10-K
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
OR
For the transition period from _________ to _________
Commission File Number: 001-41352
Excelerate Energy, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
2445 Technology Forest Blvd., Level 6The Woodlands, TX 77381
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (832) 813-7100
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class TradingSymbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share EE New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the closing price of the shares of Class A Common Stock on June 30, 2023, was $533,747,215.
As of February 23, 2024, there were 26,263,403 shares of Excelerate Energy, Inc.'s Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share and 82,021,389 shares of Excelerate Energy, Inc.’s Class B Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The information required by Part III of this Report, to the extent not set forth herein, is incorporated herein by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2024, which definitive proxy statement shall be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this Report relates.
Table of Contents
Page
PART I
Item 1. Business 5
Item 1A. Risk Factors 13
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 36
Item 2. Properties 37
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 37
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 37
PART II
Item 6. Reserved 39
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 59
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 59
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 59
Item 9B. Other Information 60
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 60
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 61
Item 11. Executive Compensation 61
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 61
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 62
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), about Excelerate Energy, Inc. (“Excelerate” and together with its subsidiaries, “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”) and our industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact including, without limitation, statements regarding our future results of operations or financial condition, business strategy and plans, expansion plans and strategy, economic conditions, both generally and in particular in the regions in which we operate or plan to operate, objectives of management for future operations, and our share repurchase program are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will” or “would” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions.
You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We have based the forward-looking statements primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and operating results. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors described under “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report as described below and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including, but not limited to, the following:
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unplanned issues, including time delays, unforeseen expenses, cost inflation, materials or labor shortages, which could result in delayed receipt of payment or project cancellation;
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the competitive market for liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) regasification services;
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changes in the supply of and demand for and price of LNG and natural gas and LNG regasification capacity;
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our need for substantial expenditures to maintain and replace, over the long-term, the operating capacity of our assets;
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our ability to obtain and maintain approvals and permits from governmental and regulatory agencies with respect to the design, construction and operation of our facilities and provision of our services;
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our ability to access financing on favorable terms;
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our debt level and finance lease liabilities, which may limit our flexibility in obtaining additional financing, or refinancing credit facilities upon maturity;
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our financing agreements, which include financial restrictions and covenants and are secured by certain of our vessels;
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our ability to enter into or extend contracts with customers and our customers’ failure to perform their contractual obligations;
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our ability to purchase or receive physical delivery of LNG in sufficient quantities to satisfy our delivery and sales obligations under gas sales agreements (“GSAs”) and/or LNG sales agreements or at attractive prices;
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our ability to maintain relationships with our existing suppliers, source new suppliers for LNG and critical components of our projects and complete building out our supply chain;
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risks associated with conducting business in foreign countries, including political, legal, and economic risk;
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the technical complexity of our floating storage and regasification units (“FSRUs”) and LNG import terminals and related operational problems;
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the risks inherent in operating our FSRUs and other LNG infrastructure assets;
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customer termination rights in our contracts;
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adverse effects on our operations due to disruption of third-party facilities;
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infrastructure constraints and community and political group resistance to existing and new LNG and natural gas infrastructure over concerns about the environment, safety and terrorism;
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shortages of qualified officers and crew impairing our ability to operate or increasing the cost of crewing our vessels;
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acts of terrorism, war or political or civil unrest;
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compliance with various international treaties and conventions and national and local environmental, health, safety and maritime conduct laws that affect our operations;
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Kaiser (as defined herein) having the ability to direct the voting of a majority of the voting power of our common stock, and his interests possibly conflicting with those of our other stockholders;
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the possibility that EELP (as defined herein) will be required to make distributions to us and the other partners of EELP;
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our dependence upon distributions from our subsidiaries to pay dividends, if any, taxes and other expenses and make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement (“TRA”);
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the requirement that we pay over to the TRA Beneficiaries (as defined herein) most of the tax benefits we receive; and
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other risks, uncertainties and factors set forth in this Annual Report, if applicable, including those set forth under “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business.”
Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report. For example, the current global economic uncertainty and geopolitical climate, including international wars and conflicts, and world or regional health events, including pandemics and epidemics and governmental and third-party responses thereto, may give rise to risks that are currently unknown or amplify the risks associated with many of the foregoing events or factors. The results, events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report. While we believe that the statements provided herein are supported by information obtained in a reasonable manner, that information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Annual Report or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments.
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PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview and History
Excelerate offers flexible LNG solutions, providing integrated services along the LNG value chain. We offer a full range of flexible regasification services, from 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”).
In April 2022, Excelerate closed its initial public offering (the “IPO”). As a result of the IPO, Excelerate became the general partner of EELP. As we operate and control all of EELP’s business and affairs, we consolidate the financial results of EELP and report non-controlling interests related to the interests held by the other partners of EELP in our consolidated financial statements. The approximately 24.3% of EELP partnership interests owned by us are classified as Class A interests. The remaining approximately 75.7% of EELP interests are owned by Excelerate Energy Holdings, LLC (“EE Holdings”), an entity owned and controlled by Kaiser, and are classified as Class B interests.
Our Company
Excelerate is changing the way the world accesses cleaner and more reliable energy by delivering regasified natural gas which benefits 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.
Our business spans the globe, with regional offices in 10 countries and operations in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Finland, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), and the United States. We are the largest provider of regasified LNG capacity in Argentina, Bangladesh, Finland and the UAE, one of the largest providers of regasified LNG capacity in Brazil and Pakistan, and we operate the largest FSRU in Brazil. We intend to continue marketing natural gas and LNG, both of which offer a cleaner energy source from which power can be generated consistently, in the markets where we operate. The high value our customers place on our services has resulted in a reliable source of revenues to us.
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 and terminal use 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, 2023, we operate a fleet of ten purpose-built FSRUs, have completed more than 2,700 ship-to-ship (“STS”) transfers of LNG with over 50 LNG operators since we began operations and have safely delivered more than 6,600 billion cubic feet of natural gas through 16 LNG regasification terminals.
We believe that 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. We are evaluating and pursuing early-stage projects, as well as potential acquisitions of new and existing projects in the ordinary course of executing our growth strategy. This includes opportunities in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
Our integrated LNG solutions are designed to avoid the roadblocks that routinely hinder the development of terminal, gas and power projects in markets worldwide. We offer enhanced energy security and independence to the countries in which we operate, while playing a vital role in advancing their efforts to lower carbon emissions and comply with the Paris Agreement on climate change. From our global experience, we see firsthand the impact of providing local communities with a reliable source of energy and the subsequent development of natural gas and power infrastructure to take advantage of the natural gas we deliver to them. With improved access to cleaner and more reliable energy, countries are able to power industries, light homes and bolster economies. Additionally, some of the markets in which we operate lack developed energy infrastructure and therefore rely heavily on our services.
FSRU Fleet
As of December 31, 2023, our fleet includes ten FSRUs. All of the vessels in our fleet were built by leading Korean shipyards and were delivered to us as new vessels in the year of delivery set forth in the table below. Excelerate is the sole owner of eight FSRUs and charters two others: Experience, through a long-term charter that is a finance lease from a third party and Exquisite, through a 45% ownership interest in a joint venture with Nakilat Excelerate LLC (the “Nakilat JV”). In March 2023, we exercised a purchase option for Sequoia, which was previously leased from a third party on a five-year charter. The purchase was finalized in April 2023. In October 2022, we signed an agreement with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for a new FSRU to be delivered in 2026.
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In addition to standard LNG carrier functionality, our purpose-built FSRUs have the onboard capability to vaporize LNG and deliver natural gas through specially designed offshore and near-shore receiving facilities. Our FSRUs can deliver natural gas at pipeline pressure with maximum send-out capacities ranging from 600 million standard cubic feet per day (“MMscf/d”) to up to 1,200 MMscf/d continuously, providing quick and convenient access to incremental natural gas supplies.
The table below sets forth information about each of our owned and chartered FSRUs.
Vessel LNG Storage Capacity Peak Send-out Capacity (1) Delivery
(1)
Peak send-out capacity dependent on local conditions, including operating pressure and seawater temperature.
The technical design of our FSRU fleet allows us to optimize fleet allocation, minimize disruption risks through vessel commonality and operate flexibly. Our vessels are designed to move seamlessly from one location to another and operate in a wide array of weather, locations and seawater temperatures. For example, depending on environmental conditions and local sea water temperature, our FSRUs can be operated in open-loop (i.e., using sea water or glycol water as the heating medium) or closed-loop (i.e., recirculating loop for freshwater onboard, heated by ship’s systems) mode. Closed-loop mode is usually required for colder water temperatures.
By managing the day-to-day operations of our FSRUs, we offer our customers a commitment to operational excellence and a consistent approach to seagoing and shore-based personnel development, and we endeavor to continually improve our environmental and safety culture and standards, including reducing environmental impacts from our operations and assets and enhancing our monitoring and reporting of emissions and ecological impacts.
Time Charter Customers and Contracts
Our time charter and terminal use customers are a mix of state owned oil and gas companies, transmission operators and industrial users of natural gas. Our LNG solutions provide flexible natural gas supply to countries seeking reliable natural gas and power to ensure their energy security. We typically enter into take-or-pay contracts for FSRU long-term charters and integrated LNG terminals. The rates we charge customers are typically based on the economic return requirements for our investments in FSRUs, terminals, pipelines and onshore facilities. Our strategy of operating our FSRUs as an integrated fleet gives us a risk mitigation tool, reducing redeployment risk after the end of a contract as well as reducing the adverse effects of a potential disruption on a current contract.
Our FSRU services are provided to the applicable charterer under separate time charters. A time charter is a contract for the use of an FSRU for a fixed period of time at a specified hire rate per day, which is typically fixed. Under a time charter, we provide the crew, technical and other services related to the FSRU’s operation, the costs of which are included in the hire rate, and the charterer generally is responsible for substantially all of the FSRU voyage costs (including fuel, docking costs, port and canal fees and LNG boil-off). Time charter contracts may be terminated due to material breach, change in law, extended force majeure and other typical termination events. Some customers may also terminate their time charter contracts in advance upon expiration of a period ranging from four to 10 years and payment of associated early termination fees. However, we regularly negotiate with our customers to amend our time charters and extend their terms and termination periods.
As of December 31, 2023, all of our FSRUs are contracted and are either in place and delivering natural gas on demand or are in the process of transitioning to their next assignment. We currently have contracts with customers in Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, Finland, Germany, Pakistan and the UAE, all of which are long-term time charter contracts. In October 2023, we executed a 10-year time charter party (“TCP”) agreement with Petrobras for Sequoia, which commenced on January 1, 2024, and is located at the Bahia Terminal in Brazil.
