10-K 1 d10k.htm FORM 10-K Form 10-K
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

(Mark One)

FORM 10 – K

 

 

 

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                     to                     

Commission File Number 001-34658

 

 

THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

DELAWARE   80-0558025

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

THE HARRIS BUILDING

13024 BALLANTYNE CORPORATE PLACE

SUITE 700

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

  28277
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (704) 625-4900

 

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Name of each Exchange

on which registered

Common Stock, $0.01 par value   New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     Yes   ¨     No   x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.     Yes   ¨     No   x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes  x    No  ¨

*The registrant became subject to such requirements on July 8, 2010.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).     Yes   ¨    No   ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

Large accelerated filer  ¨

  Accelerated filer  ¨
 

Non-accelerated filer  x

  Smaller reporting company  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).     Yes   ¨    No   x

As of June 30, 2010, the registrant’s common stock was not publicly traded. The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding at January 31, 2011 was 116,897,549.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement for the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

INDEX—FORM 10-K

 

          PAGE
PART I

Item 1.

   Business    1
  

General

   1
  

The Spin-Off

   1
  

Business Segments

   1
  

Acquisitions and Investments

   4
  

Contracts

   5
  

Backlog

   6
  

Competition

   7
  

Joint Ventures

   7
  

Foreign Operations

   9
  

Customers

   10
  

Raw Materials and Supplies

   10
  

Employees

   11
  

Patents and Licenses

   11
  

Research and Development Activities

   11
  

Hazard Risks and Insurance

   11
  

Governmental Regulations and Environmental Matters

   13
  

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

   15
  

Available Information

   18

Item 1A.

   Risk Factors    18

Item 1B.

   Unresolved Staff Comments    36

Item 2.

   Properties    36

Item 3.

   Legal Proceedings    37

Item 4.

   Reserved    37
PART II

Item 5.

   Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities    38

Item 6.

   Selected Financial Data    40

Item 7.

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    40
  

General

   40
  

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

   42
  

Year Ended December 31, 2010 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2009

   46
  

Year Ended December 31, 2009 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2008

   49
  

Effects of Inflation and Changing Prices

   51
  

Liquidity and Capital Resources

   51

Item 7A.

   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk    55

Item 8.

   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data    57
  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

   58
  

Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets – December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009

   59
  

Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income for the Years Ended
December  31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

   61
  

Consolidated and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December  31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

   62

 

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          PAGE
  

Consolidated and Combined Statement of Stockholders’ Equity for the Year Ended December  31, 2010

   63
  

Combined Statements of Parent Equity (Deficit) for the Years Ended
December 31, 2009 and 2008

   64
  

Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December  31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

   65
  

Notes to Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements

   66

Item 9.

  

Changes In and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

   112

Item 9A.

  

Controls and Procedures

   112
  

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

   112
  

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

   113
  

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

   113
  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

   113

Item 9B.

   Other Information    114
PART III

Item 10.

   Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance    115

Item 11.

   Executive Compensation    116

Item 12.

   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters    116

Item 13.

   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence    116

Item 14.

   Principal Accountant Fees and Services    116
PART IV

Item 15.

   Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules    116

Signatures

   121

 

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Statements we make in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those to which we refer under the headings “Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in Items 1 and 1A of Part I of this report. In this annual report on Form 10-K, unless the context otherwise indicates, “we,” “us” and “our” mean The Babcock & Wilcox Company (“B&W”) and its consolidated subsidiaries.

PART I

 

Item 1. BUSINESS

General

B&W is a leading technology innovator in power generation systems, a specialty constructor of nuclear components and a premier service provider in its segments, with an operating history of more than 140 years. We provide a variety of products and services to customers in the power and other steam-using industries, including electric utilities and other power generators, industrial customers in various other industries, and the United States Government. While we provide a wide range of products and services, our business segments are heavily focused on major projects. At any given time, a relatively small number of projects can represent a significant part of our operations.

The Spin-Off

We are a successor to a business founded in 1867, which was acquired by McDermott International, Inc. (“MII”) in 1978. On December 7, 2009, MII announced its plans to spin-off the businesses that comprised its then power generation systems and government operations segments into a separate independent public company. To effect the spin-off, MII incorporated B&W in Delaware in March 2010 as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of MII and in June 2010 implemented a reorganization that combined all of the entities that made up those businesses under our company.

On July 2, 2010, MII’s Board of Directors approved the spin-off of B&W through the distribution of shares of B&W common stock to holders of MII common stock. The distribution of B&W common stock was made on July 30, 2010, and consisted of one share of B&W common stock for every two shares of MII common stock to holders of MII common stock as of 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the record date, July 9, 2010. Cash was paid in lieu of any fractional shares of B&W common stock. B&W became a separate publicly traded company, and MII did not retain any ownership interest in us. B&W’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol BWC.

Business Segments

We operate in two business segments: Power Generation Systems and Government Operations. For financial information about our segments, see Note 17 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report.

Power Generation Systems

Our Power Generation Systems segment includes the business and operations of Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc. (“B&W PGG”) and Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy, Inc. (“B&W NE”) and their respective subsidiaries. Through this segment, we supply boilers fired with fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, or renewable fuels such as biomass, municipal solid waste and concentrated solar energy. In addition, we supply commercial nuclear steam generators and components, environmental equipment and components, and related inspection and maintenance services to customers in different regions around the world. We design, engineer, manufacture, supply, construct and service large utility and industrial power generation systems, including boilers used to generate steam in electric power plants, pulp and paper making, chemical and process applications and other industrial uses.

 

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This segment specializes in engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and erection of equipment used in the power generation industry and various other industries, and the provision of related services, including:

 

   

engineered-to-order services, products and systems for energy conversion worldwide and related auxiliary equipment, such as burners, pulverizers, soot blowers and ash handling systems;

 

   

heavy-pressure equipment for energy conversion, such as boilers fueled by coal, oil, bitumen, natural gas, solid municipal waste, biomass and other fuels;

 

   

steam generators, heat exchangers and reactor vessel closure heads for commercial nuclear power plants;

 

   

small modular reactors for nuclear power;

 

   

outage related inspection, maintenance and construction services for nuclear generating stations;

 

   

environmental control systems, including both wet and dry scrubbers for flue gas desulfurization, modules for selective catalytic reduction of the oxides of nitrogen, equipment to capture particulate matter, such as fabric filter baghouses and wet and dry electrostatic precipitators, and similar devices; and

 

   

power plant equipment and related heavy mechanical erection services.

For further details regarding our Power Generation Systems segment’s facilities, see Item 2, “Properties.”

We support fossil and nuclear operating plants with a wide variety of additional services, including the installation of new systems and replacement parts, engineering services, construction, inspection, maintenance and field technical services, such as condition assessments and inventory services. Our wide range of construction and installation services include erection of utility and industrial boiler plants, modifications to nuclear power plants and installations of cogeneration facilities and pollution control equipment, such as selective catalytic reduction systems and flue gas desulfurization scrubbers.

We also provide power through cogeneration, refuse-fueled power plants and other independent power-producing facilities. In this market, we own and operate proprietary facilities, supply equipment and serve as contractors for engineer-procure-construct services and operations and maintenance.

We also expect to have increased participation in commercial nuclear projects and related opportunities in the future, through B&W NE. This subsidiary was formed to consolidate our specialized engineering, services and manufacturing capabilities within a dedicated organization focused on nuclear utility customers.

To further serve the nuclear power industry, through B&W NE, we are developing the B&W mPower™ reactor, a small modular reactor design with the flexibility to provide between 125 MW to 1,000 MW of electrical power generation (in increments of 125 MW) and the capacity to operate for a four or five-year operating cycle without refueling. We intend to seek U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) certification of the B&W mPower™ reactor in time to begin deploying this technology as early as 2020. We intend to build the nuclear reactor modules in our manufacturing facilities and transport them to customer sites for installation. The modular and scalable design of the B&W mPower™ reactor should allow us to match the generation needs of our customers with the proven performance of existing light water reactor technology. We believe the B&W mPower™ reactor will reduce risks associated with deploying nuclear power and become a flexible, cost-effective solution for meeting increasing electricity needs. Through an alliance with Bechtel Power, we intend to offer integrated nuclear power plants utilizing B&W mPower™ reactors.

Our Power Generation Systems segment’s overall activity depends mainly on the capital expenditures of electric power generating companies and other steam-using industries. Several factors influence these expenditures, including:

 

   

prices for electricity, along with the cost of production and distribution;

 

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prices for coal and natural gas and other sources used to produce electricity;

 

   

demand for electricity, paper and other end products of steam-generating facilities;

 

   

availability of other sources of electricity, paper or other end products;

 

   

requirements for environmental improvements;

 

   

impact of potential regional, state, national and/or global requirements to significantly limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future;

 

   

level of capacity utilization at operating power plants, paper mills and other steam-using facilities;

 

   

requirements for maintenance and upkeep at operating power plants and paper mills to combat the accumulated effects of wear and tear;

 

   

ability of electric generating companies and other steam users to raise capital; and

 

   

relative prices of fuels used in boilers, compared to prices for fuels used in gas turbines and other alternative forms of generation.

Our Power Generation Systems segment’s products and services are capital intensive. As such, customer demand is heavily affected by the variations in our customers’ business cycles and by the overall economies of the countries in which they operate.

Government Operations

Our Government Operations segment includes the business and operations of Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. and Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group, Inc. (“B&W TSG”) and their respective subsidiaries. Through this segment, we manufacture nuclear components and provide various services to the U.S. Government, including uranium processing, environmental site restoration services and management and operating services for various U.S. Government-owned facilities. These services are provided to the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”), including the National Nuclear Security Administration (the “NNSA”), the Office of Nuclear Energy, the Office of Science and the Office of Environmental Management.

We have over 50 years of experience in the ownership and operation of large nuclear development, production and reactor facilities. This segment’s principal operations include:

 

   

providing precision manufactured naval nuclear components and reactors for the U.S. Government DOE/NNSA Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program;

 

   

managing and operating nuclear production facilities;

 

   

managing and operating environmental management sites;

 

   

managing spent nuclear fuel and transuranic waste for the DOE;

 

   

providing critical skills and resources for DOE sites; and

 

   

developing and deploying next generation technology in support of U.S. Government programs.

For further details regarding our Government Operations segment’s facilities, see Item 2, “Properties.”

Our Government Operations segment specializes in the design and manufacture of close-tolerance and high-quality equipment for nuclear applications. In addition, we are a leading manufacturer of critical nuclear components, fuels and assemblies for government and commercial uses. We have supplied nuclear components for DOE programs since the 1950s, and we are the largest domestic supplier of research reactor fuel elements for colleges, universities and national laboratories. We also convert or downblend high-enriched uranium into low-enriched fuel for use in commercial reactors to generate electricity. In addition, we have over 100 years of experience in supplying heavy fabrications for industrial use, including components for defense applications.

 

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We work closely with the DOE-supported nuclear non-proliferation program. Currently, this program is assisting in the development of a high-density, low-enriched uranium fuel required for high-enriched uranium test reactor conversions. We have also been a leader in the receipt, storage, characterization, dissolution, recovery and purification of a variety of uranium-bearing materials. All phases of uranium downblending and uranium recovery are provided at our Lynchburg, Virginia and Erwin, Tennessee sites.

We manage and operate complex, high-consequence nuclear and national security operations for the DOE and the NNSA, primarily through our joint ventures, as further discussed under the caption “Joint Ventures” below. In addition, a subsidiary of B&W TSG was awarded in 2007 a contract from USEC Inc., a leading low enriched uranium supplier, to manufacture classified metal parts for the American Centrifuge Program.

We have an experienced staff of design and manufacturing engineers capable of performing full scope, prototype design work coupled with manufacturing integration. The design, engineering and other capabilities of our Government Operations segment include:

 

   

steam separation equipment design and development;

 

   

thermal-hydraulic design of reactor plant components;

 

   

structural component design for precision manufacturing;

 

   

materials expertise in high-strength, low-alloy steels, and nickel-based materials;

 

   

material procurement of tubing, forgings and weld wire; and

 

   

metallographic and chemical analysis.

Our Government Operations segment’s operations are generally capital intensive on the manufacturing side. The demand for nuclear components by the U.S. Government determines a substantial portion of this segment’s backlog. We expect that orders for nuclear components will continue to be a significant part of backlog for the foreseeable future; however, such orders are subject to defense department budget constraints.

Acquisitions and Investments

During 2010, we completed acquisitions and our initial investment in USEC Inc. (“USEC”) for total cash costs of approximately $67.5 million net of cash acquired. During 2009, we completed acquisitions totaling approximately $8.5 million, net of cash acquired. The following is a brief description:

Acquisitions

GE Energy Businesses. In April 2010, we acquired the assets of the electrostatic precipitator aftermarket and emissions monitoring business units of GE Energy, a division of General Electric Company, for approximately $21.4 million. This acquisition includes GE Energy’s electrostatic precipitator replacement parts and mechanical components product lines, performance-enhancing hardware, controls and software, remote diagnostics equipment and emissions monitoring products and services. These products and services are used by a wide variety of power generation and industrial customers to monitor and control particulates and other emissions from power plants, factories and other facilities. These business units maintain offices in the United States in Kansas City, Missouri; Folkston, Georgia; Newport News, Virginia; and Hatfield, Pennsylvania; as well as locations in Germany and China, and operates within our Power Generation Systems segment.

Gőtaverken Miljő AB. In January 2010, a subsidiary within our Power Generation Systems segment, B&W Volund, acquired the net assets of Gőtaverken Miljő AB (GMAB), a flue gas cleaning and energy recovery company based in Gothenburg, Sweden. This business complements our B&W Volund subsidiary, which is one of the world’s leading suppliers of equipment and technologies designed to convert municipal solid waste and biomass into thermal energy.

 

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Instrumentacion y Mantenimiento de Calderas, S.A. In September 2009, a subsidiary within our Power Generation Systems segment, B&W de Monterrey, acquired certain assets of Instrumentacion y Mantenimiento de Calderas, S.A. This acquisition provides us with additional manufacturing capabilities in support of our Power Generation Systems segment.

Investments

USEC Inc. Investment. In May 2010, we and Toshiba Corporation signed an agreement to make a strategic investment in USEC totaling $200 million payable over three phases. In September 2010, following the satisfaction of certain conditions, including the availability to USEC’s American Centrifuge project of at least $2 billion in uncommitted funds under the DOE’s loan guarantee program for front-end nuclear fuel facilities and the establishment of a joint venture between us and USEC for supply by the joint venture of centrifuges and related equipment for the American Centrifuge project, we made a $37.5 million investment in USEC as part of a definitive agreement for us to make a total $100 million strategic investment in USEC.

In connection with our investment, we received 37,500 shares of USEC Series B-1 12.75% Convertible Preferred Stock and Warrants to purchase 3,125,000 shares of USEC Class B Common Stock at an exercise price of $7.50 per share which are exercisable between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016, and a seat on USEC’s board of directors.

The second phase of this strategic investment, of which our share will be $25 million, will occur when, among other things, USEC secures a conditional commitment on a $2 billion loan guarantee from the DOE. The balance of our investment, which will be $37.5 million, is conditioned, among other things, on closing the loan under the DOE’s loan guarantee program for USEC’s American Centrifuge Plant and shareholder approval of certain matters by USEC’s shareholders.

We continue to evaluate accelerated growth opportunities achievable through acquisition or consolidation, in addition to pursuing organic growth strategies.

Contracts

We execute our contracts through a variety of methods, including fixed-price, cost-plus, cost-reimbursable or some combination of those methods. Contracts are usually awarded through a competitive bid process, primarily based on price. However, other factors that customers may consider include plant or equipment availability, technical capabilities of equipment and personnel, efficiency, safety record and reputation.

Fixed-price contracts are for a fixed amount to cover all costs and any profit element for a defined scope of work. Fixed-price contracts entail more risk to us because they require us to predetermine both the quantities of work to be performed and the costs associated with executing the work. See “Risk Factors – We are subject to risks associated with contractual pricing in our industries, including the risk that, if our actual costs exceed the costs we estimate on our fixed-price contracts, our profitability will decline, and we may suffer losses” in Item 1A of this report.

We have contracts that extend beyond one year. Most of our long-term contracts have provisions for progress payments. We attempt to cover anticipated increases in labor, material and service costs of our long-term contracts either through an estimate of such changes, which is reflected in the original price, or through risk-sharing mechanisms, such as escalation or price adjustments for items such as labor and commodity prices.

We generally recognize our contract revenues and related costs on a percentage-of-completion basis. Accordingly, we review contract price and cost estimates periodically as the work progresses and reflect adjustments in profit proportionate to the percentage of completion in the period when we revise those estimates. To the extent that these adjustments result in a reduction or an elimination of previously reported profits with respect to a project, we would recognize a charge against current earnings, which could be material.

 

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Our contracts with the U.S. Government are subject to annual funding determinations. In addition, contracts between the U.S. Government and its prime contractors usually contain standard provisions for termination at the convenience of the U. S. Government or the prime contractor. The contracts for the management and operation of U.S. Government facilities are awarded through a complex and protracted procurement process. These contracts are generally structured as five-year contracts with five-year renewal options, which are exercisable by the customer, or include provisions whereby the contract durations can be extended as a result of superior performance. These are cost-reimbursement contracts with a U.S. Government credit line with little corporate-funded working capital required. However, many new contracts currently in the bidding process and recently awarded have a different structure. While such contracts remain cost-reimbursement contracts, the contractor is required to supply working capital and be reimbursed by the U.S. Government through regular invoicing. These contracts include a fee primarily based on performance, which is evaluated annually. As a U.S. Government contractor, we are subject to federal regulations under which our right to receive future awards of new federal contracts would be unilaterally suspended or barred if we were convicted of a crime or indicted based on allegations of a violation of specific federal statutes. In addition, some of our contracts with the U.S. Government require us to provide advance notice in connection with any contemplated sale or shut down of the relevant facility. In each of those situations, the U.S. Government has an exclusive right to negotiate a mutually acceptable purchase of the facility.

Our arrangements with customers frequently require us to provide letters of credit, bid and performance bonds or guarantees to secure bids or performance under contracts. While these letters of credit, bonds and guarantees may involve significant dollar amounts, historically, there have been no material payments to our customers under these arrangements.

In the event of a contract deferral or cancellation, we generally would be entitled to recover costs incurred, settlement expenses and profit on work completed prior to deferral or termination. Significant or numerous cancellations could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Backlog

Backlog represents the dollar amount of revenue we expect to recognize in the future from contracts awarded and in progress. Not all of our expected revenue from a contract award is recorded in backlog for a variety of reasons, including projects awarded and completed within the same fiscal quarter.

Backlog is not a measure defined by generally accepted accounting principles, and our methodology for determining backlog may not be comparable to the methodology used by other companies in determining their backlog amounts. Backlog may not be indicative of future operating results, and projects in our backlog may be cancelled, modified or otherwise altered by customers.

We generally include expected revenue of contracts in our backlog when we receive written confirmation from our customers.

Our backlog at December 31, 2010 and 2009 was as follows:

 

     December 31, 2010     December 31, 2009  
    

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in millions)

 

Power Generation Systems

   $ 2,049             39   $ 1,974             42

Government Operations

     3,153             61         2,766             58
                                  

Total Backlog

   $ 5,202             100   $ 4,740             100
                                  

 

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Of the December 31, 2010 backlog, we expect to recognize revenues as follows:

 

         2011              2012              Thereafter      
    

(Unaudited)

(In approximate millions)

 

Power Generation Systems

   $ 900       $ 300       $ 849   

Government Operations

     1,030         800         1,323   
                          

Total Backlog

   $ 1,930       $ 1,100       $ 2,172   
                          

As of December 31, 2010, our backlog with the U.S. Government, primarily attributable to our Government Operations segment, was $3.1 billion (of which $381.1 million had not yet been funded), or approximately 60% of our total consolidated backlog. We do not include the value of our unconsolidated joint venture management and operating contracts in backlog. See Note 3 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report for financial information on our equity method investments.

During the year ended December 31, 2010, the U.S. Government awarded new orders of approximately $1.4 billion to us, primarily in our Government Operations segment. New awards from the U.S. Government are typically received by our Government Operations segment during the fourth quarter of each year.

Competition

The competitive environments in which each segment operates are described below:

Power Generation Systems. With more than 140 years of experience, we are in a strong position to provide some of the most advanced steam generating equipment, emissions control equipment and services. Having supplied worldwide capacity of more than 300,000 megawatts and some of the world’s largest and most efficient steam generating systems, we have a competitive advantage in our experience and technical capability to reliably convert a wide range of fuels to steam. Our strong, installed base in North America also yields competitive advantages in after-market services, although this share of the market is pressured by lower level suppliers. Through this segment, we compete with a number of domestic and foreign-based companies specializing in steam-generating systems technology, equipment and services, including Alstom S.A., Doosan Babcock, Babcock Power, Inc., Foster Wheeler Ltd., AREVA Inc., Westinghouse, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi, Ltd.; a variety of engineering and construction companies with respect to the installation of steam-generating systems; a number of additional companies in the markets for environmental control equipment and related specialized industrial equipment and in the independent power-producing business; and other suppliers of replacement parts, repair and alteration services and other services required to retrofit and maintain existing steam systems. The primary bases of competition for this segment are price, technical capabilities, quality, timeliness of performance and willingness to accept project risks.

Government Operations. We have specialized technical capabilities that have allowed us to be a valued supplier of nuclear components for the U.S. Government since the 1950s. Also, through this segment, we are engaged in a highly competitive business through our management and operation of U.S. Government facilities. Many of our government contracts are bid as a joint venture, with one or more companies, in which we may have a majority or a minority position. The performance of the prime or lead contractor can impact our reputation and our future competitive position with respect to that particular project and customer. Our primary competitors in the delivery of goods and services to the U.S. Government and the operation of U.S. Government facilities include Bechtel National, Inc., URS Corporation, CH2M Hill, Inc., Fluor Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., EnergySolutions, Inc. and Northrop Grumman Corporation. In this segment, we compete on the basis of price, performance and technical capabilities.

Joint Ventures

We participate in the ownership of a variety of entities with third parties, primarily through corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships, which we refer to as “joint ventures.” Our Power Generation

 

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Systems segment enters into joint ventures primarily to enhance its manufacturing, design and production operations. Our Government Operations segment manages and operates nuclear facilities and associated plant infrastructure, manufactures components and assembles/dismantles nuclear devices, constructs large capital facilities, provides safeguards and security for inventory and assets, supports and conducts research and development for advanced energy technology and manages environmental programs for the DOE and the NNSA through joint ventures. We generally account for our investments in joint ventures under the equity method of accounting. Certain of our joint ventures are described below.

Power Generation Systems

 

   

Ebensburg Power Company & Ebensburg Investors Limited Partnership. Through these entities, which were formed by subsidiaries within our Power Generation Systems segment and ESI Energy, Inc. in 1992, we own an interest in and operate a combined solid waste and cogeneration facility located in Cambria County near Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. This facility uses bituminous waste coal for its primary fuel and sells generated electricity to a utility and steam to a hospital.

 

   

Halley & Mellowes Pty. Ltd. Diamond Power International, Inc., one of our wholly owned subsidiaries, owns an interest in this Australian company, which was formed in 1984. Halley & Mellowes Pty. Ltd. sells soot blowers, boiler cleaning equipment, valves and material handling equipment, all of which are complementary to Diamond Power’s product lines.

