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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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Form 10-Q

 

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(Mark One)

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

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2018

OR

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

For the transition period from __________to ___________

1-35573

(Commission file number)

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TRONOX LIMITED

(ACN 153 348 111)

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter) extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (203) 705-3800

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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☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, 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 whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes ☒ No ☐

As of April 30, 2018, the Registrant had 93,965,582 Class A ordinary shares and 28,729,280 Class B ordinary shares outstanding.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Item 1.

Financial Statements (Unaudited)

 

TRONOX LIMITED

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(Millions of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

TRONOX LIMITED

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(Unaudited)

(Millions of U.S. dollars)

TRONOX LIMITED

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(Millions of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

 

TRONOX LIMITED

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(Millions of U.S. dollars)

 

TRONOX LIMITED

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

(Millions of U.S. dollars, except share, per share and metric tons data or unless otherwise noted)

1.	The Company

Tronox Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “Tronox,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a public limited company registered under the laws of the State of Western Australia. We are a global leader in the production and marketing of titanium bearing mineral sands and titanium dioxide (“TiO₂”) pigment. Through the exploration, mining and beneficiation of mineral sands deposits, we produce titanium feedstock (including chloride slag, slag fines, rutile, synthetic rutile and leucoxene) and its coproducts, pig iron and zircon. Titanium feedstock is primarily used to manufacture TiO₂, a pigment used in the manufacture of paint and plastics. Zircon, a hard, glossy mineral, is used for the manufacture of ceramics, refractories, TV screen glass, and a range of other industrial and chemical products. Pig iron is a metal material used in the steel and metal casting industries to create wrought iron, cast iron, and steel.

We have global operations in North America, Europe, South Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. We classify our business into one reportable segment, TiO₂, in which we operate three pigment production facilities at the following locations: Hamilton, Mississippi; Botlek, the Netherlands; and Kwinana, Western Australia. We also operate three separate mining operations: KwaZulu-Natal (“KZN”) Sands and Namakwa Sands both located in South Africa and Cooljarloo located in Western Australia.

On February 21, 2017, we entered into a definitive agreement with The National Titanium Dioxide Company Ltd., a limited company organized under the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“Cristal”), and Cristal Inorganic Chemicals Netherlands Coöperatief W.A., a cooperative organized under the laws of the Netherlands and a wholly owned subsidiary of Cristal (“Seller”), to acquire the TiO₂ business of Cristal for $1.673 billion of cash, subject to a working capital adjustment at closing, plus 37,580,000 Class A Shares (the “Cristal Transaction”). On October 2, 2017, at a special meeting of shareholders of the Company held pursuant to the definitive agreement, the Company’s shareholders approved a resolution to issue 37,580,000 Class A Shares to the Seller in connection with the acquisition of Cristal’s TiO₂ business_.

We have received approval from seven of the nine regulatory jurisdictions whose approvals are required to close the Cristal Transaction. On December 5, 2017, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) filed an administrative complaint against us, Cristal and certain of Cristal’s subsidiaries and shareholders alleging that the Cristal Transaction would violate Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act and Section 5 of the FTC Act. The administrative complaint seeks, among other things, a permanent injunction to prevent the transaction from being completed.  On March 20, 2018, the Company announced that the European Commission issued a statement of objections to the Cristal Transaction. Based on the status of outstanding regulatory approvals in the United States and European Union, on March 1, 2018, we entered into an amendment to the definitive agreement that extends the termination date under such definitive agreement to June 30, 2018, with automatic 3-month extensions to March 31, 2019, if necessary.

On June 15, 2012, in consideration for the acquisition of 74% of Exxaro Resources Limited’s (“Exxaro’s”) South African mineral sands business and one of its subsidiaries, we issued to Exxaro 51,154,280 Class B ordinary shares (“Class B Shares”). On March 8, 2017, Exxaro announced its intention to begin pursuing a path to monetize its ownership stake in Tronox over time. On October 10, 2017, Exxaro sold 22,425,000 Class A ordinary shares (“Class A Shares”) in an underwritten registered offering (the “Exxaro Share Transaction”). At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, Exxaro held approximately 23% and 24%, respectively, of the voting securities of Tronox Limited. Presently, Exxaro intends to sell the remainder of its Tronox shares in a staged process over time pursuant to the existing registration statement, subject to market conditions. See Note 19 for additional information regarding Exxaro transactions. Exxaro also has a 26% ownership interest in certain of our other non-operating subsidiaries.

 

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2017 was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP.