As of December 31, 2023, the minimum contracted cash flows under our time charter and terminal use contracts was approximately $4.2 billion with a weighted average remaining term of 7.4 years. The stable nature of our FSRU revenue stream is underscored by the critical nature of the services we provide to our customers, which are often in markets lacking natural gas supply optionality. Additionally, our history of operational excellence and our reputation with host governments have resulted in contract renewals, capacity expansions, and other opportunities to help our customers meet increasing needs for cleaner energy. We regularly
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engage our customers to negotiate potential extensions of our contracts, and many of our older contracts have already been extended. The table below shows the status of our FSRU contract terms as of February 23, 2024:
LNG and Natural Gas Supply & Optimization
Excelerate also generates revenue by selling natural gas and LNG cargos throughout the world. These contracts have been performed under GSAs, LNG sale and purchase agreements (“SPAs”), or master LNG sale and purchase agreements (“MSPAs”), including existing MSPAs that Excelerate has in place with different industry players. Our commercial team has extensive experience sourcing LNG by utilizing wide-ranging, established relationships across the international natural gas industry. We have in excess of 70 MSPAs that enable us to buy and sell LNG and provide adequate supply to our customers. Our operations team has a strong track record of managing loading, transport, and delivery logistics so that cargo supplies are timely and power plant requirements and downstream commitments are met. Cargos have been sold on a Delivery ex-Ship basis while purchases have been a mixture of free-on-board (“FOB”) and Delivery ex-Ship.
Our sales of natural gas and LNG are typically conducted through terminals or locations at which we provide time charter services. Over the past three years, we have sold natural gas or LNG on a spot basis at the terminals at which we operate in Bangladesh and Finland, as well as via our Northeast Gateway Deepwater Port in the United States. From December 2021 through December 2023, we had a GSA at the Bahia Terminal in Brazil. We continue to look at opportunities to develop additional terminals with integrated natural gas sales as well as agreements to access capacity on existing terminals where we already provide regasification services. We intend to maximize the value of these opportunities by leveraging our network of existing relationships to procure LNG from the international market and by using terminal capacity that has not been assigned to anchor offtakers or adding extra capacity.
During 2023 and early 2024, we signed the following additional significant long-term SPAs:
In February 2023, we executed a 20-year SPA with Venture Global LNG (the “Venture Global SPA”). Under the Venture Global SPA, Excelerate will purchase 0.7 million tonnes per annum (“MTPA”) of LNG on a FOB basis from the Plaquemines LNG facility in
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Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Our purchase commitment will be based on the final settlement price of Henry Hub natural gas futures contract plus a contractual spread. The start of this commitment is dependent on the LNG facility becoming operational, which is not expected in the next twelve months. These LNG volumes are expected to support our efforts to balance the predictable margins from our regasification agreements with additional opportunities from gas sales.
In November 2023, we signed a 15-year SPA with Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation (the “Petrobangla SPA”). Under the agreement, Petrobangla has agreed to purchase LNG from us beginning in 2026. We will deliver 0.85 MTPA of LNG in 2026 and 2027 and 1.0 MTPA from 2028 to 2040. Using forward pricing curves as of December 31, 2023, our future gas sales revenues are estimated to be approximately $7.1 billion over the life of this agreement. The take-or-pay LNG volumes are expected to be delivered through our two existing FSRUs in Bangladesh, Excellence and Summit LNG, on a Delivery ex-Ship basis.
In January 2024, we signed a 15-year SPA with QatarEnergy. Under the agreement, QatarEnergy will supply LNG to us beginning in 2026. We will purchase 0.85 MTPA of LNG in 2026 and 2027 and 1.0 MTPA from 2028 to 2040. These LNG volumes are intended to be used to supply sales under the Petrobangla SPA.
As we grow our business, we are taking a very deliberate and structured approach to sourcing LNG supply. We intend to build a diversified LNG supply portfolio that will allow us to offer a range of flexible and cost effective LNG and natural gas products to both existing and new customers.
Competitive Strengths
We believe we are well positioned to achieve our primary business objectives and execute our business strategies based on the following competitive strengths:
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Experienced LNG Leader and Proven Ability to Execute. We are an admired player within the LNG industry with significant experience across the value chain. Our experienced team and proven LNG solutions, including one of the largest FSRU fleets employed for regasification, more than 2,700 STS transfers of LNG with over 50 LNG operators and the development or operation of 16 LNG import terminals, make us a market leader and a trusted partner for countries that seek to improve their access to energy. We have nearly two decades of development, construction and operational experience, making us one of the most accomplished, reliable and capable LNG companies in the industry. Our team’s in-depth experience and local presence enable us to support energy hubs by sourcing and aggregating LNG from the global market for delivery downstream, ensuring the long-term stability, reliability, and independence of customers’ energy supply.
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Positioned to Meet Growing Global Demand for Cleaner Energy. With the demand for cleaner burning fuels growing worldwide, direct access to diverse, reliable energy sources such as LNG has become a critical enabler for economic growth and improving the quality of life across the globe. LNG provides an abundant, competitive and cleaner energy source to meet the world’s growing energy needs. It is also an efficient means to displace coal and oil, which are higher carbon intensity fuels compared to natural gas. As a result, global LNG demand is expected to increase to approximately 760 MTPA by 2050 from approximately 400 MTPA in 2023, according to the S&P IHS Markit. Despite its advantages, LNG access is not readily available in many emerging markets due to the complexity of LNG import projects. We have an established reputation for developing and operating complex LNG solutions and are a trusted operator with a strong track record of bringing reliability, resiliency and flexibility to energy systems.
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Full-Service, Integrated LNG Business Model Provides Competitive Advantage. As market dynamics and the energy needs of customers have evolved over time, we have embraced the opportunity to expand beyond our FSRU business. Today, we are addressing the need for increased access to LNG with our fully integrated business model that manages the LNG supply chain from procurement until final delivery to end users. We help our customers meet their growing energy demand by providing an array of products, including LNG terminal services and natural gas supply procurement and distribution. By offering our customers flexible, fully integrated and tailored LNG solutions, we are able to increase the financial value of these opportunities while enabling our customers to safely and efficiently access the energy they need.
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Well-Established FSRU Business Supported by Dependable Revenue Base. We own and operate one of the largest FSRU fleets employed for regasification in the industry. The success of our well-established FSRU business is highlighted by our ability to secure long-term, take-or-pay contracts that generate consistent revenue and cash flow with minimal exposure to commodity price volatility. Our ability to swap FSRUs between projects makes our baseline revenue more predictable and minimizes redeployment risk. Further, we minimize the initial commitments for integrated offerings through the initial use of existing, smaller capacity FSRUs while our customers’ markets evolve. Most of our existing customers have benefited from this scalability, which has resulted in better project returns and higher customer loyalty. This strength has allowed us to capture incremental opportunities such as in Brazil, where we developed gas sales through the lease of the Bahia Terminal from Petrobras and in Bangladesh where we secured the Petrobangla SPA. Our profitable FSRU and LNG marketing and supply businesses also provide us with valuable connectivity to global downstream markets. With our expansive global
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presence, we are well positioned to deliver integrated natural gas and power solutions, giving our customers access to cleaner and more reliable energy.
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Understanding of LNG Market Dynamics Allows for Portfolio Optimization. We leverage our expertise and understanding of LNG market dynamics to create significant value through our LNG marketing and supply business. Our worldwide market access and ability to buy LNG from major LNG producers and suppliers gives us the chance to capture additional value via portfolio optimization and provides incremental cash flow. Even more importantly, our access to diverse, uncorrelated markets, including Asia, Europe and Brazil, generates valuable arbitrage opportunities. We are structuring our business to be able to maximize this extra value from LNG supply to LNG SPAs and GSAs and power purchase agreements. Our strategy of integrating LNG supply, natural gas sales and terminal operations, gives us the ability to optimize our FSRU fleet utilization.
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Proven Management Team. Our management team has experience in all aspects of the LNG value chain and a strong balance of technical, commercial, operational, financial, legal and management skills. Steven Kobos, our President and Chief Executive Officer, has over 25 years of experience working on complex energy and infrastructure development projects and general maritime operations, specifically LNG shipping, FSRUs, chartering of vessels, shipbuilding contracts, operational agreements and related project finance and tax matters, and he has helped establish Excelerate as a growing and profitable international energy company. Oliver Simpson, our Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, has almost 20 years of experience in natural gas and LNG trading and commercial shipping. Mr. Simpson is responsible for contracting and chartering FSRUs, oversight of current customer contracts and relationships, sourcing and supplying LNG flows, and natural gas marketing. Dana Armstrong, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, has over 25 years of experience leading both public and private multinational companies within the energy and biotechnology industries. Ms. Armstrong provides oversight of all global financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, accounting, treasury, tax, financial systems and internal controls. David Liner, our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, has over 25 years of maritime experience in the oil and gas industry with specific expertise in LNG shipping as well as naval architecture, charting and project management. Alisa Newman Hood, our Executive Vice President and General Counsel, has over 20 years of worldwide legal, government relations and energy policy experience. Amy Thompson, our Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, has over 25 years of human resources experience in global oil field services organizations and has held various leadership roles in the United States and the Middle East.
Competitive Landscape
A fundamental aspect of our commercial strategy is to pursue positions aggressively in markets where we can create a foundation for lasting value creation. Although there are several developed countries that make up a significant portion of expected future global LNG demand, they are currently being served by major suppliers and provide limited growth potential for us. We place a high premium on leveraging our integrated LNG model to open new markets and partnering with LNG producers to create sustainable and profitable relationships with our customers. Our competitive landscape includes the following participants:
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FSRU / LNG carrier owners. As the owner and operator of one of the largest FSRU fleets employed for regasification in the industry, we compete with FSRU and LNG carrier (“LNGC”) players, from large public integrated companies to smaller private ship owners. We distinguish ourselves by providing customers with fully integrated solutions beyond just the FSRU, giving us the ability to expand our service as their energy demands increase. This flexible approach, focused on optimizing services by swapping smaller FSRUs for larger ones, performing technical upgrades and offering seasonal service when required, fosters trust and long-term relationships with our customers. We believe the fundamentals supporting the FSRU business model require operators to focus on reliability, value and service, combined with disciplined expansion and growth.
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LNG sellers. When compared to other entities that sell LNG, from large LNG producers to portfolio players to trading houses, we believe we are better positioned to open and expand new markets given our expertise in the downstream portion of the LNG value chain. Our focus is on helping LNG producers expand the reach of their LNG supply beyond their traditional markets, resulting in less price pressure and better portfolio diversification. For example, in close collaboration with QatarEnergy (formerly Qatargas), we succeeded in bringing natural gas to Pakistan and Bangladesh, which triggered a dramatic displacement of coal fired plants from the government’s energy plans.