 

   

Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company, Ltd. We own equal interests in this entity with Beijing Jingcheng Machinery Electric Holding Company, Ltd. Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company, Ltd. was formed in 1986 and is located in Beijing, China. Its main activities are the design, manufacturing, production and sale of various power plant and industrial boilers. It operates the largest heavy drum shop in northern China. This entity expands our markets internationally and provides additional capacity to our Power Generation Systems segment’s boiler business.

 

   

Thermax Babcock & Wilcox Energy Solutions. In June 2010, one of our subsidiaries and Thermax Ltd., a boiler manufacturer based in India, formed a joint venture to build subcritical and highly efficient supercritical boilers and pulverizers for the Indian utility boiler market. We intend to license to the joint venture our technology for subcritical boilers 300 MW and larger, highly efficient supercritical boilers and coal pulverizers. The joint venture has purchased land on which it expects to construct a new 3,000 MW pressure parts facility in India.

Government Operations

 

   

Pantex Plant. Through Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Pantex, LLC, a limited liability company we formed with Honeywell International Inc. and Bechtel National, Inc., we manage and operate the Pantex Plant for the DOE. The Pantex Plant is located on a 16,000-acre NNSA site near Amarillo, Texas. Key operations at this facility include evaluating, retrofitting and repairing nuclear devices; dismantling and sanitizing nuclear devices; developing, testing and fabricating high-explosive components; and handling and storing plutonium pits.

 

   

Y-12 National Security Complex. Through Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Y-12, LLC, a limited liability company we formed with Bechtel National, Inc. and in which we own a majority interest, we manage and operate the Y-12 Complex for the DOE. Y-12 is located on an 811-acre NNSA site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Operations at the site focus on the production, refurbishment and dismantlement of nuclear devices, storage of nuclear material and the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

 

   

Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Since 1993, this facility has been managed and operated by DM Petroleum Operations Company, an entity we co-own with DynCorp International, International-Matex Tank and Terminals and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve stores an emergency supply of crude oil at four sites in huge underground salt caverns along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.

 

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Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since 2006, the Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a limited liability company formed in 2005 with the University of California, Bechtel National Inc., URS Corporation and B&W Technical Services Group, Inc., has managed and operated the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a premier national security research institution, delivering scientific and engineering solutions for the nation’s most crucial and complex problems. Located in New Mexico, the Los Alamos National Laboratory conducts ongoing research and development on the measures necessary for certifying the safety and reliability of nuclear devices without the use of nuclear testing for the U.S. Government.

 

   

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, a limited liability company formed in 2006 with the University of California, Bechtel National Inc., URS Corporation and B&W Technical Services Group, Inc., manages and operates Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory located in Livermore, California. The laboratory serves as a national resource in science and engineering, focused on national security, energy, the environment and bioscience, with special responsibility for nuclear devices.

 

   

Savannah River Liquid Waste Disposition Program. In July 2009, Savannah River Remediation, a limited liability company formed by URS Corporation, Bechtel National Inc., CH2M Hill Constructors, Inc. and B&W Technical Services Group, Inc., became the liquid waste contractor for the DOE’s Savannah River Site located in Aiken, South Carolina. The objective of the liquid waste contract is to achieve closure of the Savannah River Site liquid waste tanks in compliance with the Federal Facilities Agreement, utilizing the Defense Waste Processing Facility and Saltstone Facility.

 

   

Nevada Test Site. In 2006, National Security Technologies, LLC (“NSTec”), a limited liability company formed by Northrop Grumman Corporation, AECOM, CH2M Hill and Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (“NFS”), one of our wholly owned subsidiaries) began management and operation at the Nevada Test Site and its related facilities and laboratories for the DOE. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, NSTec works on projects for other federal agencies such as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, NASA, the NRC and the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Navy. Missions include defense experimentation and stockpile stewardship, homeland security and defense applications and environmental management.

 

   

Isotek Systems. Isotek Systems, LLC is a limited liability company formed by EnergySolutions, Inc., NFS and Burns and Roe Enterprises, Inc. Isotek received a contract in 2003 from the DOE to downblend enriched uranium-233 and extract isotopes that show promise in the treatment of deadly cancers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This contract is part of an initiative to clean up Cold War legacy sites.

 

   

Decontamination & Decommissioning Services. B&W Shaw Remediation, LLC is a limited liability company formed by B&W TSG, and Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Inc. to provide environmental remediation services for the Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in New York, the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in Pennsylvania, and the Naval Reactor Facility in Idaho.

 

   

Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant D&D. Fluor B&W Portsmouth, LLC is a limited liability company formed by Fluor Federal Services, Inc. and B&W TSG, to provide decontamination and decommissioning services at the Portsmouth plant in Ohio.

 

   

Uranium Conversion Operations. B&W Conversion Services, LLC is a limited liability company formed by B&W TSG, and URS Corporation to perform uranium conversion operations at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky, and the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio.

Foreign Operations

Our Government Operations segment generates substantially all of its revenues from customers within the U.S. We have foreign operations in our Power Generation Systems segment primarily attributable to our

 

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Canadian operations, which serves the North American electric utility and industrial power markets, and the global nuclear utility market; our operations in Denmark, which provide comprehensive services to companies in the waste to energy sectors of power generation; and our joint venture in China, which primarily serves the power generation needs of the China domestic and other utility markets. The functional currency of these entities is not the U.S. Dollar, and as a result, we are subject to exchange rate fluctuations that impact our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Our Power Generation Systems segment revenues, net of intersegment revenues, and income derived from operations located outside of the United States, as well as the approximate percentages of our total consolidated and combined revenues and total consolidated and combined segment income, respectively, for each of the last three years were as follows (dollars in thousands):

 

     Revenues     Segment Income  
     Amount      Percent of
Consolidated
    Amount      Percent of
Consolidated
 

Year ended December 31, 2010

   $ 539,548         20   $ 92,351         33

Year ended December 31, 2009

   $ 483,408         17   $ 72,311         23

Year ended December 31, 2008

   $ 526,080         15   $ 72,197         15

For additional information on the geographic distribution of our revenues, see Note 17 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report.

Customers

We provide our products and services to a diverse customer base, including utilities and other power producers, businesses in various process industries, such as pulp and paper mills, petrochemical plants, oil refineries and steel mills and the U.S. Government. Our five largest customers, as a percentage of our total consolidated and combined revenues, during the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 were as follows:

 

Year Ended December 31, 2010:

  

U. S. Government

     39

American Electric Power Company, Inc.

     7

First Energy Corp.

     3

Bruce Power, L.P.

     3

Palm Beach Energy Authority

     2

Year Ended December 31, 2009:

  

U. S. Government

     33

American Electric Power Company, Inc.

     6

First Energy Corp.

     3

Bruce Power, L.P.

     3

United States Enrichment Corporation

     2

The U.S. Government is the primary customer of our Government Operations segment, comprising 97% and 92% of segment revenues for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Our non-U.S. Government customers that account for a significant portion of revenues in one year may represent an immaterial portion of revenues in subsequent years.

Raw Materials and Suppliers

Our operations use raw materials, such as carbon and alloy steels in various forms and components and accessories for assembly, which are available from numerous sources. We generally purchase these raw materials and components as needed for individual contracts. Our Power Generation Systems segment does not depend on a single source of supply for any significant raw materials. Our Government Operations segment relies on several

 

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single-source suppliers for materials used in its products. We believe these suppliers are viable, and we and the U.S. Government expend significant effort to maintain the supplier base for our Government Operations segment.

Although shortages of some raw materials have existed from time to time, no serious shortage exists at the present time.

Employees

At December 31, 2010, we employed approximately 12,000 persons worldwide, not including approximately 10,000 joint venture employees. Approximately 3,600 of our employees were members of labor unions at December 31, 2010. Many of our operations are subject to union contracts, which we customarily renew periodically. We consider our relationships with our employees to be satisfactory.

Patents and Licenses

We currently hold a large number of U.S. and foreign patents and have patent applications pending. We have acquired patents and technology licenses and granted technology licenses to others when we have considered it advantageous for us to do so. Although in the aggregate our patents and licenses are important to us, we do not regard any single patent or license or group of related patents or licenses as critical or essential to our business as a whole. In general, we depend on our technological capabilities and the application of know-how, rather than patents and licenses, in the conduct of our various businesses.

Research and Development Activities

Our principal research and development activities are managed at our research and development facility in Barberton, Ohio and are conducted primarily in Barberton, Ohio and Lynchburg, Virginia, and at our various manufacturing plants and engineering and design offices. Our Barberton facility is a world-class institution for the advancement and development of energy conversion and combustion systems, environmental emissions control processes, materials selection and manufacturing technologies for the power generation industry. Our research and development activities are related to the development and improvement of new and existing products and equipment, as well as conceptual and engineering evaluation for translation into practical applications. We charge to research and development cost the costs of research and development unrelated to specific contracts as incurred. Substantially all of these costs are in our Power Generation Systems segment and include costs related to the development of carbon capture and sequestration (“CCS”) technology and our modular nuclear reactor business, B&W mPowerTM. Research and development activities totaled $102.1 million, $78.3 million and $56.2 million in the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, which include amounts paid for by our customers of $32.9 million, $25.1 million and $17.7 million, respectively. We expect to continue significant spending on research and development projects, as we continue development of our CCS technology and the B&W mPowerTM reactor technology and other commercial nuclear development projects. Contractual arrangements for customer-sponsored research and development can vary on a case-by-case basis and include contracts, cooperative agreements and grants.

Hazard Risks and Insurance

Our operations present risks of injury to or death of people, loss of or damage to property, and damage to the environment. We have created loss control systems to assist us in the identification and treatment of the hazard risks presented by our operations, and we endeavor to make sure these systems are effective.

As loss control measures will not always be successful, we seek to establish various means of funding losses and liability related to incidents or occurrences. We primarily seek to do this through contractual protections, including waivers of consequential damages, indemnities, caps on liability, liquidated damage provisions, and access to the insurance of other parties. We also procure insurance, operate our own captive insurance company and/or establish funded or unfunded reserves. However, none of these methods will eliminate all risks.

 

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Depending on competitive conditions, the nature of the work, industry custom and other factors, we may not be successful in obtaining adequate contractual protection from our customers and other parties against losses and liabilities arising out of or related to the performance of our work. The scope of the protection may be limited, may be subject to conditions and may not be supported by adequate insurance or other means of financing. In addition, we sometimes have difficulty enforcing our contractual rights with others following a material loss.

Similarly, insurance for certain potential losses or liabilities may not be available or may only be available at a cost or on terms we consider not to be economical. Insurers frequently react to market losses by ceasing to write or severely limiting coverage for certain exposures. Risks that we have frequently found difficult to cost-effectively insure against include, but are not limited to, business interruption, property losses from wind, flood and earthquake events, nuclear hazards, war and confiscation or seizure of property in some areas of the world, pollution liability, liabilities related to occupational health exposures (including asbestos), liability related to our executives participating in the management of certain outside entities, professional liability/errors and omissions coverage, the failure or unavailability of our information systems, and liability related to risk of loss of our work in progress and customer-owned materials in our care, custody and control. In cases where we place insurance, we are subject to the credit worthiness of the relevant insurer(s), the available limits of the coverage, our retention under the relevant policy, exclusions in the policy and gaps in coverage.

Our operations in designing, engineering, manufacturing, constructing and servicing nuclear power equipment and components for our commercial nuclear utility customers, subject us to various risks, including, without limitation, damage to our customer’s property and third party claims for personal injury, death and property damage. To protect against liability for damage to a customer’s property, we endeavor to obtain waivers of liability and subrogation from the customer and its insurer and are usually named as an additional insured under the utility customer’s nuclear property policy. We also attempt to cap our overall liability in our contracts. To protect against liability from claims brought by third parties, we are insured under the utility customer’s nuclear liability policies and have the benefit of the indemnity and limitation of any applicable liability provision of the Price-Anderson Act. The Price-Anderson Act limits the public liability of manufacturers and operators of licensed nuclear facilities and other parties who may be liable in respect of, and indemnifies them against, all claims in excess of a certain amount. This amount is determined by the sum of commercially available liability insurance plus certain retrospective premium assessments payable by operators of commercial nuclear reactors. For those sites where we provide environmental remediation services, we seek the same protection from our customers as we do for our other nuclear activities. The Price-Anderson Act, as amended, includes a sunset provision and requires renewal each time that it expires. Contracts that were entered into during a period of time that Price-Anderson was in full force and effect continue to receive the benefit of the Price-Anderson Act’s nuclear indemnity. The Price-Anderson Act is set to expire on December 31, 2025. We also provide nuclear fabrication and other services to the nuclear power industry in Canada. Canada’s Nuclear Liability Act generally conforms to international conventions and is conceptually similar to the Price-Anderson Act in the United States. Accordingly, indemnification protections and the possibility of exclusions under Canada’s Nuclear Liability Act are similar to those under the Price-Anderson Act in the United States.

Although we do not own or operate any nuclear reactors, we have some coverage under commercially available nuclear liability and property insurance for our facilities that are currently licensed to possess special nuclear materials. Substantially all of our Government Operations segment contracts involving nuclear materials are covered by and subject to the nuclear indemnity provisions of either the Price-Anderson Act or Public Law 85-804 which, among other things, authorizes the DOE to indemnify certain contractors when such acts would facilitate national defense. However, to the extent the value of the nuclear materials in our care, custody or control exceeds the commercially available limits of our insurance, we potentially have underinsured risk of loss for such nuclear material.

Our Government Operations segment participates in the management and operation of various U.S. Government facilities. This participation is customarily accomplished through the participation in joint ventures

 

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with other contractors for any given facility. These activities involve, among other things, handling nuclear devices and their components from the aging stockpile of the U.S. Government. Insurable liabilities arising from these sites are rarely protected by our or our partners’ corporate insurance programs. Instead, we rely on government contractual agreements, insurance purchased specifically for a site and certain specialized self-insurance programs funded by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government has historically fulfilled its contractual agreement to reimburse its contractors for covered claims, and we expect it to continue this process during our participation in the administration of these facilities. However, in most of these situations in which the U.S. Government is contractually obligated to pay, the payment obligation is subject to the availability of authorized government funds. The reimbursement obligation of the U.S. Government is also conditional, and provisions of the relevant contract or applicable law may preclude reimbursement.

Our wholly owned captive insurance subsidiary provides workers’ compensation, employer’s liability, commercial general liability and automotive liability insurance to support our operations. We may also have business reasons in the future to have our insurance subsidiary accept other risks which we cannot or do not wish to transfer to outside insurance companies. These risks may be considerable in any given year or cumulatively. Our insurance subsidiary has not provided significant amounts of insurance to unrelated parties. Claims as a result of our operations could adversely impact the ability of our insurance subsidiary to respond to all claims presented.

Additionally, upon the February 22, 2006 effectiveness of the settlement relating to the Chapter 11 proceedings involving several of our subsidiaries, most of our subsidiaries contributed substantial insurance rights to the asbestos personal injury trust, including rights to (1) certain pre-1979 primary and excess insurance coverages and (2) certain of our 1979-1986 excess insurance coverage. These insurance rights provided coverage for, among other things, asbestos and other personal injury claims, subject to the terms and conditions of the policies. The contribution of these insurance rights was made in exchange for the agreement on the part of the representatives of the asbestos claimants, including the representative of future claimants, to the entry of a permanent injunction, pursuant to Section 524(g) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, to channel to the asbestos trust all asbestos-related claims against our subsidiaries and former subsidiaries arising out of, resulting from or attributable to their operations, and the implementation of related releases and indemnification provisions protecting those subsidiaries and their affiliates from future liability for such claims. Although we are not aware of any significant, unresolved claims against our subsidiaries and former subsidiaries that are not subject to the channeling injunction and that relate to the periods during which such excess insurance coverage related, with the contribution of these insurance rights to the asbestos personal injury trust, it is possible that we could have underinsured or uninsured exposure for non-derivative asbestos claims or other personal injury or other claims that would have been insured under these coverages had the insurance rights not been contributed to the asbestos personal injury trust.

Governmental Regulations and Environmental Matters

General

Many aspects of our operations and properties are affected by political developments and are subject to both domestic and foreign governmental regulations, including those relating to:

 

   

constructing and equipping electric power and other industrial facilities;

 

   

possessing and processing special nuclear materials;

 

   

workplace health and safety;

 

   

currency conversions and repatriation;

 

   

taxation of foreign earnings and earnings of expatriate personnel; and

 

   

protecting the environment.

 

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We are required by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to obtain certain permits, licenses and certificates with respect to our operations. The kinds of permits, licenses and certificates required in our operations depend upon a number of factors.

We cannot determine the extent to which new legislation, new regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations may affect our future operations.

Environmental

Our operations and properties are subject to a wide variety of increasingly complex and stringent foreign, federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those governing discharges into the air and water, the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, the remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated by hazardous substances and the health and safety of employees. Sanctions for noncompliance may include revocation of permits, corrective action orders, administrative or civil penalties and criminal prosecution. Some environmental laws provide for strict, joint and several liability for remediation of spills and other releases of hazardous substances, as well as damage to natural resources. In addition, companies may be subject to claims alleging personal injury or property damage as a result of alleged exposure to hazardous substances. Such laws and regulations may also expose us to liability for the conduct of or conditions caused by others or for our acts that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time such acts were performed.

These laws and regulations include the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (“CERCLA”), the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and similar laws that provide for responses to, and liability for, releases of hazardous substances into the environment. These laws and regulations also include similar foreign, state or local counterparts to these federal laws, which regulate air emissions, water discharges, hazardous substances and waste and require public disclosure related to the use of various hazardous substances. Our operations are also governed by laws and regulations relating to workplace safety and worker health, including the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations promulgated thereunder.

We are currently in the process of investigating and remediating some of our former operating sites. Although we have recorded reserves in connection with certain of these matters, due to the uncertainties associated with environmental remediation, we cannot assure you that the actual costs resulting from these remediation matters will not exceed the recorded reserves.

Our compliance with U.S. federal, state and local environmental control and protection regulations resulted in pretax charges of approximately $13.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2010. In addition, compliance with existing environmental regulations necessitated capital expenditures of $0.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2010. We expect to spend another $6.0 million on such capital expenditures over the next five years. We cannot predict all of the environmental requirements or circumstances that will exist in the future but anticipate that environmental control and protection standards will become increasingly stringent and costly. Based on our experience to date, we do not currently anticipate any material adverse effect on our business or consolidated financial condition as a result of future compliance with existing environmental laws and regulations. However, future events, such as changes in existing laws and regulations or their interpretation, more vigorous enforcement policies of regulatory agencies or stricter or different interpretations of existing laws and regulations, may require additional expenditures by us, which may be material. Accordingly, we can provide no assurance that we will not incur significant environmental compliance costs in the future.

We have been identified as a potentially responsible party at various cleanup sites under CERCLA. CERCLA and other environmental laws can impose liability for the entire cost of cleanup on any of the potentially responsible parties, regardless of fault or the lawfulness of the original conduct. Generally, however, where there are multiple responsible parties, a final allocation of costs is made based on the amount and type of wastes disposed of by each party and the number of financially viable parties, although this may not be the case with respect to any particular site. We have not been determined to be a major contributor of wastes to any of

 

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these sites. On the basis of our relative contribution of waste to each site, we expect our share of the ultimate liability for the various sites will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in any given year.

Environmental remediation projects have been and continue to be undertaken at certain of our current and former plant sites. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 1995, one of our subsidiaries decided to close its nuclear manufacturing facilities in Parks Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania (the “Parks Facilities”) and proceeded to decommission the facilities in accordance with its then-existing license from the NRC. The facilities were subsequently transferred to another subsidiary of ours in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, and, during the fiscal year ended March 31, 1999, that subsidiary reached an agreement with the NRC on a plan that provided for the completion of facilities dismantlement and soil restoration by 2001 and license termination in 2003. An application to terminate the NRC license for the Parks Township facility was filed, and the NRC terminated the license in 2004 and released the facility for unrestricted use. For a discussion of certain civil litigation we are involved in concerning the Parks Facilities, see Note 10 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report.

We perform significant amounts of work for the U.S. Government under both prime contracts and subcontracts and operate certain facilities that are licensed to possess and process special nuclear materials. As a result of these activities, we are subject to continuing reviews by governmental agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) and the NRC.

The NRC’s decommissioning regulations require our Government Operations segment to provide financial assurance that it will be able to pay the expected cost of decommissioning each of its facilities at the end of its service life. We provided financial assurance aggregating $41.5 million during the year ending December 31, 2010 with existing letters of credit for the ultimate decommissioning of all of these licensed facilities, except two. These two facilities, which represent the largest portion of our eventual decommissioning costs, have provisions in their government contracts pursuant to which substantially all of our decommissioning costs and financial assurance obligations are covered by the DOE, including the costs to complete the decommissioning projects underway at the Erwin facility.

The demand for power generation services and products can be influenced by state and federal governmental legislation setting requirements for utilities related to operations, emissions and environmental impacts. The legislative process is unpredictable and includes a platform that continuously seeks to increase the restrictions on power producers. Potential legislation limiting emissions from power plants, including carbon dioxide, could affect our markets and the demand for our products and services in our Power Generation Systems segment.

At December 31, 2010 and 2009, we had total environmental reserves, including provisions for the facilities discussed above, of $43.5 million and $50.3 million, respectively. Of our total environmental reserves at December 31, 2010 and 2009, $2.7 million and $2.5 million, respectively, were included in current liabilities. Inherent in the estimates of those reserves and recoveries are our expectations regarding the levels of contamination, decommissioning costs and recoverability from other parties, which may vary significantly as decommissioning activities progress. Accordingly, changes in estimates could result in material adjustments to our operating results, and the ultimate loss may differ materially from the amounts we have provided for in our consolidated and combined financial statements.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

We are including the following discussion to inform our existing and potential security holders generally of some of the risks and uncertainties that can affect our company and to take advantage of the “safe harbor” protection for forward-looking statements that applicable federal securities law affords.

From time to time, our management or persons acting on our behalf make forward-looking statements to inform existing and potential security holders about our company. These statements may include projections and

 

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estimates concerning the timing and success of specific projects and our future backlog, revenues, income and capital spending. Forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by words such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “seek”, “goal”, “could”, “may”, or “should” or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. In addition, sometimes we will specifically describe a statement as being a forward-looking statement and refer to this cautionary statement.

In addition, various statements in this annual report on Form 10-K, including those that express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Those forward-looking statements appear in Item 1 – “Business” and Item 3 – “Legal Proceedings” in Part I of this report and in Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in the notes to our consolidated and combined financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this report and elsewhere in this report.

These forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to, or statements that are subject to risks, contingencies or uncertainties that relate to:

 

   

our business strategies;

 

   

future levels of revenues, operating margins, income from operations, net income or earnings per share;

 

   

anticipated levels of demand for our products and services;

 

   

future levels of capital, environmental or maintenance expenditures;

 

   

our beliefs regarding the timing and effects on our businesses of certain environmental legislation, rules or regulations;

 

   

the success or timing of completion of ongoing or anticipated capital or maintenance projects;

 

   

expectations regarding the acquisition or divestiture of assets and businesses;

 

   

our ability to obtain surety bonding capacity;

 

   

our ability to obtain appropriate insurance and indemnities;

 

   

timing for bringing the remaining operations of Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. back online;

 

   

the potential effects of judicial or other proceedings on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows; and

 

   

the anticipated effects of actions of third parties such as competitors, or federal, foreign, state or local regulatory authorities, or plaintiffs in litigation.

