in Annex 29 (Template Confirmation Financial Indices). | ||
17.4 | The Borrower will provide to the Agent for the purpose of forwarding to the Banks and the Guarantors within 45 days after the end of each business quarter the quarterly consolidated interim numbers, if any, (balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow account) for the FS Group. | |
17.5 | The Borrower will provide the Agent for the purpose of forwarding to the Banks and the Guarantors an updated corporate plan (business plan) with the financial planning, the planning of sales as well as the investment planning and liquidity planning for the following business year one month prior to expiration of a then respective current business year. To the extent that the corporate plan is different from the Business Plan, the consent of the Agent is required. | |
17.6 | The Borrower grants the Agent and any third party which it may engage and which is subject to professional confidentiality as well as the Guarantors upon their request access to the Borrowers business records and will allow the Agent, the engaged third parties who are subject to professional confidentiality and the Guarantors access upon their first demand to view and have access at the normal business hours to the Borrowers business premises, business records and the plant and will give the Agent information about the security collateral. | |
17.7 | The Borrower will inform the Agent, without undue delay, about all events and circumstances related to the Borrower and FS GmbH that could endanger the economic viability and the operation of the Project and/or the servicing of the Loans, and, upon the Agents request, about the Borrowers general economic situation as well as the general economic situation of FS GmbH. |
17.8 | The Borrower will cooperate with the Project Appraiser so that he can provide a Project Progress Report to the Agent and the Banks by the End of the Construction Phase in a timely manner within 15 days after expiration of every calendar month. | |
17.9 | Borrower will inform the Agent without undue delay about any delays in the construction phase of the Project compared to the Schedule and will show the Agent upon its request the effects of such delays and will also show how compliance with the intended completion date can be assured. | |
17.10 | Borrower will inform the Agent without undue delay about technical disturbances which lead or could lead to a negative impact on the operations of Project. | |
17.11 | The Borrower will inform the Agent until the End of Construction Phase on a quarterly basis and thereafter on a yearly basis, together with the certified financial statements under Clause 17.1, of an actual inventory list of the equipment, machinery and technical tools which have been used for security. | |
17.12 | The Borrower will inform the Agent about changes in the Borrowers management. | |
17.13 | The Borrower will inform the Agent, without undue delay, about the occurrence or imminence of a Threatening Event of Default. | |
18. | Key financial Numbers | |
Borrower undertakes to comply with the following key financial figures: | ||
18.1 | The Debt Service Coverage Level cannot be lower than the value of 1.1:1; | |
18.2 | The Debt Level cannot exceed the following values for the following respective time periods: |
Time period | Debt Level | |||
from 1 Jan. 2007 to 31 Dec. 2008 (inclusive) | 3.0:1 | |||
from 1 Jan. 2009 to 31 Dec. 2009 (inclusive) | 2.5:1 | |||
from 1 Jan. 2010 until the end of the term of the Loans | 1.5:1 |
18.3 | The Key Financial Figures will be determined by the Borrower on 31.03, 30.06, 30.09 respectively of each year on the basis of the quarterly numbers of the Borrower pursuant to Clause 17.3 for the precedent 12 months and as of 31.12 of each year on the basis of the certified annual accounts pursuant to Clause 17.1, for the first time as of 31.12.2007. Compliance with the key |
financial figures must be confirmed to the Agent by the commercial managing director of the Borrower in writing each time. | ||
If the Borrower and the Agent do not agree about the determination of the key financial numbers on the basis of the quarterly numbers, the Agent is entitled to retain an accountant at the costs of the Borrower who will determine and certify the key financial figures. | ||
19. | Covenants and Conditions | |
19.1 | The Borrower will | |
19.1.1 | establish the Securities or will make sure that they are established free of prior encumbrances with a first priority and free of rights of third parties; should the Securities deteriorate, especially due to a loss of value and/or losses, upon demand of the Agent, the Borrower will provide the Banks with additional securities. | |
19.1.2 | obtain all Permits required for a business operations and the Project at the respective time and will ensure that the Permits are maintained and will provide proof of this to the Agent upon its request and will construct and operate the Project based on the established European environmental standards and guidelines, and will observe legal ordinances and regulations; | |
19.1.3 | conduct and insure his business operations in accordance with the standard common in the industry and with the care of a prudent businessman. In particular, the Borrower will issue invoices in the intervals common in the industry to his customers for solar modules and will attend to a timely collection of outstanding receivables; | |
19.1.4 | not enter into futures transactions without cover without the prior consent of the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.5 | comply at all times with all terms and conditions and requirements of the EU Decision, the Deficiency Guarantee, the Investment Subsidies and Supports and the Subsidy Orders and will observe all obligations contained therein; | |
