Benzinga | Feb 16, 2021 08:21AM EST

Aqua Metals Reaches Agreement With Lithium-Ion Battery Recycler To Lease-To-Buy The McCarran, Nevada AquaRefinery

MCCARRAN, Nev., Feb. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aqua Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQMS) ("Aqua Metals" or the "Company"), which is reinventing lead recycling with its AquaRefining(tm) technology, announced it has reached an agreement to lease, with additional purchase deposits to buy, its McCarran, Nevada plant, a 136,000 square foot facility located on 11.5 acres. This non-core asset disposition was driven by the Company's accelerated focus on its capital-light equipment supply and licensing strategy. The agreement was reached with an entity focused on sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling methodologies. In addition to financial and operational benefits, this new relationship provides potential strategic opportunities for Aqua Metals going forward.

The agreement is structured to allow Aqua Metals to retain use of a portion of the building while also receiving lease revenues commencing on April 1, 2021. Lease payments total up to $1.9 million during the contract term. The agreement is structured as up to a two-year triple-net lease with an option to purchase the land and plant at any time. As part of the transaction, the lessee is required to pay Aqua Metals two non-refundable cash deposits totaling $3.25 million. These non-refundable deposits indicate the lessee's intention to complete the purchase. The facility's purchase price is $14.25 million if the option is exercised and the sale is completed by October 1, 2022, and increases to $15.25 million if the option is exercised and the sale is completed by March 31, 2023. The structure of the agreement will significantly reduce Aqua Metals' cash outflow related to the plant. During the term of the agreement, the recycler will be responsible for fixed costs, including maintenance, utilities, insurance, and property taxes.

The lease-to-buy structure is beneficial to Aqua Metals from both a financial and operational perspective. The terms of the agreement allow the Company to continue utilizing the facility, at no cost to Aqua Metals, for its research and product development activities, including operation of the lab and use of office space.

"We are very pleased to have successfully achieved another one of our objectives with this very favorable lease-to-buy agreement for our McCarran facility," said Steve Cotton, President and CEO of Aqua Metals. "The agreement removes the plant overhead while allowing us use of space for R&D and product development, which saves us an estimated $4 million in costs from not having to immediately relocate critical systems to Aqua Metals' other facility within the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center for these activities."