Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” included in Item 1A of this Annual Report and our other filings with the SEC. Please also see the section titled “Forward-Looking Statements” in this Annual Report.
Overview
Excelerate is changing the way the world accesses cleaner and more reliable energy by delivering regasified natural gas, benefiting hundreds of millions of people around the world. From our founding, we have focused on providing flexible LNG solutions to markets in diverse environments across the globe, providing a lesser emitting form of energy to markets that often rely on coal as their primary energy source. At Excelerate, we believe that access to energy sources such as LNG is critical to assisting markets in their decarbonization efforts, while at the same time promoting economic growth and improving quality of life.
We have grown our business significantly since our first FSRU charter in 2003, and today, we are a profitable energy company with a geographically diversified business model. Our business spans the globe, with regional offices in 11 countries and operations in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Finland, Pakistan, UAE, and the United States. We are the largest provider of regasified LNG in Argentina and Bangladesh and one of the largest providers of regasified LNG in Brazil and Pakistan, and we operate the largest FSRU in Brazil. We also lease the Bahia Terminal from Petrobras and in December 2021, started importing LNG and selling natural gas to the Brazilian market. We also have plans to sell natural gas to other downstream customers in Brazil, Europe and Bangladesh. In each of these regions, we offer a cleaner energy source from which power can be generated consistently. The high value our customers place on our services has resulted in a reliable source of revenues to us, while our global reach helps balance seasonal demand fluctuation among the geographies in which we operate. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we generated revenues of $2.5 billion, net income of $80.0 million and Adjusted EBITDAR of $331.1 million. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated revenues of $888.6 million, net income of $41.2 million and Adjusted EBITDAR of $291.1 million. For the year ended December 21, 2020 we generated revenues of $430.8 million, net income of $32.9 million and Adjusted EBITDAR of $256.2 million. For more information regarding our non-GAAP measure Adjusted EBITDAR and a reconciliation to net income, the most comparable U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) measure, see “How We Evaluate Our Operations.”
Our business focuses on the integration of the natural gas-to-power LNG value chain, and as part of this value chain, we operate regasification terminals in global economies that utilize our FSRU fleet. Our business is substantially supported by time charter contracts, which are effectively long-term, take-or-pay arrangements and provide consistent revenue and cash flow from our high-quality customer base. As of December 31, 2022, we operate a fleet of ten purpose-built FSRUs, have completed more than 2,500 STS transfers of LNG with over 40 LNG operators since we began operations and have safely delivered more than 6,000 BCF of natural gas through 16 LNG regasification terminals. For the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, we generated revenues of $445.2 million, $468.0 million and $430.8 million, respectively, from our FSRU and terminal services businesses, representing approximately 18%, 53% and 100% of our total revenues for each of those periods.
We also procure LNG from major producers and sell natural gas through our flexible LNG terminals. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 we generated revenues of $2,027.8 million and $420.5 million, respectively, from LNG and natural gas sales, representing approximately 82% and 47% of our total revenues for each of those periods. We had no LNG and natural gas sales in 2020. The commercial momentum that we have established in recent years and the increasing need for access to LNG around the world, have resulted in a significant portfolio of new growth opportunities for us to pursue. In addition to our FSRU and terminal services businesses and natural gas sales, we plan to expand our business to provide customers with an array of products, including LNG-to-power projects. We are evaluating and pursuing early-stage projects with opportunities in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Recent Trends and Outlook
The Russia-Ukraine war continues to reshape global energy markets. Unexpected shifts in LNG trade led to a tightening of global gas markets, resulting in extreme price volatility impacting economies across the globe. The decline of Russian natural gas pipeline exports to Europe led the continent to increase LNG imports to approximately 128 MT in 2022 from approximately 82 MT in 2021. While global LNG supply increased in 2022 to 400 MT from 382 MT in 2021 as a result of new U.S. LNG export projects coming online and higher liquefaction utilization, increased European demand for LNG, combined with U.S. and European sanctions on Russian natural gas and other energy exports, led to tighter global natural gas supply and higher spot market prices. For example, Dutch Title Transfer Facility (“TTF”) pricing rose to record highs, averaging $70.74/MMBtu in August 2022 compared to $15.84/MMBtu in August 2021. The high prices reduced LNG spot demand from Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. Total demand for LNG from these regions declined from approximately 300 MT in 2021 to approximately 272 MT in 2022 as it became costly for industries and companies to operate on natural gas and countries switched back to less expensive coal and other liquid fuels for power generation and to satisfy
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industrial demand. Lower Chinese LNG imports due to China’s zero-Covid policy and high spot prices, coupled with new U.S. LNG export projects, helped Europe meet its rapid increase in LNG demand. This was crucial in the third quarter of 2022 as Europe increased its LNG imports to fill storage inventories in preparation for the colder winter months. European storage levels reached 90% of capacity by November 2022. These record high storage levels combined with a warmer-than-normal 2022 – 2023 winter in both Europe and North Asia helped to reduce LNG demand, and therefore pricing, and alleviate market concerns over potential energy shortages. So far in 2023, tepid Chinese demand, despite the lifting of zero-Covid policies, and higher European storage levels, currently at 63% compared to the five year-average of 42% are supporting a continued retreat of benchmark prices, with TTF averaging $18.62/MMBtu through February 2023.
We expect that the market dynamics from 2022 will carry over into 2023 and for a few years after. While LNG demand is expected to be driven by increased European consumption, limited new supply is coming online over the next three years. LNG markets are expected to remain tight and continue to be exposed to supply and demand disruptions. In the longer-term, emerging market power demand growth, underpinned by economic development and continued electrification, is expected to drive natural gas demand. According to Shell’s 2023 LNG Outlook, global LNG demand is estimated to increase to 700 MT by 2040. From 2025 through the end of the decade, approximately 100 MT of new LNG supply is anticipated to come online, with the bulk of supply coming from Qatar and the United States. Although we expect there to be access to affordable long-term LNG supply, risks such as cost inflation and project financing availability could limit or delay project developments.
For many countries, near-term energy decision making is being driven by the need to balance between aspirations for a transition to renewable energy with the pursuit of energy security, coupled with LNG prices. In 2022, countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India reduced their spot LNG purchases as prices soared. With the retreat in prices so far in 2023, Bangladesh issued its first spot LNG tender since the second quarter of 2022 and received its first cargo in February 2023. We expect that global LNG markets will continue to evolve as energy security is a key driver on how countries are approaching LNG strategies. As a leader in flexible LNG solutions, Excelerate is well positioned to participate in near-term LNG supply opportunities. Recent changes in market behavior have the potential to create more opportunities for deployment of FSRUs and integrated projects for Excelerate, not only in Europe as countries there seek to meet increased demand for LNG, but also in the Southern Hemisphere as countries look to natural gas as their energy transition fuel of choice.
Recent Business Updates and 2022 in Review:
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In March 2023, we closed on an amended and restated $600 million senior secured credit facility, consisting of a $350 million revolving credit facility and a $250 million term loan. The new facilities refinanced our existing EE Revolver, and we intend to use the proceeds from the term loan to exercise our right to purchase the FSRU Sequoia. We gave notice to the vessel owner regarding our intent to exercise our purchase option following the closing of the EE Facilities and expect the purchase to close in April 2023.
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In March 2023, we were awarded a seasonal charter for the Excelsior vessel at the Bahia Blanca GasPort terminal (“Bahia Blanca”) in Argentina. The Excelsior, which began its charter hire with the German government in February 2023, will be placed on a suspension agreement while it is temporarily deployed to Bahia Blanca during the Argentina winter before returning to the Germany charter afterwards.
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In February 2023, we extended our time charter party agreement with Dubai Supply Authority (DUSUP) for the Explorer vessel. Under the terms of the new agreement, the time charter period will be extended by an additional five years from the end of the existing contract in the fourth quarter of 2025.
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In February 2023, we executed the Venture Global SPA under which we will purchase 0.7 million MT per annum of LNG on an FOB basis from the Plaquemines LNG facility in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
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In December 2022, the Exemplar arrived at the Inkoo Terminal in Finland and began service. The vessel’s charter hire commenced October 1, 2022, as it made the voyage to the port of Navantia in Spain for customer-requested winterization upgrades in preparation for its deployment to Finland. Excelerate and Gasgrid Finland Oy (“Gasgrid Finland”) previously announced an executed 10-year, time charter party agreement for Excelerate to provide LNG regasification services. The vessel previously completed its charter at the Bahia Blanca GasPort in Argentina.
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In November 2022, we amended and extended our gas sales agreement with Petrobras (the “Petrobras GSA”), under which we purchase LNG and provide regasified natural gas at the Bahia Terminal in Brazil through December 2023.
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In October 2022, Excelerate signed a binding five-year charter contract with the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the FSRU Excelsior to provide regasification services at one of Germany’s planned LNG import terminals that is being developed at the port of Wilhelmshaven by Tree Energy Solutions, E.ON SE and ENGIE SA. The charter hire for Excelsior commenced in February 2023.
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In October 2022, Excelerate signed a binding Shipbuilding Contract (the “Newbuild Agreement”) with HHI for a new FSRU to be delivered in 2026. The state-of-the-art FSRU will be equipped with HHI’s proprietary LNG regasification system, dual fuel engines, selective catalytic reduction system, best-in-class boil-off gas management, and other innovative
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technologies that will drive improved performance and efficiency while lowering emissions. With this newbuild order, Excelerate will have 11 FSRUs in operation or under construction.
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In May 2022, the Payra LNG project was approved in principle by Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation and Bangladesh’s Energy and Mineral Resources Division, a significant milestone in the approval process. Excelerate has commenced negotiations of the integrated deal, which includes an LNG supply agreement. The Payra LNG project is expected to represent Excelerate’s largest deployment of capital to date and has the potential to increase significantly the scale of the Company’s global operations.