19.1.6 | not change the type and scope of his business operations without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors to the extent that such a change would lead to a Material Adverse Change or endanger the Project; | |
19.1.7 | conclude the Project Contracts in the form agreed with the Banks to the extent that they were not already supposed to be concluded and were concluded under Annex 5 (Project Contracts) prior to the first Drawdown under one of the Loans and will not terminate, amend or waive their rights under the Project Contracts without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantor if such a termination, amendment or such a waiver results in a Material Adverse Change or an endangerment of the Project. |
The Borrower will inform the Agent, without undue delay, about all amendments to the contracts; | ||
19.1.8 | report in the context of the quarterly reporting about the conclusion of, modification of and/or additions to Off-Take Agreements, provide the Agent with copies of the agreements upon request and will assign or see to the assignment of the claims under the newly concluded Off-Take Agreements to the Banks immediate afterward upon the first demand of the Agent; | |
19.1.9 | inform the Agent without undue delay if a customer of solar modules defaults on payments under the Off-Take Agreements; | |
19.1.10 | inform the Agent and the Guarantors with undue delay about all material events and circumstances, which could endanger the commercial viability of the Project and/or the servicing of the Loans. In particular, the Borrower will inform each of the Agent and the Guarantor without undue delay as soon as an Event of Default or the Threatening of an Event of Default under this Facility Agreement or a performance under the Project Contracts occurs; | |
19.1.11 | fulfill his obligations under this Facility Agreement at least with the same priority with their other present and future unsubordinated obligations. This does not apply to those obligations which have statutory priority; | |
19.1.12 | make sure that his business operations and the Project are insured in a commercially reasonable scope and |
(a) | that the Insurance Policies are concluded no later than the points in time set forth in Annex 11 (insurance) and that the insurance is maintained throughout the term of this Facility Agreement (with the exemption of the insurances for the construction period) and in particular that the material assets to be brought into the Project are insured completely during the shipping and construction phase of the Project as well as during the operational phase, against fire and all other significant elemental damaging events which are standard in the industry, | ||
(b) | that the insurance contracts for the Insurance Policies including all amendments are sent as copies to the Agent immediately after being concluded, | ||
(c) | that the Agent immediately reports the new conclusion of or amendments to the insurance contracts and that the Agent provides, upon request, a confirmation from the Insurance Agent showing that the relevant Insurant Policies are suitable and standard for the industry; | ||
(d) | that the claims under the insurance contracts for the Insurance Policies with the exception of the third party liability insurance are assigned immediately after their conclusion as security to the Banks |
and ensure that they present to the Agent the respective insurance letters and acknowledgements if requested; and | |||
(e) | that evidence about the payment of the insurance premiums is always provided to the Agent without undue delay; |
19.1.13 | maintain his rights of disposition and/or use for the Project and its all relevant licenses, intellectual property rights and similar rights are maintained in full for their respective business operations and will immediately pay any license fees, registration fees and similar fees when due if the pre-requisites indicated under Clause 19.1.35 are met. In particular, the relevant licenses, intellectual property rights and similar rights are maintained in such a way that in the case of insolvency of the Borrower or FS, the Borrower or the appointed insolvency administrator for the Borrower or a legal successor to the Borrower can enact them. Should such licenses or intellectual property rights for the Borrower be violated or affected by a third party, the Borrower will exhaust all available legal means in order to defend themselves from such violation or offence. | |
If additional licenses, intellectual property rights or similar rights are required for the execution of the Project or the Borrowers business operations, the Borrower will take all necessary action in order to obtain or register these licenses, intellectual property rights or similar rights; | ||
The Borrower will not violate any necessary intellectual property rights or license rights of third parties required for the Project or its Business Operations and will provide evidence of this to the Agent upon its request in a form satisfactory to the Agent; | ||
If the Borrower has indications about a violation of intellectual property rights or license rights of third parties, the Borrower will inform the Agent about this without undue delay and will take all necessary action in order to avoid harm to the Project or its business operations; | ||
19.1.14 | will effect the internal supply and services traffic (including during the investment phase) with JWMA Partners LLC, Phoenix, as well as the companies within the control of JWMA, affiliated companies and the sponsors only within the scope of its normal business activities and not on worse terms and conditions that are common between third parties acting at arms length. | |
The Borrower shall conclude no distribution and take-off contracts with FS GmbH, in which the maximum commission entitlement or the maximum distribution margin are exceeded and to whom FS GmbH pays no payments exceeding the maximum commission entitlement or the maximum distribution margin under the distribution and take-off contracts; | ||