We have based our forward-looking statements on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industries and our company. We caution that these statements are not guarantees of future performance and you should not rely unduly on them, as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that we cannot predict. In addition, we have based many of these forward-looking statements on assumptions about future events that may prove to be inaccurate. While our management considers these assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, our actual results may differ materially from the future performance that we have expressed or forecast in our forward-looking statements. Differences between actual results and any future performance suggested in our forward-looking statements could result from a variety of factors, including the following:

 

   

general economic and business conditions and industry trends;

 

   

general developments in the industries in which we are involved;

 

   

decisions on spending by the U.S. Government and electric power generating companies;

 

   

the highly competitive nature of our businesses;

 

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cancellations of and adjustments to backlog and the resulting impact from using backlog as an indicator of future earnings;

 

   

our ability to perform projects on time, in accordance with the schedules established by the applicable contracts with customers;

 

   

the ability of our suppliers to deliver raw materials in sufficient quantities and in a timely manner;

 

   

volatility and uncertainty of the credit markets;

 

   

our ability to comply with covenants in our credit agreement and other debt instruments and availability, terms and deployment of capital;

 

   

the impact of our unfunded pension liabilities on liquidity, and our ability to fund such liabilities in the future, including our ability to continue being reimbursed by the U.S. Government for a portion of our pension funding obligations, which is contingent on maintaining our government contracts;

 

   

the continued availability of qualified personnel;

 

   

the operating risks normally incident to our lines of business, including the potential impact of liquidated damages;

 

   

changes in, or our failure or inability to comply with, government regulations;

 

   

adverse outcomes from legal and regulatory proceedings;

 

   

the impact of potential regional, national and/or global requirements to significantly limit or reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions in the future;

 

   

changes in, and liabilities relating to, existing or future environmental regulatory matters;

 

   

rapid technological changes;

 

   

the realization of deferred tax assets;

 

   

the consequences of significant changes in interest rates and currency exchange rates;

 

   

our ability to realize expected benefits from the spin-off;

 

   

a determination by the IRS that the spin-off or certain related transactions should be treated as a taxable transaction;

 

   

our different capital structure as an independent company, including our access to capital, credit ratings, debt and ability to raise additional financing;

 

   

difficulties we may encounter in obtaining regulatory or other necessary approvals of any strategic transactions;

 

   

the risks associated with integrating acquired businesses;

 

   

the risk we might not be successful in updating and replacing current key financial and human resources legacy systems with enterprise systems;

 

   

social, political and economic situations in foreign countries where we do business;

 

   

the possibilities of war, other armed conflicts or terrorist attacks;

 

   

the effects of asserted and unasserted claims;

 

   

our ability to obtain surety bonds, letters of credit and financing;

 

   

our ability to maintain builder’s risk, liability, property and other insurance in amounts and on terms we consider adequate and at rates that we consider economical;

 

   

our ability to successfully develop competitive new technologies and products;

 

   

the aggregated risks retained in our captive insurance subsidiary; and

 

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the impact of the loss of insurance rights as part of the final settlement in 2006 of the Chapter 11 proceedings involving several of our subsidiaries.

We believe the items we have outlined above are important factors that could cause estimates in our financial statements to differ materially from actual results and those expressed in a forward-looking statement made in this report or elsewhere by us or on our behalf. We have discussed many of these factors in more detail elsewhere in this report. These factors are not necessarily all the factors that could affect us. Unpredictable or unanticipated factors we have not discussed in this report could also have material adverse effects on actual results of matters that are the subject of our forward-looking statements. We do not intend to update our description of important factors each time a potential important factor arises, except as required by applicable securities laws and regulations. We advise our security holders that they should (1) be aware that factors not referred to above could affect the accuracy of our forward-looking statements and (2) use caution and common sense when considering our forward-looking statements.

Available Information

Our website address is www.babcock.com. We make available through the Investor Relations section of this website under “SEC Filings,” free of charge, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, statements of beneficial ownership of securities on Forms 3, 4 and 5 and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file those materials with, or furnish those materials to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information regarding the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. We have also posted on our website our: Corporate Governance Principles; Code of Ethics for our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers; Board of Directors Conflicts of Interest Policies and Procedures; Management, Board Members and Contact Information; By-laws; and charters for the Audit & Finance, Governance, Compensation and Safety & Security Committees of our Board.

 

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

Risk Factors Related to Our Business

We derive substantial revenues from electric power generating companies and other steam-using industries, with demand for our products and services depending on capital expenditures in these historically cyclical industries. Additionally, recent legislative and regulatory developments relating to greenhouse gas emissions are impacting plans for new coal-fired power plants within the United States.

The demand for power generation products and services depends primarily on the capital expenditures of electric power generating companies, paper companies and other steam-using industries. These capital expenditures are influenced by such factors as:

 

   

prices for electricity, along with the cost of production and distribution;

 

   

prices for natural resources such as coal and natural gas;

 

   

demand for electricity, paper and other end products of steam-generating facilities;

 

   

availability of other sources of electricity, paper or other end products;

 

   

requirements of environmental legislation and regulation, including potential requirements applicable to carbon dioxide emissions;

 

   

levels of capacity utilization at operating power plants, paper mills and other steam-using facilities;

 

   

requirements for maintenance and upkeep at operating power plants and paper mills to combat the accumulated effects of wear and tear;

 

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ability of electric generating companies and other steam users to raise capital; and

 

   

total costs of electricity production using boilers compared to total costs using gas turbines and other alternative forms of generation.

A material decline in capital expenditures by electric power generating companies, paper companies and other steam-using industries over a sustained period of time could materially and adversely affect the demand for our power generation products and services and, therefore, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. U.S. coal-fired power plants have been scrutinized by environmental groups and government regulators over the emissions of potentially harmful pollutants. The recent economic environment and uncertainty concerning new environmental legislation or replacement rules or regulations has caused many of our major customers, principally electric utilities, to delay making substantial capital expenditures for new plants, as well as upgrades to existing power plants. In addition, considerations surrounding greenhouse gas limits under consideration by the U.S. Congress and the EPA have delayed the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the United States. We continue to believe the EPA will revise the rules and regulations throughout 2011. We cannot predict the ultimate impact that legislative and regulatory developments in this area will have on the overall demand for our products and services.

We rely on U.S. Government contracts for a large percentage of our revenue, and some of those contracts are subject to continued appropriations by Congress and may be terminated or delayed if future funding is not made available. In addition, the U.S. Government may not renew or seek to modify our existing contracts.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, we relied on U.S. Government contracts for approximately 39% of our revenue. Government contracts are subject to various uncertainties, restrictions and regulations, including oversight audits, which could result in withholding or delaying of payments to us. In addition, some of our large, multi-year contracts with the U.S. Government are subject to annual funding determinations and the continuing availability of Congressional appropriations. Although multi-year operations may be planned in connection with major procurements, Congress generally appropriates funds on a fiscal-year basis even though a program may continue for several years. Consequently, programs often are only partially funded initially, and additional funds are committed only as Congress makes further appropriations. As a result, we are subject to ongoing uncertainties associated with U.S. Government budget restraints and other factors affecting government funding.

The U.S. Government typically can terminate or modify any of its contracts with us either for its convenience or if we default by failing to perform under the terms of the applicable contract. A termination arising out of our default could expose us to liability and have an adverse effect on our ability to compete for future contracts and orders. If any of our contracts reflected in backlog are terminated by the U.S. Government, our backlog would be reduced by the expected value of the remaining work under such contracts. In addition, on those contracts for which we are teamed with others and are not the prime contractor, the U.S. Government could terminate a prime contract under which we are a subcontractor, irrespective of the quality of our products and services as a subcontractor. The reduction or termination of funding, or changes in the timing of funding, for a U.S. Government program in which we provide products or services would result in a reduction or loss of anticipated future revenues attributable to that program and could have a negative impact on our results of operations.

We also have several significant contracts with the U.S. Government that are subject to periodic renewal and rebidding through a competitive process. If the U.S. Government fails to renew these contracts, our results of operations and cash flows would be adversely affected.

As a result of these and other factors, the termination of one or more of our significant government contracts, our suspension from government contract work, the failure of the U.S. Government to renew our existing contracts or the disallowance of the payment of our contract costs could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

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Demand for our products and services is vulnerable to economic downturns and reductions in private sector and government spending.

Demand for our products and services has been, and we expect that demand will continue to be, subject to significant fluctuations due to a variety of factors beyond our control, including economic and industry conditions. The global economic downturn that began in 2008 continued throughout 2009 and into 2010. Since 2008, concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit and other market factors have contributed to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the global economy and expectations of slower global economic growth for the foreseeable future. Volatile oil prices, low business and consumer confidence and high unemployment have accompanied the global economic downturn.

As a result of the economic downturn, some of our customers have delayed, curtailed or cancelled proposed and existing projects and may continue to do so, thus decreasing the overall demand for our products and services and adversely affecting our results of operations. We have experienced delays or deferrals of proposed projects. For example, for the year ended December 31, 2010, our Power Generation Systems segment experienced a 12% decline in revenues compared to 2009. It is possible that our Power Generation Systems segment will continue to face challenges in 2011.

In addition, our Government Operations segment depends on U.S. Government funding, particularly funding levels at the DOE. Significant changes in the level of funding (for example, the annual budget of the DOE) or specifically mandated levels for individual programs that are important to our business could have an unfavorable impact on us. In addition, if Congress does not pass annual appropriations bills in a timely fashion, spending delays under our U.S. Government contracts may result. Any reduction in the level of U.S. Government funding, particularly at the DOE, may result in, among other things, a reduction in the number and scope of projects put out for bid by the U.S. Government or the curtailment of existing U.S. Government programs, either of which may result in a reduction in the number of contract award opportunities available to us, a reduction of activities at DOE sites and an increase in costs, including the costs of obtaining contract awards.

In addition, our customers may find it more difficult to raise capital in the future due to limitations on the availability of credit, increases in interest rates and other factors affecting the federal, municipal and corporate credit markets. Also, our customers may demand more favorable pricing terms and find it increasingly difficult to timely pay invoices for our services, which would impact our future cash flows and liquidity. Inflation or significant changes in interest rates could reduce the demand for our products and services. Any inability to timely collect our invoices may lead to an increase in our accounts receivables and potentially to increased write-offs of uncollectible invoices. If the economy weakens, or customer spending declines, then our backlog, revenues, net income and overall financial condition could deteriorate.

Our backlog is subject to unexpected adjustments and cancellations.

There can be no assurance that the revenues projected in our backlog will be realized or, if realized, will result in profits. Because of project cancellations or changes in project scope and schedule, we cannot predict with certainty when or if backlog will be performed. In addition, even where a project proceeds as scheduled, it is possible that contracted parties may default and fail to pay amounts owed to us or poor project performance could increase the cost associated with a project. Delays, suspensions, cancellations, payment defaults, scope changes and poor project execution could materially reduce or eliminate the revenues and profits that we actually realize from projects in backlog.

Reductions in our backlog due to cancellation or modification by a customer or for other reasons may adversely affect, potentially to a material extent, the revenues and earnings we actually receive from contracts included in our backlog. Many of the contracts in our backlog provide for cancellation fees in the event customers cancel projects. These cancellation fees usually provide for reimbursement of our out-of-pocket costs, revenues for work performed prior to cancellation and a varying percentage of the profits we would have realized had the contract been completed. However, we typically have no contractual right upon cancellation to the total

 

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revenues reflected in our backlog. Projects may remain in our backlog for extended periods of time. If we experience significant project terminations, suspensions or scope adjustments to contracts reflected in our backlog, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be adversely impacted.

We are subject to risks associated with contractual pricing in our industries, including the risk that, if our actual costs exceed the costs we estimate on our fixed-price contracts, our profitability will decline, and we may suffer losses.

We are engaged in highly competitive industries, and we have priced a substantial number of our projects on a fixed-price basis. Our actual costs could exceed our projections. We attempt to cover the increased costs of anticipated changes in labor, material and service costs of long-term contracts, either through estimates of cost increases, which are reflected in the original contract price, or through price escalation clauses. Despite these attempts, however, the cost and gross profit we realize on a fixed-price contract could vary materially from the estimated amounts because of supplier, contractor and subcontractor performance, changes in job conditions, variations in labor and equipment productivity and increases in the cost of labor and raw materials, particularly steel, over the term of the contract. These variations and the risks generally inherent in our industries may result in actual revenues or costs being different from those we originally estimated and may result in reduced profitability or losses on projects. Some of these risks include:

 

   

difficulties encountered on our large-scale projects related to the procurement of materials or due to schedule disruptions, equipment performance failures or other factors that may result in additional costs to us, reductions in revenue, claims or disputes;

 

   

our inability to obtain compensation for additional work we perform or expenses we incur as a result of customer change orders or our customers providing deficient design or engineering information or equipment or materials;

 

   

requirements to pay liquidated damages upon our failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of our contracts; and

 

   

difficulties in engaging third-party subcontractors, equipment manufacturers or materials suppliers or failures by third-party subcontractors, equipment manufacturers or materials suppliers to perform could result in project delays and cause us to incur additional costs.

Our use of percentage-of-completion method of accounting could result in volatility in our results of operations.

We recognize revenues and profits under our long-term contracts on a percentage-of-completion basis. Accordingly, we review contract price and cost estimates periodically as the work progresses and reflect adjustments proportionate to the percentage of completion in income in the period when we revise those estimates. To the extent these adjustments result in a reduction or an elimination of previously reported profits with respect to a project, we would recognize a charge against current earnings, which could be material. Our current estimates of our contract costs and the profitability of our long-term projects, although reasonably reliable when made, could change as a result of the uncertainties associated with these types of contracts, and if adjustments to overall contract costs are significant, the reductions or reversals of previously recorded revenue and profits could be material in future periods.

Maintaining adequate bonding and letter of credit capacity is necessary for us to successfully bid on and win various contracts.

In line with industry practice, we are often required to post standby letters of credit and surety bonds to support contractual obligations to customers as well as other obligations. These letters of credit and bonds generally indemnify customers should we fail to perform our obligations under the applicable contracts. If a letter of credit or bond is required for a particular project and we are unable to obtain it due to insufficient liquidity or other reasons, we will not be able to pursue that project. We utilize bonding facilities, but, as is typically the case,

 

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the issuance of bonds under each of those facilities is at the surety’s sole discretion. In addition, we have limited capacity under our credit facility for letters of credit. Moreover, due to events that affect the insurance and bonding and credit markets generally, bonding and letters of credit may be more difficult to obtain in the future or may only be available at significant additional cost. There can be no assurance that letters of credit or bonds will continue to be available to us on reasonable terms. Our inability to obtain adequate letters of credit and bonding and, as a result, to bid on new work could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As of December 31, 2010, we had $259.0 million in letters of credit and bank guarantees, and $155.1 million in surety bonds outstanding.

Volatility and uncertainty of the credit markets may negatively impact our ability to obtain financing.

We intend to finance our existing operations and initiatives with cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations, and potential borrowings, including under our revolving credit facility. In the past several years, the credit markets and the financial services industry have been experiencing a period of unprecedented turmoil and upheaval characterized by the bankruptcy, failure, collapse or sale of various financial institutions and an unprecedented level of intervention from the U.S. federal government. These circumstances and events have led to a scarcity of credit, tighter lending standards and higher interest rates on loans. While we believe the credit markets are improving, if adverse national and international economic conditions develop, it is possible that we may not be able to fully draw upon our revolving credit facility and we may not be able to obtain financing on favorable terms.

Our debt obligations and credit facility could restrict our operations.

The terms of our credit agreement impose various restrictions and covenants on us that could have adverse consequences, including:

 

   

limiting our ability to react to changing economic, regulatory and industry conditions;

 

   

limiting our ability to compete and our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry;

 

   

limiting our ability to invest in joint ventures;

 

   

limiting our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders; and

 

   

limiting our ability to borrow additional funds.

Our business strategy includes acquisitions to support our growth. Acquisitions of other businesses can create certain risks and uncertainties.

We intend to pursue growth through the acquisition of businesses or assets that we believe will enable us to strengthen our existing businesses and expand into new industries and regions. We may be unable to continue this growth strategy if we cannot identify suitable businesses or assets, reach agreement on potential strategic acquisitions on acceptable terms or for other reasons. Moreover, business acquisitions involve certain risks, including:

 

   

difficulties relating to the assimilation of personnel, services and systems of an acquired business and the assimilation of marketing and other operational capabilities;

 

   

challenges resulting from unanticipated changes in customer relationships subsequent to acquisition;

 

   

additional financial and accounting challenges and complexities in areas such as tax planning, treasury management, financial reporting and internal controls;

 

   

assumption of liabilities of an acquired business, including liabilities that were unknown at the time the acquisition transaction was negotiated;

 

   

diversion of management’s attention from day-to-day operations;

 

   

failure to realize anticipated benefits, such as cost savings and revenue enhancements;

 

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potentially substantial transaction costs associated with business combinations; and

 

   

potential impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets resulting from the overpayment for an acquisition.

Acquisitions may be funded by the issuance of additional equity or debt financing, which may not be available on attractive terms. Moreover, to the extent an acquisition transaction financed by non-equity consideration results in goodwill, it will reduce our tangible net worth, which might have an adverse effect on potential credit and bonding capacity.

Additionally, an acquisition may bring us into businesses we have not previously conducted and expose us to additional business risks that are different than those we have historically experienced.

Our business strategy also includes development and commercialization of new technologies to support our growth, which requires significant investment and involves various risks and uncertainties.

Our future growth will depend on our ability to continue to innovate by developing and commercializing new product and service offerings. Investments in new technologies involve varying degrees of uncertainties and risk. Commercial success depends on many factors, including the levels of innovation, the development costs and the availability of capital resources to fund those costs, the levels of competition from others developing similar or other competing technologies, our ability to obtain or maintain government permits or certifications, the effectiveness of production, distribution and marketing efforts, and the costs to customers to deploy and provide support for the new technologies. We may not achieve significant revenue from new product and service investments for a number of years, if at all. Moreover, new products and services may not be profitable, and, even if they are profitable, our operating margins from new products and services may not be as high as the margins we have experienced historically. In addition, new technologies may not be patentable and, as a result, we may face increased competition.

Among our opportunities involving new technologies, we are developing the B&W mPower™ reactor, a small modular reactor designed with the flexibility to provide between 125 MW to 1,000 MW of electrical power generation (in increments of 125 MW), and the capability to operate for a four- to five-year cycle without refueling. The development, general and administrative and capital costs to develop and commercialize this technology will require a substantial amount of investment over a period of years. We expect that funding will be authorized at major milestones based on measurable and demonstrated progress, and the funding requirements may vary significantly from period to period. We intend to continue with our plan to seek third-party funding and/or participation to pursue the development and commercialization of this technology; however, we can provide no assurance that such third-party funding or participation will be provided or that, if provided, it will be sufficient. Commercialization of this technology will require certification from the NRC, which we intend to seek in time to begin deploying this technology as early as 2020. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in addressing all the technological challenges to developing and commercializing this technology or in obtaining the required NRC certification. Furthermore, while there currently are various small reactor competitors with limited capability, the potential exists for other competitors to emerge with competing technologies, in some cases with funding readily available, and we can provide no assurance that those competitors will not develop and commercialize similar or superior technologies sooner than we can or at a significant cost or price advantage.

Our operations are subject to operating risks, which could expose us to potentially significant professional liability, product liability, warranty and other claims. Our insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover all of our significant risks or our insurers may deny coverage of material losses we incur, which could adversely affect our profitability and overall financial condition.

We engineer, construct and perform services in large industrial facilities where accidents or system failures can have significant consequences. Risks inherent in our operations include:

 

   

accidents resulting in injury or the loss of life or property;

 

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environmental or toxic tort claims, including delayed manifestation claims for personal injury or loss of life;

 

   

pollution or other environmental mishaps;

 

   

adverse weather conditions;

 

   

mechanical failures;

 

   

property losses;

 

   

business interruption due to political action in foreign countries or other reasons; and

 

   

labor stoppages.

Any accident or failure at a site where we have provided products or services could result in significant professional liability, product liability, warranty and other claims against us, regardless of whether our products or services caused the incident. We have been, and in the future we may be, named as defendants in lawsuits asserting large claims as a result of litigation arising from events such as those listed above.

We endeavor to identify and obtain in established markets insurance agreements to cover significant risks and liabilities. Insurance against some of the risks inherent in our operations is either unavailable or available only at rates or on terms that we consider uneconomical. Also, catastrophic events customarily result in decreased coverage limits, more limited coverage, additional exclusions in coverage, increased premium costs and increased deductibles and self-insured retentions. Risks that we have frequently found difficult to cost-effectively insure against include, but are not limited to, business interruption, property losses from wind, flood and earthquake events, nuclear hazards, war and confiscation or seizure of property in some areas of the world, pollution liability, liabilities related to occupational health exposures (including asbestos), professional liability/errors and omissions coverage, the failure, misuse or unavailability of our information systems, the failure of security measures designed to protect our information systems, and liability related to risk of loss of our work in progress and customer-owned materials in our care, custody and control. Depending on competitive conditions and other factors, we endeavor to obtain contractual protection against certain uninsured risks from our customers. When obtained, such contractual indemnification protection may not be as broad as we desire or may not be supported by adequate insurance maintained by the customer. Such insurance or contractual indemnity protection may not be sufficient or effective under all circumstances or against all hazards to which we may be subject. A successful claim for which we are not insured or for which we are underinsured could have a material adverse effect on us. Additionally, disputes with insurance carriers over coverage may affect the timing of cash flows and, if litigation with the carrier becomes necessary, an outcome unfavorable to us may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Through two limited liability companies, we are also involved in management and operating activities for the U.S. Government at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Pantex Plant facilities where we are the prime contractor. These activities involve, among other things, handling nuclear devices and their components from the aging stockpile of the U.S. Government. Most insurable liabilities arising from these sites are not protected in our corporate insurance program. Instead, we rely on government contractual agreements, some insurance purchased specifically for the sites and certain specialized self-insurance programs funded by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government has historically fulfilled its contractual agreement to reimburse for insurable claims, and we expect it to continue this process during our administration of these two facilities. However, it should be noted that, in most situations, the U.S. Government is contractually obligated to pay subject to the availability of authorized government funds. The reimbursement obligation of the U.S. Government is also conditional, and provisions of the relevant contract or applicable law may preclude reimbursement.

We have a captive insurance company subsidiary which provides us with various insurance coverages. Claims as a result of our operations could adversely impact the ability of our captive insurance company subsidiary to respond to all claims presented.

 

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Additionally, upon the February 22, 2006 effectiveness of the settlement relating to the Chapter 11 proceedings involving several of our subsidiaries, most of our subsidiaries contributed substantial insurance rights providing coverage for, among other things, asbestos and other personal injury claims, to an asbestos personal injury trust. With the contribution of these insurance rights to the asbestos personal injury trust, we may have underinsured or uninsured exposure for non-derivative asbestos claims or other personal injury or other claims that would have been insured under these coverages had the insurance rights not been contributed to the asbestos personal injury trust.

Our nuclear operations subject us to various environmental, regulatory, financial and other risks.

Our operations in designing, engineering, manufacturing, supplying, constructing and maintaining nuclear fuel and nuclear power equipment and components subject us to various risks, including:

 

   

potential liabilities relating to harmful effects on the environment and human health resulting from nuclear operations and the storage, handling and disposal of radioactive materials;

 

   

unplanned expenditures relating to maintenance, operation, security, upgrades and repairs required by the NRC;

 

   

limitations on the amounts and types of insurance commercially available to cover losses that might arise in connection with nuclear operations; and

 

   

potential liabilities arising out of a nuclear incident, whether or not it is within our control.