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In February 2022, the Moheshkhali LNG (“MLNG”) expansion project was approved in principle by the government of Bangladesh. Excelerate has commenced commercial negotiations for the expansion of the terminal via a potential extension of our regasification agreement and a long-term LNG supply agreement.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue through the provision of regasification services using our fleet of FSRUs and LNG terminal assets, as well as physical sales of LNG and natural gas, that are made primarily in connection with our regasification and terminal projects. We provide regasification services through time charters and operation service contracts primarily related to our long-term charter contracts. Most of our time charter revenues are from long-term contracts that function similarly to take-or-pay arrangements in that we are paid if our assets and teams are available and ready to provide services to our customers regardless of whether our customers utilize the services. A portion of our revenue attributable to our charters for the use of our vessels is accounted for as lease revenue, and the revenues attributable to the services provided under those charters are accounted for as non-lease revenue. We generally charge fixed fees for the use of and services provided with our vessels and terminal capacity plus additional amounts for certain variable costs.
Expenses
The principal expenses involved in conducting our business are operating costs, direct cost of gas sales, general and administrative expenses, and depreciation and amortization. A large portion of the fixed and variable costs we incur in our business are in the operation of our fleet of FSRUs and terminals that provide regasification and gas supply to our customers. We manage the level of our fixed costs based on several factors, including industry conditions and expected demand for our services and generally pass-through certain variable costs.
We incur significant equipment costs in connection with the operation of our business, including capital equipment recorded as property and equipment, net on our balance sheets and related depreciation and amortization on our income statement. In addition, we incur repair and maintenance and leasing costs related to our property and equipment utilized both in our FSRU and terminal services and gas sales. Property and equipment includes costs incurred for our fleet of FSRUs and terminal assets, including capitalized costs related to drydocking activities. Generally, we are required to drydock each of our vessels every five years, but vessels older than 15 years of age require a shorter duration drydocking or in-situ bottom survey every two and a half years.
Cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses
Cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses include the following major cost categories: vessel operating costs; personnel costs; repair and maintenance; and leasing costs. These operating costs are incurred for both our FSRU and terminal services revenues and gas sales revenues.
Direct cost of gas sales
Direct cost of gas sales includes the cost of LNG and other fuel and direct costs incurred in selling natural gas and LNG, which are significant variable operating costs. These costs fluctuate in proportion to the amount of our natural gas and LNG sales as well as LNG prices.
Depreciation and amortization expenses
Depreciation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of our property and equipment assets, less an estimated residual value. Certain recurring repairs and maintenance expenditures required by regulators are amortized over the required maintenance period.
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) consist primarily of compensation and other employee-related costs for personnel engaged in executive management, sales, finance, legal, tax and human resources. SG&A also consists of expenses associated with office facilities, information technology, external professional services, business development, legal costs and other administrative expenses.
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Restructuring, transition and transaction expenses
We incurred restructuring, transition and transaction expenses related to consulting, legal, and audit costs incurred as part of and in preparation for our IPO.
Other income, net
Other income, net, primarily contains interest income, gains or losses from the effect of foreign exchange rates and gains and losses on asset sales.
Interest expense and Interest expense – related party
Our interest expense is primarily associated with our finance leases liabilities and loan agreements with external banks and related parties.
Earnings from equity-method investment
Earnings from equity-method investment relate to our 45% ownership interest in the Nakilat JV, which we acquired in 2018.
Provision for income taxes
Excelerate is a corporation for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes. EELP, is treated as a pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, has generally not been subject to U.S. federal income tax at the entity level. Instead, EELP’s U.S. income is allocated to its Class A and Class B partners proportionate to their interest. Accordingly, our provision for income taxes includes U.S. taxes incurred at the Excelerate corporate level beginning in April 2022. In addition, EELP has international operations that are subject to foreign income tax and U.S. corporate subsidiaries subject to U.S. federal tax. These taxes are also included in our provision for income taxes.
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests includes earnings allocable to our shares of Class B Common Stock as well as earnings allocable to the third-party equity ownership interests in our subsidiary, Excelerate Energy Bangladesh, LLC.
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore includes the earnings allocable to the equity ownership interests in Excelerate New England Onshore, LLC (“ENE Onshore”). On October 17, 2022, EE Holdings, the indirect sole member of ENE Onshore, and EELP, the sole member of Excelerate New England Lateral, LLC (“ENE Lateral”), entered into a merger agreement, pursuant to which ENE Onshore was merged with and into ENE Lateral (the “ENE Onshore Merger”), effective October 31, 2022. ENE Lateral was the surviving entity and ENE Onshore ceased to exist as a separate entity. Prior to the ENE Onshore Merger, Excelerate consolidated ENE Onshore as a variable interest entity as Excelerate was determined to be the primary beneficiary of ENE Onshore. As a result of the ENE Onshore Merger, Excelerate ceased to have a non-controlling interest related to ENE Onshore.
Factors Affecting the Comparability of Our Results of Operations
As a result of a number of factors, our historical results of operations may not be comparable from period to period or going forward. Set forth below is a brief discussion of the key factors impacting the comparability of our results of operations.
Impact of the Reorganization
Following the completion of the IPO in April 2022, we are a corporation for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes. EELP, is treated as a pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is generally not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the entity level. Accordingly, unless otherwise specified, our historical results of operations prior to the IPO do not include provision for U.S. federal income tax for EELP. The reorganization undertaken in connection with the IPO, as described under “Organizational Structure—The Reorganization” in the Prospectus (the “Reorganization”), was accounted for as a reorganization of entities under common control. As a result, our consolidated financial statements recognized the assets and liabilities received in the Reorganization at their historical carrying amounts, as reflected in the historical consolidated financial statements of EELP. In addition, in connection with the Reorganization and the IPO, we have entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement (the “TRA”) with the TRA Beneficiaries, pursuant to which we will be required to pay the TRA Beneficiaries 85% of the net cash savings, if any, that we are deemed to realize as a result of our utilization of certain tax benefits described under “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—Proposed Transactions with Excelerate Energy, Inc.—Tax Receivable Agreement” in our Prospectus.
Also included in the Reorganization is our acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding membership interests in Excelsior, LLC and FSRU Vessel (Excellence), LLC (f/k/a Excellence, LLC) (collectively, the “Foundation Vessels”). The acquisition of Excelsior, LLC was accounted for as an acquisition of property and equipment at the completion of the Reorganization. The Foundation Vessels
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have historically been accounted for as finance leases in our historical financial statements. In 2018, EELP entered into an agreement with a customer to lease the Excellence vessel with the vessel transferring ownership to the customer at the conclusion of the agreement for no additional consideration. Historically, EELP, as a lessor, has accounted for the Excellence vessel contract with our customer as a sales-type lease in the consolidated balance sheet in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 842, Leases. The Excellence vessel will continue to be accounted for as a sales-type lease and thus did not result in an adjustment to property and equipment. The difference between the consideration given to acquire the Excellence and the historical finance lease liability resulted in a $21.8 million early extinguishment of lease liability loss on our consolidated statements of income.
Public Company Costs
We have incurred and expect to continue to incur incremental, non-recurring costs related to our transition to a publicly traded corporation, including the costs of the IPO and the costs associated with the initial implementation of our Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 internal control reviews and testing. We also expect to incur additional significant and recurring expenses as a publicly traded corporation, including costs associated with compliance under the Exchange Act, annual and quarterly reports to common stockholders, registrar and transfer agent fees, national stock exchange fees, audit fees, incremental director and officer liability insurance costs and director and officer compensation.
Impact of Covid-19
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“Covid-19”) a global pandemic. The Covid-19 outbreak reached across the globe, resulting in the implementation of significant governmental measures, including lockdowns, closures, quarantines, and travel bans intended to control the spread of the virus. While most of these measures have been relaxed around the world, future prevention and mitigation measures reinstituted in the event of repeat waves of the virus and any variants could have an adverse impact on global economic conditions and consumer confidence and spending, which could materially adversely affect the timing of demand, or users’ ability to pay, for our products and services.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we took several precautions that may adversely impact employee productivity, such as requiring many office employees to work remotely, imposing travel restrictions, and temporarily closing office locations. In addition, we instituted additional procedures and precautions related to our crews on our FSRU vessels. As of December 31, 2022, most of these measures have been relaxed, but we continue to incur additional expenses as compared to pre-pandemic. We incurred incremental costs during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, of approximately $2.7 million, $5.6 million and $4.2 million, respectively, related to these precautionary measures.
For additional information, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Outbreaks of epidemic and pandemic diseases and governmental responses thereto could adversely affect our business.” and other risk factors included in the “Risk Factors” section in Item 1A that describe risks to us attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic.
How We Evaluate Our Operations
We operate in a single reportable segment. However, we use a variety of qualitative, operational and financial metrics to assess our performance and valuation. Among other measures, management considers each of the following in assessing our business:
Adjusted Gross Margin;
Adjusted EBITDA;
Adjusted EBITDAR; and
Capital Expenditures.
Adjusted Gross Margin
We use Adjusted Gross Margin, a non-GAAP financial measure, which we define as revenues less direct cost of sales and operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, to measure our operational financial performance. Management believes Adjusted Gross Margin is useful because it provides insight on profitability and true operating performance excluding the implications of the historical cost basis of our assets. Our computation of Adjusted Gross Margin may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this information.
Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure included as a supplemental disclosure because we believe it is a useful indicator of our operating performance. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash long-term incentive compensation expense and items such as charges and non-recurring expenses that management does not consider as part of assessing ongoing operating performance. In the second quarter of 2022, we revised the
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definition of Adjusted EBITDA to adjust for the impact of non-cash long-term incentive compensation expense, which we did not have prior to becoming a public company, and the early extinguishment of lease liability related to the acquisition of the Excellence vessel, as management believes such items do not directly reflect our ongoing operating performance.
Adjusted EBITDAR is a non-GAAP financial measure included as a supplemental disclosure because we believe it is a valuation measure commonly used by financial statement users to more effectively compare the results of our operations from period to period and against other companies without regard to our financing methods or capital structure. We define Adjusted EBITDAR as Adjusted EBITDA adjusted to eliminate the effects of rental expenses for vessels and other infrastructure, which are normal, recurring cash operating expenses necessary to operate our business. Following the anticipated purchase of the Sequoia in the second quarter of 2023, we will no longer incur rental expense for the Sequoia bareboat charter. We will cease reporting Adjusted EBITDAR in 2023.