19.1.15 | deleted |
19.1.16 | not complete or have completed any merger or spin-off or reorganization without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.17 | not change their corporate form or allow it to be changed and will not enter into any corporate group agreements or other agreements which could have effects on its corporate or capital structure without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.18 | not maintain or open any additional business accounts other than the accounts contemplated in Clause 13 without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.19 | not enter into any agreements resulting in a Material Adverse Change without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.20 | carry out and supervise the construction and the operation of the Project (especially regular maintenance and repair of the assets required for the business operations) with the care of a prudent businessman and complete the Project within the Schedule; | |
19.1.21 | comply with the Time Schedule and inform the Agent about any delays compared to the Time Schedule without undue delay. The Agent is entitled to retain the Project Appraiser for the purpose of examining the cause of any delays in excess of 4 weeks. The costs for such an examination will be borne by Borrower, whereby the Agent will give due consideration to the justified interests of Borrower with regard to the amount of costs; | |
19.1.22 | not permit any increase in the stated project costs in the Business Plan without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors unless the increased project costs are financed by the Sponsors using subordinated loans/shareholder loans. Borrower shall provide evidence to the Agent in satisfactory form in this case about the bearing of costs by the Sponsors; | |
19.1.23 | retain the Debt Service Reserve on the Debt Service Reserve Account; | |
19.1.24 | apply the Cash Flow from Operations in accordance with the Cash Flow Waterfall; | |
19.1.25 | comply with the requirements of the Business Plan; | |
19.1.26 | establish and maintain a proper accounting department as well as an IT supported controlling system which, among other items, is capable of providing a monthly comparison between actual and planned numbers; | |
19.1.27 | conclude the Interest Hedge Agreement by no later than before the first Drawdown and provide evidence of this to the Agent without a separate request. The Agent will offer Borrower corresponding interest hedging transactions upon its request; | |
19.1.28 | to pledge to the Banks any unencumbered real estate and/or real estate to be acquired in the future that is used or is to be used for operations. |
The Borrower will inform the Agent about the acquisition of any real estate without request and will comply with the first request of the Agent to pledge such real estate.; | ||
19.1.29 | not enter into any Financial Liabilities with the exception of Permitted Financial Liabilities; | |
19.1.30 | not grant any security rights over its respective assets or parts of the assets to third parties or encumber the assets with security interests or other rights for the benefit of third parties or permit the assets to be encumbered with security interests or other rights for the benefit of third parties without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.31 | not sell any assets or otherwise provide them to third parties or undertake an obligation for a sale or transfer of possession outside of the ordinary course of business without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.32 | not grant any loans, guarantees or similar instruments to third parties without the prior written consent of the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.33 | only use shareholder loans/loans from the Sponsors if the resulting payment and repayment obligations are subordinated in a manner which is secure in the case of insolvency; | |
19.1.34 | make any repayments for shareholders loans/loans granted by the Sponsors only subject to written approval by the Banks and the Guarantors; | |
19.1.35 | only make interest payments for shareholders loans/loans granted by the Sponsors or payments based on management services, or Royalty Payments based on technical or other services, management services, licensing fees, registration fees or similar fees to affiliated companies or other payments to one of the Sponsors, except for payments under Clause 19.1.34 or 19.1.36, or payments to an Affiliated Enterprise for the first time on the basis of the audited annual report 2007 if |
(a) neither a cause for termination pursuant to Clause 20 nor an Impending Event of Default exists or would result from the corresponding payment;
(b) the Equity Resources Quota is no less than 30 % or will not drop below 30 % as a result of said payments and
(c) the Debt Service Coverage Level will not fall short of 1.3 or as a result of the said payments .
Interest payments to shareholders loans/loans granted by the Sponsors may not exceed the standard market maximum.
In case of a different repayment procedure, the Banks and the Guarantors have to give their written consent.
19.1.36 | To make disbursements of dividends only from the Surplus Cashflow and only to a maximum amount equivalent the the net profit produced by the Borrower in the respective accumulated fiscal year, in each case based on the audited annual report Surplus Cashflow, for the first time for fiscal year 2007 and only if |
(a) neither a cause for termination pursuant to Clause 20 nor an Impending Event of Default exists or would result from the corresponding payment;
(b) the Equity Resources Quota is no less than 30 % or will not drop below 30 % as a result of said payments and
(c) the Debt Service Coverage Level does no fall below 1:3:1 or will not fall short of 1.3 as a result of the said payments.