Our nuclear operations are subject to various safety-related requirements imposed by the U.S. Government, the DOE and the NRC. In the event of non-compliance, these agencies might increase regulatory oversight, impose fines or shut down our operations, depending upon the assessment of the severity of the situation. Revised security and safety requirements promulgated by these agencies could necessitate substantial capital and other expenditures.

In December 2009, we temporarily suspended the operations of NFS in consultation with the NRC following the occurrence of two separate incidents that we reported to the NRC in October and November 2009. The October 2009 incident involved the generation of excessive heat and a hazardous gas at a specialized cleaning station. The incident was caused by the processing of a small amount of uranium-aluminum material in nitric acid. This incident resulted in some damage to piping, but did not result in any injuries to personnel or offsite releases of chemical or radioactive material. The November 2009 incident involved a fire in a glove box enclosure. The incident was caused by a reaction between fluorine gas in a cylinder of uranium and the fiberglass backing of the teflon lining of a vent hose attached to the cylinder within the glovebox enclosure. This incident resulted in damage to a hose and a faceplate within the glovebox enclosure, but did not result in any injuries to personnel or offsite releases of chemical or radioactive material. Inspections conducted separately by the NRC, our existing nuclear liability underwriter and us revealed specific modifications necessary to improve NFS’s overall safety performance. The suspended operations included production operations, the commercial development line and the highly enriched uranium down-blending facility. The production operations were brought back on line through a phased restart, which we commenced in March 2010 following completion of a third-party review and NRC review of the modifications that were implemented. The production operations are now fully operational. We began bringing the highly enriched uranium downblending facility back on line, through a phased restart, in May 2010, and the facility is now fully operational. We expect to bring the commercial development line back on line during the third quarter of 2011. That line represented less than 0.5% of our combined revenues in 2009. The impact of the shutdown on operating income was approximately $10.0 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2010. There can be no assurance that we will not have to suspend our operations in the future to implement additional changes to enhance our safety controls and processes in order to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

 

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Limitations or modifications to indemnification regulations of the U.S. or foreign countries could adversely affect our business.

The Price-Anderson Act partially indemnifies the nuclear industry against liability arising from nuclear incidents in the United States, while ensuring compensation for the general public. The Price-Anderson Act comprehensively regulates the manufacture, use and storage of radioactive materials, while promoting the nuclear industry by offering broad indemnification to commercial nuclear power plant operators and DOE contractors. Because we provide nuclear fabrication and other services to the DOE relating to its nuclear devices facilities and other programs and the nuclear power industry in the ongoing maintenance and modifications of its nuclear power plants, including the manufacture of equipment and other components for use in such nuclear power plants, we may be entitled to some of the indemnification protections under the Price-Anderson Act against liability arising from nuclear incidents in the United States. The indemnification authority under the Price-Anderson Act was extended through December 2025 by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. We also provide nuclear fabrication and other services to the nuclear power industry in Canada. Canada’s Nuclear Liability Act generally conforms to international conventions and is conceptually similar to the Price-Anderson Act in the United States. Accordingly, indemnification protections and the possibility of exclusions under Canada’s Nuclear Liability Act are similar to those under the Price-Anderson Act in the United States.

The Price-Anderson Act’s indemnification provisions may not apply to all liabilities that we might incur while performing services as a contractor for the DOE and the nuclear power industry. If an incident or evacuation is not covered under the Price-Anderson Act’s indemnification provisions, we could be held liable for damages, regardless of fault, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In connection with the international transportation of toxic, hazardous and radioactive materials, it is possible for a claim to be asserted which may not fall within the indemnification provided by the Price-Anderson Act. If such indemnification authority is not applicable in the future, our business could be adversely affected if the owners and operators of nuclear power plants fail to retain our services in the absence of commercially adequate insurance and indemnification.

Moreover, because we manufacture nuclear components for the U.S. Government’s defense program, we may be entitled to some of the indemnification protections afforded by Public Law 85-804 for certain of our nuclear operations risks. Public Law 85-804 authorizes certain agencies of the U.S. Government, such as the DOE and the U.S. Department of Defense, to indemnify their contractors against unusually hazardous or nuclear risks when such action would facilitate the national defense. However, because the indemnification protections afforded by Public Law 85-804 are granted on a discretionary basis, situations could arise where the U.S. Government elects not to offer such protections. In such situations, our business could be adversely affected by either our inability to obtain commercially adequate insurance or indemnification or our refusal to pursue such operations in the absence of such protections.

We are subject to government regulations that may adversely affect our future operations.

Many aspects of our operations and properties are affected by political developments and are subject to both domestic and foreign governmental regulations, including those relating to:

 

   

constructing and manufacturing power generation products and nuclear components;

 

   

currency conversions and repatriation;

 

   

clean air and other environmental protection legislation;

 

   

taxation of foreign earnings and earnings of expatriate personnel; and

 

   

use of local employees and suppliers.

In addition, a substantial portion of the demand for our products and services is from electric power generating companies and other steam-using customers. The demand for power generation products and services can be influenced by state and federal governmental legislation setting requirements for utilities related to

 

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operations, emissions and environmental impacts. The legislative process is unpredictable and includes a platform that continuously seeks to increase the restrictions on power producers. Potential legislation limiting emissions from power plants, including carbon dioxide, could affect our markets and the demand for our products and services related to power generation.

We cannot determine the extent to which our future operations and earnings may be affected by new legislation, new regulations or changes in existing regulations.

Our businesses require us to obtain, and to comply with, national, state and local government permits and approvals.

Our businesses are required to obtain, and to comply with, national, state and local government permits and approvals. Any of these permits or approvals may be subject to denial, revocation or modification under various circumstances. Failure to obtain or comply with the conditions of permits or approvals may adversely affect our operations by temporarily suspending our activities or curtailing our work and may subject us to penalties and other sanctions. Although existing licenses are routinely renewed by various regulators, renewal could be denied or jeopardized by various factors, including:

 

   

failure to provide adequate financial assurance for decommissioning or closure;

 

   

failure to comply with environmental and safety laws and regulations or permit conditions;

 

   

local community, political or other opposition;

 

   

executive action; and

 

   

legislative action.

In addition, if new environmental legislation or regulations are enacted or implemented, or existing laws or regulations are amended or are interpreted or enforced differently, we may be required to obtain additional operating permits or approvals. Our inability to obtain, and to comply with, the permits and approvals required for our businesses could have a material adverse effect on us.

We rely on intellectual property law and confidentiality agreements to protect our intellectual property. We also rely on intellectual property we license from third parties. Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights, or our inability to obtain or renew licenses to use intellectual property of third parties, could adversely affect our business.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary information and other intellectual property. Our intellectual property could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or rendered unenforceable. In addition, effective intellectual property protection may be limited or unavailable in some foreign countries where we operate.

Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights may result in the loss of valuable technologies or adversely affect our competitive business position. We rely significantly on proprietary technology, information, processes and know-how that are not subject to patent or copyright protection. We seek to protect this information through trade secret or confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, subcontractors or other parties, as well as through other security measures. These agreements and security measures may be inadequate to deter or prevent misappropriation of our confidential information. In the event of an infringement of our intellectual property rights, a breach of a confidentiality agreement or divulgence of proprietary information, we may not have adequate legal remedies to protect our intellectual property. Litigation to determine the scope of intellectual property rights, even if ultimately successful, could be costly and could divert management’s attention away from other aspects of our business. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently developed by competitors.

In some instances, we have augmented our technology base by licensing the proprietary intellectual property of third parties. In the future, we may not be able to obtain necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms.

 

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Our operations involve the handling, transportation and disposal of radioactive and hazardous materials, and environmental laws and regulations and civil liability for contamination of the environment or related personal injuries may result in increases in our operating costs and capital expenditures and decreases in our earnings and cash flow.

Our operations involve the handling, transportation and disposal of radioactive and hazardous materials, including nuclear devices and their components. Failure to properly handle these materials could pose a health risk to humans or wildlife and could cause personal injury and property damage (including environmental contamination). If an accident were to occur, its severity could be significantly affected by the volume of the materials and the speed of corrective action taken by emergency response personnel, as well as other factors beyond our control, such as weather and wind conditions. Actions taken in response to an accident could result in significant costs.

Governmental requirements relating to the protection of the environment, including solid waste management, air quality, water quality, the decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear manufacturing and processing facilities and cleanup of contaminated sites, have had a substantial impact on our operations. These requirements are complex and subject to frequent change. In some cases, they can impose liability for the entire cost of cleanup on any responsible party without regard to negligence or fault and impose liability on us for the conduct of others or conditions others have caused, or for our acts that complied with all applicable requirements when we performed them. Our compliance with amended, new or more stringent requirements, stricter interpretations of existing requirements or the future discovery of contamination may require us to make material expenditures or subject us to liabilities that we currently do not anticipate. Such expenditures and liabilities may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, some of our operations and the operations of predecessor owners of some of our properties have exposed us to civil claims by third parties for liability resulting from alleged contamination of the environment or personal injuries caused by releases of hazardous substances into the environment. See “Business—Governmental Regulations and Environmental Matters.”

In our contracts, we seek to protect ourselves from liability associated with accidents, but there can be no assurance that such contractual limitations on liability will be effective in all cases or that our or our customers’ insurance will cover all the liabilities we have assumed under those contracts. The costs of defending against a claim arising out of a nuclear incident or precautionary evacuation, and any damages awarded as a result of such a claim, could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We maintain insurance coverage as part of our overall risk management strategy and due to requirements to maintain specific coverage in our financing agreements and in many of our contracts. These policies do not protect us against all liabilities associated with accidents or for unrelated claims. In addition, comparable insurance may not continue to be available to us in the future at acceptable prices, or at all.

We conduct a portion of our operations through joint venture entities, over which we may have limited control.

We currently have equity interests in several significant joint ventures and may enter into additional joint venture arrangements in the future. We do not manage all of these entities. Even in those joint ventures that we manage, we are often required to consider the interests of our joint venture partners in connection with decisions concerning the operations of the joint ventures. In any case, differences in views among the joint venture participants may result in delayed decisions or disputes. We also cannot control the actions of our joint venture participants. We sometimes have joint and several liabilities with our joint venture partners under the applicable contracts for joint venture projects and we cannot be certain that our partners will be able to satisfy any potential liability that could arise. These factors could potentially harm the business and operations of a joint venture and, in turn, our business and operations.

Operating through joint ventures in which we are minority holders results in us having limited control over many decisions made with respect to projects and internal controls relating to projects. These joint ventures may

 

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not be subject to the same requirements regarding internal controls and internal control over financial reporting that we follow. As a result, internal control problems may arise with respect to the joint ventures that could adversely affect our ability to respond to requests or contractual obligations to customers or to meet the internal control requirements to which we are otherwise subject.

In addition, our arrangements involving joint ventures may restrict us from gaining access to the cash flows or assets of these entities. In some cases, our joint ventures have governmentally imposed restrictions on their abilities to transfer funds to us.

If our co-venturers fail to perform their contractual obligations on a project or if we fail to coordinate effectively with our co-venturers, we could be exposed to legal liability, loss of reputation and reduced profit on the project.

We often perform projects jointly with third parties. For example, we enter into contracting consortia and other contractual arrangements to bid for and perform jointly on large projects. Success on these joint projects depends in part on whether our co-venturers fulfill their contractual obligations satisfactorily. If any one or more of these third parties fail to perform their contractual obligations satisfactorily, we may be required to make additional investments and provide additional services in order to compensate for that failure. If we are unable to adequately address any such performance issues, then our customer may exercise its right to terminate a joint project, exposing us to legal liability, loss of reputation and reduced profit.

Our collaborative arrangements also involve risks that participating parties may disagree on business decisions and strategies. These disagreements could result in delays, additional costs and risks of litigation. Our inability to successfully maintain existing collaborative relationships or enter into new collaborative arrangements could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Employee, agent or partner misconduct or our overall failure to comply with laws or regulations could weaken our ability to win contracts, lead to the suspension of our operations and result in reduced revenues and profits.

Misconduct, fraud, non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations, or other improper activities by one or more of our employees, agents or partners could have a significant negative impact on our business and reputation. Such misconduct could include the failure to comply with government procurement regulations, regulations regarding the protection of classified information, regulations regarding the pricing of labor and other costs in government contracts, regulations on lobbying or similar activities, regulations pertaining to the internal controls over financial reporting and various other applicable laws or regulations. For example, we regularly provide services that may be highly sensitive or that are related to critical national security matters; if a security breach were to occur, our ability to procure future government contracts could be severely limited. The precautions we take to prevent and detect these activities may not be effective, and we could face unknown risks or losses.

We are routinely audited and reviewed by the U.S. Government and its agencies. These agencies review our performance under our contracts, our cost structure and our compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards, as well as the adequacy of, and our compliance with, our internal control systems and policies. Systems that are subject to review include our purchasing systems, billing systems, property management and control systems, cost estimating systems, compensation systems and management information systems. Any costs found to be improperly allocated to a specific contract will not be reimbursed or must be refunded if already reimbursed. If an audit or review uncovers improper or illegal activities, we could be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines, loss of security clearance and suspension or debarment from contracting with the U.S. Government. In addition, we could suffer serious reputational harm if allegations of impropriety were made against us.

 

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We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) generally prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials. Our training program and policies mandate compliance with the FCPA. We operate in some parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree, and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. If we are found to be liable for violations of the FCPA (either due to our own acts or our inadvertence, or due to the acts or inadvertence of others, including employees of our joint ventures), we could suffer from civil and criminal penalties or other sanctions.

We may not be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors.

Some of our competitors or potential competitors have greater financial or other resources than we have. Our operations may be adversely affected if our current competitors or new market entrants introduce new products or services with better features, performance, prices or other characteristics than those of our products and services. Furthermore, we operate in industries where capital investment is critical. We may not be able to obtain as much purchasing and borrowing leverage and access to capital for investment as an independent public company, which may impair our ability to compete against competitors or potential competitors.

The loss of the services of one or more of our key personnel, or our failure to attract, assimilate and retain trained personnel in the future, could disrupt our operations and result in loss of revenues.

Our success depends on the continued active participation of our executive officers and key operating personnel. The unexpected loss of the services of any one of these persons could adversely affect our operations.

Our operations require the services of employees having the technical training and experience necessary to obtain the proper operational results. As such, our operations depend, to a considerable extent, on the continuing availability of such personnel. If we should suffer any material loss of personnel to competitors or be unable to employ additional or replacement personnel with the requisite level of training and experience to adequately operate our business, our operations could be adversely affected. While we believe our wage rates are competitive and our relationships with our employees are satisfactory, a significant increase in the wages paid by other employers could result in a reduction in our workforce, increases in wage rates, or both. If either of these events occurred for a significant period of time, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely impacted.

Negotiations with labor unions and possible work stoppages and other labor problems could divert management attention and disrupt operations. In addition, new collective bargaining agreements or amendments to agreements could increase our labor costs and operating expenses.

A significant number of our employees are members of labor unions. If we are unable to negotiate acceptable new contracts with our unions in the future, we could experience strikes or other work stoppages by the affected employees. If any such strikes or other work stoppages were to occur, we could experience a significant disruption of operations. In addition, negotiations with unions could divert management attention. New union contracts could result in increased operating costs, as a result of higher wages or benefit expenses, for both union and nonunion employees. If nonunion employees were to unionize, we would experience higher ongoing labor costs.

Pension and medical expenses associated with our retirement benefit plans may fluctuate significantly depending on changes in actuarial assumptions, future market performance of plan assets, future trends in health care costs and legislative or other regulatory actions.

A substantial portion of our current and retired employee population is covered by pension and post-retirement benefit plans, the costs and funding requirements of which depend on our various assumptions, including estimates of rates of return on benefit-related assets, discount rates for future payment obligations, rates

 

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of future cost growth and trends for future costs. Variances from these estimates could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, funding requirements for benefit obligations of our pension and post-retirement benefit plans are subject to legislative and other government regulatory actions. As of December 31, 2010, our defined benefit pension and post-retirement benefit plans were underfunded by approximately $790 million. For additional information regarding our pension plans and postretirement benefits, see Note 6 to the consolidated and combined financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 included in this report.

Our internal controls may not be sufficient to achieve all stated goals and objectives.

Our internal controls and procedures were developed through a process in which our management applied its judgment in assessing the costs and benefits of such controls and procedures, which, by their nature, can provide only reasonable assurance regarding the control objectives. You should note that the design of any system of internal controls and procedures is based in part upon various assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and we cannot assure you that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote.

Our Government Operations segment relies on several single-source suppliers, which could, under certain circumstances, adversely affect our revenues and operating results.

Our Government Operations segment relies on several single-source suppliers for materials used in its products. If the supply of a single-sourced material is delayed or ceases, we may not be able to produce the related product in a timely manner or in sufficient quantities, if at all, which could adversely affect our revenues and operating results. In addition, a single-source supplier of a key component could potentially exert significant bargaining power over price, quality, warranty claims, or other terms relating to the single-sourced materials.

Systems and information technology interruption could adversely impact our ability to operate.

We continue to replace current key financial and human resources legacy systems with enterprise systems. This implementation subjects us to inherent costs and risks associated with replacing and changing these systems, including potential disruption of our internal control structure, substantial capital expenditures, demands on management time and other risks of delays or difficulties in transitioning to new systems or of integrating new systems into our current systems. Our systems implementations may not result in productivity improvements at the levels anticipated, or at all. In addition, the implementation of new technology systems may cause disruptions in our business operations. This disruption and any other information technology system disruptions and our ability to mitigate those disruptions, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our international operations are subject to political, economic and other uncertainties not generally encountered in our domestic operations.

We derive a portion of our revenues from international operations. Our international operations are subject to political, economic and other uncertainties not generally encountered in our U.S. operations. These include:

 

   

risks of war, terrorism and civil unrest;

 

   

expropriation, confiscation or nationalization of our assets;

 

   

renegotiation or nullification of our existing contracts;

 

   

changing political conditions and changing laws and policies affecting trade and investment;

 

   

overlap of different tax structures; and

 

   

risk of changes in foreign currency exchange rates.

 

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Various foreign jurisdictions have laws limiting the right and ability of foreign subsidiaries and joint ventures to pay dividends and remit earnings to affiliated companies. Our international operations sometimes face the additional risks of fluctuating currency values, hard currency shortages and controls of foreign currency exchange.

War, other armed conflicts or terrorist attacks could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and terrorist attacks and unrest have caused and may continue to cause instability in the world’s financial and commercial markets and have significantly increased political and economic instability in some of the geographic areas in which we operate. Threats of war or other armed conflict may cause further disruption to financial and commercial markets. In addition, continued unrest could lead to acts of terrorism in the United States or elsewhere, and acts of terrorism could be directed against companies such as ours. Also, acts of terrorism and threats of armed conflicts in or around various areas in which we operate could limit or disrupt our markets and operations, including disruptions from evacuation of personnel, cancellation of contracts or the loss of personnel or assets. Armed conflicts, terrorism and their effects on us or our markets may significantly affect our business and results of operations in the future.

Risks Relating to the Spin-Off

We may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve from our separation from MII.

As an independent public company, we believe that we will be able to more effectively focus on our operations and growth strategies than we could as a subsidiary of MII. However, by separating from MII there is a risk that our results of operations and cash flows may be susceptible to greater volatility due to fluctuations in our business levels and other factors that may adversely affect our operating and financial performance. In addition, as part of the MII group of companies, we had enjoyed certain benefits from MII’s financial resources, including substantial borrowing capacity and capital for investment. As a result of the fact that MII’s other operations are no longer available to offset any volatility in our results of operations and cash flows and MII’s financial and other resources are no longer available to us, we may not be able to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve as an independent public company.

Our historical combined financial information is not necessarily indicative of our future financial condition, future results of operations or future cash flows nor does it reflect what our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows would have been as an independent public company during the periods presented.

Our historical combined financial information we have included in this report does not reflect what our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows would have been as an independent public company during the periods presented and is not necessarily indicative of our future financial condition, future results of operations or future cash flows. This is primarily a result of the following factors:

 

   

our historical combined financial results reflect allocations of expenses for services historically provided by MII, and those allocations may be significantly lower than the comparable expenses we will incur as an independent company;

 

   

our cost of debt and other capitalization may be significantly different from that reflected in our historical combined financial statements;

 

   

the historical combined financial information does not reflect the changes that will occur in our cost structure, management, financing arrangements and business operations as a result of our separation from MII, including the costs related to being an independent company; and

 

   

our historical combined financial information does not reflect the effects of certain liabilities that were assumed by us, and does reflect the effects of certain assets were transferred to, and liabilities that were assumed by, MII.

 

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We do not have a recent history of operating as an independent public company, we may encounter difficulties in making the changes necessary to operate as an independent public company, and we may incur greater costs as an independent public company.

We have historically used MII’s infrastructure to support our business functions, including the following functions:

 

   

accounting and financial reporting;

 

   

information technology and communications;

 

   

legal;

 

   

human resources and employee benefits;

 

   

tax administration; and

 

   

treasury and corporate finance.

Following the spin-off, MII has continued to provide some of these services to us on a transitional basis, pursuant to transition services agreements we have entered into with MII. We have been establishing the infrastructure to perform these functions and will continue to do so in the early part of 2011. Our costs associated with performing these functions may exceed those charged by MII when we were part of MII or during the transition period. A significant increase in the costs of performing these functions could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We will be subject to continuing contingent liabilities of MII following the spin-off.

After the spin-off, there will be several significant areas where the liabilities of MII may become our obligations. For example, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and the related rules and regulations, each corporation that was a member of our consolidated tax reporting group during any taxable period or portion of any taxable period ending on or before the effective time of the spin-off is jointly and severally liable for the federal income tax liability of our entire consolidated tax reporting group for that taxable period. We have entered into a tax sharing agreement with a subsidiary of MII that allocates the responsibility for prior period taxes of our consolidated tax reporting group between us and McDermott and its subsidiaries. However, if the subsidiary of MII were unable to pay, we could be required to pay the entire amount of such taxes. Other provisions of federal law establish similar liability for other matters, including laws governing tax-qualified pension plans as well as other contingent liabilities.

The spin-off could result in substantial tax liability.

MII has obtained a private letter ruling from the IRS substantially to the effect that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the spin-off qualified under Section 355 of the Code and certain transactions related to the spin-off qualified under Sections 355 and/or 368 of the Code. If the factual assumptions or representations made in the private letter ruling request are inaccurate or incomplete in any material respect, then we will not be able to rely on the ruling. Furthermore, the IRS will not rule on whether a distribution such as the spin-off satisfies certain requirements necessary to obtain tax-free treatment under Section 355 of the Code. Rather, the private letter ruling is based on representations by MII that those requirements have been satisfied, and any inaccuracy in those representations could invalidate the ruling.

Under the terms of the tax sharing agreement we have entered into in connection with the spin-off, we will generally be responsible for any taxes imposed on us or MII and its subsidiaries in the event that the spin-off and/or certain related preparatory transactions were to fail to qualify for tax-free treatment. However, if the spin-off and/or certain related preparatory transactions were to fail to qualify for tax-free treatment because of actions or failures to act by MII or its subsidiaries, a subsidiary of MII would be responsible for all such taxes. If we are liable for taxes under the tax sharing agreement, that liability could have a material adverse effect on us.

 

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Potential indemnification liabilities to MII pursuant to the master separation agreement could materially adversely affect our company.