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LNG-to-power developers. In many of our markets, we compete with other LNG-to-power companies. Our investment strategy is focused on leveraging our FSRU expertise and local operational experience and relationship development to drive the expansion of incremental infrastructure projects downstream of our terminals. Our focus on the LNG-to-power value chain allows us to develop higher quality projects and enhances our ability to compete for new opportunities, as our host governments consider incremental investments to meet their growing energy demand needs.
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Business Strategies
Our primary objective is to provide superior returns to our shareholders as a leader in the global LNG sector. Our assets and operations help solve global energy security, sustainability and affordability issues for our customers and the markets that they serve. In 2023 and early 2024, we continued to drive improvements to increase earnings from our core FSRU business by (i) adding over 15 years of new firm regasification agreements and (ii) optimizing long-term results by growing our LNG portfolio through the addition of long-term LNG purchase contracts from both the U.S. gulf coast and Qatar and securing long-term LNG sales into Bangladesh. We also continued to develop our growth project pipeline that we expect will deliver additional shareholder returns over time.
Our FSRU and terminal services business is our strategic core business. Within our core business, our strategy is to continue to:
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Develop our existing diversified regasification business by maintaining high levels of safety and service to protect and enhance our stable, long-term contract revenue and margins. Our current markets are essential to maintaining our revenues and providing new opportunities for downstream growth. Our persistent market presence positions us to compete for new growth opportunities as our host governments seek new investments to meet their growing energy needs. To continue to develop our existing, diversified regasification business, we plan to use our brand recognition and strategic commercial actions to develop a reputation as more than an FSRU provider. Maintaining a strong presence will require that our teams continue to place a high priority on operational excellence, safety, active management of technical obsolescence, operation and maintenance improvements, cost management and fleet optimization. We operate our fleet with consistently high levels of availability to provide our customers with the confidence that they can rely on us to provide natural gas when they need it. We also plan to continue our initiative to improve returns on our existing vessels by adjusting day rates to market, as we can, and growing our gas sales within our existing customer relationships. We plan to use our current vessels and their associated stable, long-term contract revenues and margins to fund our growth opportunities.
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Grow our FSRU fleet opportunistically through selective acquisitions to expand market share and by commissioning new vessels when we have clear line of sight to long-term, high-margin TCP contracts. We seek to consolidate and grow our FSRU market share by reviewing vessel acquisition opportunities, both at a fleet and an individual vessel level, provided long-term, high margin TCP contract opportunities and utilization forecasts are sufficiently robust. We expect to bring online a new-build FSRU in 2026 to support our forecasted project-specific demand and plan to launch additional new vessels as necessary to meet the needs of our new natural gas infrastructure projects in development.
In addition, to grow our core business, our strategy is to:
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Develop or acquire interests in LNG regasification terminals and integrated gas sales infrastructure projects. We plan to develop or acquire interests in LNG regasification terminals and other integrated natural gas infrastructure projects that may also include opportunities for LNG and natural gas sales. In addition, these prospective projects could include LNG-to power facilities. We expect these opportunities to drive additional demand for our core FSRU and terminal services business.
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Create a sizable, diversified LNG and natural gas portfolio. Our expansion into new markets will offer us the opportunity to establish valuable access to a worldwide network of natural gas markets. Our network of supply and charter contracts with, and reputation among, major LNG producers provide us with ample opportunities to grow our LNG portfolio on competitive terms. This diversified portfolio will give us the opportunity to better manage the typical uncertainties of local demand (weather seasonality, economic cycles, availability of renewables, etc.), while capturing arbitrage opportunities. For example, we have already demonstrated the value of accessing the New England market in a flexible way. With the addition of new market access points in Asia, Europe and South America, we can capture value from our LNG procurement portfolio above the margins generated in individual markets. Finally, we have always taken a very deliberate and structured approach to sourcing LNG supply. As we scale our business and gain access to new downstream natural gas markets, we believe that there are benefits from having a diversified LNG supply portfolio, including long-term supply arrangements. Building a diversified LNG supply portfolio will allow us to offer more flexible and cost-effective products to both existing and new customers in downstream markets.
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Emphasizestrategic focus and capital discipline. Our core business emerged stronger following the volatile natural gas markets from 2020 through 2023, and we are now poised for rapid and prudent deployment of growth capital. Our growth plans will not disrupt our commitment to our disciplined investment philosophy and our systematic approach to project development. The growth opportunities we are currently pursuing offer diversity in both project maturity and project type, featuring a spectrum of final investment decision dates and project structures. We expect to invest in strategy-linked and value chain integrated projects offering high returns and consistent earnings. It is our aim to maintain and continue to expand our portfolio of growth opportunities that we believe will deliver sustainable and differentiated shareholder returns for years to come.
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Seasonality
While most of our operations are conducted under take-or-pay arrangements, seasonal weather can affect the need for our services, particularly natural gas and LNG sales. In response, we often manage seasonal demand fluctuation in our existing markets by configuring our global operations to meet energy needs during the winters in both the northern and southern hemispheres. For example, our FSRUs have helped provide the supply security needed to keep Argentina’s economy moving and sustain the quality of life for its citizens during their winter months, including one FSRU that was reassigned after being placed on a suspension agreement with the German government while the vessel was not required in Germany. Changes in temperature and weather may affect both power demand and power generation mix in the locations we serve, including the portion of electricity provided through hydroelectric plants, thus affecting the need for regasified LNG. These changes can increase or decrease demand for our services and accordingly affect our financial results.
Human Capital Resources and Social Responsibility
Our human capital is our most valuable asset. As of December 31, 2023, we had a global headcount of 915 colleagues, consisting of 223 full-time onshore employees and 692 seafarers. The seafarers and Belgium employees are represented by labor unions or covered under collective bargaining agreements.
We place a high premium on attracting, developing and retaining a talented and high-performing workforce. Our employees act with integrity, responsibility and compliance and are committed to upholding governance and ethics best practices. We believe this commitment is fundamental to having a sustainable business. We offer our employees a wide array of company-paid benefits, which we believe are competitive relative to others in our industry. Our onshore employees earn a base salary plus an annual bonus (short term incentive plan) with targets aligned with organizational goals. Our seafarers earn salaries and other compensation commensurate with terms outlined in their collective bargaining agreements. We believe that our relations with our employees are good.
For two decades, we have provided safe, efficient and cost-effective LNG solutions, and we understand that our success has been in large part due to our employees’ commitment to excellence. Our core values of stewardship, accountability, improvement and leadership (“SAIL”) represent not only our beliefs on how we conduct our business but also how we engage our employees. We have established a corporate culture with a focus on creating a collaborative environment that fosters the personal intellectual growth of each of our employees.
Additionally, we are committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”). We encourage and welcome the exploration of all ideas, topics and perspectives that serve to enrich our team. As a U.S. based company with global operations, we work with a diverse array of colleagues, vendors, customers, partners and local communities. The collective sum of our employees’ individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression and talent have been essential to both our operational and financial success over the years. In 2020, we launched a DEI Council with representatives from every geographic office and functional business area of our company. This council works closely with our human resources department and senior management to ensure DEI initiatives support our recruitment, engagement and retention efforts.
We are also committed to investing in the communities in which our employees live and work. We take pride in demonstrating our appreciation for our employees by strengthening the health and prosperity of their neighborhoods. As part of our commitment, we focus on keeping people safe, supporting local talent and businesses and contributing to education and health programs, bringing benefits to the generations of today and tomorrow. Guided by our SAIL values and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, our strategic focus areas for corporate social responsibility are health, education and climate.
Health and Safety
Health and safety are core values of Excelerate, and begin with the protection of our employees. We value people above all else and remain committed to making their safety, security and health our top priority. To protect our employees, contractors, and surrounding community from workplace hazards and risks, we implement and maintain an integrated management system of policies, practices, and controls, including requirements to complete detailed safety and regulatory compliance training on a regularly scheduled basis for all applicable individuals.
Government Regulation
Our vessels, LNG and natural gas infrastructure, and operations are subject to regulation under foreign or U.S. federal, state and local statutes, rules, regulations and laws, as well as international conventions. These regulations require, among other things, consultations with appropriate government agencies and that we obtain, maintain and comply with applicable permits, approvals and other authorizations for the conduct of our business. Governments may also periodically revise their laws or adopt new ones, and the effects of new or revised laws on our operations cannot be predicted. These regulations and laws increase our costs of operations and construction, and failure to comply with them could result in consequences such as substantial penalties or the issuance of administrative
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orders to cease or restrict operations until we are in compliance. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with the regulations described below. For a discussion of risks related to government regulations, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Regulations.”
Vessels
Our vessels, whether in transit functioning as LNGCs or in port performing FSRU services, are subject to the laws of their flag states (i.e., the countries where they are registered) and the local laws of the port. These laws include international conventions promulgated by the International Maritime Organization (“IMO”) to which the flag states are party. These conventions include: (i) the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention, which, among other requirements, requires us, as vessel operator, to develop an extensive safety management system that includes the adoption of health, safety, security and environmental policies and operating procedures for safety and environmental protection; (ii) the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, which is a set of measures designed to enhance the security of ships and port facilities; (iii) the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk; and (iv) the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. See discussion of environmental and greenhouse gas regulations below.
We utilize a vessel classification society, Bureau Veritas, which keeps us informed of the laws of our flag states and enforces them, through periodic inspections, which are a prerequisite to us remaining in good standing with the classification society.
All of our FSRUs are registered in either Belgium or the Marshall Islands.
Regas Terminal and FSRU Operations
With respect to the operation of our vessels, when in port performing FSRU services, and our terminals, which consist of fixed infrastructure located onshore or near shore, we are subject to the regulations of the port state. For projects in which we operate the LNG terminal, we are responsible for obtaining all operating and other permits required by the port state. Otherwise, pursuant to our charter party contracts, our customer (as terminal operator) is responsible for obtaining all permits relating to both the terminal and our FSRU. For certain of our operations where we sell or intend to sell natural gas, we are responsible for obtaining gas marketing licenses, and as we expand our natural gas sales line of business to new markets, we will be responsible for obtaining licenses in those markets.
Environmental Regulation
Our infrastructure and operations are subject to various laws, regulations and conventions relating to the protection of the environment, natural resources and human health. In addition to the IMO conventions mentioned above, we are also subject to the amendment to Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, which limits the sulphur content in the fuel oil used onboard ships, and the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. These regulations require the installation of controls on emissions and structures to prevent or mitigate any potential harm to human health and the environment and require certain protocols to be in place for mitigating or responding to incidents on our vessels and at our LNG terminals.