In management’s opinion, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature, considered necessary for a fair statement. Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of all majority-owned subsidiary companies. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. As a result of the sale of our wholly owned subsidiary Tronox Alkali Corporation (“Alkali”) in the third quarter of 2017, the results of Alkali have been presented as discontinued operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017. See Note 3 for additional information.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. It is at least reasonably possible that the effect on the financial statements of a change in estimate due to one or more future confirming events could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Revision

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, we noted that our long-term debt due within one year at December 31, 2017 had been understated by $5 million with a corresponding overstatement in our long-term debt, net in our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance sheet. These amounts have been reclassified in this Form 10-Q.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, Compensation-Retirement Benefits: Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost (“ASU 2017-07”), which requires employers to present the service cost component of the net periodic benefit cost in the same income statement line item(s) as other employee compensation costs arising from service rendered during the period. In addition, under the new guidance, only the service cost component of net periodic pension costs and net periodic postretirement costs are eligible for capitalization in assets. Other components must be presented separately from the line item(s) that include the service cost and outside of operating income. Upon adoption of ASU 2017-07 during the first quarter of 2018, we reclassified pension costs of $1 million for three months ended March 31, 2017 from “Income (loss) from operations” to “Other expense, net” in our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (“ASU 2016-18”), which requires that the reconciliation of the beginning-of-period and end-of period amounts shown in the statement of cash flows include restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. ASU 2016-18 does not define restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents, but an entity will need to disclose the nature of the restrictions. We adopted ASU 2016-18, during the first quarter of 2018. Restricted cash includes $653 million and $651 million as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, related to the Blocked Term Loan. See Note 12. Restricted cash also includes $2 million at both March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 required by our performance bonds issued for our energy supply contracts in Australia.

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) which states that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Topic 606 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements under Revenue Recognition (Topic 605). On January 1, 2018, we adopted the new standard using the modified retrospective approach applied to contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. The adoption of this new standard did not have a material impact to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. No adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings at January 1, 2018 is required. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under Topic 605. See Note 2.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”) which includes a lessee accounting model that recognizes two types of leases - finance leases and operating leases. The standard requires that a lessee recognize on the balance sheet assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. The recognition, measurement, and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee will depend on its classification as a finance or an operating lease. The standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The new standard, as originally issued would have required adoption using a modified retrospective transition and provided for certain practical expedients. Transition would have required application of the new guidance at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. In March 2018, the FASB approved a change to the comparative reporting transition guidance allowing entities the option to apply the provisions of the new lease guidance at its effective date, without adjusting the comparative periods presented. We have developed an implementation plan for adopting ASU 2016-02, which includes utilizing a software program to manage our lease obligations. We are evaluating the impact that ASU 2016-02 will have on our consolidated financial statements and have concluded that we will not early adopt ASU 2016-02. We continue to monitor the FASB’s actions and will consider the impact of any changes made to the guidance prior to its effective date.

2.

Revenue

Nature of Contracts and Performance Obligations

We primarily generate revenue from selling TiO₂ pigment products and products derived from titanium bearing mineral sands to our customers. These products are used for the manufacture of paints, coatings, plastics, paper, and a wide range of other applications. We account for a contract with our customer when it has approval and commitment from both parties, the rights of the parties are identified, payment terms are identified, the contract has commercial substance, and collectability of consideration is probable.

Our promise in a contract typically relates to the transferring of a product or multiple distinct products that are substantially the same and that have the same pattern of transfer, representing a single performance obligation within a contract. We have elected to account for shipping and handling activities that occur after control of the products has transferred to the customer as contract fulfillment activities, rather than a separate performance obligation. Amounts billed to a customer in a sales transaction related to shipping and handling activities continue to be reported as “Net sales” and related costs as “Cost of goods sold” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The duration of our contract period is one year or less. As such, we have elected to recognize incremental costs incurred to obtain contracts, which primarily consist of commissions paid to third-party sales agents, as “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.   Furthermore, we have elected not to disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations at each period end, given the original expected duration of our contracts are one year or less.

Transaction Price

Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration that we expect to be entitled in exchange for transferring products to the customer. The transaction price typically consists of fixed cash consideration. We also offer various incentive programs to our customers, such as rebates, discounts, and other price adjustments that represent variable consideration. We estimate variable consideration and include such consideration amounts in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved. Our estimates of variable consideration and determination of whether to include estimated amounts in the transaction price are based largely on an assessment of our anticipated performance and all information (historical, current and forecasted) that is reasonably available to us. We adjust our estimate of revenue at the earlier of when the amount of consideration we expect to receive changes or when the consideration becomes fixed. Sales returns rarely happen in our business, therefore it is unlikely that a significant reversal of revenue will occur.