The master separation agreement with MII provides for, among other things, the principal corporate transactions required to effect the spin-off, certain conditions to the spin-off and provisions governing the relationship between our company and MII with respect to and resulting from the spin-off. Among other things, the master separation agreement provides for indemnification obligations designed to make our company financially responsible for substantially all liabilities that may exist relating to our business activities, whether incurred prior to or after the spin-off, as well as those obligations of MII assumed by us pursuant to the master separation agreement. If we are required to indemnify MII under the circumstances set forth in the master separation agreement, we may be subject to substantial liabilities.

In connection with our separation from MII, MII will indemnify us for certain liabilities. However, there can be no assurance that the indemnity will be sufficient to insure us against the full amount of such liabilities, or that MII’s ability to satisfy its indemnification obligation will not be impaired in the future.

Pursuant to the master separation agreement, MII has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities. However, third parties could seek to hold us responsible for any of the liabilities that MII has agreed to retain, and there can be no assurance that the indemnity from MII will be sufficient to protect us against the full amount of such liabilities, or that MII will be able to fully satisfy its indemnification obligations. Moreover, even if we ultimately succeed in recovering from MII any amounts for which we are held liable, we may be temporarily required to bear these losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity.

The terms of our separation from MII and the related agreements were determined in the context of a related-party transaction, and thus may not be comparable to terms that would be obtained in a transaction between unaffiliated parties.

Transactions and agreements entered into with MII on or before the closing of the spin-off present conflicts between our interests and those of MII. These transactions and agreements include the following:

 

   

agreements related to the separation of our business from MII that provide for, among other things, the assumption by us of liabilities related to our business or subsidiaries, the assumption by MII of liabilities unrelated to our business, our respective rights, responsibilities and obligations with respect to taxes and tax benefits and the terms of our various interim and ongoing relationships; and

 

   

administrative support services provided by MII to us, as well as by us to MII, and other transactions with MII.

Because the terms of our separation from MII and these agreements were entered into in the context of a related-party transaction, these terms may not be comparable to terms that would be obtained in a transaction between unaffiliated parties. We may not be able to resolve potential conflicts, and even if we do, the resolutions may be less favorable than if we were dealing with an unaffiliated third party.

Members of our board and management may have conflicts of interest because of their ownership of shares of common stock of MII or because of their continuing service on the MII board of directors.

Members of our board and management own shares of common stock of MII and/or options to purchase common stock of MII because of their current or prior relationships with MII. This share ownership and the continuing role as a director of both companies by certain directors could create, or appear to create, potential conflicts of interest when our directors and executive officers are faced with decisions that could have different implications for our company and MII.

 

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Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Common Stock

We have no plans to pay regular dividends on our common stock, so you may not receive funds without selling your shares of our common stock.

We have no current intent to pay a regular dividend. Our board of directors will determine the payment of future dividends on our common stock, if any, and the amount of any dividends in light of applicable law, contractual restrictions limiting our ability to pay dividends, our earnings and cash flows, our capital requirements, our financial condition, and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.

Provisions in our corporate documents and Delaware law could delay or prevent a change in control of our company, even if that change may be considered beneficial by some stockholders.

The existence of some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company that a stockholder may consider favorable. These include provisions:

 

   

providing that our board of directors fixes the number of members of the board;

 

   

providing for the division of our board of directors into three classes with staggered terms;

 

   

limiting who may call special meetings of stockholders;

 

   

prohibiting stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring stockholder action to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders;

 

   

establishing advance notice requirements for nominations of candidates for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on by stockholders at stockholder meetings;

 

   

establishing supermajority vote requirements for certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws;

 

   

limiting the right of stockholders to remove directors;

 

   

authorizing a large number of shares of common stock that are not yet issued, which would allow our board of directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, thereby protecting the continuity of our management, or which could be used to dilute the stock ownership of persons seeking to obtain control of us; and

 

   

authorizing the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock, which could be issued by our board of directors to increase the number of outstanding shares and thwart a takeover attempt.

In addition, we are now subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by our board of directors, including discouraging takeover attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for shares of our common stock.

We believe these provisions protect our stockholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics by requiring potential acquirors to negotiate with our board of directors and by providing our board of directors with more time to assess any acquisition proposal, and are not intended to make our company immune from takeovers. However, these provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders and could delay or prevent an acquisition that our board of directors determines is not in the best interests of our company and our stockholders.

We may issue preferred stock that could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred stock having such designation, powers, preferences and relative, participating,

 

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optional and other special rights, including preferences over our common stock respecting dividends and distributions, as our board of directors generally may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred stock could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock. For example, we could grant holders of preferred stock the right to elect some number of our directors in all events or on the happening of specified events or the right to veto specified transactions. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we could assign to holders of preferred stock could affect the residual value of the common stock.

 

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None

 

Item 2. PROPERTIES

The following table provides the segment name, location, and general use of each of our principal properties at December 31, 2010 that we own or lease.

 

Business Segment and Location

 

Principal Use

 

Owned/Leased

(Lease Expiration)

Power Generation Systems

Barberton, Ohio

  Manufacturing facility / administrative office   Owned(1)

Lynchburg, Virginia

  Administrative office   Leased (2015)

West Point, Mississippi

  Manufacturing facility   Owned(1)

Lancaster, Ohio

  Manufacturing facility   Owned(1)

Copley, Ohio

  Warehouse / service center   Owned(1)

Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

  Manufacturing facility   Owned

Esbjerg, Denmark

  Manufacturing facility   Owned(1)

Dumbarton, Scotland

  Manufacturing facility   Owned

Guadalupe, NL, Mexico

  Manufacturing   Leased (2024)

Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada

  Manufacturing facility   Owned

Jingshan, Hubei, China

  Manufacturing facility   Owned

Government Operations

Lynchburg, Virginia

  Administrative office   Leased (2011)

Lynchburg, Virginia

  Manufacturing facility(3)   Owned

Barberton, Ohio

  Manufacturing facility   Owned

Euclid, Ohio

  Manufacturing facility   Owned /Leased(2)

Mount Vernon, Indiana

  Manufacturing facility   Owned

Erwin, Tennessee

  Manufacturing facility   Owned

Corporate

Charlotte, North Carolina

  Administrative office   Leased (2018)

 

(1) These properties are encumbered by liens under existing credit facilities.

 

(2) We acquired the Euclid facilities through a bond/lease transaction facilitated by the Cleveland Cuyahoga County Port Authority (the “Port”), whereby we acquired a ground parcel and the Port issued bonds, the proceeds of which were used to acquire, improve and equip the facilities, including the acquisition of the larger facility and a 40-year prepaid ground lease for the smaller facility. We are leasing the facilities from the Port with an expiration date of 2014 but subject to certain extension options.

 

(3) The Lynchburg, Virginia facility is our Government Operations segment’s primary manufacturing plant and is the nation’s largest commercial high-enriched uranium processing facility. The site is the recipient of the highest rating given by the NRC for license performance. The performance review determines the safe and secure conduct of operations of the facility. The site is also the largest commercial International Atomic Energy Agency-certified facility in the U.S.

 

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We also own or lease a number of sales, administrative and field construction offices, warehouses and equipment maintenance centers strategically located throughout the world. We consider each of our significant properties to be suitable and adequate for its intended use.

For further details regarding our properties, see Item 1, “Business.”

 

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The information set forth under the heading “Investigations and Litigation” in Note 10 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.

 

Item 4. RESERVED

 

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PART II

 

Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BWC. The distribution of B&W common stock was made on July 30, 2010, and consisted of one share of B&W for every two shares of MII common stock as of July 9, 2010, the record date. This completed the spinoff transaction and B&W became a separate publicly traded company. We filed certifications of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 as Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2, respectively, included as exhibits to this report. The following table presents the high and low sales prices for our common stock since August 2, 2010:

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010

     SALES PRICE  

QUARTER ENDED

   HIGH      LOW  

September 30, 2010

   $ 25.16       $ 21.22   

December 31, 2010

   $ 26.52       $ 20.75   

We have not paid cash dividends on our common stock and our credit agreement imposes certain restrictions on our ability to pay dividends. Our Board of Directors will evaluate our cash dividend policy from time to time.

As of January 31, 2011, there were approximately 2,700 record holders of our common stock.

The following table provides information on our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2010:

Equity Compensation Plan Information

 

Plan Category

   Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options
and rights
     Weighted-average
exercise price

of outstanding
options and rights
     Number of
securities
remaining
available for

future issuance
 

Equity compensation plans

approved by security holders

     1,094,678       $ 14.21         7,424,674   
                          

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

The following table provides information on our purchases of equity securities during the quarter ended December 31, 2010, all of which involved repurchases of common stock pursuant to the provisions of employee benefit plans that permit the repurchase of shares to satisfy statutory tax withholding obligations:

 

Period

   Total number
of shares
purchased
     Average price
paid
per share
     Total number of
shares  purchased as
part of publicly
announced plans or
programs
     Maximum number
of shares that may
yet be purchased
under the plans or
programs
 

October 1, 2010 – October 31, 2010

     514       $ 22.28         not applicable         not applicable   

November 1, 2010 – November 30, 2010

     8,228       $ 23.40         not applicable         not applicable   

December 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010

     182       $ 25.59         not applicable         not applicable   
                                   

Total

     8,924       $ 23.38         not applicable         not applicable   
                                   

 

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The following graph provides a comparison of our five-month, cumulative total shareholder return through December 2010 to the return of S&P 500 and our custom peer group.

LOGO

 

(1) Assumes initial investment of $100 on July 31, 2010.

The peer group used for the five-month comparison was comprised of the following companies:

 

   

AECOM Technology Corporation

 

   

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company

 

   

Curtiss-Wright Corporation

 

   

Emcor Group, Inc.

 

   

Fluor Corporation

 

   

Foster Wheeler Limited

 

   

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

 

   

KBR, Inc.

 

   

MasTec, Inc.

 

   

Quanta Services, Inc.

 

   

Shaw Group, Inc.

 

   

Tetra Tech, Inc.

 

   

URS Corporation

 

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Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 

     For the Years Ended  
      2010      2009      2008      2007      2006(1)  
     (In thousands, except for per share amounts)  

Revenues

   $ 2,688,811       $ 2,854,632       $ 3,398,574       $ 3,199,944       $ 2,517,606   

Income before Provision for Income Taxes

   $ 235,820       $ 232,301       $ 432,739       $ 314,348       $ 216,836   

Net Income Attributable to The Babcock & Wilcox Company

   $ 153,262       $ 147,764       $ 323,766       $ 215,250       $ 131,976   

Basic Earnings per Common Share(2):

              

Net Income Attributable to The Babcock & Wilcox Company

   $ 1.32       $ 1.27       $ 2.79       $ 1.85       $ 1.14   

Diluted Earnings per Common Share(2):

              

Net Income Attributable to The Babcock & Wilcox Company

   $ 1.30       $ 1.26       $ 2.76       $ 1.83       $ 1.12   

Total Assets

   $ 2,500,510       $ 2,603,859       $ 2,506,841       $ 2,149,636       $ 2,222,818   

Current Maturities of Long-Term Debt

   $ 4,790       $ 6,432       $ 9,021       $ 6,599       $ 257,492   

Long-Term Debt

   $ 855       $ 4,222       $ 6,109       $ 10,609       $ 15,242   

 

(1) Results for the year ended December 31, 2006 include approximately ten months for the principal operating subsidiaries of our Power Generation Systems segment, which were reconsolidated into our results effective February 22, 2006. We did not consolidate the results of operations of these entities in our consolidated and combined financial statements from February 22, 2000 through February 22, 2006 due to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings involving B&W PGG and certain of its subsidiaries.
(2) On July 30, 2010, 116,225,732 shares of our common stock were distributed to MII shareholders to complete our spin-off from MII. For comparative purposes, and to provide a more meaningful calculation of weighted average shares, we have assumed this amount to be outstanding as of the beginning of each period presented in our calculation of basic weighted average shares. In addition, for our dilutive weighted average share calculations, we have assumed the dilutive securities outstanding at July 30, 2010 were also outstanding at each of the prior periods presented.

Our historical combined financial information prior to July 2010 reflects our performance as a subsidiary of MII and may not provide a useful indicator of future performance. For further discussion of the factors that may affect comparability, see “Risk Factors – Risks Relating to the Spin-Off” in Item 1A of this annual report.

 

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Statements we make in the following discussion which express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not historical fact, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, could differ materially from those we express in the following discussion as a result of a variety of factors, including the risks and uncertainties we have referred to under the headings “Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in Items 1 and 1A of Part I of this report.

GENERAL

In general, we operate in capital-intensive industries and rely on large contracts for a substantial amount of our revenues. We are currently exploring growth strategies across our segments through acquisitions to expand and complement our existing businesses. As we pursue these opportunities, we expect they would be funded by cash on hand, external financing, including debt, equity or some combination thereof.

 

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Spin-Off Transaction

We operate in two business segments: Power Generation Systems and Government Operations, and were a wholly owned subsidiary of MII until July 30, 2010 when MII distributed 100% of our outstanding common stock to the MII shareholders. On and prior to July 30, 2010, our financial position, operating results and cash flows consisted of The Babcock & Wilcox Operations of MII, which represented a combined reporting entity comprised of the assets and liabilities involved in managing and operating the Power Generation Systems and Government Operations segments of MII in addition to two captive insurance companies which have been combined and contributed to B&W in conjunction with the spin-off of B&W by MII.

On July 2, 2010, MII’s Board of Directors approved the spin-off of B&W through the distribution of shares of B&W common stock to holders of MII common stock. The distribution of B&W common stock was made on July 30, 2010, and consisted of one share of B&W common stock for every two shares of MII common stock to holders of MII common stock as of 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the record date, July 9, 2010. Cash was paid in lieu of any fractional shares of our common stock. As a result of the spin-off, we became a separate publicly traded company, and MII did not retain any ownership interest in us.

Outlook

Power Generation Systems

We expect the backlog of our Power Generation Systems segment of approximately $2.0 billion at December 31, 2010 to produce revenues of approximately $900 million in 2011, not including any change orders or new contracts that may be awarded during the year. Through this segment, we are actively bidding on and, in some cases, beginning preliminary work on projects that we expect will be awarded to us in 2011 subject to successful contract negotiations. These projects are not currently reflected in backlog. Our liquidity position for this segment remains strong, and we expect it to remain so throughout 2011.

Our Power Generation Systems segment’s overall activity depends mainly on the capital expenditures of electric power generating companies and other steam-using industries. This segment’s products and services are capital intensive. As such, customer demand is heavily affected by the variations in customers’ business cycles and by the overall economies of the countries in which they operate.

The recent worldwide credit and economic environment, as well as uncertainty regarding environmental regulations, has adversely affected the utility industry. We have experienced delays or deferrals of proposed projects. For example, for the year ended December 31, 2010, our Power Generation Systems segment experienced a 12% decline in revenues compared to 2009.

The recent economic environment and uncertainty concerning new environmental legislation or replacement rules or regulations has caused many of our major customers, principally electric utilities, to delay making substantial capital expenditures for new plants, as well as upgrades to existing power plants. In addition, considerations surrounding greenhouse gas limits under consideration by the U.S. Congress and the EPA have delayed the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the United States. We continue to believe the EPA will revise the rules and regulations throughout 2011, and our U.S. customers will then increase their expenditures on environmental equipment to bring their operating, coal-fired power plants into compliance with the new emissions limits. We expect that our bookings from new environmental equipment for those existing plants will begin to increase with revenue and operating income to follow normal project cycles. Instead of adding environmental equipment, some of our customers have announced plans to close down their least efficient coal-fired boilers, and, as a result, we expect our revenues and operating income from upgrade and retrofit activities from those customers may decline. Future decisions to retire boilers would impact our business in a variety of ways, including the servicing and retrofitting of operating power plants. The need to replace retired generating capacity with cleaner technologies would also create business opportunities for us. To generate energy while minimizing the emission of greenhouse gasses, we are actively researching and developing a range of products, including:

 

   

non-carbon technologies, such as nuclear power plants and solar receivers for concentrating solar power plants;

 

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low-carbon technologies that enable clean use of fossil fuels, such as oxy-fuel combustion and regenerable solvent absorption technologies to scrub carbon dioxide from exhaust gases; and

 

   

carbon-neutral technologies, such as biomass-fueled boilers and gasifiers, which use a renewable resource where the growing biomass re-absorbs the carbon dioxide emitted during energy production.

According to the International Energy Agency in its annual November 2010 update, their current forecast is for a 75% increase in electricity generated worldwide, from 20,183 Terawatt-hours in 2008, up to 35,336 Terrawatt-hours in 2035. While we cannot predict what impact potential future legislation and regulations concerning CO2 and other emissions will have on our results of operations, it is possible such legislation could favorably impact the environmental retrofit and service businesses of our Power Generation Systems segment.

In addition, we expect to continue our development of the B&W mPower™ reactor. We expect that funding will be authorized at major milestones based on measurable and demonstrated progress, and the funding requirements within our organization may vary significantly from period to period. We intend to continue with our plan to seek third-party funding and/or participation to pursue the development and commercialization of this technology.

Government Operations

We expect the backlog of our Government Operations segment of approximately $3.2 billion at December 31, 2010 to produce revenues of approximately $1.0 billion in 2011, not including any change orders or new contracts that may be awarded during the year. Our liquidity position for this segment remains strong, and we expect it to remain so throughout 2011.

The revenues of our Government Operations segment are largely a function of defense spending by the U.S. Government. As a supplier of major nuclear components for certain U.S. Government programs, we are a significant participant in the defense industry. With our specialized capabilities of full life-cycle management of special nuclear materials, facilities and technologies, our Government Operations segment is well-positioned to continue to participate in the continuing cleanup, operation and management of the nuclear sites and weapons complexes maintained by the DOE. We received notice of contract extensions from the NNSA for the management and operations of the Y-12 National Security Complex and Pantex Plant. We have been involved in the management and operations of these facilities for approximately 10 years. These contracts have been extended through September 30, 2011 and include two additional three-month extension options.

The production operations of NFS, which were temporarily shutdown, are now fully operational. We began bringing the highly enriched uranium downblending facility back on line, through a phased restart, in May 2010, and the facility is now fully operational. We expect to bring the commercial development line back on line during the third quarter of 2011. That line represented less than 0.5% of our combined revenues in 2009. The impact of the shutdown on operating income was approximately $10.0 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2010.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Our financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Preparing financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. These estimates and assumptions are affected by management’s application of accounting policies. We believe the following are our most critical accounting policies that we apply in the preparation of our financial statements. These policies require our most difficult, subjective and complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain.

 

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Contracts and Revenue Recognition. We determine the appropriate accounting method for each of our long-term contracts before work on the project begins. We generally recognize contract revenues and related costs on a percentage-of-completion method for individual contracts or combinations of contracts under the guidelines of FASB Topic Revenue Recognition. The use of this method is based on our experience and history of being able to prepare reasonably dependable estimates of the cost to complete our projects. Under this method, we recognize estimated contract revenue and resulting income based on costs incurred to date as a percentage of total estimated costs. Certain costs may be excluded from the cost-to-cost method of measuring progress, such as significant costs for materials and major third-party subcontractors, if it appears that such exclusion would result in a more meaningful measurement of actual contract progress and resulting periodic allocation of income. Total estimated costs, and resulting contract income, are affected by changes in the expected cost of materials and labor, productivity, scheduling and other factors. Additionally, external factors such as weather, customer requirements and other factors outside of our control may affect the progress and estimated cost of a project’s completion and, therefore, the timing of revenue and income recognition. We routinely review estimates related to our contracts, and revisions to profitability are reflected in the quarterly and annual earnings we report.

For contracts as to which we are unable to estimate the final profitability except to assure that no loss will ultimately be incurred, we recognize equal amounts of revenue and cost until the final results can be estimated more precisely. For these deferred profit recognition contracts, we recognize revenue and cost equally and only recognize gross margin when probable and reasonably estimable, which we generally determine to be when the contract is approximately 70% complete. We treat long-term construction contracts that contain such a level of risk and uncertainty that estimation of the final outcome is impractical except to assure that no loss will be incurred as deferred profit recognition contracts.

Fixed-price contracts are required to be accounted for under the completed-contract method if we are unable to reasonably forecast cost to complete at start-up. For example, if we have no experience in performing the type of work on a particular project and were unable to develop reasonably dependable estimates of total costs to complete, we would follow the completed-contract method of accounting for such projects. Generally, our management’s policy is not to enter into fixed-price contracts without an accurate estimate of cost to complete. However, it is possible that in the time between contract execution and the start of work on a project, we could lose confidence in our ability to forecast cost to complete based on intervening events, including, but not limited to, experience on similar projects, civil unrest, strikes and volatility in our expected costs. In such a situation, we would use the completed-contract method of accounting for that project. We did not enter into any contracts that we have accounted for under the completed-contract method during 2010 or 2009.

For certain parts orders and after market services activities, we recognize revenues as goods are delivered and work is performed.

For all contracts, if a current estimate of total contract cost indicates a loss on a contract, the projected loss is recognized in full when determined.

Although we continually strive to improve our ability to estimate our contract costs and profitability, adjustments to overall contract costs due to unforeseen events could be significant in future periods. We recognize claims for extra work or for changes in scope of work in contract revenues, to the extent of costs incurred, when we believe collection is probable and can be reasonably estimated. We recognize income from contract change orders or claims when formally agreed with the customer. We regularly assess the collectibility of contract revenues and receivables from customers.

Property, Plant and Equipment. We carry our property, plant and equipment at depreciated cost, reduced by provisions to recognize economic impairment when we determine impairment has occurred. Property, plant and equipment amounts are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset, or asset group, may not be recoverable. An impairment loss would be recognized when the carrying amount of an asset exceeds the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result

 

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from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition. The amount of the impairment loss to be recorded is calculated by the excess of the assets carrying value over its fair value. Fair value is generally determined using a discounted cash flow analysis. Our estimates of cash flow may differ from actual cash flow due to, among other things, technological changes, economic conditions or changes in operating performance. Any changes in such factors may negatively affect our business segments and result in future asset impairments.

We depreciate our property, plant and equipment using the straight-line method, over estimated economic useful lives of eight to 40 years for buildings and two to 28 years for machinery and equipment. We expense the costs of maintenance, repairs and renewals, which do not materially prolong the useful life of an asset as we incur them.

Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliates. We use the equity method of accounting for affiliates in which our investment ownership ranges from 20% to 50%, unless significant economic or governance considerations indicate that we are unable to exert significant influence, in which case the cost method is used. The equity method is also used for affiliates in which our investment ownership is greater than 50% but we do not have a controlling interest. Currently, all of our material investments in affiliates that are not included in our consolidated and combined results are recorded using the equity method. Affiliates in which our investment ownership is less than 20% and where we are unable to exert significant influence are carried at cost.

Self-Insurance. We have a wholly owned insurance subsidiary that provides employer’s liability, general and automotive liability and workers’ compensation insurance and, from time to time, builder’s risk insurance within certain limits to our companies. We may also have business reasons in the future to have our insurance subsidiary accept other risks which we cannot or do not wish to transfer to outside insurance companies. When estimating our self insurance liabilities, we consider a number of factors, including historical claims experience and trend lines, projected growth patterns, inflation and exposure forecasts. The assumptions we make with respect to each of these factors represent our judgment as to the most probable cumulative impact of each factor on our future obligations. Our calculation of self insurance liabilities requires us to apply judgment to estimate the ultimate cost to settle reported claims and claims incurred but not yet reported as of the balance sheet date. We engage the services of an actuarial firm to assist us in the calculation of our liabilities for self insurance. While the actual outcome of insured claims could differ significantly from estimated amounts, these loss estimates and accruals recorded in our financial statements for claims have historically been reasonable in light of the actual amount of claims paid. Provisions for exposure to self insurance claims and the related payments of claims have historically not had a material adverse impact on our consolidated and combined financial position, results of operations and cash flows, and we do not expect these provisions to have a material impact on our self insurance programs in the future.

