Exhibit 10.1
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
AGREEMENT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT (this
“ Agreement ”) is made as of the 23
rd
day of October, 2006,
(the “ Effective Date ”), between Cargill,
Incorporated, a Delaware corporation, through its Emerging Business
Accelerator business unit (“ Cargill ”), on the
one hand, and Environmental Power Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (“ EPC ”), and its wholly-owned
subsidiary, Microgy Inc., a Colorado corporation (“
Microgy ”), on the other hand. EPC and Microgy are
collectively referred to herein as the “ EPC Parties
”, and individually as an “ EPC Party. ”
Cargill and the EPC Parties are collectively referred to herein as
“ Parties ”, and individually as a “
Party ”. Capitalized terms used and not otherwise
defined herein shall have the respective meanings assigned to them
in Article X.
WHEREAS, the EPC Parties are in the
business of developing renewable energy projects and are the
licensees of anaerobic digester technology (the “
Technology” ) which results in energy-production
opportunities, emissions-reductions and the potential for issuance
of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Certificates resulting from those
emissions reductions; and
WHEREAS, Cargill and its Affiliates
have contacts with a network of customers, farmers and strategic
business partners (the “ Cargill Network ”) who
might utilize the Technology or otherwise add value to such
projects;
WHEREAS, the Parties desire to work
jointly to identify potential customers, and develop and pursue
business opportunities, for the EPC Parties and their Affiliates
with members of the Cargill Network that will enable them to
undertake anaerobic digester projects (each an “ AD
Project ”); and
WHEREAS, the Parties now wish to
enter into a definitive document in furtherance of that
desire.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements contained
herein, the Parties agree as follows:
Article I.
Business
Development
Section 1.1.
The territorial scope of the
Parties’ activities pursuant to this Agreement is North
America, subject to enlargement by mutual agreement.
Section 1.2.
Cargill shall use its reasonable
efforts to identify AD Projects for the EPC Parties within the
Cargill Network (each, a “ Project Candidate ”).
The EPC Parties and Cargill will work jointly to identify specific
targeted markets for developing AD Projects within the Cargill
Network in accordance with the process set forth in Schedule 1.
Within those targeted markets Cargill will utilize the guidelines
set forth in Schedule 2 (the “ Project Guidelines
“), in order to identify specific producers that are deemed
appropriate candidates for further discussion (“Project
Candidates”). The EPC Parties will make available their
technical teams as reasonably necessary to facilitate the
determination of Project Candidates. The parties acknowledge that
the Project Guidelines are merely guidelines, and satisfaction of
all the guidelines will not be a condition to the EPC Parties
pursuing a possible AD Project.
Section 1.3.
The EPC Parties shall consider each
of the Project Candidates and, acting reasonably and at their sole
cost and expense, shall select those candidates that they want
Cargill to further pursue on their behalf. Cargill will then
present to the identified Project Candidates the EPC Parties’
binding Option to implement an AD Project, the form of which is set
forth in Schedule 3 (to be reasonably adapted as necessary to
conform to specific environmental and physical variations presented
by different Project Candidates). Cargill shall pursue negotiations
with the Project Candidate with the goal of obtaining a completed
and signed version of Schedule 3 as so presented, from the Project
Candidate (a “Project Commitment”). At the request of
any party, the EPC Parties will make available their staff to
facilitate the negotiation and/or completion of a Project
Commitment. Once the Project Candidate has signed the Project
Commitment, Cargill shall present it to the EPC Parties for their
review and consideration. The EPC Parties shall, keeping Cargill
informed, proceed to negotiation of a mutually acceptable Lease and
Project Agreement with the Project Candidate. Any such negotiations
shall be concluded within 120 days of the designated effective date
of the Project Commitment as signed by the Project Candidate or
said Commitment shall be deemed to be of no further force and
effect.
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Article II.
Consideration
Section 2.1
As consideration for Cargill’s
services hereunder the EPC Parties shall provide Cargill with the
following consideration:
(a) Warrants . EPC shall
grant Cargill warrants to purchase shares of EPC’s common
stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Common Stock”) (the
“Warrants”). EPC shall issue to Cargill a Warrant to
purchase a number of shares of Common Stock equal to one percent
(1%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, on a fully
diluted basis, on such date (the “Warrant Issuance
Date”) Cargill delivers to the EPC Parties executed Project
Commitments with Project Candidates relating to AD Projects
covering 10,000 Cow Equivalents in the aggregate (the
“Warrant Issuance Conditions”), and thereafter shall
issue Warrants on each succeeding date on which the Warrant
Issuance Conditions have again been satisfied (without regard to
any prior satisfaction of the Warrant Issuance Conditions). Such
Warrants shall be in the form attached to this Agreement as
Schedule 5 . If, on any Warrant Issuance Date, the number of
shares of Common Stock subject to the Warrant to be issued would,
when added to the number of shares of Common Stock subject to
Warrants previously issued, exceed four and 99/100 percent
(4.99%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock on such
Warrant Issuance Date, then the Warrant to be issued shall cover
only that number of shares of Common Stock which, when added to the
number of shares of Common Stock subject to previously issued
Warrants, equals 4.99% of the outstanding Common Stock on such
Warrant Issuance Date, and EPC shall not be obligated to issue any
further Warrants pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. Each
Warrant shall have an exercise price per share equal to
seventy-five percent (75%) of the closing price of the Common
Stock on the last trading day immediately prior to the Warrant
Issuance Date. All share calculations pursuant to this
Section 2.1(a) shall be rounded to the nearest whole
share.