We adjust net income for the items listed above to arrive at Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR because these amounts can vary substantially from company to company within our industry depending upon accounting methods and book values of assets, capital structures and the method by which the assets were acquired. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income as determined in accordance with GAAP or as an indicator of our operating performance or liquidity. These measures have limitations as certain excluded items are significant components in understanding and assessing a company’s financial performance, such as a company’s cost of capital and tax structure, as well as the historic costs of depreciable assets, none of which are components of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR. Adjusted EBITDAR should not be viewed as a measure of overall performance or considered in isolation or as an alternative to net income because it excludes rental expenses for vessels and other infrastructure, which are normal, recurring cash operating expenses that are necessary to operate our business. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR should not be construed as an inference that our results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Our computations of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. For the foregoing reasons, each of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR has significant limitations that affect its use as an indicator of our profitability and valuation, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this information.
Capital Expenditures
We incur capital expenditures as part of our regular business operations. Capital expenditures are costs incurred to expand our business operations, increase efficiency of business operations, extend the life of an existing asset, improve an asset’s capabilities, increase future service of an asset, repair existing assets in order to maintain their service capability, and provide upkeep required for regulatory compliance. Costs related to prospective projects are capitalized once it is determined to be probable that the related assets will be constructed.
The tables below reconcile the financial measures discussed above to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP:
Years ended December 31,
(In thousands)
Years ended December 31,
(In thousands)
Restructuring, transition and transaction expenses 6,900 13,974 —
Long-term incentive compensation expense 956 — —
Early extinguishment of lease liability on vessel acquisition 21,834 — —
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Consolidated Results of Operations
Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020
For the years ended December 31, Change
(In thousands)
Revenues
Operating expenses
Other income (expense)
Net income attributable to shareholders $ 13,323 $ — $ — $ 13,323 $ —
Additional financial data:
Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021
Net income
Net income was $80.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $38.8 million, as compared to $41.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Net income was higher primarily due to direct margin earned on gas sales in Brazil, Finland and New England during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($121.0 million), which exceeded direct margin earned on gas sales that occurred in Bangladesh, China and Brazil during the year ended December 31, 2021 ($30.0 million), less interest expense – related party incurred in the year ended December 31, 2022 due to the acquisition of the Foundation Vessels ($21.1 million), less depreciation expense ($7.6 million), as discussed below, lower restructuring, transition and transaction expenses after the completion of our IPO in April 2022 ($7.1 million), and higher interest income received on cash balances invested in money market funds ($4.4 million), partially offset by fewer opportunities to sub-charter our available vessels to third parties during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($27.8 million), the early extinguishment of the Excellence vessel finance lease liability as part of the vessel acquisition ($21.8 million), an increase in general and administrative expenses ($19.0 million), as discussed below, increases in cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses ($16.5 million), primarily due to the commencement of the Bahia Terminal lease in the fourth quarter of 2021, foreign currency exchange losses ($7.2 million), and an increase in provision for income taxes ($7.2 million), as discussed below.
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Gross Margin and Adjusted Gross Margin
Gross Margin was $259.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $59.3 million, as compared to $200.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Adjusted Gross Margin was $357.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $51.7 million, as compared to $305.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Gross Margin and Adjusted Gross Margin were higher primarily due to direct margin earned on gas sales in Brazil, Finland and New England during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($121.0 million), which exceeded direct margin earned on gas sales that occurred in Bangladesh, China and Brazil during the year ended December 31, 2021 ($30.0 million), partially offset by fewer opportunities to sub-charter our available vessels to third parties during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($27.8 million) and increases in cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses ($16.5 million), primarily due to the commencement of the Bahia Terminal lease in the fourth quarter of 2021. Gross Margin was also higher due to less depreciation expense ($7.6 million), as discussed below.
Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR
Adjusted EBITDA was $294.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $32.8 million, as compared to $262.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Our Adjusted EBITDAR was $331.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $40.0 million, as compared to $291.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR were higher primarily due to direct margin earned on gas sales in Brazil, Finland and New England during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($121.0 million), which exceeded direct margin earned on gas sales that occurred in Bangladesh, China and Brazil during the year ended December 31, 2021 ($30.0 million), and higher interest income received on cash balances invested in money market funds ($4.4 million), partially offset by fewer opportunities to sub-charter our available vessels to third parties during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($27.8 million), an increase in general and administrative expenses ($19.0 million), as discussed below, increases in cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses ($16.5 million), primarily due to the commencement of the Bahia Terminal lease in the fourth quarter of 2021, and foreign currency exchange losses ($7.2 million).
For more information regarding our non-GAAP measures Adjusted Gross Margin, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR, and a reconciliation to their most comparable GAAP measures, see “—How We Evaluate Our Operations.”
FSRU and terminal services revenues
FSRU and terminal services revenues were $445.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $22.8 million, as compared to $468.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. FSRU and terminal services revenues were lower primarily due to fewer opportunities to sub-charter our available vessels to third parties during the first quarter of 2022, partially offset by benefits of the Exemplar lease beginning with Gasgrid Finland in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Gas sales revenues
Gas sales revenues were $2,027.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $1,607.3 million, as compared to $420.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The gas sales that occurred in the year ended December 31, 2022 related to our terminal operations in Brazil, Finland and New England, which exceeded gas sales to customers in Bangladesh, China and Brazil during the year ended December 31, 2021. Operations at the Bahia Terminal in Brazil began in December 2021, while operations at the Inkoo Terminal in Finland began in December 2022.
Cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses
Cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses was $209.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $16.5 million, as compared to $192.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses was primarily due to the additional cost of operations in Brazil as we began operations at the Bahia Terminal during the fourth quarter of 2021 ($19.4 million), which includes an increase in vessel and infrastructure rent expense ($7.2 million), as well as higher reimbursable local crewing costs in Argentina ($4.9 million), and higher maintenance at one of our terminal locations ($3.9 million), partially offset by decreased fuel and positioning costs ($11.7 million), which were higher in 2021 as part of servicing increased sub-charters.
Direct cost of gas sales
Direct cost of gas sales was $1,906.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $1,516.3 million, as compared to $390.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to gas sales that occurred in the year ended December 31, 2022 related to our terminal operations in Brazil, Finland and New England, partially offset by costs related to gas sales in Bangladesh, China and Brazil during the year ended December 31, 2021.
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Depreciation and amortization expenses
Depreciation and amortization expenses were $97.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $7.6 million, as compared to $104.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Depreciation and amortization decreased primarily due to the release of our one conventional LNGC that was on a finance lease from short term charter operations in December 2021, partially offset by the acquisition of the Excelsior vessel.
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $66.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $19.0 million, as compared to $47.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to incremental costs incurred in conjunction with our transition to a publicly traded company and additional business development activities.
Restructuring, transition and transaction expenses
Restructuring, transition and transaction expenses were $6.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $7.1 million, as compared to $14.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was due to the completion of our IPO in April 2022.
Interest expense
Interest expense was $33.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $2.0 million, as compared to $31.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Interest expense increased primarily due to increases in LIBOR rates, partially offset by lower balances remaining on our finance leases and long-term debt.
Interest expense – related party
Interest expense – related party was $25.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $23.3 million, as compared to $48.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Interest expense decreased primarily due to the acquisition of the Foundation Vessels.
Early extinguishment of lease liability on vessel acquisition
In the year ended December 31, 2022, we incurred a $21.8 million expense as a result of the difference between the consideration given to acquire the Excellence vessel and the historical finance lease liability.
Other income (expense), net
Other income (expense), net was $0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $0.3 million, as compared to $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to foreign currency exchange losses related to our operations in Brazil and Argentina, partially offset by higher interest income received on cash balances invested in money market funds.
Provision for income taxes
The provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $28.3 million and $21.2 million, respectively. The increase was primarily attributable to the year-over-year change in the geographical distribution of income and the U.S. income tax incurred at the level of Excelerate Energy, Inc. since April 2022 of $3.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.
The effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was 26.1% and 33.9%, respectively. The decrease was primarily driven by the geographical distribution of income and the varying tax regimes of jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate was also impacted by the reduction of income before tax due to the loss on early extinguishment of the lease liability on acquisition of the Excellence vessel without a corresponding tax benefit, which increased our effective tax rate by 4.2% for the year ended December 31, 2022. Additionally, our effective tax rate was impacted by 3.3% for the year ended December 31, 2022 due to additional tax recorded since being subject to U.S. income taxes at the corporate level beginning in April 2022.
Excelerate is a corporate entity for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes. Excelerate’s accounting predecessor, EELP is treated as a pass-through entity for income tax purposes and has generally not been subject to U.S. federal and most state income taxes. Instead, EELP’s U.S. income is allocated to its Class A and Class B partners proportionate to their interest. As such, the Company’s provision for income tax includes U.S. taxes incurred at the corporate level beginning in April 2022.
The Company has international operations that are also subject to foreign income tax and U.S. corporate subsidiaries subject to U.S. federal tax. Therefore, our effective income tax rate is dependent on many factors, including the Company’s geographical distribution of income, a rate benefit attributable to the portion of the Company’s earnings not subject to corporate level taxes, foreign exchange impacts, and the impact of nondeductible items and foreign exchange impacts as well as varying tax regimes of jurisdictions.
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In one jurisdiction, the Company’s tax rate is significantly less than the applicable statutory rate as a result of a tax holiday that was granted. This tax holiday will expire in 2033 at the same time that our contract and revenue with our customer ends.
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest was $55.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $52.1 million, as compared to $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in net income attributable to non-controlling interest was primarily due to the addition of non-controlling interest related to owners of our Class B Common Stock after our IPO, partially offset by higher maintenance costs at one of our terminal locations.
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore was $(1.4) million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $1.6 million, as compared to $(3.0) million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore decreased primarily due to additional capacity sales revenue.
Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020
Net income
Net income was $41.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $8.3 million, as compared to $32.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Net income was higher due to LNG and natural gas sales during the year ended December 31, 2021. No natural gas or LNG was sold during 2020 due to our decision to pursue long-term sales contracts in the New England market. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we pursued sales of natural gas opportunistically in the region while we sought to secure a long-term contract. These increases were partially offset by restructuring, transition and transaction expenses, as discussed below.