Pension Plans and Postretirement Benefits. We estimate income or expense related to our pension and postretirement benefit plans based on actuarial assumptions, including assumptions regarding discount rates and expected returns on plan assets. We determine our discount rate based on a review of published financial data and discussions with our actuary regarding rates of return on high-quality, fixed-income investments currently available and expected to be available during the period to maturity of our pension obligations. Based on historical data and discussions with our actuary, we determine our expected return on plan assets based on the expected long-term rate of return on our plan assets and the market-related value of our plan assets. Our pension plan assets can include assets that are difficult to value. Changes in these assumptions can result in significant changes in our estimated pension income or expense and our consolidated financial condition. We revise our assumptions on an annual basis based upon changes in current interest rates, return on plan assets and the underlying demographics of our workforce. These assumptions are reasonably likely to change in future periods and may have a material impact on future earnings. See Note 6 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report for information on our pension and postretirement benefit plans.

Loss Contingencies. We estimate liabilities for loss contingencies when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss is reasonably estimable. We provide disclosure when there is a reasonable

 

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possibility that the ultimate loss will exceed the recorded provision or if such probable loss is not reasonably estimable. We are currently involved in some significant litigation, as discussed in Note 10 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report. We have accrued our estimates of the probable losses associated with these matters. However, our losses are typically resolved over long periods of time and are often difficult to estimate due to the possibility of multiple actions by third parties. Therefore, it is possible future earnings could be affected by changes in our estimates related to these matters.

Goodwill. FASB Topic Intangibles – Goodwill and Other requires us to perform periodic testing for impairment. It requires a two-step impairment test to identify potential goodwill impairment and measure the amount of a goodwill impairment loss. The first step of the test compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the second step of the goodwill impairment test is performed to measure the amount of the impairment loss, if any. The second step compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. Each year, we evaluate goodwill at each reporting unit to assess recoverability and impairments, if any, are recognized in earnings. An impairment loss would be recognized in an amount equal to the excess of the carrying amount of the goodwill over the implied fair value of the goodwill. We determined that both the income and market valuation approaches provide inputs into the estimate of the fair value of our reporting units, which would be considered by market participants. Under the income valuation approach, we employ discounted cash flow model to estimate the fair value of each reporting unit. This model requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions regarding future revenues, costs, margins, capital expenditures, changes in working capital, terminal year growth rate and cost of capital. Our cash flow models are based on our forecasted results for the applicable reporting units. Actual results could differ from our projections. Under the market valuation approach, we employ the guideline publicly traded company method, which indicates the fair value of the equity of each reporting unit by comparing it to publicly traded companies in similar lines of business. After identifying and selecting guideline companies, we analyze their business and financial profiles for relative similarity. Factors such as size, growth, risk and profitability are analyzed and compared to each of our reporting units. We have completed our annual review of goodwill for each of our segments as of December 31, 2010, which indicated that we had no impairment of goodwill. The fair value of our reporting units was substantially in excess of carrying value at December 31, 2010.

Asset Retirement Obligations and Environmental Clean-up Costs. We accrue for future decommissioning of our nuclear facilities that will permit the release of these facilities to unrestricted use at the end of each facility’s life, which is a requirement of our licenses from the NRC. In accordance with the FASB Topic Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations, we record the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation in the period in which it is incurred. In estimating fair value, we use present value of cash flows expected to be incurred in settling our obligations. To the extent possible, we perform a marketplace assessment of the cost and timing of performing the retirement activities. We apply a credit-adjusted risk-free interest rate to our expected cash flows in our determination of fair value. When we initially record such a liability, we capitalize a cost by increasing the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset. Over time, the liability is accreted to its present value each period, and the capitalized cost is depreciated over the useful life of the related asset. Upon settlement of a liability, we will settle the obligation for its recorded amount or incur a gain or loss. This topic applies to environmental liabilities associated with assets that we currently operate and are obligated to remove from service. For environmental liabilities associated with assets that we no longer operate, we have accrued amounts based on the estimated costs of clean-up activities, net of the anticipated effect of any applicable cost-sharing arrangements. We adjust the estimated costs as further information develops or circumstances change. An exception to this accounting treatment relates to the work we perform for two facilities for which the U.S. Government is obligated to pay all the decommissioning costs.

Deferred Taxes. We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. We believe that the net deferred tax assets recorded as of December 31, 2010 are realizable through carrybacks, future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences and future taxable income. If we were to subsequently determine that we would be able to realize deferred tax assets in the future in

 

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excess of our net recorded amount, an adjustment to deferred tax assets would increase earnings for the period in which such determination was made. We assess the adequacy of the valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. Any changes to our estimated valuation allowance could be material to our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

Warranty. We account for warranty costs to satisfy contractual warranty requirements as an accrued estimated expense included in cost of operations on our consolidated and combined statements of income recognized in conjunction with the associated revenue on the related contracts. In addition, we make specific provisions where we expect the actual warranty costs to significantly exceed the accrued estimates. Factors that impact our estimate of warranty costs include prior history of warranty claims and our estimates of future costs of materials and labor. Our future warranty provisions may vary from what we have experienced in the past.

Stock-Based Compensation. We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB Topic Compensation – Stock Compensation. Under the fair value recognition provisions of this statement, the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods of the awards, which is generally equivalent to the vesting term. We use a Black-Scholes model to determine the fair value of certain share-based awards, such as stock options. The determination of the fair value of a share-based payment award on the date of grant using an option-pricing model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, such as the expected life of the award and stock price volatility. For liability-classified awards, such as cash-settled restricted stock units and performance units, fair values are determined at grant date using the closing price of our common stock and are remeasured at the end of each reporting period through the date of settlement.

Business Combinations. Effective January 1, 2009, we became subject to the provisions of the FASB Topic Business Combinations. This topic broadens the fair value measurements and recognition of assets acquired, liabilities assumed and interests transferred as a result of business combinations. It also provides disclosure requirements to assist users of the financial statements in evaluating the nature and financial effects of business combinations.

For further discussion of recently adopted accounting standards, see Note 1 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report.

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2009

The Babcock & Wilcox Company (Consolidated and Combined)

Consolidated and combined revenues decreased approximately 6%, or $165.8 million, to $2.7 billion in the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to $2.9 billion in the year ended December 31, 2009. Our Power Generation Systems segment revenues decreased approximately 12% in the year ended December 31, 2010, as compared to 2009, primarily attributable to lower revenues in our new build environmental equipment business and our new build steam generation systems business. Our Government Operations segment revenues increased approximately 5% in the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to 2009, primarily attributable to increased volumes in the manufacturing of nuclear components for certain government programs.

Consolidated and combined operating income decreased $5.6 million from $269.6 million in 2009 to $264.0 million in 2010. Our Power Generation Systems segment operating income decreased by $57.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to the year ended December 31, 2009, primarily attributable to the decrease in revenues discussed above. Our Government Operations segment operating income increased by $28.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2010, as compared to 2009, primarily attributable to increased contract productivity and higher volumes of manufacturing activity. Unallocated corporate expenses decreased by $23.2 million to $19.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 primarily attributable to lower pension expense.

 

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Our equity in income of investees, which is included in operating income, increased $19.0 million to $74.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 primarily attributable to improved results from our Power Generation Systems segment’s joint venture in China.

Power Generation Systems

Revenues decreased approximately 12%, or $214.8 million, to $1,609.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to $1,824.5 million in the corresponding period of 2009. This decrease was primarily attributable to decreases of $96.8 million in our new build environmental equipment business, $83.1 million in our new build steam generation systems business and $70.2 million in our aftermarket services business. The main driver for this decrease in revenues was a significant decrease in North American orders over the last 12 to 18 months due to decreased electricity demand, lower capital spending by utilities, and the increased use by some customers of natural gas for power generation. The recent economic environment and uncertainty concerning new environmental legislation or replacement rules or regulations, has caused many of our major customers, principally electric utilities, to delay making substantial capital expenditures for new plants, as well as upgrades to existing power plants. In addition, considerations surrounding greenhouse gas limits under consideration by the U.S. Congress and the EPA have delayed the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the United States. We continue to believe the EPA will revise the rules and regulations throughout 2011 and our U.S. customers will then increase their expenditures on environmental equipment to bring their operating, coal-fired power plants into compliance with the new emissions limits. We expect that our bookings from new environmental equipment for those existing plants will begin to increase with revenue and operating income to follow normal project cycles. Instead of adding environmental equipment, some of our customers have announced plans to close down their least efficient coal-fired boilers, and, as a result, our revenues and operating income from upgrade and retrofit activities from those customers may decline. These decreases in revenues were partially offset by an increase in revenues of $15.9 million from our nuclear equipment operations business and $4.6 million from our nuclear projects and construction business.

Operating income decreased $57.2 million to $100.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $157.9 million in the corresponding period of 2009. We experienced decreases in our new build environmental equipment business totaling $27.9 million, our aftermarket services business totaling $22.6 million and in our new build steam generation systems business totaling $4.8 million, primarily attributable to the decreases in revenues discussed above. These decreases in operating income were partially offset by increases in operating income from our nuclear equipment business of $10.2 million. In addition, we experienced an increase in our selling, general and administrative expenses totaling $21.1 million, attributable to increases in our nuclear selling, general and administrative expenses due to our increased presence in nuclear energy, and to our acquisition of the electrostatic precipitator aftermarket and emissions monitoring business units of GE Energy, a division of General Electric Company. We also experienced an increase in our research and development expense totaling $13.6 million, primarily attributable to development work on the B&W mPowerTM initiative, partially offset by reduced research and development expense in our traditional fossil related activities. These factors were partially offset by lower warranty expense totaling $7.4 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2010, compared to 2009. In addition we experienced an increase in equity in income of investees totaling $16.7 million primarily attributable to improved results in our joint venture in China from improved margins due to reductions in costs on purchases of materials, and improvements in our joint venture in Australia for material handling.

Government Operations

Revenues increased approximately 5%, or $51.6 million, to $1,083.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $1,032.0 million in 2009, primarily attributable to increased volumes in the manufacturing of nuclear components for certain U.S. Government programs totaling $99.1 million, and increased revenues from our management and operating contracts at government sites totaling $6.5 million. These factors were partially offset by lower volumes in the manufacture of components for a commercial uranium enrichment project due to scope reduction totaling $36.6 million, and lower volumes in commercial manufacturing totaling $16.8 million.

 

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Operating income increased $28.4 million to $182.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $154.5 million in 2009, primarily attributable to increased contract productivity and volumes in the manufacturing of nuclear components for certain U.S. Government programs totaling $55.3 million, and an $8.7 million gain attributable to a change in estimate of an environmental accrual at our NFS subsidiary. These increases were partially offset by decreases related to a downblending contract at NFS which realized favorable contract cost adjustments in the year ended December 31, 2009 totaling $23.0 million that did not reoccur in 2010. We also realized lower volumes related to a commercial uranium enrichment project due to scope reduction totaling $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009. Our equity in income of investees increased $2.2 million to $43.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to $41.1 million in 2009, primarily attributable to higher fees earned at two of our government sites.

Corporate

Unallocated corporate expenses decreased by $23.2 million from $42.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2009 to $19.6 million in 2010, primarily attributable to a reduction in pension expense totaling approximately $9.5 million due to pension liabilities transferred to MII in conjunction with the spin-off. In addition, we experienced lower compensation and stock-based compensation expense in the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009.

Other Income Statement Items

Interest income decreased $2.2 million to $1.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009, primarily due to reduced cash and investment balances and lower average interest rates on our investments.

Interest expense decreased $11.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009, primarily due to a decrease in interest expense attributable to forgiveness of our prior intercompany borrowings.

Other expense—net increased $0.3 million to $16.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009, primarily due to increases in foreign currency exchange losses partially offset by increased dividend income.

Provision for Income Taxes

For the year ended December 31, 2010, our provision for income taxes decreased $2.1 million to $82.3 million, while income before provision for income taxes increased $3.5 million to $235.8 million. Our effective tax rate was approximately 35% for 2010, as compared to 36% for 2009. The decrease in the overall effective tax rate was primarily attributable to a larger portion of earnings outside of the U.S. being taxed at lower rates compared to the prior year.

Income before provision for income taxes, provision for income taxes and effective tax rates for our U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions were as shown below:

 

      Income
before Provision for
Income Taxes
     Provision for
(Benefit from)
Income Taxes
     Effective Tax
Rate
 
     2010      2009      2010      2009      2010     2009  
      (In thousands)      (In thousands)               

United States

   $ 160,074       $ 164,347       $ 64,168       $ 69,279         40.09     42.15

Non-United States

     75,746         67,954         18,126         15,102         23.93     22.22
                                                    

Total

   $ 235,820       $ 232,301       $ 82,294       $ 84,381         34.90     36.32
                                                    

We are subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 35% on our U.S. operations plus the applicable state income taxes on our profitable U.S. subsidiaries. Our non-U.S. earnings are subject to tax at various tax rates and under various tax regimes, including deemed profits tax regimes.

 

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During the year ended December 31, 2010, we recorded an increase in liabilities under FASB Topic Income Taxes of approximately $0.7 million, including estimated tax-related interest and penalties.

See Note 4 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report for further information on income taxes.

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2009 COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2008

The Babcock & Wilcox Company (Combined)

Combined revenues decreased approximately 16%, or $544.0 million, to $2.9 billion in the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to $3.4 billion in the year ended December 31, 2008. Our Power Generation Systems segment revenues decreased approximately 28% in the year ended December 31, 2009, as compared to 2008, primarily attributable to lower revenues in our new build environmental equipment business and our new build steam generation systems business. Our Government Operations segment revenues increased approximately 21% in the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to 2008, primarily attributable to the acquisition of Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.

Combined operating income decreased $174.9 million from $444.5 million in 2008 to $269.6 million in 2009. Our Power Generation Systems segment operating income decreased by $157.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the year ended December 31, 2008, primarily attributable to the decrease in revenues discussed above. Our Government Operations segment operating income increased by $4.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2009, as compared to 2008, primarily attributable to higher volumes of manufacturing activity. We also experienced increases in selling, general and administrative expenses, which are included in operating income, totaling approximately $66.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to 2008, primarily attributable to a $14.4 million increase in selling and marketing expenses in 2009, and $36.3 million from our acquisition of NFS. Our equity in income of investees, which is included in operating income, increased $3.3 million to $55.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2009, which decrease is primarily attributable to improved results from our Power Generation Systems segment’s joint venture in China. We also realized a decrease in gains on asset disposals in the year ended 2009 compared to 2008 attributable to a gain we recognized in 2008 on the sale of our former Dumbarton, Scotland facility.

Power Generation Systems

Revenues decreased approximately 28%, or $724.4 million, to $1,824.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to $2,548.9 million in 2008. This decrease was primarily attributable to a 54% (or $424.1 million) decrease we experienced in revenues from our new build environmental equipment business and decreased revenues in our new build steam generation systems business ($135.9 million) in 2009. The main driver for these decreases in revenues was a significant decrease in orders booked starting in the final six months of 2008. These reductions in orders booked followed a Federal Appeals Court’s overturning of the Clean Air Interstate Rule, the Clean Air Mercury Rule and the Industrial Boiler Rule on Maximum Achievable Control Technology. The overturning of these rules and regulations, along with the uncertainty concerning any new legislation or replacement rules or regulations, has caused many of our major customers, principally electric utilities, to delay making substantial capital expenditures for new plants, as well as upgrades to existing power plants. In addition, considerations surrounding greenhouse gas limits under consideration by the U.S. Congress and the EPA have delayed the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the United States. We currently believe, as the EPA finalizes the revised rules and regulations (which we anticipate may be released in final form by mid 2011), our U.S. customers will increase their expenditures on environmental equipment to bring their operating, coal-fired power plants into compliance with the new emissions limits. When the final EPA rules are released, we expect that our bookings from new environmental equipment for those existing plants will begin to increase with revenue and operating income to follow normal project cycles. It is also possible that some of our customers may elect to close down their least efficient coal-fired boilers, and, as a result, our revenues and operating income from upgrade and retrofit activities from those customers may decline. We also experienced

 

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lower revenues in 2009 compared to 2008 in our after market services business ($129.0 million), and decreases in revenues attributable to our nuclear equipment operations business in 2009 ($12.6 million).

Operating income decreased $157.5 million to $157.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to $315.4 million in 2008, primarily attributable to lower volumes in our new build environmental equipment business, and our new build steam generation systems business related to the decreases in revenues discussed above, and a bonus on a contract completed in 2008, for a total reduction of $100.9 million in operating income. In addition, we experienced lower operating income in our aftermarket services business totaling $34.6 million, which was also primarily attributable to the decreases in revenues discussed above. We also experienced lower margins and volume in our nuclear equipment operations business in 2009 compared to 2008. The lower margins in our nuclear steam generator operations were attributable primarily to increased contract costs on the manufacture and delivery of two replacement once through steam generators, and our lower volumes were attributable to the decrease in revenues discussed above. We also experienced an increase in research and development expense totaling $14.0 million in 2009 compared to 2008 primarily attributable to development work on the B&W mPower™ initiative. In addition, we incurred an increase in our pension plan expense totaling approximately $40.2 million in 2009 compared to 2008, primarily from the amortization of losses on our pension plan incurred in 2008. We also experienced an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses totaling approximately $19.1 million in 2009 compared to 2008, primarily attributable to an increase of approximately $11 million in selling and marketing expenses in 2009 compared to 2008. Gains (losses) on asset disposals and impairments—net decreased $9.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2009, primarily attributable to the gain we recognized in 2008 on the sale of our former Dumbarton, Scotland facility. Equity in income of investees increased $3.6 million to $14.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to $10.4 million in 2008, primarily attributable to our joint venture in China.

Government Operations

Revenues increased approximately 21%, or $181.0 million, to $1,032.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to $851.0 million in 2008, primarily attributable to our acquisition of NFS ($160.7 million) and additional volumes in the manufacture of nuclear components for certain U.S. Government programs and recovery work ($20.7 million). These improvements were partially offset by lower volumes in the manufacture of components for a commercial uranium enrichment project, engineering and laboratory services and lower revenues from our management and operating contracts at several government sites.

Operating income increased $4.3 million to $154.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to $150.2 million in 2008, primarily attributable to additional volumes in the manufacture of nuclear components for certain U.S. Government programs and recovery work, and our acquisition of NFS, which contributed $3.3 million of segment operating income. These improvements were partially offset by increased pension expense of $39.5 million in 2009 compared to 2008 from the amortization of losses on our pension plan assets in 2008. In addition, we experienced lower volumes related to a commercial uranium enrichment project and lower revenues from our management and operating contracts at several government sites.

Corporate

Unallocated corporate expenses increased $21.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2009 to $42.8 million from $21.1 million in 2008, primarily attributable to increased pension plan expense of $16.3 million in 2009 compared to 2008 from the amortization of losses on pension plan assets experienced in 2008. We also experienced an increase in information technology expenses in the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to 2008.

Other Income Statement Items

Interest income decreased $11.9 million to $3.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to 2008, primarily due to decreases in average cash equivalents and investments and prevailing interest rates.

 

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Interest expense increased $1.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to 2008, primarily due to interest expense on a note payable to an affiliate.

Other expense—net increased $11.8 million to a loss of $16.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2009, primarily due to higher currency exchange losses in 2009.

Provision for Income Taxes

For the year ended December 31, 2009, our provision for income taxes decreased $24.5 million to $84.4 million, while income before provision for income taxes decreased $200.4 million to $232.3 million. Our effective tax rate was approximately 36% for the year ended December 31, 2009, as compared to 25% for the year ended December 31, 2008. The increase in the effective tax rate was primarily attributable to non-recurring tax benefits which we recognized from the release of state valuation allowances and as a result of audit activity in 2008.

Income before provision for income taxes, provision for income taxes and effective tax rates for our U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions were as shown below:

 

     Income
before Provision for
Income Taxes
     Provision for
(Benefit from)
Income Taxes
     Effective Tax Rate  
     2009      2008      2009      2008      2009     2008  
     (In thousands)      (In thousands)               

United States

   $ 164,347       $ 351,398       $ 69,279       $ 89,904         42.15     25.58

Non-United States

     67,954         81,341         15,102         18,981         22.22     23.34
                                                    

Total

   $ 232,301       $ 432,739       $ 84,381       $ 108,885         36.32     25.16
                                                    

We are subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 35% on our U.S. operations plus the applicable state income taxes on our profitable U.S. subsidiaries. Our non-U.S. earnings are subject to tax at various tax rates and under various tax regimes, including deemed profits tax regimes.

During the year ended December 31, 2009, we recorded a reduction in liabilities under FASB Topic Income Taxes of approximately $5.4 million, including estimated tax-related interest and penalties.

See Note 4 to our consolidated and combined financial statements included in this report for further information on income taxes.

EFFECTS OF INFLATION AND CHANGING PRICES

Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, using historical U.S. dollar accounting (“historical cost”). Statements based on historical cost, however, do not adequately reflect the cumulative effect of increasing costs and changes in the purchasing power of the dollar, especially during times of significant and continued inflation.

In order to minimize the negative impact of inflation on our operations, we attempt to cover the increased cost of anticipated changes in labor, material and service costs, either through an estimate of those changes, which we reflect in the original price, or through price escalation clauses in our contracts. However, there can be no assurance we will be able to cover all changes in cost using this strategy.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our overall liquidity position, which we generally define as our unrestricted cash and investments plus amounts available for borrowings under our credit facility, continued to remain strong in 2010. Our liquidity

 

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position at December 31, 2010 increased by approximately $110 million to $930 million from December 31, 2009, mainly due to factors discussed below in connection with an increase in capacity on our new credit facility, and the changes in our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities. We experienced net cash generated from operations in each of the years ended 2010, 2009 and 2008.

Credit Facility

On May 3, 2010, our subsidiary Babcock & Wilcox Investment Company (“BWICO”) entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with a syndicate of lenders and letter of credit issuers, and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent. The Credit Agreement provides for revolving credit borrowings and issuances of letters of credit in an aggregate outstanding amount of up to $700 million, and the credit facility is scheduled to mature on May 3, 2014. The proceeds of the Credit Agreement are available for working capital needs and other general corporate purposes of our Government Operations and Power Generation Systems segments. The Credit Agreement includes procedures for additional financial institutions to become lenders, or for any existing lender to increase its commitment thereunder, subject to an aggregate maximum of $850 million for all revolving loan and letter of credit commitments under the Credit Agreement.

The Credit Agreement is guaranteed by substantially all of BWICO’s wholly owned domestic subsidiaries. Following the completion of the spin-off of B&W, B&W became the borrower under the Credit Agreement and substantially all of B&W’s wholly owned domestic subsidiaries (including BWICO) that were not already guarantors under the Credit Agreement became guarantors. Obligations under the Credit Agreement are secured by first-priority liens on certain assets owned by BWICO and the guarantors (other than BWXT and its subsidiaries). Following completion of the spin-off of B&W, B&W and its wholly owned domestic subsidiaries that became guarantors under the Credit Agreement granted liens on certain assets owned by them. If the corporate rating of B&W and its subsidiaries from Moody’s is Baa3 or better (with a stable outlook or better), the corporate family rating of B&W and its subsidiaries from S&P is BBB- or better (with a stable outlook or better), and certain other conditions are met, the liens securing obligations under the Credit Agreement will be released, subject to reinstatement upon the terms set forth in the Credit Agreement.