(b) Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Certificates .
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(i)
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For a three
year period beginning with the first date of issuance of an
Eligible Certificate, the EPC Parties shall, after conveying any
share due to a Project Candidate pursuant to a Lease and Project
Agreement, convey or otherwise grant to Cargill or its designee
unencumbered ownership of
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25% of any remaining Eligible
Certificates that are within the control of the EPC Parties. Said
interest conveyance or other grant to Cargill shall be for the life
of the Eligible Certificate.
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(ii)
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During the same
three-year period, Cargill shall have the right of first refusal on
a proposed sale or other conveyance of the remainder of the
Eligible Certificates issued, owned or controlled by the EPC
Parties or any Affiliate or designee thereof. If an EPC Party or
Affiliate or designee thereof wishes to sell or otherwise convey
any such Eligible Certificate, it shall provide (and the EPC
Parties shall cause any such Affiliate or designee to comply with
this provision) Cargill (or a designee thereof) with notice of not
less than 5 business days of the planned sale or conveyance, in
which notice period Cargill shall have the opportunity to make bid
(including all material terms and conditions, such as price). If
the bid is acceptable, the EPC Party, Affiliate or designee, as
applicable, shall sell and deliver the Eligible Certificate to
Cargill (or its designee) in accordance with documentation entered
into with respect to the transaction. If the bid is not acceptable,
the EPC Party shall have the right to sell the Eligible Certificate
to any other Person on terms no less favorable than those offered
by Cargill.
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(iii)
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In the event
the EPC Parties, their Affiliates and designees do not sell their
portion of the Eligible Certificates to Cargill (or a designee
thereof) or another Person in accordance with this Section, at the
request of an EPC Party, Cargill (or a designee) shall exercise its
reasonable efforts to aggregate and market the Eligible
Certificates of the EPC Parties, their Affiliates and designees,
provided, however, that Cargill shall have the right to prioritize
the sale and or marketing of its own Eligible Certificates over
those of the EPC Parties. There will be no additional compensation
payable to Cargill for this service.
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(c) Revenue Stream . An AD
Project that results in a Project Commitment may generate revenue
for an EPC Party from the sale of gas, electricity or other
by-products generated by the AD Project (other than Greenhouse Gas
Reduction Certificates) (all such revenue being referred to herein
as “ Source Revenue ”). With respect to each AD
Project subject to a Project Commitment that generates Source
Revenue to an EPC Party, the EPC Party shall pay to Cargill, within
30 days of receipt of revenue, two percent of all such Source
Revenue received by the EPC Party from such project for a five year
period following the date of the first receipt of any such Source
Revenue.
(d) Right To Bid. During a
three-year period following the date of the first generation of gas
or electricity generated by an AD Project subject to a Project
Commitment, Cargill shall have the right of first refusal on the
proposed sale or other conveyance of all gas and electricity
generated by that AD Project. If an EPC Party or Affiliate or
designee thereof wishes to sell or otherwise convey any such gas or
electricity, it shall provide (and the EPC Parties shall cause any
such Affiliate or designee to comply with this provision) Cargill
(or a designee thereof) with notice of not less than 5 business
days of the planned sale or conveyance, in which notice period
Cargill shall have the opportunity to make a bid (including all
material terms and conditions, such as price). If the offer is
acceptable, the EPC Party, Affiliate or designee, as applicable,
shall sell and deliver the gas or electricity to Cargill (or its
designee) in accordance with documentation entered into with
respect to the transaction. If the offer is not acceptable, the EPC
Party shall have the right to sell the gas or electricity to any
other Person on terms no less favorable than those offered by
Cargill.
Article III.
Representations and
Warranties
Section 3.1
Cargill and the EPC Parties each
represent, warrant and agree to the other that, as of the Effective
Date and at all times during the term of this Agreement,
(a) it is (and will be) a corporation duly incorporated,
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the state
of its incorporation, with full power, right and authority to own
its properties and conduct its business as now being conducted and
to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this
Agreement, (b) the execution, delivery and performance by it
of this Agreement has been duly authorized by all necessary
corporate action, requires no action by or in respect of, or
filing
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with, any governmental authority and does not
(and will not) contravene, or constitute a default under, any
provision of applicable law, rule or regulation or its
constitutional documents or any contract or agreement, judgment,
injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon it, and
(c) this Agreement is the legal, valid and binding obligation
of it, enforceable against it in accordance with its
terms.
Section 3.2
The EPC Parties each represent,
warrant, and agree that they have the right, title and license to
the Technology, and that the purchase, use or sale of the
Technology does not infringe on any intellectual property interest
of any third party in any country.
Article IV.
Term and
Termination
Section 4.1
This Agreement shall commence on the
Effective Date and terminate upon the earliest to occur of the
following (the “ Termination Date ”):
(a) the third anniversary of the
Effective Date;
(b) the completion by Cargill of AD
Projects resulting in Project Commitments signed by Project
Candidates covering 50,000 Cow Equivalents.
(c) termination by a Party, if
(i) any court of competent jurisdiction shall have issued an
order, decree or ruling or taken any other action restraining,
enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the transactions contemplated in
this Agreement, and (ii) such order, decree, ruling or other
action shall have become final and non-appealable (each Party
hereby agreeing to use its