Gross Margin and Adjusted Gross Margin
Gross Margin was $200.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $24.2 million, as compared to $176.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Adjusted Gross Margin was $305.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $24.9 million, as compared to $280.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Gross Margin was higher primarily due to $30.0 million of direct margin earned on LNG and natural gas sales related to new opportunities in our terminal operations in Bangladesh and Brazil during the year ended December 31, 2021, and $11.4 million of additional revenues from seasonal regasification services provided in Argentina, which was partially offset by a $10.5 million increase in maintenance expenses in 2021 primarily due to repairs delayed due to Covid-19 in 2020, a $7.4 million increase in cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses related to the beginning of service at the Bahia Terminal, including the utilization of the Sequoia vessel in selling natural gas at the terminal, and $1.4 million in incremental vessel operating costs due to Covid-19 preventative measures.
Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR
Our Adjusted EBITDA was $262.1 million and $240.4 million during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Our Adjusted EBITDAR was $291.1 million and $256.2 million in the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in our Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR was primarily due to LNG and natural gas sales during the year ended December 31, 2021, as discussed above, partially offset by increases in selling, general and administrative expenses, as discussed below.
For more information regarding our non-GAAP measures Adjusted Gross Margin, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDAR, and a reconciliation to their most comparable GAAP measures, see “—How We Evaluate Our Operations.”
FSRU and terminal services revenues
FSRU and terminal services revenues were $468.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $37.2 million, as compared to $430.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Revenue increased primarily due to $11.4 million of additional revenues from seasonal regasification services provided in Argentina and additional revenues generated from a full year of Sequoia vessel operations in 2021, which entered service in June 2020, as well as higher charter hire rates for vessels not under long-term contracts as compared to reduced demand in 2020 as a result of Covid-19 related market conditions.
Gas sales revenues
Gas sales revenues were $420.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, as a result of LNG and natural gas sales that occurred in 2021 related to our terminal operations in Bangladesh and Brazil. No natural gas or LNG was sold during 2020 due to our decision to pursue long-term sales contracts in the New England market. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we pursued sales of natural gas opportunistically in the region while we sought to secure a long-term contract.
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Cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses
Cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses were $192.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $42.2 million, as compared to $150.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The variance in cost of revenues and vessel operating expenses was primarily driven by $15.6 million in operating and lease expense for the Sequoia vessel entering service in June 2020, increased sub-charters and maintenance expenses on our vessels in 2021 as compared to Covid-19 related service delays that occurred in 2020, and $1.4 million in incremental vessel operating costs due to Covid-19 preventative measures.
Direct cost of gas sales
Direct cost of gas sales was $390.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, as a result of LNG and natural gas sales during 2021. No LNG cargos or natural gas were sold in the year ended December 31, 2020.
Depreciation and amortization expenses
Depreciation and amortization expenses were $104.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $0.7 million, as compared to $104.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Depreciation and amortization were essentially flat.
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $47.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $4.1 million, as compared to $42.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily a result of an increase in compensation expense, primarily due to increased management and leadership hiring, and an increase in consulting expenses related to new project development.
Restructuring, transition and transaction expenses
Restructuring, transition and transaction expenses of $14.0 million were incurred in 2021 due to consulting, legal, and audit services utilized as part of and in preparation for the IPO. No restructuring, transition and transaction expenses were incurred during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Interest expense
Interest expense was $31.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decrease of $5.6 million, as compared to $37.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Interest expense decreased primarily due to lower balances remaining on our finance leases.
Interest expense – related party
Interest expense – related party was $48.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decrease of $3.1 million, as compared to $52.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Interest expense – related party decreased primarily due to lower balances remaining on our finance leases, as well as lower average borrowings, primarily due to the settlement of the ENE Lateral Facility (as defined herein).
Other income (expense), net
Other income (expense), net was $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $0.7 million, as compared to $(0.1) million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Other income (expense), net was essentially flat.
Provision for income taxes
The effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 was 33.9% and 29.8%, respectively. The increase in the effective rate for the year ended December 31, 2021 was due to an audit settlement and uncertain tax positions recorded in the 2021 period. EELP is treated as a pass-through entity for income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to U.S federal and most state income taxes. Instead, EELP’s U.S. income tax activity is allocated to individuals and entities affiliated with EELP. The Company also has international operations that are subject to foreign income tax requirements and U.S. corporate subsidiaries subject to U.S. federal tax. Therefore, our effective income tax rate is dependent on many factors, including the Company’s geographical distribution of income, a rate benefit attributable to the portion of the Company’s earnings not subject to corporate level taxes, and the impact of nondeductible items. In one jurisdiction, the Company’s tax rate is significantly less than the applicable statutory rate as a result of a tax holiday that was granted. This tax holiday will expire in 2033 at the same time as our contract and revenue with our customer ends.
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest was $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $0.4 million, as compared to $2.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Net income attributable to non-controlling interest was higher in 2021 primarily due to lower interest expense.
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Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore was $(3.0) million for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decrease of $5.5 million, as compared to $(8.5) million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore was lower in 2021 primarily due to additional capacity sales revenue and lower interest expense on its debt and the ENE Onshore Merger in October 2022.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Based on our cash positions, cash flows from operating activities and borrowing capacity on our debt facilities, we believe we will have sufficient liquidity for the next 12 months for ongoing operations, planned capital expenditures, other investments, debt service obligations, payment of tax distributions and our announced and expected quarterly dividends, as described in Part II, Item 5—Our Dividend and Distribution Policy, the first of which were paid on September 7, 2022. For more information regarding our planned dividend payments, see Note 13 – Equity. As of December 31, 2022, we had $516.7 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents.
Our proceeds from the IPO in April 2022 were approximately $416.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, but before deducting IPO-related expenses of $7.6 million. Approximately $50.0 million of the IPO net proceeds were used to fund, in part, EELP's purchase of the Foundation Vessels. The remaining proceeds are expected to be used to fund our growth strategy, working capital, and other general corporate purposes.
During the third quarter of 2021, we signed a lease on an LNG terminal in Bahia, Brazil from Petrobras, and in December 2021, we started importing LNG and selling regasified natural gas to Petrobras. In December 2022, we began selling LNG and natural gas to European customers via the Inkoo Terminal in Finland. In addition to Petrobras and customers in Europe, we have plans to sell regasified natural gas to other downstream customers, including in Brazil and Bangladesh. Some of these inventory purchases could potentially exceed cash on hand at certain times. We plan to fund any cash shortfalls with borrowings under the EE Revolver (as defined herein). For more information regarding the EE Revolver, see Note 10 – Long-term debt to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Management believes the EE Revolver will provide sufficient liquidity to execute contractual purchase obligations. In the event sufficient funds were not available under the EE Revolver, we would seek alternative funding sources.
We have historically funded our business, including meeting our day-to-day operational requirements, repaying our indebtedness and funding capital expenditures, through debt financing, capital contributions and our operating cash flows as discussed below. We expect that our future principal uses of cash will also include additional capital expenditures to fund our growth strategy, pay income taxes and make distributions from EELP to fund income taxes, fund our obligations under the TRA, and pay cash dividends and distributions. Any determination to pay dividends to holders of our common stock and distributions to holders of EELP’s Class B interests will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, projections, liquidity, earnings, legal requirements, covenant compliance, restrictions in our existing and any future debt and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. In the future we may enter into arrangements to grow our business or acquire or invest in complementary businesses which could decrease our cash and cash equivalents and increase our cash requirements. As a result of these and other factors, we could use our available capital resources sooner than expected and may be required to seek additional equity or debt.
Cash Flow Statement Highlights
Years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020
Years ended December 31,
Net cash provided by (used in): (In thousands)
Operating Activities
Cash flows used in operating activities increased by $83.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to:
•
a $445.1 million decrease in accounts receivable, primarily related to collections of receivables related to Brazil natural gas sales;
•
a $160.5 million increase in deferred revenues, primarily related to collection of prepayments related to Brazil natural gas sales;
•
a $38.8 million increase in net income;
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•
a $21.8 million early extinguishment of lease liability on vessel acquisition in the year ended December 31, 2022, as described in “— Consolidated Results of Operations—Net income”;
•
a $14.1 million decrease in inventory related cash outflows, primarily due to purchases related to Bahia terminal startup in December 2021 exceeding LNG purchases related to Brazil natural gas sales activity and Inkoo Terminal activity in Finland during the year ended December 31, 2022; and
•
partially offset by a $600.0 million decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities, primarily due to decreased outstanding LNG cargo purchase payments related to Brazil natural gas sales as of December 31, 2022.
Cash flows provided by operating activities increased by $32.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to:
•
a $334.0 million increase in accounts payable due to December 2021 LNG purchases for December 2021 and January 2022 natural gas sales;
•
an $8.3 million increase in net income, as described in “—Consolidated Results of Operations—Net income”;
•
partially offset by a $65.6 million increase in inventories due to December 2021 LNG purchases made in preparation for January 2022 natural gas sales; and
•
partially offset by a $244.7 million increase in accounts receivables primarily due to December 2021 natural gas sales.
Investing Activities and Capital Expenditures
Cash flows used in investing activities were comprised of capital expenditures made for the purchases of property and equipment, which increased by $83.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021. The increase in cash used for purchases of property and equipment was primarily due to the purchase of the Foundation Vessels, our first installment payment on the Newbuild Agreement, and our power barge project in Albania.
Cash flows used in investing activities decreased by $5.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease was primarily due to decreased vessel drydocking spending in 2021.
Financing Activities
Cash flows provided by financing activities increased by $465.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to $412.1 million of net IPO proceeds, a $78.2 million decrease in net cash outflows to Kaiser-Francis Management Company, L.L.C. (“KFMC”) from EELP on a promissory note that was terminated in November 2021 and a $28.3 million decrease in finance lease payments, partially offset by $25.0 million in cash payments made as part of the early extinguishment of a lease liability related to the IPO transaction, $26.7 million of net payments on our other long-term debt, and a $4.8 million increase in deferred financing costs paid.
Cash flows used in financing activities increased by $92.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to $88.5 million of net borrowings by KFMC from EELP under related party note receivables.
Debt Facilities
Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loan Facility
On April 18, 2022, EELP entered into a senior secured revolving credit agreement (“Credit Agreement”), by and among EELP, as borrower, Excelerate, as parent, the lenders party thereto, the issuing banks party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, pursuant to which the lenders and issuing banks thereunder made available the EE Revolver, including a letter of credit sub-facility, to EELP. The EE Revolver enabled us to borrow up to $350 million over a three-year term originally set to expire in April 2025. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had issued $40.0 million in letters of credit under the EE Revolver and was in compliance with the covenants under its debt facilities. As a result of the EE Revolver’s financial ratio covenants and after taking into account the outstanding letters of credit issued under the facility, all of the $310 million of undrawn capacity was available for additional borrowings as of December 31, 2022.
