“Ormat overcame significant challenges to deliver another successful, record year,” commented Isaac Angel, Chief Executive Officer, “Electricity generation grew nearly 7% and electricity segment revenue increased 9.5%, meeting our guidance and demonstrating the strength of our portfolio as we delivered record levels of electricity, revenue and EBITDA despite a prolonged shutdown of our Puna power plant in Hawaii. Revenues from our product segment were slightly above our guidance, and we enter 2019 with a strong and growing backlog and a diversified pipeline of business opportunities in Turkey, New Zealand, the United States, the Philippines and China. Our energy storage activity is progressing under new leadership, albeit at a slower pace than we anticipated, and we are continuing efforts to build a solid pipeline of opportunities”
Mr. Angel continued, “With regards to Puna, work is underway to resume operation of the plant. We have constructed a new access road to the power plant, drilled a new fresh water well and started to open a production well. Initial tests from the geothermal injection wells indicate higher temperatures at the reservoir with no sign of any negative impact on pressure. In light of that, we currently estimate that we will be ready for operation by year end 2019. On the property insurance coverage, all the insurers accepted and started paying for the costs to rebuild the destroyed substation and other damaged property. However only some of the insurers accepted that the business interruption coverage started in May 2018. We are still in discussions to reach an understanding with all of our insurers to start paying for the business interruption as of May 2018.”
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