Power REIT (NYSE-AMEX: PW and PW.PRA) (“Power REIT” or the “Trust”)
today announced that it has acquired a 1,121,513 square foot
Controlled Environmental Agricultural (“CEA”) greenhouse
cultivation facility, and associated employee housing property in
O’Neill, Nebraska (the “Property”) through a wholly owned
subsidiary (“PropCo”) for $9.35 million.
Simultaneous with the acquisition, Power REIT
entered into a long-term, triple-net lease with Millennium Produce
of Nebraska LLC (“MillPro”). As part of the transaction, Power REIT
has agreed to fund capital improvements to upgrade the tomato-ready
cultivation facility. Power REIT’s current capital commitment for
the initial phase of improvements is approximately $534,000 which
includes costs related to the replacement of energy curtains.
David Lesser, Power REIT’s Chairman and
CEO, commented, “This is a very exciting transaction for
Power REIT – it is our largest greenhouse facility acquired to-date
and our first focused on the cultivation of food crops. We acquired
this facility at a significant discount to replacement cost with
minimal upgrades needed at closing to commence cultivation. The
facility had been operational for 15 years cultivating tomatoes,
and we are confident that MillPro will leverage the “ready-to-grow”
status of the greenhouse to be a competitive, high-quality,
low-cost producer of fresh tomatoes.”
Property Details The greenhouse
has approximately one million square feet under glass and sits on
approximately 86 acres with approximately 20 acres of land
available for an additional 880,000 square feet of greenhouse and
related space. The Property includes a hanging gutter growing
system serviced by a fully automated irrigation system and a
central boiler for hydronic heating, as well as logistics space
equipped for processing, packaging, warehousing, and shipping
activities. The exterior features a stormwater management pond, a
1-million-gallon hot water storage tank, and CO2 storage tanks.
Additionally, the Ogallala Aquifer, a shallow water table beneath
the great plains of Nebraska, represents a significant resource to
supply the region with fresh water. The Property is fully serviced
with natural gas, water and electrical connections. There is a
6.25MVA electrical substation located on-site which provides ample
power for existing operations with excess capacity of approximately
5-6MVA and potential to expand up to 18.75MVA. In addition, the
leased Property includes a separate employee housing property that
has 21 rooms that can handle up to 80 employees.
Lease Structure Concurrent with
the acquisition, PropCo entered a 10-year “triple-net” lease (the
“Lease”) with a MillPro, a wholly owned subsidiary of Millennium
Sustainable Ventures Corp. (ticker: MILC). David H. Lesser is
Chairman and CEO of Millennium Sustainable Ventures and is Power
REIT’s Chairman and CEO. The Lease requires MillPro to pay all
property related expenses including maintenance, insurance, and
taxes. After the initial 10-year term, the Lease provides four,
five-year renewal options. The Lease, as structured, provides
straight-line annual rent of approximately $1.0 million,
representing an unleveraged Core FFO yield of approximately 11% on
the invested capital.
Greenhouse
Cultivation and
TomatoesThere is a growing trend towards
Controlled Environment Agriculture (“CEA”) cultivation of certain
crops. Climate change is accelerating the depletion of water and
traditional agricultural land resources and adapting to these
intensifying trends is critical to achieve food security.
Simultaneously, demand for locally grown, fresh produce is
increasing. Many traditional agricultural areas of the U.S. are
experiencing drought and CEA’s lower water demand combined with
increased potential yields represent an important part of the
solution. Greenhouse technology is an economically and
environmentally sustainable solution for these secular issues.
Tomatoes are traditionally a warm season crop
and in more temperate climates tomato producers rely on CEA
facilities to extend the production season. Relative to outdoor
(field) production of tomatoes, greenhouse production is more
predictable and consistent, yielding a crop that is more uniform in
appearance and quality. CEA allows for an average of 20x higher
yield compared to outdoor cultivation, using 90% less water with no
fertilizer runoff. The fresh tomato industry is capitalizing on the
significant advantages and sustainability of greenhouse cultivation
whereby approximately 60% of tomatoes consumed in North America are
now grown in greenhouse facilities.
Millennium Produce of Nebraska
MillPro will step into a proven greenhouse facility having
supported the cultivation of tomatoes for 15 years. The time and
resources needed to establish operations are far lower than
producers stepping into newly built greenhouse facilities. The
“plug-and-play” nature of the O’Neill facility allows Millennium
Produce to efficiently leverage the benefits of greenhouse
technology to become a competitive, high-quality, low-cost producer
of fresh tomatoes for an underserved region of the United
States.
MillPro will be one of the largest operators in
the Midwest and aims to distribute fresh tomatoes to consumers that
have typically traveled 1,400 miles before hitting supermarket
shelves in the area. Not only does this reduce carbon footprint but
it provides fresher, better-tasting tomatoes while reducing
food-waste by having a longer shelf life.
Commenting
further on Power
REIT’s acquisition, David Lesser
stated, “With this transaction, Power
REIT doubles its greenhouse footprint. We are excited to continue
our relationship with MILC at another greenhouse cultivation
facility and our first food cultivation operation. MillPro has
established a strong team with experienced individuals in key
positions who are eager to begin cultivation. We believe greenhouse
cultivation is the sustainable and low-cost approach to relative to
traditional outdoor cultivation of certain crops. We believe we
acquired this property at an attractive discount to replacement
cost which should help MillPro become a competitive low-cost
producer of high-quality tomatoes.”