Greenhouse Gas (“GHG”) Regulation
In 2018, the IMO adopted the IMO Greenhouse Gas Strategy (the “2018 IMO GHG Strategy”), which was its initial GHG reduction strategy and a framework for future strategies. Consistent with the 2018 IMO GHG Strategy goal of reducing GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 50% by 2050 as compared to 2008 levels, the Marine Environment Protection Committee (“MEPC”) formally adopted amendments to MARPOL Annex VI at the MEPC’s 76th Session (“MEPC 76”) held in 2021. MEPC 76 established an enforceable regulatory framework to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping, consisting of technical and operational carbon reduction measures, including use of an Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (“EEXI”), an operational Carbon Intensity Indicator (“CII”) and an enhanced Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan. The amendments entered into force on November 1, 2022, requiring calculation of the EEXI to measure a ship’s energy efficiency and to initiate the collection of data for the reporting of its annual operational CII and CII rating. Initial CII ratings will be given in 2024. The MEPC’s 80th session (“MEPC 80”) held in July 2023 adopted a revised GHG strategy that aims to further reduce GHG emissions from international shipping. The new targets include, as compared to 2008 levels, at least a 20% reduction in emissions by 2030 (with a stretch goal of 30%) and at least a 70% reduction by 2040 (with a stretch goal of 80%) and the ultimate goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. New MEPC regulations are expected to become effective around mid-2027. The MEPC 80 strategy seeks agreement and finalization on a range of measures by 2025.
On September 15, 2020, the European Parliament voted to include GHG emissions from the maritime sector in the European Union’s carbon market, the European Union Emissions Trading System (“EU ETS”). The Council of the European Union (the “Council”) formally approved European Directive 2003/87/EC and the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Regulation 2015/757 amending the EU ETS on April 25, 2023. Both legislative acts became effective on June 5, 2023 and amendments became applicable January 1, 2024. The legislation extends the existing ETS to maritime shipping and requires sectors subject to the ETS to reduce emissions by 65% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. Shipping companies must surrender allowances equal to 40% of their verified emissions allowances in 2024, 70% in 2025 and 100% in 2026. Any vessel trading within the EU or making commercial voyages to or
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from the EU will need to comply with the EU ETS, as amended. Over the term of our current contracts within Europe, we can pass the costs of compliance with the EU ETS through to our customers per our TCP agreements. However, after those contracts have expired, we may need to incur additional costs to reduce our emissions by implementing decarbonization strategies in order to continue to provide service within Europe.
In July 2023, the Council adopted FuelEU Maritime, a regulation aiming to support the decarbonization of the shipping industry. Upon entering into force January 1, 2025, it will increase the share of renewable and low-carbon fuels in the fuel mix of international maritime transport in the European Union (“EU”). The European Parliament, Council of the European Union and the European Commission have reached an agreement on the FuelEU Maritime regulations which shall become effective in 2025. The agreement ensures the well-to-wake GHG emission intensity on energy used onboard ships trading in the European Union will gradually decrease over time and requires that ships trading in the European Union or the European Economic Area maintain an average annual GHG intensity level based on a well-to-wake perspective below certain thresholds. The FuelEU Maritime regulates the kind of fuel that can be used and encourages the adoption of lower emission fuels. Adoption of these alternate fuels will likely increase fuel costs due to their lower availability and require other investments in newer technology to utilize such fuels.
Employment
Excelerate manages our own vessel operations, including the employment of seafarers onboard the vessels that we operate. All seafarers are subject to collective bargaining agreements based on their nationality and their vessel’s flag state. In addition, seafarers are covered by the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, which is a binding international agreement setting out certain employment rights for seafarers, and corresponding obligations placed on maritime employers.
Properties
Our corporate headquarters are in The Woodlands, Texas, and we also have regional offices in Abu Dhabi, Antwerp, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chattogram, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Helsinki, Manila, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore and Washington, D.C. We own no material properties other than our vessels and terminal assets.
Intellectual Property
We rely on trademarks and domain names to establish and protect our proprietary rights, including registrations for “Excelerate Energy” and the Excelerate logo. In addition, we are the registered holder of a variety of domestic domain names, including “excelerateenergy.com,” and “exceleratetm.com.”
Available Information
We are required to file any annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and certain other information with the SEC.
The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. Any documents filed by us with the SEC, including this Annual Report, can be downloaded from the SEC's website. Our periodic reports and other information filed with or furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including this Annual Report, are available free of charge through our website, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports and other information are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Information on our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report and does not constitute a part of this Annual Report.
Our principal executive offices are located at 2445 Technology Forest Blvd., Level 6, The Woodlands, Texas 77381, and our telephone number is (832) 813-7100. Our website is at www.excelerateenergy.com.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Investing in our Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Class A Common Stock”) involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following discussion of significant factors, events and uncertainties, together with the other information contained in this Form 10-K. The occurrence of any of the following risks, as well as any risks or uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do not believe to be material, could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow; in which case, the trading price of our Class A Common Stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risk Factors Summary
The following summarizes the principal factors that make an investment in the Company speculative or risky. This summary should be read in conjunction with the remainder of this “Risk Factors” section and should not be relied upon as an exhaustive summary of the material risks facing our business. The occurrence of any of these risks could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or growth prospects or cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements
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we have made in this report and those we may make from time to time. You should consider all of the risk factors described in our public filings when evaluating our business. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
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unplanned issues, including time delays, unforeseen expenses, cost inflation, materials or labor shortages, which could result in delayed receipt of payment or project cancellation;
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the competitive market for LNG regasification services;
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changes in the supply of and demand for and price of LNG and natural gas and LNG regasification capacity;
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our need for substantial expenditures to maintain and replace, over the long-term, the operating capacity of our assets;
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our ability to obtain and maintain approvals and permits from governmental and regulatory agencies with respect to the design, construction and operation of our facilities and provision of our services;
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our ability to access financing on favorable terms;
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our debt level and finance lease liabilities, which may limit our flexibility in obtaining additional financing, or refinancing credit facilities upon maturity;
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our financing agreements, which include financial restrictions and covenants and are secured by certain of our vessels;
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our ability to enter into or extend contracts with customers and our customers’ failure to perform their contractual obligations;
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our ability to purchase or receive physical delivery of LNG in sufficient quantities to satisfy our delivery and sales obligations under GSAs and/or LNG sales agreements or at attractive prices;
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our ability to maintain relationships with our existing suppliers, source new suppliers for LNG and critical components of our projects and complete building out our supply chain;
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risks associated with conducting business in foreign countries, including political, legal, and economic risk;
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the technical complexity of our FSRUs and LNG import terminals and related operational problems;
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the risks inherent in operating our FSRUs and other LNG infrastructure assets;
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customer termination rights in our contracts;
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adverse effects on our operations due to disruption of third-party facilities;
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infrastructure constraints and community and political group resistance to existing and new LNG and natural gas infrastructure over concerns about the environment, safety and terrorism;
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shortages of qualified officers and crew impairing our ability to operate or increasing the cost of crewing our vessels;
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acts of terrorism, war or political or civil unrest;
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compliance with various international treaties and conventions and national and local environmental, health, safety and maritime conduct laws that affect our operations;
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Kaiser having the ability to direct the voting of a majority of the voting power of our common stock, and his interests possibly conflicting with those of our other stockholders;
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the possibility that EELP will be required to make distributions to us and the other partners of EELP;
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our dependence upon distributions from our subsidiaries to pay dividends, if any, taxes and other expenses and make payments under the TRA; and
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the requirement that we pay over to the TRA Beneficiaries (as defined herein) most of the tax benefits we receive.
Risks Related to Our Business and Operations
We are subject to risks related to construction and commissioning of our projects. We invest significant capital when developing a new project and may experience cancellations, time delays, unforeseen expenses and other complications. These complications can delay the commencement of revenue-generating activities, reduce the amount of revenue we earn and increase our development costs.
When we develop large scale projects, our required capital expenditure may be significant, and we typically do not generate meaningful revenues from customers until the project has commenced commercial operations, which may take a year or more to achieve. While we plan our projects carefully and attempt to complete them according to timelines and budgets that we believe are feasible, we have occasionally experienced time delays and cost overruns in certain projects that we have developed previously and may experience similar issues with future projects given the inherent complexity and unpredictability of project development. For example, there can be no assurance that we will not need to make adjustments to our regasification terminals and other facilities as a result of the required testing or commissioning of each project, which could cause delays and be costly. We may also decide to delay, postpone or discontinue a project in order to prioritize a different project than we originally planned. Expenses with respect to such projects may be significant
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and will be incurred by us regardless of whether these assets are ultimately constructed and operational. A primary focus of our business is the development of projects in foreign jurisdictions, including jurisdictions where we may not have significant experience, and these risks are often increased in such jurisdictions where legal processes, language differences, cultural expectations, currency exchange requirements, political relations with the U.S. government, changes in administrations, new regulations, regulatory reviews, employment laws and diligence requirements can make it more difficult, time-consuming and expensive to develop a project. If a project is not successfully developed for any reason, we face the risk of not recovering some or all of our invested capital, and our business, operating results, cash flows and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected.
We have not yet entered into binding construction contracts, received a “final notice to proceed” or obtained all necessary environmental, regulatory, construction and zoning permissions for all of our planned regasification terminals and other facilities. There can be no assurance that we will be able to enter into the contracts required for the development of these regasification terminals and other facilities on commercially favorable terms, if at all, or that we will be able to obtain all of the environmental, regulatory, construction and zoning permissions we need. If we are unable to enter into favorable contracts or to obtain the necessary regulatory and land use approvals on favorable terms, we may not be able to construct and operate these assets as expected, or at all.
Timely and cost-effective completion of our energy-related infrastructure in compliance with agreed specifications is highly dependent on the performance of our primary EPC contractor and our other contractors under our agreements with them. The ability of our primary EPC contractor and our other contractors to perform successfully under their agreements with us is dependent on a number of factors outside of our control. Until and unless we have entered into an EPC contract for a particular project in which the EPC contractor agrees to meet our planned schedule and projected total costs for a project, we are subject to potential fluctuations in construction costs and other related project costs. If any contractor is unable or unwilling to perform according to the negotiated terms and timetable of its respective agreement for any reason or terminates its agreement for any reason, or if we have disagreements with our contractors about elements of the construction process, we would be required to engage a substitute contractor, which could be particularly difficult in certain of the markets in which we plan to operate, or our projects may be delayed and we may face contractual consequences in our agreements with our customers. Although some agreements may provide for liquidated damages in such circumstances, any liquidated damages that we receive may be delayed or insufficient to cover the damages that we suffer as a result of any such delay or impairment, and we expect such liquidated damages to be subject to caps on liability.
The market for LNG regasification services is competitive, and we may not be able to compete successfully.
The market for LNG regasification services in which we operate is competitive, especially with respect to the securing of long-term contracts. New competitors could enter the market for FSRUs and operate larger fleets through consolidations, acquisitions or the purchase of new vessels and may be able to offer lower rates and more modern fleets. Competition may also prevent us from achieving our goal of profitably expanding into other parts of the natural gas value chain.