Also, on April 18, 2022, the Company borrowed under the EE Revolver, on the closing day of such facility, and used the proceeds to repay the KFMC Note in full. The KFMC Note was terminated in connection with such repayment.
On March 17, 2023, EELP entered into an amended and restated senior secured credit agreement (“Amended Credit Agreement”), by and among EELP, as borrower, Excelerate, as parent, the lenders party thereto, the issuing banks party thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent. The Amended Credit Agreement provides for, among other things (i) a new $250 million term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility” and, together with the EE Revolver, the “EE Facilities”), (ii) an extension of the maturity date of the EE Revolver, (iii) an increase in the maximum consolidated total leverage by 0.50x to 3.50x, provided that, if the aggregate value of all unsecured debt is equal to or greater than $250 million, maximum consolidated total leverage increases to 4.25x, and (iv) collateral
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vessel maintenance coverage to be not less than the greater of (i) $750 million and (ii) 130% of the sum of the total credit exposure under the Amended Credit Agreement. Proceeds from the Term Loan Facility are intended to be used for the acquisition of the FSRU Sequoia. The commitments under the Term Loan Facility expire on May 1, 2023, if the acquisition of the Sequoia does not occur by such date. The EE Facilities mature in March 2027. Proceeds from the EE Revolver are intended to be used for letters of credit, working capital, and other general corporate purposes.
Borrowings under the EE Revolver bear interest at a per annum rate equal to the term SOFR reference rate for such period plus an applicable margin, which applicable margin is based on EELP’s consolidated total leverage ratio as defined and calculated under the Credit Agreement. The unused portion of the EE Revolver is subject to an unused commitment fee calculated at a rate per annum ranging from 0.375% to 0.50% based on EELP's consolidated total leverage ratio.
The Amended Credit Agreement contains customary representations, warranties, covenants (affirmative and negative, including maximum consolidated total leverage ratio, minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio, and collateral vessel maintenance coverage covenants), and events of default, the occurrence of which would permit the lenders to accelerate the maturity date of amounts borrowed under the EE Facilities.
Experience Vessel Financing
In December 2016, we entered into a sale leaseback agreement with a third party to provide $247.5 million of financing for the Experience vessel. Due to our requirement to repurchase the vessel at the end of the term, the transaction was accounted for as a failed sale leaseback (a financing transaction). Under failed sale leaseback accounting, we are deemed the owner of the vessel and will continue to recognize the vessel on our consolidated balance sheets, with the proceeds received recorded as a financial obligation. Through December 2021, we made quarterly principal payments of $5.0 million and paid interest at the three-month LIBOR plus 4.2%. The original loan matured in 2026 when the remaining balance of $49.5 million was payable. In December 2021, the agreement was amended to extend the term to December 2033, reduce the interest margin to 3.25% and reduce the quarterly principal payments to $3.1 million. After the final quarterly payment in December 2033, there will be no remaining balance due. We incurred debt issuance costs of $1.2 million related to the amendment, which will be amortized over the life of the loan. Debt issuance costs of $6.0 million related to the original loan are presented as a direct deduction from the debt and have been amortized over the life of the original loan. The agreement contains certain security rights related to the Experience vessel in the event of default.
Our vessel financing loan has certain financial covenants as well as customary affirmative and negative covenants, which we must maintain to remain compliant with the loan. We must maintain a minimum equity of $500.0 million, a maximum debt to equity ratio of 3.5 to 1 and a minimum cash and cash equivalents balance including loan availability of $20.0 million. Our agreement also requires that a three-month debt service reserves be funded and that the value of the vessel equal or exceed 110% of the remaining amount outstanding, in addition to other affirmative and negative covenants customary for vessel financings. The financing also requires the vessel to carry typical vessel marine insurances.
2017 Bank Loans
On June 23, 2017, we entered into two loan agreements with external banks (the “2017 Bank Loans”) to finance the MLNG terminal in Bangladesh. The first arrangement allowed us to borrow up to $32.8 million. The loan accrues interest at the 6-month LIBOR plus 2.42%. Payments are due semi-annually with an original scheduled maturity date of April 15, 2030. We partially prepaid the loan during 2019. As a result of this prepayment, the loan matures on October 15, 2029. The debt issuance costs of $1.3 million are presented as a direct reduction from the debt liability and are amortized over the life of the loan.
The second arrangement allowed us to draw funds up to $92.8 million. The loan accrues interest at the 3-month LIBOR plus 4.5%. Payments are due quarterly with an original scheduled maturity date of April 15, 2030. We partially prepaid the loan during 2019. As a result of this prepayment, the loan matures on October 15, 2029. Debt issuance costs of $4.8 million are presented as a direct deduction from the debt liability and are amortized over the life of the loan. The agreement contains certain security rights related to MLNG terminal assets and project contracts in the event of default.
The 2017 Bank Loans require compliance with certain financial covenants, as well as customary affirmative and negative covenants associated with limited recourse project financing facilities. The loan agreements also require that a 6-month debt service reserve amount be funded and that an off-hire reserve amount be funded monthly to cover operating expenses and debt service while the vessel is away during drydock major maintenance. The loan agreements also require that the MLNG terminal and project company be insured on a stand-alone basis with property insurance, liability insurance, business interruption insurance and other customary insurance policies. The respective project company must have a quarterly debt service coverage ratio of at least 1.10 to 1. In 2021, a waiver was obtained for a non-financial covenant. The waiver allows the Company to obtain a higher insurance deductible than the $0.3 million deductible originally required by the lenders since such deductible was not available to the Company during the 2020 and 2021 renewals. An additional waiver was obtained in August 2022 to also allow a higher deductible under the insurance policy renewal and to address additional non-financial exclusions.
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Exquisite Vessel Financing
In June 2018, we entered into a sale leaseback agreement with the Nakilat JV, our equity method investment, to provide $220.0 million of financing via a fifteen-year lease agreement for the Exquisite vessel at 7.73%. The lease agreement has a symmetrical put and call option at the end of the original term or, optionally, two five-year extensions with symmetrical put and call options after each extension. The agreement did not meet the terms for recognition of a sale leaseback transaction and instead was treated as financing due to the terms of the transaction. The agreement contains certain security rights related to the Exquisite vessel in the event of default.
KFMC Note
On November 9, 2018, EELP entered into a promissory note with KFMC, an affiliate of Kaiser as lender, which allowed EELP to draw funds up to $100 million (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified, the “KFMC Note”). The KFMC Note was amended on November 17, 2020 to (i) extend the final payment date from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2022, (ii) increase the per annum interest rate from LIBOR plus 1.5% to LIBOR plus 1.55% and (iii) make certain revisions to prepayment conditions. The KFMC Note was further amended and restated in its entirety on September 29, 2021 to (i) make certain changes to the final payment date, including removing KFMC’s ability to demand payment, and extending the final payment date to December 31, 2023 and (ii) allow EELP to draw funds at EELP’s discretion without prior approval by KFMC. The KFMC Note was further amended on October 1, 2021 to increase the maximum aggregate principal amount from $100 million to $250 million. In April 2022, the Company borrowed under the EE Revolver and used the proceeds to repay the KFMC Note in full. The KFMC Note was terminated in connection with such repayment, as discussed in Note 10 – Long-term debt.
KFMC-ENE Onshore Note
In September 2021, in connection with the Northeast Gateway Contribution, ENE Lateral assigned to KFMC all of its right, title and interest to receive payment under a note with ENE Onshore (the “KFMC-ENE Onshore Note”), which assignment was made in partial satisfaction of the amounts owed by ENE Lateral under a promissory note it entered into with KFMC in December 2015 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified, the “ENE Lateral Facility”). As a result of such assignment, ENE Onshore was obligated to pay to KFMC all amounts under the KFMC-ENE Onshore Note. In November 2021, ENE Onshore received an equity contribution sufficient to allow it to remit payment to KFMC of the then-outstanding KFMC-ENE Onshore Note balance, and KFMC and ENE Onshore subsequently entered into an amended and restated note allowing a maximum commitment of $25 million. The KFMC-ENE Onshore Note was settled in full and canceled in connection with the ENE Onshore Merger.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company was in compliance with the covenants under its debt facilities.
Foundation Vessels Purchase
In exchange for (i) 7,854,167 shares of Class A Common Stock with a fair market value of $188.5 million, (ii) a cash payment of $50.0 million and (iii) $21.5 million of estimated future payments under the TRA, EELP purchased from Maya Maritime LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Foundation, all of the issued and outstanding membership interests in the Foundation Vessels. In 2018, EELP entered into an agreement with a customer to lease the Excellence vessel with the vessel transferring ownership to the customer at the conclusion of the agreement for no additional consideration. Historically, EELP, as a lessor, has accounted for the Excellence vessel contract with our customer as a sales-type lease in the consolidated balance sheet in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 842, Leases. The Excellence vessel will continue to be accounted for as a sales-type lease and thus did not result in an adjustment to property and equipment. The difference between the consideration given to acquire the Excellence and the historical finance lease liability resulted in a $21.8 million early extinguishment of lease liability loss on our consolidated statements of income.
Other Contractual Obligations
Operating Leases
We lease a vessel, terminal and offices in various locations under noncancelable operating leases. As of December 31, 2021, we had future minimum lease payments of $120.2 million. As of December 31, 2022, we had future minimum lease payments totaling $88.6 million and are committed to $37.6 million in year one, $47.8 million for years two and three, $1.9 million for years four and five and $1.3 million thereafter.
Finance Leases
Certain enforceable vessel charters and pipeline capacity agreements are classified as finance leases, and the right-of-use assets are included in property and equipment. As of December 31, 2021, we had future minimum lease payments totaling $784.8 million. As of December 31, 2022, we had future minimum lease payments totaling $307.3 million and are committed to $33.2 million in payments in year one, $66.5 million for years two and three, $66.5 million for years four and five, and $141.0 million thereafter.