In case of a different repayment procedure, the Banks and the Guarantors have to give their written consent
19.1.37 | Not to make any Material and Capital Investments with the exception of Permitted Material and Capital Investments; | |
19.1.38 | not execute the purchase option (First Solar purchase option) set forth in the 5N Contract, Clause 2.11 (b) without the prior written consent of the Banks and Guarantors. | |
20. | Event of Default | |
20.1 | The Banks are entitled to terminate this Facility Agreement if one of the following circumstances occurs and the additional preconditions in (i) and (ii) as set forth in Clause 20.2 exists: | |
20.1.1 | the Borrower or a Sponsor does not comply with its payment obligation under one of the Contract Documents when due; | |
20.1.2 | proceeds from the Loans are used in a manner other than the purpose foreseen for the respective Loan in Clause 3, or the achievement of the intended use of the funds is precluded; | |
20.1.3 | one of the representations and warranties made in Clause 16 (Representations and Warranties) turns out to have been incorrect from the very beginning or becomes subsequently incorrect or the Borrower cannot make a representation and warranty at the point in time contemplated in Clause 16.2 of this Facility Agreement; | |
20.1.4 | the Borrower does not comply with a covenant or condition under Clause 19 (Covenants and Conditions) or any other condition or covenant under the Contract Documents and this results in a Material Adverse Change; | |
20.1.5 | the Borrower does not comply with a covenant or condition under Clause 13 (Accounts), Clause17 (Obligations to provide Information) or Clause 18 |
(Key Financial Figures) or any other obligation or condition under the Contract Documents; | ||
20.1.6 | a Sponsor does not comply with an obligation under the Contract Documents or FS GmbH fails to meet one of its obligations stipulated in the draft Security Contracts attached hereto as Annex 24b (Contract on the Assignment of Entitlements from Purchase Agreements) and Annex 18a (Contract on the Pledging of an Account); | |
20.1.7 | a declaration made by the Borrower or a Sponsor which is considered fundamental by the Banks for granting the Loans or information provided by the Borrower or a Sponsor turns out to be wrong, misleading or incomplete; | |
20.1.8 | insolvency proceedings or comparable proceedings under the respective applicable system of law are commenced over the assets of the Borrower or a Sponsor or one of these companies seizes to make its payments or commences out of court negotiations on extending payment terms with its creditors or is over-indebted; | |
20.1.9 | liquidation proceedings are resolved or initiated with regard to the Borrower or a Sponsor or one of these companies ceases to conduct its business; | |
20.1.10 | insolvency proceedings or comparable proceedings under the respectively applicable system of law are applied for or commenced over the assets of one or more of the contracting parties of the Borrower under the Project Contracts or the liquidation of such a contracting party is resolved or initiated and results in Material Adverse Change; | |
20.1.11 | the Borrower or the Sponsors give up on the Project or change it fundamentally; | |
20.1.12 | a Security is not validly established in a binding and enforceable manner or its legal validity, binding nature and enforceability is disputed by the respective party obliged under the Security or the realization of a Security is precluded or endangered or the value of a Security is reduced; | |
20.1.13 | one or more Project Agreements are or become completely or partially invalid or are terminated prematurely or amended and this leads to a Material Adverse Change; | |
20.1.14 | a performance default under a Project Contract occurs which leads to a Material Adverse Change; | |
20.1.15 | the Project is delayed for a period of more than three months compared to the Schedule and this delay is confirmed by the Project Appraiser; | |
20.1.16 | a Permit required for the Project at the relevant point in time or for the respective business operations of the Borrower is not granted at all or not granted in a timely manner or is granted with modifications, conditions, |
deadlines or imposed terms or is completely or partially withdrawn or amended and this event or the action results in a Material Adverse Change; | ||
20.1.17 | the Subsidy Order, the Deficiency Guarantee or the EU Decision are cancelled, amended or withdrawn; | |
20.1.18 | the Borrower is in default with an undisputed payment obligation (except for payment obligations under the Contract Documents) towards a third party in an amount of more than EUR 100,000 or a Sponsor is in default with an undisputed payment obligation (except for payment obligations under the Contract Documents) in favor of third parties in a total of more than EUR 500,000; | |
20.1.19 | proceedings before a court, an arbitral tribunal or an administrative authority are commenced against the Borrower or a Sponsor which if decided against the respective party would lead to a Material Adverse Change unless the Borrower or the Sponsor demonstrates without undue delay to the satisfaction of the Agent that these proceedings are an abuse of right, inadmissible or unfounded or can be avoided by other measures. A Material Adverse Change in the context of this Clause 20.1.9 exists especially if the amount in controversy of all pending legal disputes exceeds in the aggregate for each Borrower or Sponsor EUR 2,000,000; | |
20.1.20 | a Material Adverse Change occurs; or | |
20.1.21 | the Shareholders resolve a reduction of registered capital and distribution of the amount of the reduction. | |
20.2 | If there is an event of default, the Agent in favor of the Banks is entitled, |
(a) | to completely or partially terminate with immediate effect the Loans which have not yet been drawn down or which have been used and/or | ||
(b) | to demand immediate payment of all or part of the outstanding amounts of the Loans together with the respective accrued interest and all other amounts to be paid under this Facility Agreement and/or | ||
(c) | to realize the Securities | ||
and especially | |||