We typically enter into long-term, fixed-rate regasification contracts with our customers, either in the form of time charters or terminal use agreements. The process of securing new long-term regasification contracts is highly competitive and generally involves an intensive screening process and competitive bids, often lasting for several months. Regasification contracts are awarded based upon a variety of factors relating to the vessel operator, including, but not limited to:
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FSRU experience and quality of ship operations;
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shipping industry relationships and reputation for customer service and safety;
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technical ability and reputation for operation of highly specialized vessels, including FSRUs;
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quality and experience of seafaring crew;
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financial stability;
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construction management experience, including (i) relationships with shipyards and the ability to secure suitable berths and (ii) the ability to obtain on-time delivery of new FSRUs according to customer specifications;
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willingness to accept operational and other risks, such as allowing customer termination rights for extended operational failures and force majeure events;
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the ability to commence operations quickly; and
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price competitiveness.
We could face increased competition for providing flexible storage and regasification services for LNG import projects from a number of experienced companies, including state-sponsored entities and major energy companies. While there has been limited availability of FSRUs in recent years, new entrants may enter the market, including companies with strong reputations and extensive resources and experience. Current market participants and new entrants may acquire existing FSRUs, contract for newbuildings, or convert LNGCs into FSRUs. This increased competition may cause greater price competition for LNG regasification contracts. As a result of these factors, we may be unable to expand our relationships with existing customers or obtain new customers on a profitable basis.
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Cyclical or other changes in the supply and demand for and price of LNG and natural gas and LNG regasification capacity may adversely affect our business and the performance of our customers.
Our business and the development of energy-related infrastructure and projects generally is based on assumptions about the future availability and price of natural gas, LNG, and crude oil and the prospects for international and domestic natural gas and LNG markets. Natural gas, LNG, and crude oilprices and demand for and price of LNG regasification capacity have at various times been and may become volatile due to one or more of the following factors:
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additions to competitive regasification capacity;
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imposition of tariffs;
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insufficient or oversupply of natural gas liquefaction or export capacity worldwide;
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insufficient LNG tanker capacity;
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weather conditions and natural disasters;
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reduced demand and lower prices for natural gas over an extended period;
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higher LNG prices, which could make other fuels more competitive in the markets where we operate;
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inflationary pressures;
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increased natural gas production deliverable by pipelines in the markets where we operate, which could suppress demand for LNG;
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decreased crude oil and natural gas exploration activities, including shut-ins and possible proration, which have begun and may continue to decrease the production of natural gas available for liquefaction;
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cost improvements that allow competitors to offer LNG regasification services at reduced prices;
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changes in supplies of, and prices for, alternative energy sources, such as coal, crude oil, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar energy, which may reduce the demand for natural gas;
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changes in regulatory, tax or other governmental policies regarding imported or exported LNG, natural gas or alternative energy sources, which may reduce the demand for imported LNG or natural gas in the markets where we operate;
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political conditions;
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adverse relative demand for LNG compared to other markets;
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changes in economic conditions of countries where we operate or purchase or sell LNG and natural gas; and
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cyclical trends in general business and economic conditions that cause changes in the demand for natural gas.
Adverse trends or developments affecting any of these factors, including the timing of the impact of these factors in relation to our purchases and sales of natural gas and LNG, could result in increases in prices for natural gas or LNG or result in mark-to-market gains or losses based on the value of our LNG inventory or contractual commitments. During the past two years, we have recorded lower of cost or net realizable value write-downs on our LNG inventory. In addition, cyclical increased pricing of LNG has at times discouraged our customers, especially those in developing economies, from making spot purchases of LNG. Periods of higher LNG prices may also discourage potential customers from agreeing to new LNG projects in favor of other energy sources.
We must make substantial expenditures to maintain and replace, over the long-term, the operating capacity of our fleet, regasification terminals and associated assets, pipelines and downstream infrastructure.
We must make substantial expenditures and investments to maintain and replace, over the long-term, the operating capacity of our fleet, pipelines, regasification terminals and associated assets.Repairs, maintenance and replacement capital expenditures include expenditures associated with drydocking vessels, modifying existing vessels or regasification terminals, acquiring new vessels, regasification terminals or downstream infrastructure or otherwise repairing or replacing current vessels, regasification terminals and associated assets or downstream infrastructure, at the end of their useful lives. These expenditures could vary significantly from quarter to quarter and could increase as a result of changes in:
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the cost of labor and materials, including due to inflationary pressures;
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customer requirements;
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fleet and project size;
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the cost of replacement vessels;
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length of charters;
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governmental regulations and maritime self-regulatory organization standards relating to safety, security or the environment;
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competitive standards; and
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operating conditions, including adverse weather events, sea currents and natural disasters impacting performance, required maintenance and repair intervals and spending.
Our business relies on the performance by customers under current and future contracts, and we could be materially and adversely affected if any customer fails to perform its contractual obligations for any reason, including nonpayment and nonperformance, or if we fail to enter into such contracts at all.
Our success will be dependent upon our ability to enter into or renew contracts with our customers for regasification services, LNG and natural gas sales and development agreements, as well as to maintain our relationships or form new relationships with customers. During the years 2023 and 2022, we had two and one customers, respectively, that, at times, accounted for over 10% of our revenues. Our dependence on a small number of customers means that a loss of, or other adverse actions by, any one of these customers would reduce our revenues. Accordingly, our near-term ability to generate cash is dependent on our customers’ continued willingness and ability to continue purchasing our services and to perform their obligations under their respective contracts. Their obligations may include certain nomination or operational responsibilities, construction or maintenance of their own facilities that are necessary to enable us to deliver regasification services or compliance with certain contractual representations and warranties in addition to payment of fees for use of our facilities. On occasion, certain customers have extended their payment timeline. Our customer contracts contain interest provisions, which we utilize when there are payment delays. However, we still may be adversely affected if customers continue to delay payment, including payment of interest. For more information regarding the material terms of the contracts with our customers, see “Business—Time Charter Customers and Contracts,” and for more information regarding the risks related to termination of the contracts with our customers, see “—Our contracts with our customers are subject to termination under certain circumstances,” immediately below.
Our credit procedures and policies may be inadequate to eliminate risks of nonpayment and nonperformance or payment delays. In assessing customer credit risk, we employ various procedures and analysis before entering into contracts with them. This analysis may involve reviewing their credit rating or profile, operating results, liquidity, outstanding debt and certain macroeconomic factors regarding the region(s) in which they operate. These procedures help us to assess appropriately customer credit risk on a case-by-case basis, but these procedures may not be effective in assessing credit risk in all instances. As part of our business strategy, we intend to target customers who have not been traditional purchasers of LNG and/or regasified LNG, including customers in developing countries, and these customers may have greater credit risk than typical purchasers. We may face difficulties in enforcing our contractual rights against contractual counterparties, including rights to payment, due to the cost and time involved in resolution of disputes by arbitration and litigation, difficulty in enforcing international arbitration awards particularly in situations where all or most of a counterparty’s assets are located in its home jurisdiction and involuntary submission to local courts, notwithstanding contract clauses providing for international arbitration.
We may not be able to balance our purchases of LNG with our delivery obligations and entry into long-term supply agreements for the purchase of LNG will expose us to increased commodity price risk and possible oversupply of LNG.
Under GSAs, SPAs, and LNG supply obligations with current and future customers, we are or will be required to deliver to our customers specified amounts of LNG and/or regasified LNG at specified times and within certain specifications, which requires us to obtain sufficient amounts of LNG. To satisfy these obligations, we have entered into a mix of short and long-term LNG purchase agreements. Beginning in 2023, we have entered into long-term LNG purchase and sales agreements, and if those purchases and subsequent sales of LNG and/or regasified LNG to customers are not balanced, we will face increased exposure to commodity price risks and could have increased volatility in our operating income. Conversely, if our customers purchase more regasified LNG than we expect, our long-term supplier fails to deliver contracted LNG volumes or we are not able to supplement our supply with additional short-term purchase agreements, we may not be able to receive physical delivery of sufficient quantities of LNG to satisfy our delivery obligations, which may provide customers with the right to terminate their respective contracts with us and/or to seek damages.
In addition, if we sell regasified LNG into market areas based on market-area indices that are different from the index upon which we purchased LNG, we may be exposed to the differences in the values of the respective indices, including the potential requirement to record mark-to-market adjustments. Changes in the index prices relative to each other, also referred to as basis spread, can significantly affect our margins or even result in losses, and LNG price fluctuations may make it expensive or uneconomic for us to acquire short-term supply to meet our gas delivery obligations under our GSAs or LNG sales agreements. Higher natural gas, LNG, or crude oil prices could enhance the risk of nonpayment by customers who are not able to pass the higher costs to their customers. For example, our purchases of LNG under our long-term purchase agreement will be FOB, but our sales to customers may be as Delivery ex-Ship or as regasified LNG, exposing us to the foregoing shipping and regasification risks. Because the factors affecting the supply and demand of LNG are outside of our control and are unpredictable, the nature, timing, direction and degree of changes in industry conditions are also unpredictable. In addition, initiatives to reduce GHG emissions and other future legislation and regulations, such as those relating to the transportation and security of LNG, or increased use of other energy sources such as solar and wind, could affect the long-term demand for LNG or regasified LNG. Our long-term LNG purchase agreements commit us to purchase certain volumes regardless of the demand for LNG or regasified LNG. A reduction in demand could materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
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To reduce our exposure to fluctuations in the price, volume and timing risk associated with the purchase of LNG and sale of natural gas, we have entered and may in the future enter into futures, swaps and option contracts traded or cleared on the Intercontinental Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange or over-the-counter options and swaps with other natural gas merchants and financial institutions. Hedging arrangements would expose us to risk of financial loss in some circumstances, including when expected supply is less than the amount hedged, the counterparty to the hedging contract defaults on its contractual obligations or there is a change in the expected differential between the underlying price in the hedging agreement and actual prices received. The use of derivatives also may require the posting of cash collateral with counterparties, which can impact working capital when commodity prices change. Failure to properly hedge any positions that we may have from time to time against changes in natural gas prices could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Our future growth depends upon our ability to maintain relationships with our existing suppliers, source new suppliers for LNG and critical components of our projects and complete building out our supply chain, while effectively managing the risks arising from such relationships.
Our success will be dependent upon our ability to enter into or renew SPAs and GSAs now and in the future and supply agreements with suppliers of LNG and critical components for our projects, as well as to maintain our relationships or form new relationships with LNG suppliers or suppliers who are critical and necessary to our business and the development of energy-related infrastructure projects. We also rely on a group of suppliers to provide us with certain goods and services for our projects.