The Credit Agreement requires only interest payments on a quarterly basis until maturity. The borrower under the Credit Agreement may prepay all loans under the Credit Agreement at any time without premium or penalty (other than customary LIBOR breakage costs), subject to certain notice requirements.

The Credit Agreement contains customary financial covenants relating to leverage and interest coverage and includes covenants that restrict, among other things, debt incurrence, liens, investments, acquisitions, asset dispositions, dividends, prepayments of subordinated debt, mergers, and capital expenditures. At December 31, 2010, we were in compliance with all of the covenants set forth in the Credit Agreement. A comparison of the key financial covenants and current compliance at December 31, 2010 is as follows:

 

     Required    Actual
   Less than   

Maximum leverage ratio

   2.5 to 1.0    0.2 to 1.0
   Greater than   

Minimum interest coverage ratio

   4.0 to 1.0    21.0 to 1.0

Loans outstanding under the Credit Agreement bear interest at the borrower’s option at either the Eurodollar rate plus a margin ranging from 2.50% to 3.50% per year or the base rate (the highest of the Federal Funds rate plus 0.50%, the 30-day Eurodollar rate plus 1.0%, or the administrative agent’s prime rate) plus a margin ranging from 1.50% to 2.50% per year. The applicable margin for revolving loans varies depending on the credit ratings of the Credit Agreement. The borrower under the Credit Agreement is charged a commitment fee on the unused portions of the Credit Agreement, and that fee varies between 0.375% and 0.625% per year depending on the credit ratings of the Credit Agreement. Additionally, the borrower under the Credit Agreement is charged a letter of credit fee of between 2.50% and 3.50% per year with respect to the amount of each financial letter of credit

 

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issued under the Credit Agreement and a letter of credit fee of between 1.25% and 1.75% per year with respect to the amount of each performance letter of credit issued under the Credit Agreement, in each case depending on the credit ratings of the Credit Agreement. The borrower under the Credit Agreement also pays customary issuance fees and other fees and expenses in connection with the issuance of letters of credit under the Credit Agreement. In connection with entering into the Credit Agreement, BWICO paid certain upfront fees to the lenders thereunder, and BWICO paid certain arrangement and other fees to the arrangers and agents of the BWICO Credit Agreement. On August 11, 2010 we borrowed $25 million against this facility for one day to meet temporary working capital needs. At December 31, 2010, there were no borrowings outstanding but letters of credit issued under the Credit Agreement totaled $236.2 million. At December 31, 2010, there was $463.8 million available for borrowings or to meet letter of credit requirements under the Credit Agreement. The applicable interest rate at December 31, 2010 under this facility was 4.75% per year.

Based on the current credit ratings of the Credit Agreement, the applicable margin for Eurodollar-rate loans is 2.50%, the applicable margin for base-rate loans is 1.50%, the letter of credit fee for financial letters of credit is 2.50%, the letter of credit fee for performance letters of credit is 1.25%, and the commitment fee for unused portions of the Credit Agreement is 0.375%. The Credit Agreement does not have a floor for the base rate or the Eurodollar rate.

Bank Guarantees (Foreign Operations)

Certain foreign subsidiaries of B&W PGG, a subsidiary in our Power Generation Systems segment, had credit arrangements with various commercial banks and other financial institutions for the issuance of bank guarantees in association with contracting activity. The aggregate value of all such bank guarantees as of December 31, 2010 was $19.2 million.

Surety Bonds

We have posted surety bonds to support contractual obligations to customers relating to certain projects. We utilize bonding facilities to support such obligations, but the issuance of bonds under those facilities is typically at the surety’s discretion. Although there can be no assurance that we will maintain our surety bonding capacity, we believe our current capacity is adequate to support our existing project requirements for the next twelve months. In addition, these bonds generally indemnify customers should we fail to perform our obligations under the applicable contracts. We, and certain of our subsidiaries, have jointly executed general agreements of indemnity in favor of surety underwriters relating to surety bonds those underwriters issue in support of some of our contracting activity. As of December 31, 2010, bonds issued and outstanding under these arrangements in support of contracts totaled approximately $155.1 million. Approximately $82.3 million of these bonds are also subject to general agreements of indemnity executed by MII and certain of our subsidiaries (including B&W PGG) prior to the spin-off. Any claim successfully asserted against a surety by a bond obligee under a bond issued by us, pursuant to the agreements of indemnity executed prior to our spin-off would likely be recoverable from MII and B&W PGG under such indemnity agreements (and we have agreed to indemnify MII from and against any such recovery from it).

Letters of Credit (Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.)

At December 31, 2010, NFS, a subsidiary of BWXT in our Government Operations segment, had $3.6 million in letters of credit issued by various commercial banks on its behalf. The obligations to the commercial banks issuing such letters of credit are secured by cash, short-term certificates of deposit and certain real and intangible assets.

OTHER

Pension Plan

We recorded a $62.1 million reduction in stockholders’ equity at December 31, 2010, compared to a reduction of $36.9 million in stockholders’ equity at December 31, 2009. The difference is primarily attributable

 

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to the reduction in the discount rate for our major domestic plans from 6.00% to 5.60% at December 31, 2010, compared to a decrease in the discount rate from 6.25% to 6.00% at December 31, 2009. These decreases in the discount rate increased the pension plan obligations, resulting in net reductions in stockholders’ equity and parent equity at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Warranty Claim (Power Generation Systems Segment)

One of our Canadian subsidiaries has received notice of a warranty claim on one of its projects on a contract executed in 1998. This situation relates to technical issues concerning components associated with nuclear steam generators. Data collection and analysis can only be performed at specific time periods when the power plant is scheduled to be off-line for maintenance. We also received a notice from the customer during October 2008, and, in November 2008, we responded to the notice by disagreeing with the matters stated in the claim and disputing the claim. In November 2010, we entered into a settlement agreement with the customer in order to resolve this matter. The settlement agreement defines our obligations for past and future costs associated with these technical issues and these anticipated costs were within amounts which had been previously accrued.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Investments

In the aggregate, our cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents and investments decreased by approximately $79.8 million to $478.5 million at December 31, 2010 from $558.3 million at December 31, 2009, primarily due a $100.0 million cash dividend paid to MII in connection with the spin-off.

Our working capital, increased by approximately $155.8 million to $227.3 million at December 31, 2010 from $71.5 million at December 31, 2009, primarily due to the increase in the net amount of contracts in progress and advance billings on contracts and the settlement of intercompany payables with MII and its subsidiaries.

Our net cash provided by operating activities was approximately $192.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to $252.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2009. This difference was primarily attributable to changes in net contracts in progress and advance billings and accrued employee benefits.

Our net cash used in investing activities increased by approximately $22.7 million to approximately $90.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 from approximately $67.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2009. This increase in net cash used in investing activities was primarily attributable to acquisitions in the current year and our cash investment in USEC of $37.5 million. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in capital expenditures from the prior year and cash received from the settlement of a note receivable in 2010.

Our net cash used in financing activities increased by approximately $178.1 million to $183.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 from $5.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2009. This increase in net cash used in financing activities was primarily attributable to dividends paid in connection with the spin-off transaction and repayment of an intercompany loan in 2010.

At December 31, 2010, we had restricted cash and cash equivalents totaling $16.2 million, $7.5 million of which was held in restricted foreign cash accounts, $3.5 million of which was held as cash collateral for letters of credit, $4.0 million of which was held for future decommissioning of facilities (which is included in other assets on our consolidated and combined balance sheets), $0.2 million of which was held to meet reinsurance reserve requirements of our captive insurer, and $1.0 million of which was held in money market funds maintained by our captive insurer.

At December 31, 2010, we had investments with a fair value of $75.1 million. Our investment portfolio consists primarily of investments in government obligations and other highly liquid money market instruments.

Our investments are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, reported as a component of other comprehensive loss. Our net unrealized gain/loss on

 

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investments is currently in an unrealized gain position totaling approximately $0.3 million at December 31, 2010. At December 31, 2009, we had unrealized losses on our investments totaling approximately $0.4 million. Based on our analysis of these investments, we believe that none of our available-for-sale securities were permanently impaired as of December 31, 2010.

Based on our liquidity position, we believe we have sufficient cash and letter of credit and borrowing capacity to fund our operating requirements for at least the next twelve months.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

Our cash requirements as of December 31, 2010 under current contractual obligations were as follows:

 

     Total      Less than 1
Year
     1-3
Years
     3-5
Years
     After
5 Years
 
                 (In thousands)      

Long-term debt principal (a)

   $ 5,645       $ 4,790       $ 418       $ 437       $ 0   

Operating leases

   $ 23,821       $ 6,087       $ 8,621       $ 5,503       $ 3,610   

We expect cash requirements totaling approximately $ 121.7 million for contributions to our pension plans in 2011, which includes approximately $ 65.7 million for our Power Generation Systems segment and $ 56.0million for our Government Operations segment, respectively, and $8.2 million for contributions to our other postretirement benefit plans in 2011.

 

 

(a) Interest payments on these borrowings as of December 31, 2010 are not significant.

In addition to the contractual obligations summarized above, on May 25, 2010, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with USEC and Toshiba Corporation (“Toshiba”), pursuant to which we and Toshiba have each agreed to make a phased strategic investment in USEC of up to $100 million. Our investment is to be made over three phases, each of which is subject to satisfaction of specific preconditions, including regulatory approvals. We anticipate making our second investment, in the amount of $25.0 million, in the second quarter of 2011, which we intend to fund using cash on hand or cash generated by our operating activities.

Our contingent commitments under letters of credit, bank guarantees and surety bonds currently outstanding expire as follows:

 

Total

 

Less than

1 Year

 

1-3

Years

 

3-5

Years

 

Thereafter

    (In thousands)

$ 414,089

  $257,603   $124,164   $22,216   $10,106

In accordance with the provisions of FASB Topic Income Taxes, we have recorded a $4.9 million liability as of December 31, 2010 for unrecognized tax benefits and the payment of related interest and penalties. Due to the uncertainties related to these tax matters, we are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate as to when cash settlement with a taxing authority will occur. However, over the next twelve months, we expect to settle approximately $1.9 million of these liabilities in cash. We do not expect a significant increase or decrease to the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits during the next twelve months, however, we are under regular audit by tax authorities.

 

Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Our exposure to market risk from changes in interest rates relates primarily to our cash equivalents and our investment portfolio, which primarily consists of investments in U.S. Government obligations and highly liquid money market instruments denominated in U.S. dollars. We are averse to principal loss and seek to ensure the safety and preservation of our invested funds by limiting default risk, market risk and reinvestment risk. All our investments in debt securities are classified as available-for-sale.

 

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We have exposure to changes in interest rates on the Credit Agreement (see Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources”). At December 31, 2010, we had no outstanding borrowings under this facility. We have no material future earnings or cash flow exposures from changes in interest rates on our other long-term debt obligations, as substantially all of these obligations have fixed interest rates.

We have operations in many foreign locations, and, as a result, our financial results could be significantly affected by factors such as changes in foreign currency exchange rates or weak economic conditions in those foreign markets. In order to manage the risks associated with foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, we attempt to hedge those risks with foreign currency derivative instruments. Historically, we have hedged those risks with foreign currency forward contracts. We have recently hedged some of those risks with foreign currency option contracts. We do not enter into speculative derivative positions.

Interest Rate Sensitivity

The following tables provide information about our financial instruments that are sensitive to changes in interest rates. The tables present principal cash flows and related weighted-average interest rates by expected maturity dates.

 

     Principal Amount by Expected Maturity  
     (In thousands)  
      Years Ending December 31,     Thereafter     Total      Fair Value at
December 31,

2010
 
     2011     2012     2013     2014     2015         

At December 31, 2010:

                 

Investments

   $ 71,129        —          —          —          —        $ 3,697      $ 74,826       $ 75,097   

Average Interest Rate

     0.20     —          —          —          —          0.41     

Long-term Debt – Fixed Rate

   $ 4,790      $ 207      $ 211      $ 217      $ 220        —        $ 5,645       $ 5,673   

Average Interest Rate

     3.72     2.78     2.78     2.78     2.78     —          
      Years Ending December 31,     Thereafter     Total      Fair Value at
December 31,
2009
 
     2010     2011     2012     2013     2014         

At December 31, 2009:

                 

Investments

   $ 70,169      $ 2,877      $ —        $ —        $ —        $ 883      $ 73,929       $ 73,554   

Average Interest Rate

     0.52     0.53     —          —          —          2.22     

Long-term Debt –Fixed Rate

   $ 3,366      $ 4,222      $ —        $ —        $ —        $ —        $ 7,588       $ 7,588   

Average Interest Rate

     1.06     0.75     —          —          —          —          

Exchange Rate Sensitivity

The following table provides information about our foreign currency forward contracts outstanding at December 31, 2010 and presents such information in U.S. dollar equivalents. The table presents notional amounts and related weighted-average exchange rates by expected (contractual) maturity dates and constitutes a forward-looking statement. These notional amounts generally are used to calculate the contractual payments to be exchanged under the contract. The average contractual exchange rates are expressed using market convention, which is dependent on the currencies being bought and sold under the forward contract.

 

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Forward Contracts to Purchase Foreign Currencies in U.S. Dollars (in thousands)

 

 

Foreign Currency

   Year Ending
December 31, 2011
     Fair Value at
December 31, 2010
    Average Contractual
Exchange Rate
 

Euros

   $ 3,738       $ (279     1.4466   

Canadian Dollars

   $ 52,873       $ 1,344        1.0303   

Canadian Dollars (selling Japanese Yen)

   $ 566       $ (27     85.4144   

Danish Krone (selling Norwegian Krone)

   $ 12,546       $ (320     1.0787   

Danish Krone (selling Swedish Krona)

   $ 49,105       $ (2,938     1.2886   

Danish Krone

   $ 1,252       $ (81     5.2195   

Pound Sterling (selling Euros)

   $ 6,797       $ (156     0.8388   

Japanese Yen (selling Canadian Dollars)

   $ 11,165       $ 1,264        90.2901   

Euros (selling Canadian Dollars)

   $ 2,666       $ (68     1.3697   

Euros (selling Swedish Krona)

   $ 243       $ (9     9.3700   

U.S. Dollars (selling Canadian Dollars)

   $ 2,400       $ (137     1.0572   

U.S. Dollars (selling Euros)

   $ 57       $ 4        1.4405   

 

Foreign Currency

   Year Ending
December 31, 2012
     Fair Value at
December 31, 2010
    Average Contractual
Exchange Rate
 

Canadian Dollars

   $ 23,316       $ 1,326        1.0734   

Japanese Yen (selling Canadian Dollars)

   $ 6,651       $ 75        80.2946   

Danish Krone (selling Norwegian Krone)

   $ 3,702       $ (93     1.0967   

Pound Sterling (selling (Euros)

   $ 208       $ 1        0.8675   

Pound Sterling (selling U.S. Dollars)

   $ 1,237       $ 12        1.5361   

U.S. Dollars (selling Canadian Dollars)

   $ 65       $ (4     1.0755   

Danish Krone (selling Swedish Krona)

   $ 9,916       $ (459     1.2923   

 

Foreign Currency

   Year Ending
December 31, 2013
     Fair Value at
December 31, 2010
    Average Contractual
Exchange Rate
 

Canadian Dollars

   $ 21,443       $ 1,109        1.0768   

Japanese Yen (selling Canadian Dollars)

   $ 6.565       $ 38        78.5144   

Danish Krone (selling Swedish Krona)

   $ 9,455       $ (464     1.3134   

Foreign Currency

   Year Ending
December 31, 2014
     Fair Value at
December 31, 2010
    Strike Rate  

Canadian Dollars

   $ 59,420       $ 2,813        1.0766   

U.S. Dollars (selling Canadian Dollars)

   $ 468       $ (5     1.0337   

 

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of The Babcock & Wilcox Company:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated and combined balance sheets of The Babcock & Wilcox Company and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the related consolidated and combined statements of income, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity, parent equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010. These consolidated and combined financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated and combined financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, such consolidated and combined financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The Babcock & Wilcox Company and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated and combined financial statements, on and prior to July 30, 2010, the combined financial statements were prepared from the separate records maintained by the Company and may not necessarily be indicative of the conditions that would have existed or the results of operations of the Company had it been operated as an independent entity.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 1, 2011 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

/S/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Charlotte, North Carolina

March 1, 2011

 

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THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED BALANCE SHEETS

 

     December 31,  
     2010      2009  
     (In thousands)  
ASSETS      

Current Assets:

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 391,142       $ 469,468   

Restricted cash and cash equivalents

     12,267         15,305   

Investments

     234         14   

Accounts receivable – trade, net

     289,374         319,861   

Accounts receivable – other

     64,231         39,289   

Contracts in progress

     225,448         245,998   

Inventories

     100,932         98,644   

Deferred income taxes

     90,620         96,680   

Other current assets

     34,868         21,456   
                 

Total Current Assets

     1,209,116         1,306,715   
                 

Property, Plant and Equipment

     968,712         945,298   

Less accumulated depreciation

     550,400         515,237   
                 

Net Property, Plant and Equipment

     418,312         430,061   
                 

Investments

     74,863         73,540   
                 

Goodwill

     269,424         262,866   
                 

Deferred Income Taxes

     236,504         270,002   
                 

Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliates

     100,811         68,327   
                 

Note Receivable from Affiliate

     —           42,573   
                 

Other Assets

     191,480         149,775   
                 

TOTAL

   $ 2,500,510       $ 2,603,859   
                 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated and combined financial statements.

 

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THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED BALANCE SHEETS

 

     December 31,  
     2010     2009  
     (In thousands)  
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY     

Current Liabilities:

    

Notes payable and current maturities of long-term debt

   $ 4,790      $ 6,432   

Accounts payable

     185,240        178,350   

Accounts payable to McDermott International, Inc.

     —          112,053   

Accrued employee benefits

     235,856        198,195   

Accrued liabilities–other

     71,242        74,700   

Advance billings on contracts

     369,644        537,448   

Accrued warranty expense

     109,588        115,055   

Income taxes payable

     5,467        12,943   
                

Total Current Liabilities

     981,827        1,235,176   
                

Long-Term Debt

     855        4,222   
                

Accumulated Postretirement Benefit Obligation

     84,100        105,484   
                

Environmental Liabilities

     40,889        47,795   
                

Pension Liability

     579,000        699,117   
                

Notes Payable to Affiliate

     —          320,568   
                

Other Liabilities

     100,314        70,791   
                

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 10)

    

Stockholders’ Equity:

    

Common stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 325,000,000 shares; issued 116,963,664 and 0 shares at December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively

     1,170        —     

Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 75,000,000 shares; 0 shares issued

     —          —     

Capital in excess of par value

     1,067,414        —     

Retained earnings

     96,671        —     

Treasury stock at cost, 101,649 and 0 shares at December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively

     (2,397     —     

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     (449,999     —     
                

Stockholders’ Equity–The Babcock & Wilcox Company

     712,859        —     

Noncontrolling interest

     666        —     
                

Total Stockholders’ Equity

     713,525        —     
                

Total Parent Equity

     —          120,706   
                

TOTAL

   $ 2,500,510      $ 2,603,859   
                

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated and combined financial statements.

 

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THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2010     2009     2008  
     (In thousands, except per share amounts)  

Revenues

   $ 2,688,811      $ 2,854,632      $ 3,398,574   
                        

Costs and Expenses:

      

Cost of operations

     2,024,034        2,182,131        2,639,477   

Research and development costs

     69,167        53,246        38,458   

(Gains) losses on asset disposals and impairments – net

     38        1,226        (9,603

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     405,682        403,559        337,551   
                        

Total Costs and Expenses

     2,498,921        2,640,162        3,005,883   
                        

Equity in Income of Investees

     74,082        55,094        51,792   
                        

Operating Income

     263,972        269,564        444,483   
                        

Other Income (Expense):

      

Interest income

     1,187        3,439        15,286   

Interest expense

     (12,939     (24,590     (22,740

Other expense – net

     (16,400     (16,112     (4,290
                        

Total Other Expense

     (28,152     (37,263     (11,744
                        

Income before Provision for Income Taxes

     235,820        232,301        432,739   

Provision for Income Taxes

     82,294        84,381        108,885   
                        

Net Income

   $ 153,526      $ 147,920      $ 323,854   
                        

Less: Net Income attributable to Noncontrolling Interest

     (264     (156     (88
                        

Net Income Attributable to The Babcock & Wilcox Company

   $ 153,262      $ 147,764      $ 323,766   
                        

Earnings per Common Share:

      

Basic:

      

Net Income Attributable to The Babcock & Wilcox Company

   $ 1.32      $ 1.27      $ 2.79   

Diluted:

      

Net Income Attributable to The Babcock & Wilcox Company

   $ 1.30      $ 1.26      $ 2.76   
                        

Shares used in the computation of earnings per share (Note 19):

      

Basic

     116,260,425        116,067,535        116,067,535   

Diluted

     117,626,065        117,423,807        117,423,807   
                        

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated and combined financial statements.

 

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THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2010     2009     2008  
     (In thousands)  

Net Income

   $ 153,526      $ 147,920      $ 323,854   
                        

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):

      

Foreign currency translation adjustments:

      

Foreign currency translation adjustments

     7,561        22,103        (24,717

Unrealized gains (losses) on derivative financial instruments:

      

Unrealized gains (losses) on derivative financial instruments

     6,407        8,134        (14,702

Reclassification adjustment for gains (losses) included in net income

     1,290        (1,551     752   

Unrecognized losses on benefit obligations:

      

Unrecognized losses arising during the period

     (62,059     (36,872     (325,846

Amortization of losses included in net income

     50,571        54,962        21,217   

Unrealized gains (losses) on investments:

      

Unrealized gains (losses) arising during the period

     523        (339     82   

Reclassification adjustment for net gains included in net income

     122        30        (147
                        

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

     4,415        46,467        (343,361
                        

Total Comprehensive Income (Loss)

     157,941        194,387        (19,507
                        

Comprehensive Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest

     (243     (199     (80
                        

Comprehensive Income (Loss) Attributable to The Babcock & Wilcox Company

   $ 157,698      $ 194,188      $ (19,587
                        

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated and combined financial statements.