(i) | in the case of an event of default under Clause 20.1.1, if the default in payment completely or partially continues to exist after the expiration of five Banking Days since the date of a payment demand by the Agent to the respective party owing the payment, and | ||
(ii) | in all other cases of Clause 20.1 and in which the type of event of default permits a cure by the respective Borrower or the respective Sponsor, if the event of default completely or partially continues to exist after expiration of 20 Banking Days since the date of a notice |
from the Agent to the party about the existence of the event of default, and | |||
(iii) | in all other cases of Clause 20.1 and in which the type of event of default permits a cure by the respective Borrower or the respective Sponsor, immediately after the occurrence of the respective termination cause whereby the Banks are obliged to prove that it was impossible to cure the respective termination cause. |
21. | Agents and Banks | |
21.1 | The leadership of the banking syndicate is the responsibility of the Agent. In the course of leading the syndicate, the Agent will make all decisions required for a proper administration of the credit relationship in the normal course of business independently according to its reasonable discretion unless expressly provided otherwise in this Facility Agreement. | |
21.2 | Each Bank hereby grants power of attorney to the Agent to represent it towards the Borrower, the Sponsors and third parties in connection with the Loans in the context of the provisions in the Contract Documents. | |
21.3 | The Agent is not authorized without the prior written consent of the respective Bank to file a lawsuit in the name of the Bank or commence any other court proceedings in the name of the Bank. | |
21.4 | The Banks hereby appoint the Agent as their Security Agent and authorize the Agent as such to exercise the rights and powers of attorney and make the discretionary decisions which the Security Agent is responsible for under the Contract Documents. The provisions in this Clause 21 relating to the Agent apply accordingly for the Security Agent. | |
21.5 | To the extent legally permissible, each Bank hereby releases the Agent from the restrictions of 181 BGB with regard to the powers of attorney which are granted to the Agent under the Contract Documents. | |
21.6 | Notwithstanding the provisions contained in this Facility Agreement on the reporting obligations, the Agent will forward to the Banks all material information and notices which the Agent receives from one of the other parties to this Facility Agreement. | |
21.7 | The Agent will represent the interests of the Banks with the care of a prudent businessman. The liability of the Agent for actions or omissions in connection with the Contract Documents is limited to intentional misconduct and gross negligence. | |
21.8 | The Agent acts exclusively as the leader of the syndicate of the Banks when performing its obligations under the Contract Documents and not as a representative or agent for the Borrower. The Agent is not liable to the Borrower or the other Banks for the performance of the obligations by the respective other party. |
21.9 | As syndicate leader for the Banks, the Agent will act through a special unit which is responsible for the leadership of the syndicate in connection with the Contract Documents. This unit will be treated as independent from the other departments and working units of the Agent. Knowledge in another department or working unit of the Agent can be treated as confidential by these departments or working units and will not be attributed to the Agent in its function as leader of the syndicate under the Contract Documents. | |
21.10 | The Agent is not required |
(a) | to determine whether the Borrower or the Sponsors have complied with their obligations under the Contract Documents or whether an event of default exists or is threatening, | ||
(b) | to examine the completeness and correctness of all notices under this Facility Agreement, | ||
(c) | to examine the possibility for the collect ability of any type of payments of money which are or become due under the present Facility Agreement, | ||
(d) | to examine the enforceability or value of the Securities or | ||
(e) | to examine the legal validity, reasonableness or completeness of the Contract Documents. |
21.11 | Each Bank assures that it has independently examined the Project and the credit worthiness of the Borrower without having relied on any examination by the Agent. Each Bank is signing this Facility Agreement on the basis of its own independent examination and will in the future base its decisions about actions or omissions under this Facility Agreement on its own examination which it considers reasonable. Each Bank hereby confirms its agreement with the Contract Documents. | |
21.12 | Unless otherwise expressly stated, the Agent exercises the rights and authorities in connection with the Contract Documents in accordance with the instructions of the Majority of Banks and is not subject to any liability towards the Banks to the extent the Agent complies with these instructions. The Agent has the right at any time to obtain the consent of the Banks to a specific measure. An instruction by the Majority of Banks is not required if there is an urgent situation. | |
21.13 | Each Bank will compensate the Agent or indemnify the Agent against corresponding liabilities upon the request of the Agent for all damages and expenses (including value added tax) incurred in connection with the Contract Documents unless the respective damages and expenses are the result of an intentional or grossly negligent violation of duties on the part of the Agent. The individual Banks are liable proportionately according to their respective Quota. |
21.14 | If the Agent has not received any written notice from the Borrower or a Bank that a payment will not be made to the Agent two Banking Days prior to the payments under this Facility Agreement becoming due, the Agent can assume that the payment will be made on the due date. The Agent is entitled, but not required to pay the corresponding amount to the Borrower and/or the Banks. If it turns out on the due date that the payment was in fact not rendered, the respective recipient of the payment will repay this amount together with the refinancing costs of the Agent to the Agent without undue delay upon its request. | |