Furthermore, the supply agreements we have or may enter into with key suppliers in the future may have provisions where volumes purchased over time are fixed or such agreements can be terminated in various circumstances, including potentially without cause, or may not provide for access to supplies in accordance with our timeline or budget. If these suppliers become unable to provide, experience delays in providing or impose significant increases in the cost of LNG or critical components for our projects, or if the supply agreements we have in place are terminated, it may be difficult to find replacement supplies of LNG and critical components for our projects on similar terms or at all. Changes in business conditions, pandemics, governmental changes and other factors beyond our control or that we do not presently anticipate could affect our ability to receive LNG and critical components from our suppliers.
Our operations, including joint ventures, outside of the United States are subject to the risks normally associated with any conduct of business in foreign countries, including varying degrees of political, legal and economic risk.
Our operations, including joint ventures, outside of the United States are subject to the risks normally associated with any conduct of business in foreign countries including:
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changes in laws or policies of particular countries, including those relating to duties, imports, exports and currency; the cancellation or renegotiation of contracts;
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the imposition of net profits payments, tax increases or other claims by government entities, including retroactive claims;
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a disregard for due process and the rule of law by local authorities;
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the risk of intervention, expropriation and nationalization;
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delays in obtaining or the inability to obtain necessary governmental permits or the reimbursement of refundable tax from fiscal authorities;
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increased disclosure requirements;
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currency fluctuations, restrictions on the ability of local operating companies to hold U.S. dollars or other foreign currencies in offshore bank accounts, and limitations or delays on the repatriation of earnings or conversion of local currency to U.S. dollars to pay required expenses;
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our ability to assist in minimizing our expatriate workforce’s exposure to double taxation in both the home and host jurisdictions;
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import and export regulations;
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increased regulatory requirements and restrictions, including environment- and health-related regulations; and
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increased financing costs.
Threats or instability in a country caused by political events, including elections, change in government, changes in personnel or legislative bodies, military control, civil disturbances, foreign relations or the imposition of sanctions, present serious political and social risk and instability causing interruptions to the flow of business negotiations and influencing relationships with government officials. The risks include increased “unpaid” state participation, higher taxation levels and potential expropriation. Other risks include the potential for fraud and corruption by suppliers or personnel or government officials which may implicate us, compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws by virtue of our operating in jurisdictions that may be vulnerable to the possibility of bribery, collusion, kickbacks, theft, improper commissions, facilitation payments, conflicts of interest and related party transactions and our possible failure to identify, manage and mitigate instances of fraud, corruption or violations of our code of conduct and applicable regulatory requirements.
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These risks may limit or disrupt our joint ventures, strategic alliances or investments, restrict the movement of funds, cause us to have to expend more funds than previously expected or required or result in the deprivation of contract rights or the taking of property by nationalization or expropriation without fair compensation, and may materially adversely affect our businesses, financial position or results of operations. In addition, the enforcement by us of our legal rights in foreign countries, including rights to exploit our properties or utilize our permits and licenses and contractual rights may not be recognized by the court systems in such foreign countries or enforced in accordance with the rule of law.
We operate, invest in companies or engage in joint ventures in countries with developing economies and in areas of the world where there are heightened political and security risks. It is difficult to predict the future political, social and economic direction of the countries in which we operate, and the impact government decisions may have on our business. Any political or economic instability in the countries in which we operate could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may experience operational problems with vessels or our other facilities that could reduce revenue, increase costs or lead to termination of our customer contracts.
FSRUs and LNG import terminals are complex and their operations are technically challenging. The operation of our FSRUs and LNG import terminals may be subject to mechanical risks. Operational problems may lead to loss of revenue or higher than anticipated operating expenses or require additional capital expenditures. Moreover, pursuant to each customer contract, our FSRUs or LNG terminals, as applicable, must maintain certain specified performance standards, which may include a guaranteed delivery of regasified LNG, consumption of no more than a specified amount of fuel or a requirement not to exceed a maximum average daily cargo boil-off. If we fail to maintain these standards, we may be liable to our customers for reduced hire, damages and certain liquidated damages payable under the charterer’s contract with its customer, and in certain circumstances, our customers may terminate their respective contracts with us.
The operation of FSRUs and other LNG infrastructure assets is inherently risky, and an incident involving health, safety, property or environmental consequences involving any of our vessels could harm our reputation, business and financial condition.
Our vessels, the LNG and natural gas onboard and our other facilities and the LNG infrastructure to which we are interconnected are at risk of being damaged or lost because of events such as:
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marine disasters;
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piracy;
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environmental incidents or pollution;
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bad weather;
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mechanical failures;
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grounding, fire, explosions and collisions;
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cargo and property losses or damage;
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human error; and
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war and terrorism.
An accident or incident involving any of our vessels or other facilities or the LNG infrastructure to which we are interconnected could result in any of the following:
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death or injury to persons, loss of property or damage to the environment, natural resources or protected species, and associated costs;
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delays in taking delivery of an LNG cargo or discharging regasified LNG, as applicable;
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suspension or termination of customer contracts, and resulting loss of revenues;
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governmental fines, penalties or restrictions on conducting business;
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higher insurance rates; and
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damage to our reputation and customer relationships generally.
If our vessels or other facilities suffer damage, they may need to be repaired, which could result in us incurring repair costs and/or a loss of earnings. The costs of vessel and other infrastructure repairs are unpredictable and can be substantial. We may have to pay repair costs that our insurance policies do not cover, for example, due to insufficient coverage amounts or the refusal by our insurance provider to pay a claim.
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Any failure in environmental, health and safety performance may result in penalties for non-compliance with relevant regulatory requirements or litigation, and a failure that results in a significant environmental, health and safety incident is likely to be costly in terms of potential liabilities. Such a failure could generate public concern and negative media coverage and have a corresponding impact on our reputation and our relationships with relevant regulatory agencies and local communities.
Our contracts with our customers are subject to termination under certain circumstances.
Our contracts with our customers contain various termination rights. For example, each of our long-term customer contracts contains various termination rights, including, without limitation:
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at the end of a specified time period following certain events of force majeure or the outbreak of war;
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extended unexcused service interruptions or deficiencies;
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loss of or requisition of the FSRU;
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the occurrence of an insolvency event; and
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the occurrence of certain uncured, material breaches.
Additionally, some customers may terminate their contracts in advance upon expiration of a specified time period and payment of associated early termination fees.
We may not be able to replace these contracts on desirable terms, or at all, if they are terminated prior to the end of their terms. Contracts that we enter into in the future may contain similar provisions. In addition, our customers may choose not to extend existing contracts. As a result, we may have an underutilized fleet and additionally, under charters for any FSRUs we do not own, we will still be obligated to make payments to their owners regardless of use.
Disruptions to third-party facilities could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
For some of our future contractual commitments and proposed development projects, we will depend upon third party liquefaction facilities, seaborne transportation, pipelines, power plants and other facilities that provide gas receipt and delivery in conjunction with our integrated terminals. If the construction of new or modified natural gas export terminals, pipeline connections, power plants or other facilities is not completed on schedule or any facilities that we intend to rely on to fulfill our contractual obligations were to become unavailable due to repairs, damage to the facility, lack of capacity, delays in government approvals or permitting or any other reason, our ability to meet our obligations could be restricted, thereby reducing our revenues which could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
Our operations may be impacted by, and growth of our business may be limited by, many factors, including infrastructure constraints and community and political group resistance to existing and new LNG, natural gas, or power generation infrastructure over concerns about the environment, safety and terrorism.
The number of existing LNG import terminal projects is limited, and new or expanded LNG terminal and power generation projects are highly complex and capital intensive. Many factors could negatively affect continued development of LNG-related infrastructure, such as floating storage and regasification, or power generation related projects, or disrupt the supply of LNG, including:
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limited downstream infrastructure;
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local community resistance to proposed or existing facilities based on safety, environmental or security concerns;
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a significant explosion, spill or similar incident; and
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labor or political unrest.
We expect that, in the event any of the factors discussed above negatively affect us, we may abandon some of our plans to expand existing or develop new LNG regasification terminals, power generation facilities or other downstream infrastructure or these plans may be significantly delayed.
A shortage of qualified officers and crew could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
FSRUs and LNGCs require technically skilled officers and crews with specialized training. As the worldwide FSRU and LNGC fleet has grown, the demand for technically skilled officers and crews has increased, which could lead to a shortage of such personnel. A material decrease in the supply of technically skilled officers and crew, including as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war and government responses thereto, or our inability or that of our vessel managers to attract and retain such qualified officers and crew could impair our ability to operate or increase the cost of crewing our vessels, which would materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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In addition, we operate in certain countries, including Argentina and Brazil, that require us to hire a certain percentage of local personnel to crew the vessels, and we may expand our operations to countries with similar requirements. Any inability to attract and retain qualified local crew members could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Acts of war or terrorism may seriously harm our business.
Acts of war, any outbreak or escalation of hostilities between the United States and any foreign power or between foreign powers or acts of terrorism may cause disruption to the U.S. economy, or the local economies of the markets in which we operate, cause shortages of materials, increase costs associated with obtaining materials, result in uninsured losses, result in the termination of certain customer contracts, affect job growth and consumer confidence or cause economic changes that we cannot anticipate, all of which could reduce demand for natural gas and our services and adversely impact our business, prospects, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.
Governments could requisition our vessels during a period of war or emergency resulting in a loss of earnings.
Governments of the port states where our FSRUs are located could requisition for title, requisition for hire or seize our vessels. Generally, requisitions occur during a period of war or emergency, including an emergency declared by a government. Although our time charter contracts generally entitle us to compensation from our customer in the event of a requisition of one or more of our vessels, the amount and timing of payments, if any, would be uncertain. A government requisition of one or more of our vessels may cause us to breach covenants in certain of our credit facilities.
Information system failures, cyber incidents or breaches in security could adversely affect us.
We rely on accounting, financial, operational, management and other information systems to conduct our operations, including our vessel operations. Our information systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunication failures, computer viruses, security breaches, including malware and phishing, cyberattacks, natural disasters, usage errors by our employees and other related risks. Any cyber incident or attack or other disruption or failure in these information systems, or other systems or infrastructure upon which they rely, could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business. For example, we or our customers or suppliers may be subject to retaliatory cyberattacks perpetrated by Russia or others at its direction in response to economic sanctions and other actions taken against Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. In addition, any failure or security breach of information systems or data could result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, significant legal and financial exposure, damage to our reputation or a loss of confidence in our security measures, which could also harm our business.
In particular, our vessels rely on information systems for a significant part of their operations, including navigation, provision of services, propulsion, machinery management, power control, communications and cargo management. We have in place safety and security measures on our vessels and onshore operations to secure our vessels against cyber-security attacks and any disruption to their information systems. However, these measures and technology may not adequately prevent security breaches despite our continuous efforts to upgrade and address the latest known threats, which are constantly evolving and have become increasingly sophisticated. If these threats are not recognized or detected until they have been launched, we may be unable to anticipate these threats and may not become aware in a timely manner of such a security breach, which could exacerbate any damage we experience. A disruption to the information system of any of our vessels could lead to, among other things, incorrect routing, collision, grounding and propulsion failure. In addition to costs associated with investigating and fully disclosing a data breach, we could be subject to regulatory proceedings or private claims by affected parties, which could result in substantial monetary fines or damages, and our reputation would likely be harmed.