 

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THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands, except share amounts)

 

    Common Stock     Capital In
Excess of

Par Value
    Retained
Earnings
    Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive

Income (Loss)
    Treasury
Stock
    Parent
Equity
    Non-
Controlling

Interest
    Total
Stockholders

Equity
 
    Shares     Par Value                

Balance December 31, 2009

    —        $ —        $ —        $ —        $ (546,574   $ —        $ 666,777      $ 503      $ 120,706   

Net income

    —          —          —          96,671        —          —          56,591        264        153,526   

Amortization of benefit plan costs

    —          —          —          —          50,571        —          —          —          50,571   

Unrealized loss on benefit obligations

    —          —          —          —          (62,059     —          —          —          (62,059

Unrealized gain on investments

    —          —          —          —          645        —          —          —          645   

Translation adjustments

    —          —          —          —          7,582        —          —          (21     7,561   

Unrealized gain on derivatives

    —          —          —          —          7,697        —          —          —          7,697   

Transfer of pension to Parent

    —          —          —          —          95,539        —          —          —          95,539   

Dividend paid

    —          —          —          —          —          —          (100,000     —          (100,000

Net transactions with Parent

    —          —          —          —          (3,400     —          429,571        —          426,171   

Reclassification of Parent equity to capital in excess of par value

    —          —          1,052,939        —          —          —          (1,052,939     —          —     

Issuance of common stock at spin-off

    116,225,732        1,162        (1,162     —          —          —          —          —          —     

Exercise of stock options

    86,004        1        3,427        —          —          —          —          —          3,428   

Contributions to thrift plan

    218,699        2        5,171        —          —          —          —          —          5,173   

Shares placed in treasury

    —          —          —          —          —          (2,397     —          —          (2,397

Stock-based compensation charges

    433,229        5        7,039        —          —          —          —          —          7,044   

Distributions to noncontrolling interests

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          (80     (80
                                                                       

Balance December 31, 2010

    116,963,664      $ 1,170      $ 1,067,414      $ 96,671      $ (449,999   $ (2,397   $ —        $ 666      $ 713,525   
                                                                       

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated and combined financial statements.

 

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THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

COMBINED STATEMENTS OF PARENT EQUITY (DEFICIT)

 

     Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
    Parent
Equity
    Non-
Controlling
Interest
    Total
Parent Equity
(Deficit)
 
     (In thousands)  

Balance December 31, 2007

   $ (249,645   $ 217,925      $ 331      $ (31,389

Net income

     —          323,766        88        323,854   

Amortization of benefit plan costs

     21,217        —          —          21,217   

Unrecognized losses on benefit obligations

     (325,846     —          —          (325,846

Unrealized gain on investments

     (65     —          —          (65

Foreign currency translation adjustments

     (24,709     —          (8     (24,717

Unrealized loss on derivatives

     (13,950     —          —          (13,950

Stock-based compensation charges

     —          (18,601     —          (18,601

Distributions to noncontrolling interests

     —          —          (51     (51
                                

Balance December 31, 2008

   $ (592,998   $ 523,090      $ 360      $ (69,548

Net income

     —          147,764        156        147,920   

Amortization of benefit plan costs

     54,962        —          —          54,962   

Unrecognized losses on benefit obligations

     (36,872     —          —          (36,872

Unrealized gain on investments

     (309     —          —          (309

Foreign currency translation adjustments

     22,060        —          43        22,103   

Unrealized loss on derivatives

     6,583        —          —          6,583   

Stock-based compensation charges

     —          (4,077     —          (4,077

Distributions to noncontrolling interests

     —          —          (56     (56
                                

Balance December 31, 2009

   $ (546,574   $ 666,777      $ 503      $ 120,706   
                                

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated and combined financial statements.

 

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THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2010     2009     2008  
     (In thousands)  

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

      

Net Income

   $ 153,526      $ 147,920      $ 323,854   

Non-cash items included in net income:

      

Depreciation and amortization

     71,633        72,712        45,985   

Income of investees, net of dividends

     (20,449     (4,450     (2,117

(Gains) losses on asset disposals and impairments – net

     38        1,226        (9,603

Provision for deferred taxes

     33,457        29,535        23,730   

Amortization of pension and postretirement costs

     79,935        86,637        33,735   

Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

     (5,276     1,813        (13,381

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions:

      

Accounts receivable

     101,260        71,316        (12,901

Income taxes receivable

     (18,738     11,619        43,024   

Accounts payable

     19,882        (40,555     (4,076

Net contracts in progress and advance billings

     (153,933     (63,879     (234,648

Income taxes

     9,239        10,740        25,808   

Accrued and other current liabilities

     (9,761     (52,556     22,503   

Pension liability and accrued postretirement and employee benefits

     (85,371     (378     (154,743

Other

     16,964        (18,877     (27,082
                        

NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES

     192,406        252,823        60,088   
                        

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

      

(Increase) decrease in restricted cash and cash equivalents

     3,038        (8,189     (2,000

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

     (63,649     (93,725     (63,014

Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

     (29,962     (8,497     (190,878

Net (increase) decrease in available-for-sale securities

     —          45,230        (59,200

Purchases of available-for-sale securities

     (135,135     —          —     

Sales and maturities of available-for-sale securities

     134,276        —          —     

Proceeds from asset disposals

     753        245        9,978   

Investments in unconsolidated affiliates

     (42,912     (2,700     —     

Decrease in note receivable from affiliate

     43,277        —          —     

Other

     —          1        551   
                        

NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES

     (90,314     (67,635     (304,563
                        

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

      

Payment of short-term borrowings and long-term debt

     (29,914     (6,155     (4,768

Payment of debt issuance costs

     (9,994     —          —     

Increase in short-term borrowing

     25,000        —          1,460   

Dividend paid to McDermott International, Inc.

     (100,000     —          —     

Capital contribution from McDermott International, Inc.

     12,501        —          —     

Distribution to McDermott International, Inc.

     (43,334     —          —     

(Decrease) Increase in notes payable to affiliates

     (43,386     2,368        49,950   

Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

     5,276        (1,813     13,381   

Other

     118        —          (1
                        

NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES

     (183,733     (5,600     60,022   
                        

EFFECTS OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH

     3,315        10,234        (9,867
                        

NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

     (78,326     189,822        (194,320
                        

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD

     469,468        279,646        473,966   
                        

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD

   $ 391,142      $ 469,468      $ 279,646   
                        

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:

      

Cash paid (received) during the period for:

      

Interest (net of amount capitalized)

   $ 3,746      $ 24,728      $ 27,520   

Income taxes (net of refunds)

   $ 27,227      $ (29,663   $ 12,256   
                        

See accompanying notes to consolidated and combined financial statements.

 

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THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2010

NOTE 1—BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Babcock & Wilcox Company (“B&W”) was a wholly owned subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc., a Panamanian corporation (“MII”), until July 30, 2010 when MII distributed 100% of our outstanding common stock to the MII shareholders. On July 2, 2010, MII’s Board of Directors approved the spin-off of B&W through the distribution of shares of B&W common stock to holders of MII common stock. The distribution of B&W common stock was made on July 30, 2010, and consisted of one share of B&W common stock for every two shares of MII common stock to holders of MII common stock as of 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the record date, July 9, 2010. Cash was paid in lieu of any fractional shares of B&W common stock. B&W became a separate publicly traded company, and MII did not retain any ownership interest in B&W. A registration statement on Form 10 describing the spin-off was filed by B&W with the Securities and Exchange Commission and was declared effective on July 8, 2010 (as amended through the time of such effectiveness).

We have presented our consolidated and combined financial statements in U.S. Dollars in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). On and prior to July 30, 2010, our financial position, operating results and cash flows consisted of The Babcock & Wilcox Operations of McDermott International, Inc., (“BWO”), which represented a combined reporting entity comprised of the assets and liabilities involved in managing and operating the Power Generation Systems and Government Operations segments of MII in addition to two captive insurance companies which have been combined and contributed to B&W in conjunction with the spin-off of B&W by MII. On our consolidated and combined balance sheets, the year ended December 31, 2010 consists of the consolidated balances of B&W, while the year ended December 31, 2009 consists of the combined results of BWO. On our consolidated and combined statements of income and cash flows, the twelve months ended December 31, 2010 include the combined results of operations for seven months of BWO and five months of the consolidated results of B&W, while the twelve months ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 consist entirely of the combined results of BWO.

We use the equity method to account for investments in entities that we do not control, but over which we have significant influence. We generally refer to these entities as “joint ventures.” We have eliminated all significant intercompany transactions and accounts.

Certain corporate and general and administrative expenses incurred before the spin-off, including those related to executive management, investor relations, tax, accounting, legal and treasury services, and certain employee benefits, have been allocated based on a level of effort calculation. Our management believes such allocations are reasonable. However, the associated expenses reflected in the accompanying consolidated and combined statements of income may not be indicative of the actual expenses that would have been incurred had the combined businesses been operating as an independent public company for the periods presented. Since the spin-off from MII, B&W has been performing these functions using internal resources or services provided by third parties, certain of which may be provided by MII during a transitional period pursuant to a transition services agreement.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, “we,” “us” and “our” mean B&W and its consolidated and combined subsidiaries.

Before our separation from MII, we entered into a master separation agreement and several other agreements with MII to effect the separation and distribution of our common stock to MII stockholders and provide a framework for B&W’s relationship with MII. These agreements govern the relationship between MII and B&W subsequent to the completion of the spin-off and provide for the allocation between B&W and MII of MII’s assets, liabilities and obligations attributable to periods prior to the spin-off. Because the terms of our

 

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separation from MII and these agreements were entered into in the context of a related-party transaction, these terms may not be comparable to terms that would be obtained in a transaction between unaffiliated parties.

Master Separation Agreement

The master separation agreement between us and MII contains the key provisions relating to the separation of our business from MII and the distribution of our shares of common stock. The master separation agreement identifies the assets that were transferred, liabilities that were assumed and contracts that were assigned to us by MII or by us to MII in the spin-off and describes how these transfers, assumptions and assignments occurred. Under the master separation agreement generally, we are indemnifying MII and its remaining subsidiaries against various claims and liabilities including those related to the past operation of our business and 50% of the amount of uninsured liabilities arising out of MII’s securities litigation pending as of July 30, 2010 in the United States District for the Southern District of Texas.

Tax Sharing Agreement

We and a subsidiary of MII have entered into an agreement providing for the sharing of taxes incurred before and after the distribution, various indemnification rights with respect to tax matters and restrictions to preserve the tax-free status of the distribution to MII. Under the terms of the tax sharing agreement, we are generally responsible for any taxes imposed on us or MII and its subsidiaries in the event that certain transactions related to the spin-off fail to qualify for tax-free treatment. However, if these transactions fail to qualify for tax-free treatment because of actions or failures to act by MII or its subsidiaries, a subsidiary of MII would be responsible for all such taxes.

Transition Services Agreements

Under certain transition services agreements, we and MII are providing each other certain transition services on an interim basis. Such services may include accounting, human resources, information technology, legal, risk management, tax and treasury. In consideration for such services, we and MII each pay fees to the other for the services provided, and those fees are generally in amounts intended to allow the party providing the services to recover its direct and indirect costs incurred in providing those services. The transition services agreements contain customary mutual indemnification provisions.

Business Segments

We operate in two business segments: Power Generation Systems and Government Operations. Our segments are further described as follows:

 

   

Our Power Generation Systems segment supplies boilers fired with fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, or renewable fuels such as biomass, municipal solid waste and concentrated solar energy. In addition, we supply commercial nuclear steam generators and components, environmental equipment and components, and related services to customers in different regions around the world. We design, engineer, manufacture, supply, construct and service large utility and industrial power generation systems, including boilers used to generate steam in electric power plants, pulp and paper making, chemical and process applications and other industrial uses.

 

   

Our Government Operations segment manufactures nuclear components and provides various services to the U.S. Government, including uranium processing, environmental site restoration services and management and operating services for various U.S. Government-owned facilities. These services are provided to the Department of Energy (“DOE”), including the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Office of Nuclear Energy, the Office of Science and the Office of Environmental Management.

The consolidated and combined results of operations, financial position and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2010 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending

 

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December 31, 2011. Furthermore, these results do not necessarily reflect what the consolidated and combined results of operations, financial position and cash flows would have been had the consolidated and combined businesses operated as an independent public company during the periods presented, including changes in its operations and capitalization as a result of the spin-off from MII.

Use of Estimates

We use estimates and assumptions to prepare our financial statements in conformity with GAAP. Some of our more significant estimates include our estimate of costs to complete long-term construction contracts and estimates we make in selecting assumptions related to the valuations of our pension and post employment plans, including the selection of our discount rates and expected rates of return on our pension plan assets. These estimates and assumptions affect the amounts we report in our financial statements and accompanying notes. Our actual results could differ from these estimates. Variances could result in a material effect on our financial condition and results of operations in future periods.

Earnings Per Share

We have computed earnings per common share on the basis of the weighted average number of common shares, and, where dilutive, common share equivalents, outstanding during the indicated periods. On July 30, 2010, 116,225,732 shares of our common stock were distributed to MII shareholders to complete our spin-off from MII. For comparative purposes, and to provide a more meaningful calculation of weighted average shares, we have assumed this amount to be outstanding as of the beginning of each period presented in our calculation of basic weighted average shares. In addition, for our dilutive weighted average share calculations, we have assumed the dilutive securities outstanding at July 30, 2010 were also outstanding at each of the prior periods presented.

Investments

Our investments, primarily government obligations and other highly liquid money market instruments, are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. We classify investments available for current operations in the balance sheet as current assets, while we classify investments held for long-term purposes as noncurrent assets. We adjust the amortized cost of debt securities for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity. That amortization is included in interest income. We include realized gains and losses on our investments in other expense – net. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method. We include interest on securities in interest income.

Foreign Currency Translation

We translate assets and liabilities of our foreign operations, into U.S. Dollars at current exchange rates, and we translate income statement items at average exchange rates for the periods presented. We record adjustments resulting from the translation of foreign currency financial statements as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. We report foreign currency transaction gains and losses in income. We have included in other expense—net transaction losses of $6.5 million, $5.4 million and $0.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

Contracts and Revenue Recognition

We generally recognize contract revenues and related costs on a percentage-of-completion method for individual contracts or combinations of contracts based on work performed, man hours, or a cost-to-cost method, as applicable to the product or activity involved. Under this method, we recognize estimated contract revenue and resulting income based on costs incurred to date as a percentage of total estimated costs. Certain costs may be excluded from the cost-to-cost method of measuring progress, such as significant costs for materials and major

 

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third-party subcontractors, if it appears that such exclusion would result in a more meaningful measurement of actual contract progress and resulting periodic allocation of income. We include revenues and related costs so recorded, plus accumulated contract costs that exceed amounts invoiced to customers under the terms of the contracts, in contracts in progress. We include in advance billings on contracts billings that exceed accumulated contract costs and revenues and costs recognized under the percentage-of-completion method. Most long-term contracts contain provisions for progress payments. Our unbilled receivables do not contain an allowance for credit losses as we expect to invoice customers and collect all amounts for unbilled revenues. Approximately 70% of our unbilled revenues relate to contracts with the U.S. Government, while the remaining unbilled contract revenue relates to high credit quality commercial customers. We review contract price and cost estimates periodically as the work progresses and reflect adjustments proportionate to the percentage-of-completion in income in the period when those estimates are revised. For all contracts, if a current estimate of total contract cost indicates a loss on a contract, the projected loss is recognized in full when determined.

For contracts as to which we are unable to estimate the final profitability except to assure that no loss will ultimately be incurred, we recognize equal amounts of revenue and cost until the final results can be estimated more precisely. For these deferred profit recognition contracts, we recognize revenue and cost equally and only recognize gross margin when probable and reasonably estimable, which we generally determine to be when the contract is approximately 70% complete. We treat long-term construction contracts that contain such a level of risk and uncertainty that estimation of the final outcome is impractical, except to assure that no loss will be incurred, as deferred profit recognition contracts.

Our policy is to account for fixed-price contracts under the completed-contract method if we believe that we are unable to reasonably forecast cost to complete at start-up. Under the completed-contract method, income is recognized only when a contract is completed or substantially complete.

For certain parts orders and after market services activities, we recognize revenues as goods are delivered and work is performed.

Variations from estimated contract performance could result in material adjustments to operating results for any fiscal quarter or year. We include claims for extra work or changes in scope of work to the extent of costs incurred in contract revenues when we believe collection is probable.

The following represent the components of our contracts in progress and advance billings on contracts included in our consolidated and combined balance sheets:

 

     December 31,  
     2010     2009  
     (In thousands)  

Included in Contracts in Progress:

    

Costs incurred less costs of revenue recognized

   $ 63,233      $ 47,085   

Revenues recognized less billings to customers

     162,215        198,913   
                

Contracts In Progress

   $ 225,448      $ 245,998   
                

Included In Advance Billings on Contracts:

    

Billings to customers less revenues recognized

   $ 445,076      $ 634,111   

Costs incurred less costs of revenue recognized

     (75,432     (96,663
                

Advance Billings on Contracts

   $ 369,644      $ 537,448   
                

 

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The following amounts represent retainages on contracts:

 

     December 31,  
     2010      2009  
     (In thousands)  

Retainages expected to be collected within one year

   $ 75,630       $ 94,561   

Retainages expected to be collected after one year

     7,192         16,919   
                 

Total retainages

   $ 82,822       $ 111,480   
                 

We have included in accounts receivable – trade retainages expected to be collected in 2011. Retainages expected to be collected after one year are included in other assets. Of the long-term retainages at December 31, 2010, we anticipate collecting $2.7 million in 2012, $1.3 million in 2013, $2.9 million in 2014, and $0.3 million in 2015.

Comprehensive Loss

The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss included in stockholders’ and parent equity are as follows:

 

     December 31,  
     2010     2009  
     (In thousands)  

Currency translation adjustments

   $ 35,910      $ 31,728   

Net unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     270        (375

Net unrealized gain (loss) on derivative financial instruments

     1,939        (5,758

Unrecognized losses on benefit obligations

     (488,118     (572,169
                

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

   $ (449,999   $ (546,574
                

Warranty Expense

We accrue estimated expense, included in cost of operations on our consolidated and combined statements of income, to satisfy contractual warranty requirements when we recognize the associated revenue on the related contracts. In addition, we make specific provisions where we expect the actual warranty costs to significantly exceed the accrued estimates. Such specific provisions could have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The following summarizes the changes in the carrying amount of accrued warranty expense:

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2010     2009     2008  
     (In thousands)  

Balance at beginning of period

   $ 115,055      $ 119,722      $ 100,650   

Additions and adjustments

     5,065        13,475        27,031   

Charges

     (10,532     (18,142     (7,959
                        

Balance at end of period

   $ 109,588      $ 115,055      $ 119,722   
                        

Our additions and adjustments to accrued warranty expense included favorable adjustments and resolutions reached with certain customers.

 

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Asset Retirement Obligations and Environmental Clean-up Costs

We accrue for future decommissioning of our nuclear facilities that will permit the release of these facilities to unrestricted use at the end of each facility’s life, which is a requirement of our licenses from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the “NRC”). In accordance with the FASB Topic Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations, we record the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation in the period in which it is incurred. When we initially record such a liability, we capitalize a cost by increasing the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset. Over time, the liability is accreted to its present value each period and the capitalized cost is depreciated over the useful life of the related asset. Upon settlement of a liability, we will settle the obligation for its recorded amount or incur a gain or loss. This topic applies to environmental liabilities associated with assets that we currently operate and are obligated to remove from service. For environmental liabilities associated with assets that we no longer operate, we have accrued amounts based on the estimated costs of clean-up activities for which we are responsible, net of any cost-sharing arrangements. We adjust the estimated costs as further information develops or circumstances change. An exception to this accounting treatment relates to the work we perform for two facilities for which the U.S. Government is obligated to pay all of the decommissioning costs.

Substantially all of our asset retirement obligations relate to the remediation of our nuclear analytical laboratory and the Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (“NFS”) facility in our Government Operations segment. The following table reflects our asset retirement obligations:

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2010      2009      2008  
     (In thousands)  

Balance at beginning of period

   $ 29,491       $ 25,647       $ 9,328   

Acquisition of Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (Note 2)

     —           1,627         15,281   

Additions

     —           300         —     

Accretion

     3,166         1,917         1,038   
                          

Balance at end of period

   $ 32,657       $ 29,491       $ 25,647   
                          

Research and Development

Our research and development activities are related to the development and improvement of new and existing products and equipment, as well as conceptual and engineering evaluation for translation into practical applications. We charge to research and development cost the costs of research and development unrelated to specific contracts as incurred. Substantially all of these costs are in our Power Generation Systems segment and include costs related to the development of carbon capture and sequestration technology and our modular and nuclear reactor business, B&W mPowerTM. Contractual arrangements for customer-sponsored research and development can vary on a case-by-case basis and include contracts, cooperative agreements and grants. Research and development activities totaled $102.1 million, $78.3 million and $56.2 million in the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, which include amounts paid for by our customers of $32.9 million, $25.1 million and $17.7 million, respectively.

 

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Inventories

We carry our inventories at the lower of cost or market. We determine cost principally on the first-in, first-out basis, except for certain materials inventories of our Power Generation Systems segment, for which we use the last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) method. We determined the cost of approximately 18% and 17% of our total inventories using the LIFO method at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, and our total LIFO reserve at December 31, 2010 and 2009 was approximately $6.4 million and $6.6 million, respectively. Inventories are summarized below:

 

     December 31,  
     2010      2009  
     (In thousands)  

Raw Materials and Supplies

   $ 72,917       $ 71,207   

Work in Progress

     7,541         6,381   

Finished Goods

     20,474         21,056   
                 

Total Inventories

   $ 100,932       $ 98,644   
                 

Property, Plant and Equipment

We carry our property, plant and equipment at depreciated cost, less any impairment provisions.

We depreciate our property, plant and equipment using the straight-line method over estimated economic useful lives of eight to 40 years for buildings and two to 28 years for machinery and equipment. Our depreciation expense was $61.1 million, $62.6 million and $41.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

We expense the costs of maintenance, repairs and renewals that do not materially prolong the useful life of an asset as we incur them.

Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost and is set forth below:

 

     December 31,  
     2010      2009  
     (In thousands)  

Land

   $ 11,807       $ 12,158   

Buildings

     225,176         218,556   

Machinery and equipment

     684,647         629,950   

Property under construction

     47,082         84,634   
                 
     968,712         945,298   
                 

Less accumulated depreciation

     550,400         515,237   
                 

Net Property, Plant and Equipment

   $ 418,312       $ 430,061   
                 

Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliates

We use the equity method of accounting for affiliates in which our investment ownership ranges from 20% to 50%, unless significant economic or governance considerations indicate that we are unable to exert significant influence, in which case the cost method is used. The equity method is also used for affiliates in which our investment ownership is greater than 50% but we do not have a controlling interest. Currently, all of our material investments in affiliates that are not consolidated are recorded using the equity method. Affiliates in which our investment ownership is less than 20% and where we are unable to exert significant influence are carried at cost.

 

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Goodwill

The following summarizes the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill:

 

     Power
Generation
Systems
    Government
Operations
    Total  
     (In thousands)  

Balance at December 31, 2008

   $ 87,679      $ 175,473      $ 263,152   

Adjustment related to the acquisition of Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (Note 2)

     —          (8,066     (8,066

B&W de Monterrey Asset Acquisition (Note 2)

     7,442        —          7,442   

Foreign currency translation adjustments

     338        —          338   
                        

Balance at December 31, 2009

   $ 95,459      $ 167,407      $ 262,866   

Acquisition of GE Energy Businesses (Note 2)

     4,796        —          4,796   

Miljo Asset Acquisition (Note 2)

     3,211        —          3,211   

Foreign currency translation adjustments and other

     (1,449     —          (1,449
                        

Balance at December 31, 2010

   $ 102,017      $ 167,407      $ 269,424   
                        

Other Intangible Assets

We report our other intangible assets in other assets. We amortize those intangible assets with definite lives to operating expense using the straight-line method.

Other assets include the following other intangible assets:

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2010     2009     2008  
     (In thousands)  

Amortized intangible assets:

      

Gross cost:

      

Customer relationships

   $ 37,167      $ 30,950      $ 31,150   

Acquired backlog

     19,335        18,720        17,280   

Trade name

     12,291        10,680        3,820   

Unpatented technology

     5,902        5,600        5,600   

Patented technology

     6,625        4,440        4,060   

All other