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Newbuild Agreement Commitments
As part of the Newbuild Agreement, we currently expect to pay approximately $330 million, subject to adjustment. Related payments are due in five installments with the final installment due concurrently with the delivery of the vessel, which is expected in 2026. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we made the first installment payment of approximately $30.0 million. Our future payment commitments related to the Newbuild Agreement are expected to be approximately $50.0 million in 2024 and $250.0 million in 2025-2026.
Tax Receivable Agreement
In connection with the IPO, we entered into the TRA with the TRA Beneficiaries. The TRA will provide for payment by us to the TRA Beneficiaries of 85% of the amount of the net cash tax savings, if any, that we are deemed to realize as a result of our utilization of certain tax benefits resulting from (i) certain increases in the tax basis of assets of EELP and its subsidiaries resulting from exchanges of EELP partnership interests in the future, (ii) certain tax attributes of EELP and subsidiaries of EELP (including the existing tax basis of assets owned by EELP or its subsidiaries and the tax basis of certain assets purchased from the Foundation) that exist as of the time of the IPO or may exist at the time when Class B interests of EELP are exchanged for shares of Class A Common Stock, and (iii) certain other tax benefits related to us entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments that we make under the TRA. See “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—Proposed Transactions with Excelerate Energy, Inc—Tax Receivable Agreement” in the Prospectus for more information about the TRA.
The payments that we will be required to make under the TRA, including those made if we elected to terminate the agreement early, have the potential to be substantial. Based on certain assumptions, including no material changes in the relevant tax law and that we earn sufficient taxable income to realize the full tax benefits that are the subject of the TRA, we expect that future payments to the TRA Beneficiaries (not including Excelerate) will equal $76.7 million in the aggregate, although the actual future payments to the TRA Beneficiaries will vary based on the factors discussed in “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—Proposed Transactions with Excelerate Energy, Inc—Tax Receivable Agreement” in the Prospectus and estimating the amount of payments that may be made under the TRA is by its nature imprecise, insofar as the calculation of amounts payable depends on a variety of factors and future events.
The TRA payment forecasted to be made in 2023 as of December 31, 2022, is $3.7 million. In addition, payments we make under the TRA will be increased by any interest accrued from the due date (without extensions) of the corresponding tax return. If EE Holdings were to have exchanged all of its EELP interests as of the balance sheet date, we would recognize a liability for payments under the TRA of approximately $420.4 million, assuming (i) that EE Holdings exchanged all of its EELP interests using EE’s December 31, 2022 closing market price of $25.05 per share of Class A Common Stock, (ii) no material changes in relevant tax law, (iii) a constant combined effective income tax rate of 21% and (iv) that we have sufficient taxable income in each year to realize on a current basis the increased depreciation, amortization and other tax benefits that are the subject of the TRA. The actual future payments to the TRA Beneficiaries will vary, and estimating the amount and timing of payments that may be made under the TRA is by its nature imprecise, as the calculation of amounts payable depends on a variety of factors and future events. We expect to receive distributions from EELP in order to make any required payments under the TRA. However, we may need to incur debt to finance payments under the TRA to the extent such distributions or our cash resources are insufficient to meet our obligations under the TRA as a result of timing discrepancies or otherwise.
Venture Global SPA
In February 2023, we executed a 20-year LNG sales and purchase agreement with Venture Global LNG. Under the Venture Global SPA, Excelerate will purchase 0.7 MT per annum of LNG on a FOB basis from the Plaquemines LNG facility in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
Sequoia Purchase Option
In March 2023, we exercised our option to purchase the FSRU Sequoia for a purchase price of $265 million (the “Sequoia Purchase”), which is currently under a bare boat charter with a third party until mid-2025. We expect to close the Sequoia Purchase in April 2023, with payment of the purchase price due on closing. As discussed above, we intend to use proceeds from the Term Loan Facility to fund the Sequoia Purchase.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
Before Excelerate’s IPO, EELP, certain of its subsidiaries and other affiliates of Kaiser were guarantors to a Kaiser revolving loan facility, and EELP provided a first lien against one of EELP’s vessels to collateralize this facility. The facility was a committed line of credit of $600 million with a third-party bank that would have expired on September 30, 2022 (the “Kaiser Credit Line”). EELP utilized the Kaiser Credit Line to issue letters of credit or bank guarantees to counterparties to guarantee its performance. In connection with the IPO, the first lien against an EELP vessel and other collateral and guarantees provided by EELP and its subsidiaries was released by the
63
lender under the Kaiser Credit Line and certain credit support previously provided to EELP by Kaiser under the Kaiser Credit Line was replaced with credit support under the EE Revolver.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The accounting policies and estimates discussed below are considered by management to be critical to an understanding of our financial statements as their application requires the most significant judgments from management in estimating matters for financial reporting that are inherently uncertain. For additional information about our accounting policies and estimates, see the Note 2 – Summary of significant accounting policies to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Leases
We account for leases under the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 842, Leases. In the application of ASC 842 for leases in which we are the lessee, certain estimates and management judgments are required such as determining the useful life of a leased asset, the discount rate used in calculating the present value of lease payments, and when leases have extension or termination options that are likely to be exercised. When we are the lessor, estimates are required in allocating the contract consideration between the lease component and non-lease components on a relative standalone selling price basis.
Lessee Accounting
As of the lease commencement date, we recognize a liability for our lease obligation, initially measured at the present value of lease payments not yet paid, and an asset for our right to use the underlying asset, initially measured equal to the lease liability and adjusted for lease payments made at or before lease commencement, lease incentives, and any initial direct costs. The discount rate used to determine the present value of the lease payments is the rate of interest that we would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term for an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment.
The initial recognition of the lease obligation and right-of-use asset excludes short-term leases. Short-term leases are leases with an original term of one year or less, excluding those leases with an option to extend the lease for greater than one year or an option to purchase the underlying asset that the lessee is deemed reasonably certain to exercise. We have elected, as an accounting policy, not to apply the recognition requirements to short-term leases. Instead, we may recognize the lease payments in the statements of income on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
We have certain lease agreements that provide for the option to extend or terminate early, which was evaluated on each lease to arrive at the lease term. If we were reasonably certain to exercise a renewal or termination option, this period was factored into the lease term. As of December 31, 2022, we did not have any lease agreements with residual value guarantees or material restrictions or covenants.
Lessor Accounting
We determined that our time charter contracts contain a lease and a performance obligation for the provision of time charter and other regasification services. Leases are classified based upon defined criteria either as sales-type, direct financing, or operating leases by the lessor.
For those leases classified as sales-type, the underlying asset is derecognized and the net investment in the lease is recorded. We have determined that these contracts contain a lease component for the use of the vessel and non-lease components relating to operation of the vessels. We have allocated the contract consideration between the lease component and non-lease components on a relative standalone selling price basis. We utilize a combination of approaches to estimate the standalone selling prices when the directly observable selling price is not available by utilizing information available such as market conditions and prices, entity-specific factors, and internal estimates when market data is not available. Given that there are no observable standalone selling prices for either of these two components, judgment is required in determining the standalone selling price of each component.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. New assets, modifications to existing assets which improve the asset’s operational efficiency, capacity or useful life, and our finance leases are assigned a useful life. Useful lives of property and equipment are determined using various assumptions, including our expected use of our assets and the supply of and demand for LNG and natural gas in the markets we serve, normal wear and tear of assets, and the expected extent and frequency of maintenance. Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, less an estimated residual value.
Asset retirement obligations (“ARO”)
We recognize liabilities for retirement obligations associated with tangible long-lived assets when there is a legal obligation associated with the retirement of such assets and the amount can be reasonably estimated. The fair value of a liability for an ARO is
64
recognized in the period which it is incurred, if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. In order to estimate the fair value, we use judgments and assumptions for factors including the existence of legal obligations for an ARO; technical assessments of the assets; discount rates; inflation rates; and estimated amounts and timing of settlements. The offsetting asset retirement cost is recorded as an increase to the carrying value of the associated property and equipment on the consolidated balance sheets and depreciated over the estimated useful life of the asset. In periods subsequent to the initial measurement of an ARO, we recognize period-to-period changes in the liability resulting from the passage of time and revisions to either the timing or the amount of the original estimate of undiscounted cash flows.
Income taxes
We are a corporation for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes. EELP, is treated as a pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is generally not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the entity level. As part of our income tax accounting process, we are required to make certain assumptions and estimations.
We record valuation allowances to reflect the estimated amount of certain deferred tax assets that are more likely to not be realized. In making such a determination, we evaluate a variety of factors, including our operating history, accumulated deficit, and the existence of taxable or deductible temporary differences and reversal periods.
The effect of tax positions is recognized only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Conclusions reached regarding tax positions are continually reviewed based on ongoing analyses of tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof. To the extent that our assessment of the conclusions reached regarding tax positions changes as a result of the evaluation of new information, such change in estimate will be recorded in the period in which such determination is made. We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax provision only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the tax position.
Tax receivable agreement
In connection with the IPO, we entered into the TRA with the TRA Beneficiaries. The TRA will provide for payment by us to the TRA Beneficiaries of 85% of the amount of the net cash tax savings, if any, that we are deemed to realize as a result of our utilization of certain tax benefits. The amount and timing of future payments to the TRA Beneficiaries will vary as the calculation depends on a variety of factors and future events. Potential future actions taking by the Company, such as mergers or other forms of business combinations that would constitute a change in control, may influence the timing and amount of payments we make under the TRA in a manner that does not correspond to our use of the corresponding tax benefits.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Note 2 – Summary of significant accounting policies to the notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
As a company with less than $1.07 billion in revenue during 2021, Excelerate qualified as an emerging growth company (“EGC”) as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). For so long as Excelerate remained an EGC, it was permitted, and elected, to rely on exemptions from specified disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not EGCs. These exemptions included:
•
being permitted to provide only two years of audited financial statements, in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements, with correspondingly reduced “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” disclosure;
•
not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, for up to five years or until we no longer qualify as an EGC;
•
not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements;
•
reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation pursuant to the rules applicable to smaller reporting companies, which means we do not have to include a compensation discussion and analysis and certain other disclosures regarding our executive compensation; and
•
exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and obtaining stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
As Excelerate has exceeded the $1.235 billion in annual revenue threshold during the current fiscal year, we ceased to be an EGC on December 31, 2022. As a result of ceasing EGC status, we are required to comply with certain requirements listed above in our
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Annual Report for the year ending December 31, 2022. Prior to December 31, 2022, Excelerate took advantage of some reduced reporting burdens in its filings.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
In our normal course of business, we are exposed to certain market risks, including changes in interest rates, natural gas and LNG commodity prices and foreign currency exchange rates. In order to manage these risks, we may utilize derivative instruments. Gains or losses on those derivative instruments would typically be offset by corresponding gains or losses on the hedged item.