Security breaches could also significantly damage our reputation with customers and third parties with whom we do business. In July 2023, the SEC finalized new rules requiring companies to disclose material cybersecurity incidents. Any publicized security problems affecting our businesses and/or those of such third parties may discourage customers from doing business with us, which could harm our business.
FSRU vessel values may fluctuate substantially, and a decline in vessel values may result in impairment charges, the breach of our financial covenants or a loss on the vessels, if these values are lower at a time when we are attempting to dispose of vessels.
Vessel values for FSRUs can fluctuate substantially over time due to a number of different factors, including:
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prevailing economic conditions in the LNG, natural gas and energy markets;
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a substantial or extended decline or increase in demand for LNG;
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increases in the supply of vessel capacity;
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the size and age of a vessel;
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the remaining term on existing time charters; and
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the cost of retrofitting or modifying existing vessels, as a result of technological advances in vessel design or equipment, changes in applicable environmental or other regulations or standards, customer requirements or otherwise.
As our vessels age, the expenses associated with maintaining and operating them are expected to increase. Moreover, the cost of a replacement vessel would be significant.
If a regasification contract terminates, we may be unable to re-deploy the affected vessel at attractive rates and, rather than continue to incur costs to maintain and finance the vessel, we may seek to dispose of the vessel. Our inability to dispose of a vessel at a reasonable value could result in a loss on the sale and adversely affect our ability to purchase a replacement vessel, financial condition and results of operations. A decline in the value of our vessels may also result in impairment charges or the breach of certain of the ratios and financial covenants we are required to comply with in our credit facilities.
We depend on key management personnel and other experienced employees.
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the contributions of certain key management personnel, including, but not limited to, Steven Kobos, our President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Kobos does not have an employment agreement with us, and there is no guarantee that he will remain employed by us. Our ability to retain our key management personnel or to attract suitable replacements should any members of our management team leave is dependent on the competitive nature of the employment market. The loss of services from key management personnel or a limitation in their availability could materially and adversely impact our business, prospects, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations. Further, such a loss could be negatively perceived in the capital markets. We have not obtained key man life insurance that would provide us with proceeds in the event of the death or disability of any of our key management personnel.
Experienced employees in the LNG industry are fundamental to our ability to generate, obtain and manage opportunities and are also highly sought after. Failure to attract and retain such personnel or to ensure that their experience and knowledge is not lost when they leave the business through retirement, redundancy or otherwise may adversely affect the standards of our service and may have an adverse impact on our business, prospects, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.
An increase in the frequency and severity of weather events, including as a result of global climate change, could have a material adverse effect on the economies in the markets in which we operate or plan to operate and could result in an interruption of our operations, possibly leading to a termination right for customers under our contracts, a delay in the completion of our infrastructure projects or higher construction, repair and maintenance costs, all of which could adversely affect us.
Over the past several years, changing weather patterns and climatic conditions, such as global warming, have added to the unpredictability and frequency of natural disasters in certain parts of the world, including the markets in which we operate and intend to operate, and have created additional uncertainty as to future trends. There is a growing consensus today that climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and, in recent years, the frequency of major weather events appears to have increased. We cannot predict whether or to what extent damage that may be caused by natural events, such as severe tropical storms, hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons will affect our operations or the economies in our current or future market areas, but the increased frequency and severity of such weather events could increase the negative impacts to economic conditions in these regions and result in a decline in the value or the destruction of regasification terminals and downstream facilities or affect our ability to import LNG or sell natural gas. In particular, if one of the regions in which our facilities are operating or under development is impacted by such a natural catastrophe in the future, it could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, the economies of such impacted areas may require significant time to recover and there is no assurance that a full recovery will occur.
Weather events such as storms and collateral effects, or other disasters such as explosions, fires, seismic events, floods or accidents, could result in damage to our facilities, including at our regasification terminals and other facilities, interruption of our operations or our supply chain and delays or cost increases in the construction and the development of our planned facilities and higher repair and maintenance costs. Effects of changes in the global climate, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods and rising sea levels could have an adverse effect on our marine and coastal operations.
Risks Related to Regulations
Failure to obtain and maintain approvals and permits from governmental and regulatory agencies with respect to the design, construction and operation of our facilities and provision of our services, including the import of LNG and sale of gas, could impede project development and operations and construction.
The design, construction and operation of LNG terminals, natural gas pipelines, power plants and other facilities, and the import of LNG and the sale and transportation of natural gas, are regulated activities. We will be required to obtain permits and licenses according to local regulatory authorities with respect to any new construction, expansion or modification of our facilities, and maintain or renew current permits and licenses on the same terms as our existing facilities. The process to obtain the permits, approvals and authorizations we need to conduct our business, and the interpretations of those rules, is complex, time-consuming, challenging and
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varies in each jurisdiction in which we operate. We cannot control the outcome of the regulatory review and approval processes. Certain of these governmental permits, approvals and authorizations are or may be subject to rehearing requests, appeals and other challenges.
There is no assurance that we will obtain and maintain or renew these governmental permits, approvals and authorizations, or that we will be able to obtain them on a timely basis.
Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-bribery legislation in other jurisdictions could result in fines, criminal penalties, contract terminations and an adverse effect on our business.
We are subject to anti-corruption laws and regulations worldwide, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), which generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business or other benefits. Some of the jurisdictions in which we currently, or may in the future, operate may present heightened risks for corruption. Although we have adopted policies and procedures that are designed to ensure that we, our employees and other intermediaries comply with applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA, it is highly challenging to adopt policies and procedures that ensure compliance in all respects with such laws, particularly in high-risk jurisdictions. Developing and implementing policies and procedures is a complex endeavor, and detecting, investigating, and resolving actual or alleged violations is expensive and could consume significant time and attention of our senior management. There is no assurance that these policies and procedures will work effectively all of the time or protect us against liability under anti-corruption laws and regulations, including the FCPA, for actions taken by our employees and other intermediaries with respect to our business or any businesses that we may acquire.
If we are not in compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations, including the FCPA, we may be subject to costly and intrusive criminal and civil investigations as well significant potential criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures, including changes or enhancements to our procedures, policies and control, as well as potential personnel change and disciplinary actions. In addition, non-compliance with anti-corruption laws could constitute a breach of certain covenants in operational or debt agreements, and cross-default provisions in certain of our agreements could mean that an event of default under certain of our commercial agreements could trigger an event of default under our other agreements, including our debt agreements. Any adverse finding against us could also negatively affect our relationship with current and potential customers as well as our reputation generally.
Our operations are subject to various international treaties and conventions and national and local environmental, health, safety and maritime conduct laws and regulations. Compliance with these obligations, and any future changes to laws and regulations applicable to our business, may have an adverse effect on our business.
Our operations are affected by extensive and changing international treaties and conventions, and national and local environmental protection, health, safety and maritime conduct laws and regulations, including those in force in international waters, the jurisdictional waters of the countries in which our vessels operate and the onshore territories in which our facilities are located, as well as Belgium and the Marshall Islands where our vessels are registered. These include rules governing response to and liability for oil spills, discharges to air and water, maritime transport of certain materials, discharge of ballast water and the handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. In addition, our vessels are subject to safety and other obligations under law and the requirements of the classification societies that certify our vessels relating to safety and seaworthiness.
The operation of our vessels is affected by the requirements set forth in the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (the “ISM Code”). The ISM Code requires shipowners, ship managers and bareboat charterers to develop and maintain an extensive “Safety Management System” that includes the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for safe operation and describing procedures for dealing with emergencies. If we fail to comply with the ISM Code, we may be subject to increased liability, our existing insurance coverage for our affected vessels may be invalidated or the availability of insurance coverage may decrease, and such issues may result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports.
Compliance with and limitations imposed by these laws, regulations, treaties, conventions, and other requirements, and any future additions or changes to such laws or requirements, may increase our costs or limit our operations and have an adverse effect on our business. Failure to comply can result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions or the suspension or termination of our operations, including, in certain instances, seizure or detention of our vessels. In addition, these requirements can affect the resale value or useful lives of our ships, require a reduction in cargo capacity, necessitate ship modifications or operations changes or lead to decreased availability of insurance coverage for environmental matters. We also believe that the heightened environmental, quality and security concerns of insurance underwriters, regulators and charterers will generally lead to additional regulatory requirements, including enhanced risk assessment and security requirements, as well as greater inspection and safety requirements on all LNG carriers in the marine transportation market. These requirements are likely to add incremental costs to our operations, and the failure to comply with these requirements may affect the ability of our ships to obtain and, possibly, recover from, insurance policies or to obtain the required certificates for entry into the different ports where we operate.
Some environmental laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA”), provide for potentially unlimited joint, several and strict liability for owners, operators and demise or bareboat charterers for oil pollution and related damages. OPA
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applies to discharges of any oil from a ship in U.S. waters, including discharges of fuel and lubricants from an LNGC, even if the ships do not carry oil as cargo. In addition, many states in the United States bordering a navigable waterway have enacted legislation providing for potentially unlimited strict liability without regard to fault for the discharge of pollutants within their waters. We also are subject to other laws outside the United States and international conventions that provide for an owner or operator of LNGCs to bear strict liability for pollution.
We are subject to numerous governmental international trade and economic sanctions laws and regulations. Our failure to comply with such laws and regulations could subject us to liability.
We conduct business throughout the world, and our business activities and services are subject to various applicable import and export control laws and regulations of the United States and other countries in which we do or seek to do business. We must also comply with U.S. international trade and economic sanctions laws, including the U.S. Commerce Department’s Export Administration Regulations and economic and trade sanctions regulations maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. For example, in response to Russia’s expanded invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States, the United Kingdom and European Union member states, among other countries, imposed significant sanctions, import and export controls on Russia and Belarus, which target different sectors, including the energy sector, and on certain individuals and entities connected to Russian or Belarusian political, business and financial organizations. The United States and other countries could impose further sanctions, trade restrictions and other retaliatory actions should the conflict continue or worsen. Although we take precautions to comply with all such laws and regulations, the violation of international trade and economic sanctions laws and regulations could result in negative consequences to us, including government investigations, sanctions, criminal or civil fines or penalties, more onerous compliance requirements, loss of authorizations needed to conduct aspects of our international business, reputational harm and other adverse collateral consequences. Moreover, it is possible that we could invest both time and capital into a project involving a country or counterparty that may become subject to international trade controls or economic sanctions. If this were to occur, we may face an array of issues, including, but not limited to: having to suspend our development or operations on a temporary or permanent basis, being unable to recuperate prior invested time and capital or being subject to lawsuits, investigations or regulatory proceedings that could be time-consuming and expensive to respond to and which could lead to criminal or civil fines or penalties, impairing our ability to access U.S. capital markets and conduct our business.