21.15 | The syndicate relationship between the Agent and the Banks end only after complete satisfaction of all claims under this Facility Agreement. To the extent that Securities are realized, the syndicate relationship only ends upon conclusion of the realization and/or the distribution of any proceeds. | |
21.16 | During the course of the syndicate relationship, regular notice of termination of the syndicate relationship is excluded; the right to terminate for just cause remains unaffected. If a Bank terminates its participation for just cause or leaves the syndicate for other reasons, the syndicate relationship will be continued among the remaining Banks. | |
If the Agent leaves the syndicate relationship, the remaining Banks will assign the leadership of the syndicate under this Facility Agreement to one of the other Banks with a Majority of the Banks. | ||
21.17 | The Agent can designate a new branch or branch office in the European Union to the Borrower and the Banks from which the Agent will perform its obligations under this Facility Agreement. The law applicable to this Facility Agreement remains unaffected by this. | |
21.18 | To the extent that the Agent is indemnified against liability pursuant to this Clause 21, this indemnity only applies in the relationship between the Agent and the Banks. The liability of the Borrower is not affected by this. | |
22. | Resignation and Removal of the Agent | |
22.1 | The Agent can withdraw at any time from its appointment under this Facility Agreement by written notice to the other Parties to this Facility Agreement. | |
The Agent can be removed by a resolution of the Majority of Banks from its duties under this Facility Agreement by written notice given to the Borrower and the Agent. | ||
The withdrawal or the removal takes effect upon notice about the appointment of a successor pursuant to Clause 22.3. | ||
The provisions of this Clause 22 pertaining to the Agent shall also apply to the Security Agent. |
22.2 | In the event of a withdrawal or the removal of the Agent, the Majority of Banks is entitled on costs of the Banks to appoint a successor for the position of Agent with the agreement of the Borrower. If such a successor has not been appointed within 30 Banking Days after the notice about the withdrawal or the removal, the Agent is entitled to designate another corresponding financial institution as its successor upon agreement with the Borrower which has at least a rating of A issued by Standard & Poors Ratings Groups. | |
22.3 | The acceptance of the appointment will be notified to the Agent by the Bank appointed by the Majority of Banks for this purpose. | |
22.4 | After the notice has been given, the successor will succeed the Agent and will receive all rights, authorities, priority rights and obligations of its predecessor. The Agent which has withdrawn or been removed from its function will take all necessary action in order to cause the succession to be valid. The Agent will then be released from its obligations under this Facility Agreement, whereby the indemnity in Clause 21 (Agents and Banks) with regard to such acts or omissions which the Agent performed in its function as Agent will continue to apply. | |
23. | Sharing Clause | |
23.1 | If a Bank has received or collected at any time an amount relating to its participation in the Loans, which amount exceeds the amount this Bank should have received from the Agent if a distribution had taken place pursuant to the procedure set forth in Clause 14.3 and Clause 14.4 (the Excess Amount) at any point in time, then this Bank must immediately inform the Agent about this and must pay the Excess Amount to the Agent within three Banking Days after this notice. | |
The Agent will then distribute the Excess Amount to the Banks (except for that Bank which received the Excess Amount) to that these obtain satisfaction proportionately according to their Quota and pursuant to Clause 14.3 and Clause 14.4. | ||
The Banks will adjust the liabilities of the Borrower corresponding to the distribution of the Excess Amount among them. If the Excess Amount is subsequently completely or partially repaid to the Borrower by the Bank which had originally received the Excess Amount, each of the Banks will forward the share in the Excess Amount which it had received from the Agent to the Agent so that it can be repaid to the Bank which is required to make the repayment. | ||
23.2 | A Bank is not required to surrender the Excess Amount if it has been awarded this amount in the context of court proceedings which the other Banks did not join although they had the opportunity to do so. | |
23.3 | The right of each Bank to engage in banking transactions outside of this Facility Agreement with the Borrower or with affiliated enterprises within |
the meaning of § 15 German Stock Companies Act (Aktiengesetz) remains unaffected. | ||
24. | Fees | |
The Borrower pays | ||
24.1 | a one-time processing fee pursuant to the Fee Letter to the Agent upon its request; | |
24.2 | an administrative fee pursuant to the Fee Letter annually on each 30 June to the Agent upon its request; | |
24.3 | a commitment fee in the amount of 0.6 % annually of the nominal amount of the Loan which has not been drawn down to the Agent which will be forwarded to the Banks. The commitment fee is calculated by the Agent as of the date on which this Facility Agreement is signed. | |
The commitment fee is payable in arrears on each 31.03, 30.06, 30.09 and 30.12 of each year upon request of the Agent; | ||
24.4 | a Waiver Fee in the amount of EUR 2,500 per Bank and EUR 5,000 for the Agent to the Agent for proportionate allocation to the Banks for each amendment to the contract or declaration of waiver made on the request of the Borrower; | |
24.5 | a surety compensation to the Guarantors in the amount of currently 0.8 % annually on the Surety Amount to be determined pursuant to Clause 24.6. The surety compensation is first due upon handing over the surety document and is to be paid on each 01.04 and 01.10 of each calendar year and at the last time for the calendar year in which the surety document is returned as no longer being needed or in which the Agent has submitted the loss report to PwC after a claim has been asserted against the Guarantors. | |
