Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

1. ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

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1. ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
1. ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Organization and Business – The consolidated financial statements include, for all periods presented, the accounts of Pacific Ethanol, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Pacific Ethanol”), and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, including its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Kinergy Marketing LLC, an Oregon limited liability company (“Kinergy”), Pacific Ag. Products, LLC, a California limited liability company (“PAP”) and PE Op Co., a Delaware corporation (“PE Op Co.,” formerly, New PE Holdco LLC, a Delaware limited liability company), which owns the Plant Owners (as defined below) (collectively, the “Company”).

 

The Company is the leading producer and marketer of low-carbon renewable fuels in the Western United States. The Company also sells ethanol co-products, including wet distillers grain (“WDG”), a nutritious animal feed, and corn oil. Serving integrated oil companies and gasoline marketers who blend ethanol into gasoline, the Company provides transportation, storage and delivery of ethanol through third-party service providers in the Western United States, primarily in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho and Washington. The Company had a 96% and an 85% ownership interest in PE Op Co., the owner of four ethanol production facilities, as of September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The facilities are near their respective fuel and feed customers, offering significant timing, transportation cost and logistical advantages. The Company sells ethanol produced by the Pacific Ethanol Plants (as defined below) and unrelated third parties to gasoline refining and distribution companies, sells its WDG to dairy operators and animal feed distributors and sells its corn oil to poultry and biodiesel customers.

 

The Company manages the production and operation of the following four ethanol production facilities: Pacific Ethanol Madera LLC, Pacific Ethanol Columbia, LLC, Pacific Ethanol Stockton LLC and Pacific Ethanol Magic Valley, LLC (collectively, the “Pacific Ethanol Plants”) and their holding company, Pacific Ethanol Holding Co. LLC (“PEHC,” and together with the Pacific Ethanol Plants, the “Plant Owners”). PEHC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PE Op Co. These four facilities have an aggregate annual ethanol production capacity of up to 200 million gallons. As of September 30, 2014, all four facilities were operating. On April 30, 2014, the Company’s previously idled facility in Madera, California commenced producing ethanol. As market conditions change, the Company may increase, decrease or idle production at one or more operational facilities or resume operations at any idled facility.

 

Reverse Stock Split – On May 14, 2013, the Company effected a one-for-fifteen reverse stock split. All share and per share information has been restated to retroactively show the effect of this stock split.

 

Liquidity – During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company funded its operations primarily from cash on hand, cash provided by operations, proceeds from an equity offering and warrant exercises and borrowings under its credit facilities.

 

The Company’s current available capital resources consist of cash on hand and amounts available for borrowing under Kinergy’s credit facility. In addition, the Plant Owners have credit facilities for use in the operations of the Pacific Ethanol Plants. The Company expects that its future available capital resources will consist primarily of its remaining cash balances, cash flow from operations, if any, amounts available for borrowing, if any, under Kinergy’s credit facility, cash generated from Kinergy’s ethanol marketing business, fees paid under the asset management agreement relating to the Company’s operation of the Pacific Ethanol Plants, cash proceeds from warrant exercises and distributions, if any, in respect of the Company’s ownership interest in PE Op Co.

 

The Company believes that current and future available capital resources, revenues generated from operations, and other existing sources of liquidity, including its credit facilities, will be adequate to meet its anticipated working capital and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next twelve months.

 

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts – Trade accounts receivable are presented at face value, net of the allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company sells ethanol to gasoline refining and distribution companies, sells WDG to dairy operators and animal feed distributors and sells corn oil to poultry and biodiesel customers generally without requiring collateral.

 

The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for balances that appear to have specific collection issues. The collection process is based on the age of the invoice and requires attempted contacts with the customer at specified intervals. If, after a specified number of days, the Company has been unsuccessful in its collection efforts, a bad debt allowance is recorded for the balance in question. Delinquent accounts receivable are charged against the allowance for doubtful accounts once uncollectibility has been determined. The factors considered in reaching this determination are the apparent financial condition of the customer and the Company’s success in contacting and negotiating with the customer. If the financial condition of the Company’s customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required.

 

Of the accounts receivable balance, approximately $21,653,000 and $27,487,000 at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, were used as collateral under Kinergy’s operating line of credit. The allowance for doubtful accounts was not material as of September 30, 2014 or December 31, 2013. The Company does not have any off-balance sheet credit exposure related to its customers.

 

Provision for Income Taxes – For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company generated income subject to income tax. The Company’s fair value adjustments and warrant inducements are not tax deductible and thus resulted in larger taxable income as compared to reported income (loss) before provision for income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014. The Company applied its net operating loss carryforwards to a portion of its taxable income for these periods. Further, the Company increased by $1.8 million and reduced by $5.7 million its valuation allowance against its net tax assets, resulting in a net provision for income taxes of $3.2 million and $13.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively.

 

Conversion of New PE Holdco LLC – On April 1, 2014, New PE Holdco LLC was converted from a Delaware limited liability company to a Delaware C-corporation and changed its name to PE Op Co.

 

Basis of PresentationInterim Financial Statements – The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements and related notes have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Results for interim periods should not be considered indicative of results for a full year. These interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. The accounting policies used in preparing these consolidated financial statements are the same as those described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair statement of the results for interim periods have been included. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

 

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates are required as part of determining the fair value of warrants and conversion features, allowance for doubtful accounts, estimated lives of property and equipment and intangibles, long-lived asset impairments, valuation allowances on deferred income taxes and the potential outcome of future tax consequences of events recognized in the Company’s financial statements or tax returns. Actual results and outcomes may materially differ from management’s estimates and assumptions.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements – In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new guidance on the recognition of revenue. The guidance states that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company’s adoption begins with the first fiscal quarter of fiscal year 2017. Early adoption is not permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this accounting standard update on its consolidated results of operations and financial position.

 

In April 2014, the FASB issued new guidance on the definition of a discontinued operation that requires entities to provide additional disclosures about disposal transactions that do not meet the discontinued operations criteria. The new guidance narrows the focus of discontinued operations to those components that 1) are disposed of or classified as held-for-sale and 2) represent a strategic shift that has or will have a major impact on the entity’s operations or financial results. The guidance is effective prospectively for all disposals or components initially classified as held-for-sale in periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, the Company does not believe this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated results of operations or financial position.

 

In August 2014, the FASB issued new guidance on determining when and how to disclose going-concern uncertainties in the financial statements. The new guidance requires management to perform interim and annual assessments of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year of the date the financial statements are issued. An entity must provide certain disclosures if conditions or events raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The guidance is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016 and interim periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, the Company does not believe this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated results of operations or financial position.