Interest Rate Risk
We have entered into long-term interest rate swap agreements in order to hedge a portion of our exposure to changes in interest rates associated with our external bank loans. We are exposed to changes in interest rates on our other debt facilities as well as the portion of our external bank loans that remain unhedged. We may enter into additional derivative instruments to manage our exposure to interest rates.
As of December 31, 2022, the fair value of our interest rate swaps was $2.3 million. As of December 31, 2021, the fair value of our interest rate swaps was $(4.4) million. Based on our hedged notional amount as of December 31, 2022, a hypothetical 10% change in the three-month and six-month LIBOR forward curves would change the estimated fair value of our existing interest rate swaps by less than $0.1 million.
Commodity Price Risk
In the course of our operations, we are exposed to commodity price risk, primarily through our purchases of or commitments to purchase LNG. To reduce our exposure, we may enter into derivative instruments to offset some or all of the associated price risk. We did not hold any commodity derivative instruments as of December 31, 2022 or 2021.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar and the functional currency of each of our subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar. Gains or losses due to transactions in foreign currencies are included in “Other income (expense), net” in our consolidated statements of income. Due to a portion of our expenses being incurred in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, our expenses may, from time to time, increase relative to our revenues as a result of fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly between the U.S. Dollar and the Euro, Argentine Peso, Brazilian Real and the Bangladesh Taka. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we utilized an immaterial amount of financial derivatives to hedge some of our currency exposure. We had no foreign currency hedges in 2021. For the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, we recorded $(7.2) million, $0.1 million and $(1.3) million, respectively, in foreign currency gains/(losses) in our consolidated statements of income.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The financial information required by Item 8 is located beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company's disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2022. Based upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were not effective as of December 31, 2022, due to the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting described below.
Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected
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on a timely basis. In preparation of our 2020 and 2019 financial statements to meet the requirements applicable for our 2022 IPO, we identified the following material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which were previously disclosed in our Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on January 7, 2022, that continue to exist as of December 31, 2022. We did not design and maintain an effective control environment commensurate with public company financial reporting requirements. Specifically, we did not maintain a sufficient complement of personnel with an appropriate degree of internal controls, accounting and tax knowledge, experience and training to appropriately analyze, record and disclose accounting matters commensurate with accounting and financial reporting requirements.
This material weakness contributed to the following additional material weaknesses:
•
We did not design and maintain effective controls over period end financial reporting processes and procedures, controls over significant accounts and disclosures to achieve complete, accurate and timely financial accounting, reporting and disclosures, including segregation of duties and controls related to the preparation and review of journal entries. Additionally, we did not design and maintain effective controls to identify and account for the elimination of certain intercompany revenue and expenses; and
•
We did not design and maintain effective controls to verify the completeness and accuracy of our income tax provision.
These material weaknesses resulted in adjustments to selling, general and administrative expenses, cost of revenue and vessel operating expenses, provision for income taxes and related account balances and disclosures as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Additionally, each of the above material weaknesses could result in a misstatement of our account balances or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.
Remediation of Previously Identified Material Weaknesses
We previously identified and disclosed in our Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on January 7, 2022 the following material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, each of which has been remediated as of December 31, 2022, as described below:
•
We did not maintain a sufficient complement of personnel with an appropriate degree of information technology (“IT”) knowledge, experience and training;
•
We did not design and maintain effective controls over the proper timing of revenue recognition for dry-dock revenue contracts;
•
We did not design and maintain effective controls to analyze compliance with non-financial debt covenants and conditions;
•
We did not design or maintain effective controls over IT general controls for information systems that are relevant to the preparation of our financial statements. Specifically, we did not design and maintain: (i) user access controls to ensure appropriate segregation of duties and that adequately restrict user and privileged access to financial applications, programs and data to appropriate company personnel; (ii) program change management controls to ensure that IT program and data changes affecting financial IT applications and underlying accounting records are identified, tested, authorized and implemented appropriately; (iii) computer operations controls to ensure that critical batch jobs are monitored and data backups are authorized and monitored financial data can be recovered from backups; and (iv) testing and approval controls for program development to ensure that new software development is aligned with business and IT requirements.
To remediate the material weaknesses, we designed and implemented new or enhanced controls and took other actions to improve our internal control over financial reporting, including:
•
Designed and implemented a new control over the proper timing of revenue recognition for dry-dock revenue contracts;
•
Designed and implemented a new control to analyze compliance with non-financial debt covenants and conditions;
•
Expanded our IT team to add additional qualified resources, including hiring a Vice President over IT and IT Security Director; and
•
Designed and implemented IT general controls and related procedures for information systems that are relevant to the preparation of our financial statements in the areas of user access, program change management, computer operations, and program development.
We determined that the remediated controls described above are designed effectively and have operated for a sufficient period of time to appropriately address the material weaknesses described above. Additionally, management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively and the material weaknesses described above have been remediated as of December 31, 2022.
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Status of Remediation Actions
As it relates to the material weaknesses that continue to exist as of December 31, 2022, we have performed the following remediation actions as of that date:
•
Expanded our accounting, tax and finance teams to add additional qualified resources, which included third-party consultants. We have hired new experienced accounting leadership team members in the following positions: Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer; Vice President of Tax; Assistant Corporate Controller; Director over International Accounting Operations; and Senior Manager over Income Tax Provision. In addition, we hired a Treasurer;
•
Established an Internal Audit function. We hired a Vice President of Internal Audit and team members experienced in audit and control design who worked with company personnel to establish and document policies and controls including providing additional training and guidance on requirements and control processes;
Additionally, we are in the process of designing and implementing controls related to the period-end financial reporting process, including controls related to business performance reviews and manual journal entries, and the completeness and accuracy of our income tax provision. The design and implementation of these controls is in progress and will require validation and testing of their design and operating effectiveness over a sustained period of time. As a result, the timing of when we will be able to remediate the material weaknesses is uncertain. We may also conclude that additional measures will be required to remediate the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, which may necessitate additional implementation and evaluation time.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
This Annual Report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Attestation Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal controls over financial reporting. We are not required to have, nor did we engage our independent registered public accounting firm to perform, an audit of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting due to a transition period establish by the rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Other than as discussed in Remediation of Previously Identified Material Weaknesses above, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the three months ended December 31, 2022 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information.
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
None.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2023 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days subsequent to December 31, 2022.
Our board adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) relating to the conduct of our business by all of our employees, executive officers (including our principal executive officers, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer (or persons performing similar functions)), and directors. This Code satisfies the requirement that we have a “code of conduct” under the NYSE and SEC rules and is available on our website at www.excelerateenergy.com. To the extent required under the listing rules and SEC rules, we intend to disclose future amendments to certain provisions of this Code, or waivers of such provisions, applicable to any of our executive officers or directors, on our website identified above.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2023 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days subsequent to December 31, 2022.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2023 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days subsequent to December 31, 2022.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2023 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days subsequent to December 31, 2022.
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
Our independent registered public accounting firm is PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Houston, Texas.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2023 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days subsequent to December 31, 2022.
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
(1) Financial Statements
The consolidated financial statements and related notes of Excelerate Energy, Inc. and Subsidiaries, together with the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, are included beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report.
(2) Financial Statements Schedules
All financial statement schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable or the required information is presented in the financial statements or the notes thereto.
(3) Index to Exhibits
The exhibits required to be filed or furnished pursuant to Item 601 of Regulation S-K are set forth below.
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ExhibitNumber Description
4.3* Description of Securities
21.1* Subsidiaries of the Registrant
23.1* Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
101.INS Inline XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
71
101.CAL Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
* Filed herewith.
† Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
‡ Certain portions of this exhibit have been redacted pursuant to Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K. The Company agrees to furnish an unredacted copy of this exhibit to the SEC upon request.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Date: March 28, 2023 By: /s/ Dana Armstrong
Dana Armstrong
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report had been signed by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on March 28, 2023.
Signature Title (Position with Excelerate Energy, Inc.)