Payment of the surety compensation must be evidenced to the Agent in each case without undue delay. | ||
24.6 | The Surety Amount in the calendar year 2006 is EUR 64,035,200 and is reduced for the Term Loan by the repayment installments made and for the Revolving Loan from 30 June 2010 by 13.33 percentage points semi-annually. | |
25 | Third Party Costs and Disbursements | |
25.1 | The Borrower bears all adequate external costs and other expenses which the Agent or the Banks incur in connection with the drafting, the conclusion or the amendment of the Contract Documents, especially for retaining external consultants and attorneys and/or for the activities of notaries. |
25.2 | The Borrower bears all costs and disbursements, which the Agent and/or a Bank incur in connection with maintaining and/or enforcing the rights under the Contract Documents. | |
25.3 | The Agent receives compensation in the amount of EUR 500 for each confirmation of account balances prepared at the request of the Borrower or its accountants. | |
25.4. | The Borrower will reimburse each of the Banks the costs they incur in the course of an official audit resulting from the activities of the Borrower in connection with this Facility Agreement. | |
Upon the Agents request, the Borrower will reimburse the Guarantor for the costs of an audit in accordance with Clauses 17 and 18 of the General Terms and Conditions for the Assumption of Guarantees by the Federal Republic of Germany (the Bund) and States issuing Parallel Guarantees"(Allgemeinen Bestimmungen für Bürgschaftsübernahmen durch die Bundesrepublik Deutschalnd (Bund) und parallel bürgender Bundesländer). | ||
26. | Substitute Performance | |
The Borrower is obligated to reimburse each Bank for those losses and costs which are incurred as a result of the Bank having refinanced a Drawdown requested by a Borrower without being able to pay out this amount because the preconditions established in this Facility Agreement for the Drawdown have been completely or partially not fulfilled or are no longer fulfilled. | ||
27. | Assignments and Transfers | |
27.1 | The Borrower is not permitted to assign rights and claims under the Contract Documents to third parties without the prior written consent of the Agent. | |
27.2 | A Bank can completely or partially transfer the economic risk of granting the Loans to third parties; this can, for example, take place by way of credit derivatives, pledges, assignment of the loan claims, transfers of contract, including with all relevant security or by loan sub-participations. | |
A third party within the meaning of this provision can only be a member of the European system of central banks, a credit institution, a financial services institution, a financial enterprise, a pension organization [Versorgungswerk/Pensionskasse] or a capital investment company which is subject to supervision by the Federal Agency for Supervision of Financial Services [Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht] or another state supervisory authority or a comparable foreign supervisory authority as well as a single purpose company which is required in order to structure the transfer of the risk. |
27.3 | A Transfer of rights and claims is only permissible if the amount to be transferred is at least EUR 5,000,000. The amount to be transferred is to be allocated proportionately to the already drawn down portion of the Loans and the portion of the Loans of the Old Bank which has not yet been paid out. | |
27.4 | The Transfer needs the consent of the Borrower. Borrowers consent to the Transfer shall not be required in the event of an Impending Cause to Terminate or in the event that a cause to terminate pursuant to Clause 20.1 of this Facility Agreement should arise. | |
The Borrower shall give its consent to the Transfer, if the New Bank is a bank or a third party which has at least a rating of A issued by Standard & Poors Ratings Groups or a similar rating issued by another rating agency. | ||
27.5 | The Transfer takes effect upon countersignature by the Agent on the transfer contract which contains at least the clauses outlined in the form of Annex 10 (Transfer Agreement). | |
The Agent shall inform the Borrower regarding the taking effect of the Transfer. | ||
27.6 | Each Transfer requires the New Bank to pay a fee in the amount of EUR 5,000 to the Agent which is due upon the Transfer taking effect. | |
27.7 | Upon the Transfer taking effect, the New Bank will become a Bank within the meaning of this Facility Agreement. The New Bank will pay the Old Bank the amount set forth in the Transfer Agreement pursuant to Annex 10 (Transfer Agreement) on the date set forth there. | |
27.8 | The Borrower, FS GmbH and FS Holdings will use their best efforts to support the Banks in their actions pursuant to Clause 27.2 in order to secure the success of these measures. | |
28. | Confidentiality | |
28.1 | The Agent and the Banks will maintain confidentiality about all written or oral information provided to them by the Borrower, FS GmbH and FS Holdings. | |
28.2 | It does not constitute a violation of this obligation of confidentiality if information is forwarded to |
(a) | third parties within the meaning of Clause 27.2 of this Facility Agreement in the context of taking the measures contemplated in Clause 27.2 if the recipient is required to treat the information as confidential, | ||
(b) | members of management bodies, agents, attorneys, accountants, rating agencies or other consultants of the Agent or of one of the Banks if the recipient is required to treat the information as confidential based on a written confidentiality agreement or |
(c) | public authorities or courts on the basis of a corresponding order, mandatory legal provisions or in the context of court proceedings. |
29. | Rebuttable Presumptions | |
All confirmations, determinations and bookings by the Agent or a Bank with regard to an interest rate or an amount of money in the context of the Contract Documents establishes the rebuttable presumption that it is correct unless there is an obvious error. | ||