Non-Dilutive Capital Plan and Forward
Core FFO Per Share GuidancePower REIT has now deployed all
of the capital raised in its Rights Offering that closed in 2021
across several transactions. These transactions have been highly
accretive to Core FFO. In the near term, Power REIT intends to
focus on non-dilutive capital in order to finance additional
acquisitions and to fund property improvements for its portfolio.
On December 23, 2021, announced it had secured a $20 million debt
facility which has an interest rate of 5.42% and was used to close
this transaction. Power REIT is currently focused on debt as well
as the potential to issue additional preferred stock to fund
additional growth.
Mr. Lesser
concluded, “Our updated business
plan that we put into motion in the second half of 2019 continues
to drive substantial growth. Our dynamic growth is a function of
the attractive yields we can achieve with our strategic greenhouse
investments coupled with our relatively small size which amplifies
the impact of these transactions. With a recent stock price of
$41.20 and a Forward Core FFO run rate of $0.83 per share per
quarter based on our in-place transactions and without additional
growth as detailed in our investor presentation (page 7), Power
REIT trades at a 12.4x multiple. We believe we can continue to
drive significant additional growth through acquisitions by
employing non-dilutive capital as well as re-investing capital from
our unique lease structure which has a front-loaded rent that
returns Power REIT’s invested capital in the early years of leases.
We believe our potential growth rate driven by acquisitions
combined with a relatively low forward Core FFO multiple provides a
compelling value proposition for investors. We have an active
acquisition pipeline in various stages of due diligence and
negotiations.”
Updated Investment
PresentationPower REIT has posted an updated investor
presentation which is available using the following link:
https://www.pwreit.com/investors
Statement on
SustainabilityPower REIT owns real estate related to
infrastructure assets including properties for Controlled
Environment Agriculture facilities with a focus on greenhouses,
Renewable Energy and Transportation.
CEA facilities in the form of greenhouses,
provide an extremely environmentally friendly solution, which
consume approximately 70% less energy than indoor growing
operations that do not benefit from “free” sunlight. greenhouses
use 90% less water than field grown plants, and all of Power REIT’s
greenhouse properties operate without the use of pesticides and
avoid agricultural runoff of fertilizers and pesticides. These
facilities cultivate medical Cannabis, which has been recommended
to help manage a myriad of medical symptoms, including seizures and
spasms, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder,
migraines, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer’s.
Renewable Energy assets are
comprised of land and infrastructure associated with utility scale
solar farms. These projects produce power without the use of fossil
fuels thereby lowering carbon emissions. The solar farms produce
approximately 50,000,000 kWh of electricity annually which is
enough to power approximately 4,600 homes on a carbon free
basis.
Transportation assets are
comprised of land associated with a railroad, an environmentally
friendly mode of bulk transportation.
About Power REITPower REIT,
with a focus on the “Triple Bottom Line” and a commitment to
Profit, Planet and People is a specialized real estate investment
trust (REIT) that owns sustainable real estate related to
infrastructure assets including properties for Controlled
Environment Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Transportation. Power
REIT is actively seeking to expand its real estate portfolio
related to Controlled Environment Agriculture in the form of
greenhouses for the cultivation of food and cannabis.
Additional information about Power REIT can be
found on its website: www.pwreit.com
About Millennium Sustainable Ventures
Corp.Millennium Sustainable Ventures Corp. (ticker: MILC),
with a focus on the “Triple Bottom Line” and a commitment to
Profit, Planet and People currently has three areas of focus:
- Sustainable cultivation of cannabis in greenhouses
- Sustainable cultivation of food crops in greenhouses
- Sustainable production of activated carbon
Additional information about MILC can be found
on its website: www.millsustain.com
Cautionary Statement About
Forward-Looking StatementsThis document includes
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S.
securities laws. Forward-looking statements are those that predict
or describe future events or trends and that do not relate solely
to historical matters. You can generally identify forward-looking
statements as statements containing the words "believe," "expect,"
"will," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "project," "plan,"
"assume", "seek" or other similar expressions, or negatives of
those expressions, although not all forward-looking statements
contain these identifying words. All statements contained in this
document regarding our future strategy, future operations, future
prospects, the future of our industries and results that might be
obtained by pursuing management's current or future plans and
objectives are forward-looking statements. You should not place
undue reliance on any forward-looking statements because the
matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are
beyond our control. Our forward-looking statements are based on the
information currently available to us and speak only as of the date
of the filing of this document. Over time, our actual results,
performance, financial condition or achievements may differ from
the anticipated results, performance, financial condition or
achievements that are expressed or implied by our forward-looking
statements, and such differences may be significant and materially
adverse to our security holders.
Contacts:
David H. Lesser, Chairman & CEO |
Mary Jensen, Investor Relations |
dlesser@pwreit.com |
mary@irrealized.com |
212-750-0371 |
310-526-1707 |
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301 Winding RoadOld Bethpage, NY
11804 |
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www.pwreit.com |
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