 

Sales and similar taxes we collect on behalf of governmental authorities are excluded from the transaction price for the determination of revenue. The expected costs associated with product warranties continue to be recognized as expense when the products are sold. Customer payment terms and conditions vary by contract and customer, although the timing of revenue recognition typically does not differ from the timing of invoicing. Additionally, as we generally do not grant extended payment terms, we have determined that our contracts generally do not include a significant financing component.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue at a point in time when the customer obtains control of the promised products. For most transactions this occurs when products are shipped from our manufacturing facilities or at a later point when control of the products transfers to the customer at a specified destination or time.

Contract Balances

Contract assets represent our rights to consideration in exchange for products that have transferred to a customer when the right is conditional on situations other than the passage of time. For products that we have transferred to our customers, our rights to the consideration are typically unconditional and only the passage of time is required before payments become due. These unconditional rights are recorded as accounts receivable. As of March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, we did not have material contract asset balances.

Contract liabilities represent our obligations to transfer products to a customer for which we have received consideration from the customer. Infrequently we may receive advance payment from our customers that is accounted for as deferred revenue. Deferred revenue is earned when control of the product transfers to the customer, which is typically within a short period of time from when we received the advanced payment. Contract liability balances as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were $1 million and $3 million, respectively. Contract liability balances were reported as “Accounts payable” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. All contract liabilities as of December 31, 2017 were recognized as revenue in “Net sales” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations during the first quarter of 2018.

Disaggregation of Revenue

We operate under one operating and reportable segment, TiO₂. See Note 20 for details. We disaggregate our revenue from contracts with customers by product type and geographic area. We believe this level of disaggregation appropriately depicts how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of our revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors and reflects how our business is managed.

 

Net sales to external customers by geographic areas where our customers are located were as follows:

Net sales from external customers for each similar type of product were as follows:

Feedstock and other products mainly include rutile prime, ilmenite, CP slag and other mining products. Electrolytic products mainly include electrolytic manganese dioxide and boron. On March 21, 2018, we announced that we entered into an agreement to sell our Electrolytic operations. See Note 4. The nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows typically do not differ significantly among different products.

3.	Discontinued Operations

In the third quarter of 2017, we completed the previously announced sale of our wholly owned subsidiary Tronox Alkali Corporation (“Alkali”) to Genesis Energy, L.P. Sales, costs and expenses and income taxes attributable to Alkali for the three months ended March 31, 2017 have been aggregated in a single caption entitled “Income from discontinued operations, net of tax” in our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Alkali, which was previously one of our two operating and reportable segments, included certain allocated corporate costs which have been reallocated to Corporate. The amount of allocated corporate costs was $1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017.

The following table presents the major classes of Alkali’s line items constituting the “Income from discontinued operations, net of tax” in our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations:

 

4.	Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale

On March 21, 2018, Tronox LLC, our indirect wholly owned subsidiary, announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which EMD Acquisition LLC agreed to acquire certain of the assets and liabilities of our Tronox Electrolytic Operations based in Henderson, Nevada (the “Henderson Electrolytic Operations”), a component of our TiO₂ segment, for $13 million in cash, subject to certain working capital adjustments (the “Electrolytic Transaction”). The Electrolytic Transaction was undertaken as part of our strategy to focus on our TiO₂ operations and is expected to close in second half of 2018.

As a result of the approval of the Electrolytic Transaction and our entry into the Purchase Agreement, we recorded a total pre-tax charge of $25 million for the expected loss on sale of the assets comprising the Henderson Electrolytic Operations, which was recorded in “Impairment losses” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. This expected loss on sale includes an impairment charge of $15 million for the long-lived assets of the Henderson Electrolytic Operations and an additional loss of $10 million for the difference between the estimated value of Henderson Electrolytic Operations net assets to be delivered at closing and the expected net proceeds. This additional $10 million expected loss on sale has been included in “Accrued liabilities” in our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2018.

As of March 31, 2018, the assets and liabilities of the Henderson Electrolytic Operations have been classified as held for sale. The table below presents the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities included in the Transaction:

5.	Income Taxes

Our operations are conducted through our various subsidiaries in a number of countries throughout the world. We have provided for income taxes based upon the tax laws and rates in the countries in which operations are conducted and income is earned.