30. | Statements pursuant to § 8 of the Money Laundering Act (Geldwäschegesetz) | |
The Borrower declares by their countersignature under this Facility Agreement that they have acted for their own account with regard to the drawing of the Loans. | ||
31. | Requirement of Written Form, Amendments to the Facility Agreement | |
31.1 | Each change or supplement to this Facility Agreement requires written form in order to be valid to the extent that the law does not require a stricter form. This also applies to any amendments to this clause on written form. | |
31.2 | The Agent can agree on changes and supplements to this Facility Agreement and can waive the exercise of rights or the compliance with obligations under this Facility Agreement with regard to the Borrower in the name of the Banks with the prior consent of the Majority of Banks. | |
31.3 | The prior consent of all Banks, which the Agent will obtain, is required for |
(a) | each amendment of Clause 27.1 or this Clause 31.3; | ||
(b) | extensions of time or other changes in dates for payment of interest or principal; | ||
(c) | an increase in the amount of the loan or a reduction of amounts payable under this Facility Agreement; | ||
(d) | a waiver of or other change in preconditions for drawing down under this Facility Agreement; | ||
(e) | the release of a Security; | ||
(f) | an amendment to the event of default set forth in Clause 20.1; | ||
(g) | an amendment to the definition of Majority of Banks; or | ||
(h) | other measures to the extent that this is expressly set forth in this Facility Agreement. |
32. | Exercise of Rights, Severability Clause | |
32.1 | If the Agent and/or the Banks waive the exercise of rights under this Facility Agreement in a specific case, this does not affect the assertion of other rights. A waiver by the Agent or one of the Banks is only valid if it has been notified to the Borrower in writing. | |
32.2 | If a provision in this Facility Agreement is or becomes invalid or unenforceable, this does not affect the other provisions. The invalid or unenforceable provision will be replaced by another valid and enforceable provision which the Parties would have agreed to if they had given thought upon conclusion of this Facility Agreement to the invalidity or the unenforceability of the respective provision and which corresponds to the intent of the Parties in light of the purpose of this Facility Agreement. The above provision applies accordingly if this Facility Agreement does not cover a subject. | |
33. | Rights of Set-Off and Retention | |
A right of set-off and retention for the Borrower does not exist unless the claim of the Borrower has been determined by a final judgment or if it is not disputed by either the Agent or the Banks. | ||
34. | Notices | |
Each notice under or in connection with this Facility Agreement should be issued in writing and must be transmitted either personally or by mail, e-mail or by fax to the following contact addresses: | ||
To the Borrower: | ||
First Solar Manufacturing GmbH Marie-Curie-Str. 3 15236 Frankfurt (Oder) | ||
Attn.: Bernhard Bischof Tel.: 0335 52102-104 Fax.: 0335 52102-137 e-mail: ***@*** | ||
To FS GmbH and/or FS Holdings: | ||
First Solar Holdings GmbH | ||
Rheinstrasse 4N |
55116 Mainz | ||
Attn.: Karlheinz Harz Tel.: 06131-1443300 Fax.: 06131-144500 e-mail: ***@*** | ||
To the Agent, the Security Agent and/or the Banks | ||
IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG Strukturierte Finanzierung Transaktionsmanagement Wilhelm-Bötzkes-Straße 1 40474 Düsseldorf | ||
Attn.: Mr. Sven Dalkowski Tel.: 0211-8221-3291 Fax.: 0211-8221-3591 | ||
Email: ***@*** | ||
Changes in the contact addresses must be notified to the Agent by giving two weeks advanced notice. The Agent will inform the other Parties to this Facility Agreement about the change without undue delay. | ||
The change of a contact address to a foreign country requires the prior written consent of the Agent. | ||
35. | Jurisdiction, Applicable Law | |
35.1 | Exclusive jurisdiction for all disputes under or in connection with this Facility Agreement is Düsseldorf. This does not affect different mandatory statutory jurisdictions. | |
35.2 | This Facility Agreement is subject to the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. | |
36. | Provisions on Guarantors | |
The guarantee decision attached as Annex 6a (Decision on the approval of the deficiency guarantees plus pertinent supplements) is an integral part of this Agreement. All provisions and obligations to be imputed to the Facility Agreement in accordance with the Guarantee Decision are herewith agreed upon, even if they are not separately indicated in the Facility Agreement. In |
case of doubt and any contradictions to other provisions of the Facility Agreement, the guarantee decision shall prevail. | ||
As a supplement to the provisions contained in this Facility Agreement, the terms and conditions for the Deficiency Guarantee including the General Terms and Conditions for Assuming Guarantors by the Federal Republic of Germany and Parallel Guarantors issued by the States (Allgemeinen Bestimmungen für Bürgschaftsübernahmen durch die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Bund) und parallel bürgender Bundesländer) pursuant to Annex 6b are applicable. | ||
The guarantors have the right to engage commissioned parties in the administration of the Deficiency Guarantees. |
Mainz, on | Düsseldorf, on | |
as Agent and in the name of the Banks | ||
Mainz, on | Mainz, on | |
Annex 2
1. | Confirmation of First Solar Inc. in regard to its obligations relating to the Facility Agreement, in particular under the guarantee issued by it to secure the claims under the Facility Agreement (Acknowledgement and Reaffirmation); | |
2. | Legal opinion of First Solar Inc.s attorneys in light of the binding Verpflichtungserklärung USA I (Sponsors Agreement) according to Attachment 9b to the Facility Agreement; | |
3. | Legal Opinion of First Solar Inc.s attorney in light of the Verpflichtungserklärung USA II (Agreement and Undertaking) according to Attachment 9c of the Facility Agreement; |