/s/ Steven Kobos President & Chief Executive Officer
Steven Kobos (Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ Dana Armstrong Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Dana Armstrong (Principal Financial Officer)
/s/ Michael Bent Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
Michael Bent (Principal Accounting Officer)
/s/ Don P. Millican Chairman of the Board and Director
Don P. Millican
/s/ Carolyn J. Burke Director
Carolyn J. Burke
/s/ Deborah L. Byers Director
Deborah L. Byers
/s/ Paul T. Hanrahan Director
Paul T. Hanrahan
/s/ Henry G. Kleemeier Director
Henry G. Kleemeier
/s/ Robert A. Waldo Director
Robert A. Waldo
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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 238) F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 F-3
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-8
F-1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Excelerate Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of income, of comprehensive income, of changes in equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Significant Transactions with Related Parties
As discussed in Note 19 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has entered into significant transactions with George B. Kaiser and his affiliates, a related party.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Houston, Texas
March 28, 2023
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
F-2
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021
ASSETS (In thousands)
Current assets
Current portion of restricted cash 2,614 2,495
Accounts receivable, net – related party 2,595 11,140
Current portion of net investments in sales-type leases 13,344 12,225
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable to related party 2,054 7,937
Accrued liabilities and other liabilities 66,888 105,034
Current portion of long-term debt – related party 7,661 7,096
Current portion of operating lease liabilities 33,612 30,215
Current portion of finance lease liabilities 20,804 21,903
Current portion of finance lease liabilities – related party — 15,627
Finance lease liabilities – related party — 210,992
Derivative liabilities — 2,999
Commitments and contingencies (Note 22)
Additional paid-in capital 464,721 —
Retained earnings 12,009 —
Related party note receivable — (6,759 )
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 515 (9,178 )
Non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore — (130,282 )
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-3
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Income
For the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020
Years ended December 31,
Revenues (In thousands)
Operating expenses
Restructuring, transition and transaction expenses 6,900 13,974 —
Other income (expense)
Early extinguishment of lease liability on vessel acquisition (21,834 ) — —
Other income (expense), net 312 564 (92 )
Less net income attributable to non-controlling interest 55,119 3,035 2,622
Net income attributable to shareholders $ 13,323 $ — $ —
Net income per common share – basic $ 0.51 $ — $ —
Net income per common share – diluted $ 0.51 $ — $ —
Weighted average shares outstanding – basic 26,254,167 — —
Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted 26,262,107 — —
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-4
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
For the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020
Years ended December 31,
(In thousands)
Other comprehensive income
Change in unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges 5,453 3,325 (3,186 )
Other comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest (757 ) — —
Comprehensive income attributable to shareholders $ 17,558 $ — $ —
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-5
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
For the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020
Non-
Related Accumulated controlling
Additional party other Non- interest –
Other comprehensive loss — — — — — — — — (5,433 ) — — (5,433 )
Contributions — — — — — 6,000 — — — — — 6,000
Related party note receivable — — — — — — — (6,759 ) — — — (6,759 )
Other comprehensive income — — — — — — — — 5,783 — — 5,783
Related party note receivable — — — — — — — 6,759 — — — 6,759
Pre-IPO capital contribution — — — — 1,574 — — — — — — 1,574
Tax receivable agreement — — — — (14,938 ) — — — — — — (14,938 )
Long-term incentive compensation — — — — 232 — — — — 724 — 956
Class A dividends paid – $0.05 per share — — — — — — (1,314 ) — — — — (1,314 )
EELP distributions to Class B interests — — — — — — — — — (4,101 ) — (4,101 )
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-6
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
For the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020
Years ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities (In thousands)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities
Share of net earnings in equity method investee (2,698 ) (3,263 ) (3,094 )
Distributions from equity method investee 4,950 — —
Long-term incentive compensation expense 956 — —
Early extinguishment of lease liability on vessel acquisition 21,834 — —
Non-cash restructuring expense 1,574 — —
(Gain)/loss on other operating (2,224 ) — —
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Cash flows used in investing activities
Cash flows from (used in) financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net 412,148 — —
Proceeds from revolving credit facility 140,000 — —
Repayments of revolving credit facility (140,000 ) — —
Payment of debt issuance costs (5,951 ) (1,188 ) —
Related party note receivables — (200,500 ) —
Collections of related party note receivables 6,600 122,338 —
Settlement of finance lease liability – related party (25,000 ) — —
Principal payments under finance lease liabilities (20,499 ) (36,262 ) (34,143 )
Dividends paid (1,313 ) — —
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-7
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
1.
General business information
Excelerate Energy, Inc. (“Excelerate” and together with its subsidiaries, “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”) offers flexible liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) solutions, providing integrated services along the LNG value chain. We offer a full range of flexible regasification services, from floating storage and regasification units (“FSRUs”) to infrastructure development, to LNG and natural gas supply. Excelerate was incorporated on September 10, 2021 as a Delaware corporation. Excelerate was formed as a holding company to own, as its sole material asset, a controlling equity interest in Excelerate Energy Limited Partnership (“EELP”), a Delaware limited partnership formed in December 2003 by George B. Kaiser (together with his affiliates other than the Company, “Kaiser”). On April 18, 2022, Excelerate closed its initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 18,400,000 shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), at an offering price of $24.00 per share, pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-262065), and its prospectus (the “Prospectus”), dated April 12, 2022 and filed on April 14, 2022 with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The IPO generated gross proceeds of $441.6 million before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $25.4 million and IPO-related expenses of $7.6 million.
The proceeds of the IPO were used in part (a) to purchase an approximately 24.2% ownership interest in EELP at a per-interest price equal to the IPO price of $24.00 per share, and (b) to fund a $50.0 million cash payment as part of EELP’s purchase of all of the issued and outstanding membership interests in Excelsior, LLC and FSRU Vessel (Excellence), LLC (f/k/a Excellence, LLC), (collectively, the “Foundation Vessels”) ((a) and (b) collectively with the IPO, the “IPO Transaction”). See further discussion of the Foundation Vessels in Note 8 – Property and equipment. Following the IPO and as of December 31, 2022, Kaiser owned directly or indirectly the remaining approximately 75.8% of the ownership interests in EELP. The IPO Transaction, whereby Excelerate began to consolidate EELP in its consolidated financial statements, was accounted for as a reorganization of entities under common control. As a result, the consolidated financial statements of Excelerate recognized the assets and liabilities received from EELP in the reorganization at their historical carrying amounts and retroactively reflected them in the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of the earliest period presented.
In September 2021, as part of an anticipated reorganization in connection with the IPO, certain entities under common control of Kaiser were contributed to EELP (the “Northeast Gateway Contribution”). These entities include Excelerate New England GP, LLC, Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, LP and Excelerate New England Lateral, LLC (“ENE Lateral” and, together with Excelerate New England GP, LLC and Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, LP, the “Northeast Companies”). Since the Northeast Gateway Contribution is considered a transaction with entities under common control, EELP accounted for the Northeast Companies’ assets and liabilities received at their parent carrying values and retroactively reflected them in the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of the earliest period presented.
In October 2022, Excelerate Energy Holdings, LLC (“EE Holdings”), the indirect sole member of Excelerate New England Onshore, LLC (“ENE Onshore”), and EELP, the sole member of ENE Lateral, entered into a merger agreement, pursuant to which ENE Onshore was merged with and into ENE Lateral (the “ENE Onshore Merger”). ENE Lateral was the surviving entity and ENE Onshore ceased to exist as a separate entity. EE Holdings retained responsibility for all liabilities and obligations of ENE Onshore arising prior to the ENE Onshore Merger. Prior to the ENE Onshore Merger, Excelerate consolidated ENE Onshore as a variable interest entity (“VIE”) as Excelerate was determined to be the primary beneficiary of ENE Onshore. As a result of the ENE Onshore Merger, Excelerate no longer has a non-controlling interest related to ENE Onshore. See Note 19 – Related party transactions for more details on this merger.
Basis of Presentation
These consolidated financial statements and related notes include the assets, liabilities and results of operations of Excelerate and its consolidated subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). All transactions among Excelerate and its consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated in consolidation. In management’s opinion, all adjustments necessary for a fair statement are reflected. Certain amounts in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.
2.
Summary of significant accounting policies
Use of estimates
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 and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include useful lives of property and equipment, asset retirement obligations, and the allocation of the transaction price to performance obligations and lease
F-8
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
components. Management evaluates its estimates and related assumptions regularly. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates, and actual results may differ from these estimates.
Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, entities controlled by the Company through its direct or indirect ownership of a majority interest and any other entities in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. The Company eliminates all significant intercompany accounts and transactions in consolidation. The Company consolidates VIEs where the Company holds direct or implicit variable interests and is the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is the party that has both the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The primary beneficiary determination is both qualitative and quantitative and requires the Company to make judgments and assumptions about the entity’s total equity investment at risk, its forecasted financial performance, and the volatility inherent in those forecasted results. Events are considered for all existing entities to determine if they may result in an entity becoming a VIE or the Company becoming the primary beneficiary of an existing VIE. The ownership interest of other investors in consolidated subsidiaries and VIEs is recorded as non-controlling interests.
The Company had determined that ENE Onshore was a VIE based on the results of the analysis described above. As of December 31, 2020, one of our wholly owned subsidiaries, ENE Lateral, was the provider of a promissory note to ENE Onshore in the amount of $102 million and used capacity rights in a pipeline secured by ENE Onshore from a third party. As the Company and its related parties had the power to direct the activities related to the capacity rights and the obligation to absorb losses which could be significant to ENE Onshore, the Company determined that it was the primary beneficiary. As such, we consolidated the assets and liabilities of ENE Onshore and showed its net loss as non-controlling interest – ENE Onshore on our consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. In September 2021, the promissory note from ENE Onshore was repaid, and an agreement was entered into that significantly limited the ability of ENE Lateral to receive benefits from the use of the pipeline capacity. However, ENE Lateral still controlled the capacity rights, and therefore, ENE Lateral continued to be the primary beneficiary as of December 31, 2021. In October 2022, ENE Onshore was merged with and into ENE Lateral. For more details, see Note 1 – General business information.
In addition, these consolidated financial statements include accounts of the Northeast Companies consolidated on the basis of common control since prior to the contribution. All accounts of the Northeast Companies, including equity accounts, are consolidated with accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions, balances, income, and expenses are eliminated, and accounting policies have been conformed to the Company’s accounting policy.
Investments in equity method investee
All investments in which the Company owns 20% to 50%, exercises significant influence over operating and financial policies, and does not consolidate are accounted for using the equity method. Under the equity method of accounting, investments are stated at initial cost and are adjusted for subsequent additional investments and the Company’s proportionate share of earnings or losses and distributions. The Company evaluates its equity method investments for impairment when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying values of such investments may have experienced an other-than-temporary decline in value below their carrying values. If an equity method investment experiences an other-than-temporary decline in value and if the estimated fair value is less than the carrying value, the carrying value is written down to its estimated fair value and the resulting impairment is recorded in the Company's consolidated statements of income.
In June 2018, the Company acquired a 45% interest in Nakilat Excelerate LLC, its equity method investment (the “Nakilat JV”), which is recorded using the equity method. For the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, the Company’s share of net earnings in the Nakilat JV were $2.7 million, $3.3 million and $3.1 million, respectively.
Equity interests
Prior to the IPO, equity interests represented the contributions from and distributions to the general and limited partners of the Company and the Northeast Companies, the accumulated earnings of EELP and the Northeast Companies, and share-based compensation of EELP.
Non-controlling interest
After the IPO, non-controlling interest is primarily comprised of Kaiser’s 75.8% ownership interest in EELP. In addition, it is also comprised of third-party equity interests in two of the Company’s other consolidated subsidiaries: 1) a 20% interest in Excelerate Energy Bangladesh LLC and 2) a 10% interest in Excelerate Albania Holding sphk. Net income attributable to non-controlling interests represents the Company’s net income (loss) that is not allocable to Excelerate shareholders.
F-9