 

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, Tronox Limited, the public parent which is registered under the laws of the State of Western Australia, became managed and controlled in the United Kingdom (“U.K.”). The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 differs from the U.K. statutory rate of 19% and 20%, respectively, primarily due to valuation allowances and our jurisdictional mix of income at tax rates different than the U.K. statutory rate.

Tax rates in the United States (“U.S.”) (21% and 35% for corporations in 2018 and 2017, respectively), South Africa (28% for limited liability companies), the Netherlands (25% for corporations), Switzerland (8.5% for corporations) and Jersey, U.K. (0% for corporations) all impact our effective tax rate.

 

We continue to maintain full valuation allowances related to the total net deferred tax assets in Australia, the Netherlands, and the U.S., as we cannot objectively assert that these deferred tax assets are more likely than not to be realized. It is reasonably possible that a portion of these valuation allowances could be reversed within the next year due to increased book profitability levels and our pending acquisition of the Cristal TiO₂ business. Future provisions for income taxes will include no tax benefits with respect to losses incurred and tax expense only to the extent of current state tax payments until the valuation allowances are eliminated. Additionally, we have valuation allowances against specific tax assets in South Africa and the U.K.

The Company’s ability to use certain loss and expense carryforwards could be substantially limited if the Company were to experience an ownership change as defined under IRC Section 382. In general, an ownership change would occur if the Company’s “5-percent shareholders,” as defined under IRC Section 382, collectively increased their ownership in the Company by more than 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. If an ownership change does occur during 2018, the resulting impact could be a limitation of up to $5.2 billion. There would be minimal impact on the $2.5 billion future Grantor Trust deductions from an IRC Section 382 change.

The Company is currently under audit in Australia and the U.S. We believe that we have made adequate provision for income taxes that may be payable with respect to years open for examination; however, the ultimate outcome is not presently known and, accordingly, additional provisions may be necessary and/or reclassifications of noncurrent tax liabilities to current may occur in the future.

Following the continued guidance of Staff Accounting Bulletin 118, our accounting for Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) is considered to remain incomplete. There are no financial statement differences for the three months ended March 31, 2018 from the reasonable estimates made in the information reported for the year ended December 31, 2017.  A limited amount of additional guidance has been issued by the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities, and we continue to wait for guidance pertinent to completing our report on the full impact of H.R. 1.

 

6.	Loss Per Share

The computation of basic and diluted income (loss) per share for the periods indicated is as follows:

 

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(1)

Our participating securities do not have a contractual obligation to share in losses; therefore, when we have a net loss, none of the loss is allocated to participating securities. Consequently, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, the two-class method did not have an effect on our net income (loss) per ordinary share calculation, and as such, dividends paid during the year did not impact this calculation.

 

(2)	Net income (loss) loss per ordinary share amounts were calculated from exact, not rounded net loss and share information.

 

In computing diluted net income (loss) per share under the two-class method, we considered potentially dilutive shares. Anti-dilutive shares not recognized in the diluted net income (loss) per share calculation for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 were as follows:

(1)	Series A Warrants were converted into Class A ordinary shares at March 31, 2017 using a rate of 6.02. Series B Warrants were converted into Class A ordinary shares at March 31, 2017 using a rate of 6.03.

The Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants expired on February 14, 2018.

 

7.	Inventories, Net

Inventories, net consisted of the following:

 

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(1)	Consists of processing chemicals, maintenance supplies, and spare parts, which will be consumed directly and indirectly in the production of our products.

Finished goods include inventory on consignment of $34 million and $28 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, inventory obsolescence reserves primarily for materials and supplies were $16 million and $17 million, respectively. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, reserves for lower of cost and net realizable value were $29 million and $27 million, respectively.

8.	Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation, consisted of the following:

 

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(1)	Substantially all of these assets are pledged as collateral for our debt. See Note 12.

Depreciation expense related to property, plant and equipment during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 was $34 million and $31 million, respectively, of which $33 million and $30 million, respectively, was recorded in “Cost of goods sold” and $1 million each was recorded in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

9.	Mineral Leaseholds, Net

Mineral leaseholds, net of accumulated depletion, consisted of the following:

 

Depletion expense relating to mineral leaseholds recorded in “Cost of goods sold” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations was $8 million each during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017.

10.	Intangible Assets, Net

Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization, consisted of the following:

Amortization expense related to intangible assets during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 was $6 million each of which less than $1 million each was recorded in “Cost of goods sold” and $6 each million was recorded “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. Estimated future amortization expense related to intangible assets is $19 million for the remainder of 2018, $25 million each for 2019 through 2021, $24 million for 2022, and $74 million thereafter.

11.	Accrued Liabilities

Accrued liabilities consisted of the following:

 

12.

Debt

Long-term Debt

As discussed in Note 21, Subsequent Events, we issued $615 million of 6.5% senior notes due 2026 (the “Senior Notes due 2026”) and used the proceeds to redeem our Senior Notes due 2022.

Long-term debt, net of an unamortized discount and debt issuance costs, consisted of the following:

 

 

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(1)

Average effective interest rate of 5.5% during the three months ended March 31, 2018.

(2)

The New Term Loan Facility consists of (i) a U.S. dollar term facility in an aggregate principal amount of $1.5 billion (the “New Term Loans”) and (ii) a U.S. dollar term facility in an aggregate principal amount of $650.0 million (the “Blocked Term Loan”) to be used for the Cristal Transaction. If the Cristal Transaction is terminated, the Blocked Term Loan will be repaid to the lenders of such Blocked Term Loan, and as the termination would represent a Prepayment Event as defined in our Term Loan Facility, we will be required to prepay $800 million of outstanding borrowing under the New Term Loan Facility.

(3)

The Senior Notes due 2022 were repaid with the proceeds from our bond offering completed on April 6, 2018. See Note 21 for additional information.

13.	Fair Value

Our debt is recorded at historical amounts. At both March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the fair value of our New Term Loan Facility was $2.17 billion. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the fair value of the Senior Notes due 2022 was $606 million and $609 million, respectively. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the fair value of the Senior Notes due 2025 was $438 million and $463 million, respectively. We determined the fair value of the New Term Loan Facility, the Senior Notes due 2022 and the Senior Notes due 2025 using quoted market prices. The fair value hierarchy for the New Term Loan Facility, the Senior Notes due 2022 and the Senior Notes due 2025 is a Level 1 input.

The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these items.

 

14.	Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset retirement obligations consist primarily of rehabilitation and restoration costs, landfill capping costs, decommissioning costs, and closure and post-closure costs. Activities related to asset retirement obligations were as follow:

Asset retirement obligations in our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 consist of a current portion of $2 million and $3 million, respectively, included in “Accrued liabilities” and a noncurrent portion of $81 million and $79 million, respectively, included in “Asset retirement obligations”.

15.	Commitments and Contingencies

Purchase and Capital Commitments — At March 31, 2018, purchase commitments were $127 million for the remainder of 2018, $61 million for 2019, $45 million for 2020, $38 million for 2021, $24 million for 2022, and $102 million thereafter.

Letters of Credit — At March 31, 2018, we had outstanding letters of credit, bank guarantees, and performance bonds of $47 million, of which $19 million were letters of credit, $26 million were bank guarantees and $2 million were performance bonds.

 

Other Matters—From time to time, we may be party to a number of legal and administrative proceedings involving legal, environmental, and/or other matters in various courts or agencies. These proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, may have a material adverse effect on us. These proceedings may be associated with facilities currently or previously owned, operated or used by us and/or our predecessors, some of which may include claims for personal injuries, property damages, cleanup costs, and other environmental matters. Current and former operations may also involve management of regulated materials that are subject to various environmental laws and regulations including the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act or state equivalents. Similar environmental laws and regulations and other requirements exist in foreign countries in which we operate.

 

16.	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Attributable to Tronox Limited

The tables below present changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017.

 

17.	Share-Based Compensation

Restricted Share Units (“RSUs”)

 

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, we granted RSUs which have time and/or performance conditions. Both the time-based awards and the performance-based awards are classified as equity awards. For the time-based awards, 59,287 RSUs vest ratably over a one-year period, 509,171 RSUs vest ratably over a three-year period, and are valued at the weighted average grant date fair value. For the performance-based awards, 493,331 cliff vest at the end of the three years. Vesting of the performance-based awards is determined, for 50% of the award, based on Earnings per Share (“EPS”) growth, and the other 50%, based on Operating Return on Net Assets (“ORONA”) over the applicable three-year measurement period. The combined results are then subject to a Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) modifier calculation over the same three-year measurement period. The TSR metric is considered a market condition for which we use a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the grant date fair value. The unrecognized compensation cost associated with these awards at March 31, 2018 was $47 million, adjusted for estimated forfeitures, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.2 years. 

 

During 2017, a total of 1,397,471 RSUs were granted, pursuant to an Integration Incentive Award program (“Integration Incentive Award”) established in connection with the Cristal Transaction, to certain executive officers and managers with significant integration accountability. Should the Cristal Transaction not close by July 1, 2018, all unvested awards pursuant to the Integration Incentive Award shall immediately be canceled and forfeited.