In addition, in certain countries, we serve or expect to serve our customers through third-party agents and other intermediaries. Violations of applicable international trade and economic sanctions, and anti-corruption laws and regulations by these third-party agents or intermediaries may also result in adverse consequences and repercussions to us. There can be no assurance that we and our agents and other intermediaries will be in compliance with these provisions in the future. The U.S. sanctions and embargo laws and regulations vary in their application, as they do not all apply to the same covered persons or proscribe the same activities, and such sanctions and embargo laws and regulations may be amended or strengthened over time. Although we believe that we have been in compliance with all applicable sanctions, embargo and anti-corruption laws and regulations, and intend to maintain such compliance, there can be no assurance that we will be in compliance in the future, particularly as the scope of certain laws may be unclear and may be subject to changing interpretations.
None of our vessels have called on ports located in countries subject to comprehensive sanctions and embargoes imposed by the U.S. government or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. When we charter our vessels to third parties, we conduct comprehensive due diligence of the charterer and include prohibitions on the charterer calling on ports in countries subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions or otherwise engaging in commerce with such countries. If our charterers or sub-charterers violate applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations as a result of actions that do not involve us, those violations could in turn negatively affect our reputation and cause us to incur significant costs associated with responding to any investigation into such violations.
Climate change concerns and GHG regulations and impacts may adversely impact our operations and markets.
Due to concern over the risk of climate change, a number of countries and the IMO have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce GHG emissions from vessels. These regulatory measures may include, among others, adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, increased efficiency standards and incentives or mandates for renewable energy. Although the emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping currently are not subject to the international treaty on climate change known as the Paris Agreement, a new treaty or IMO regulations may be adopted in the future that includes restrictions on shipping emissions. In 2016, the IMO reaffirmed its strong commitment to continue to work to address GHG emissions from ships engaged in international trade. After adopting the 2018 IMO GHG Strategy, the IMO adopted a revised strategy in July 2023 (the “2023 IMO GHG Strategy”). The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy calls for a goal of net zero emissions from international shipping by 2050, an increase in ambition compared to a goal of a 50% reduction in the 2018 GHG Strategy. The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy includes indicative checkpoints set at reducing GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 20% (with a stretch goal of 30%) by 2030, compared to 2008 levels, and by at least 70% (with a stretch goal of 80%) by 2040. The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy also sets a target of at least 5% (with a stretch goal of 10%) uptake of zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies, fuels and/or energy sources by 2030. Consistent with these goals, the IMO’s MEPC agreed upon draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI that would establish an enforceable regulatory framework to
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reduce GHG emissions from international shipping, consisting of technical and operational carbon reduction measures, including use of an EEXI, an operational CII and an enhanced Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan. These amendments were formally adopted at the 2021 MEPC session and entered into force on January 1, 2023. Such legislation or regulations have required and may in the future require additional capital expenditures or operating expenses, such as increased costs for low-sulfur fuel needed to meet IMO 2020 requirements, for us to maintain our vessels’ compliance with international and/or national regulations.
In addition, in September 2021, a group of over 150 companies, including shipping companies, oil companies and port authorities, called on regulators to require the shipping industry to be fully decarbonized by 2050. In December 2023, CEOs of global shipping companies issued a joint declaration at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (“COP28”) calling for maritime decarbonization and urging the IMO to expedite the transition away from fossil fuels.
The European Union has indicated it intends to implement regulations to limit emissions of greenhouse gases from vessels if such emissions are not regulated through the IMO and, in September 2020, the European Parliament approved draft legislation that would put in place measures to address GHG emissions from shipping. Further on July 14, 2021, the European Commission adopted a series of legislative proposals on how it intends to achieve climate neutrality in the European Union by 2050 (Fit for 55 Package). The proposals include incorporating the shipping industry into the EU ETS. An agreement reached in November 2022 will extend the EU ETS to cover shipping and will require ship operators to pay for the GHG emissions during their voyages to, from and between EU ports, with a phase-in period starting as of January 2024. There is also an initiative to increase the demand and deployment of renewable alternative transport fuels, and a proposal to review the Energy Taxation Directive with regard to the current exemption of fuel used by ships from taxation. Compliance with changes in laws and regulations relating to climate change could increase our costs of operating and maintaining our vessels and could require us to make significant financial expenditures that we cannot predict with certainty at this time. Further, our business may be adversely affected to the extent that climate change results in sea level changes or more intense weather events.
Laws and regulations inside and outside the United States relating to climate change affecting the LNG and natural gas industry, including the use of natural gas to generate electricity, growing public concern about the environmental impact of climate change, and broader, economy-wide legislative initiatives to reduce or phase out the use of fossil fuels could adversely affect our business. For example, laws, regulations and other initiatives to shift electricity generation away from fossil fuels to renewable sources over time are at various stages of implementation and consideration and may continue to be adopted in the future in the markets in which we operate. Although it is our expectation that these efforts may reduce global demand for natural gas and increase demand for alternative energy sources in the long term, these changes may occur on a more accelerated basis than we currently project. According to COP28, its central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by limiting a global temperature rise this century to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels and net zero by 2050. The United States and European Union have set themselves 2050 climate neutrality goals, while emerging countries like China and India are aiming for 2060 and 2070, respectively. Any long-term material adverse effects on the LNG and natural gas industry as a result of climate change and energy transition objectives could have a significant, adverse financial and operational impact on our business that we cannot predict with certainty at this time.
Failure to comply with current or future federal, state and foreign laws and regulations and industry standards relating to privacy, data protection, advertising and consumer protection could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
In the ordinary course of business, we collect, use, store, share, retain and otherwise process certain types of personal and confidential information. These activities may subject us to various privacy, data security, and data protection laws, rules, regulations, guidance, industry standards, and contractual obligations that federal, state, local, and foreign legislators and/or regulators are increasingly adopting, specifying, revising, and enforcing. This has created an ever-evolving regulatory landscape that is difficult to maintain compliance with, especially as our practices and business activities continue to advance. Compliance with current or future privacy, data security, and data protection laws, rules, regulations, guidance, industry standards, and contractual obligations related to personal and confidential information (which may broadly include business-to-business contacts or employees data) to which we are subject could be costly and could require us to change our business practices in a manner that does not align with our business objectives (e.g., by limiting our ability to provide certain products and services, such as those that involve sharing information with third parties). Additionally, noncompliance by us, or the third parties on which we rely, can also result in significant consequences, including civil and/or criminal penalties, injunctions, fines, as well as exposure to private litigation. We cannot predict the effect compliance or noncompliance may have on our operating environment.
Furthermore, like any large company in our industry, we or the third parties on which we rely may be subject to security incidents, data breaches, or other unauthorized intrusions or access, which can create system disruptions, downtime, or the unauthorized disclosure of personal or confidential information, all of which can be timely and costly to remediate. In addition, certain security incidents or data breaches may require us to comply with notification requirements under applicable laws, result in litigation or regulatory action, or otherwise subject us to liability under those laws, which require additional resources to comply with.
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For example, while we do not have more than incidental or occasional contacts with the state of California, the new California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which modifies the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, has broad applicability thresholds. The CPRA became fully operative on January 1, 2023, and imposes additional privacy, data security, and data protection obligations on covered entities, including regarding the collection, use, retention, disclosure, and processing of business-to-business contacts’ and employees’ data. Failure to comply with the CPRA can also result in significant penalties and regulatory enforcement costs. The CPRA provides for civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation, and $7,500 per intentional violation, following investigation by the state Attorney General and allows private litigants affected by certain data breaches to recover significant statutory damages. Similar comprehensive state privacy laws are now in effect in four additional states and have been passed or proposed in many additional states.
Internationally, many jurisdictions have established their own data security and privacy legal frameworks, including data localization and storage requirements, with which we may need to comply. For example, the EU, the United Kingdom and many countries in Europe have stringent privacy laws and regulations, which may affect our ability to operate cost effectively in European countries. In particular, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) applies to (i) the processing of personal data carried out in the context of the activities of a company established in the European Union; and (ii) the processing of personal data carried out by a company not established in the EU where such processing relates to (a) the offering of goods or services to data subjects who are in the EU, or (b) the monitoring of the behavior of data subjects who are in the European Union. Specifically, the GDPR provides for numerous privacy-related provisions, including control for data subjects (e.g., the “right to be forgotten” and the right to data portability), the implementation of appropriate security measures, requirements related to the transfer of personal data outside the EU in countries not considered as ensuring an adequate level of protection, personal data breach notification requirements, and important administrative fines. In particular, under the GDPR, fines of up to 20 million euros or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is greater, could be imposed for violations of certain of the GDPR’s requirements. Considering our physical presence in Belgium and employment of individuals in the EU, complying with the GDPR may cause us to incur substantial operational costs or require us to change our business practices. Despite our efforts to bring practices into compliance with the GDPR, we may not be successful either due to internal or external factors such as resource allocation limitations or a lack of vendor cooperation. Non-compliance could result in proceedings against us by supervisory authorities, customers, data subjects or others. We may also experience difficulty retaining or obtaining new European or multi-national customers due to potential increases in our compliance costs, increased potential risk exposure, and uncertainty for these entities, and we may experience significantly increased liability with respect to these customers pursuant to the terms set forth in our engagements with them.
Because the interpretation and application of many privacy, data security, and data protection laws, rules, regulations, guidance, industry standards, and contractual obligations are uncertain, it is possible that these laws may be interpreted and enforced in a manner that is inconsistent with our expectations so our practices may not be in compliance. Any inability to adequately address privacy, data security, and data protection-related concerns or comply with related laws, rules, regulations, guidance, industry standards, and contractual obligations could adversely impact our business by requiring us to change our business activities or modify our solutions and platform capabilities in a manner that does not align with our business objectives and result in fines, penalties, injunctions, lawsuits and other claims and penalties, along with potentially causing damage to our reputation, inhibiting our growth, and otherwise adversely affecting our business. Furthermore, the costs and other burdens of compliance may limit the use and adoption of, and reduce the overall demand for, our products and services, particularly in certain industries and foreign countries. If we are not able to adjust to changing laws, rules and information security, our business may be harmed.
Our insurance may be insufficient to cover losses that may occur to our property or result from our operations.
Our current operations and future projects are subject to the inherent risks associated with LNG, natural gas and power and maritime operations and other risks, including shipping and transportation of hazardous substances, explosions, pollution, release of toxic substances, fires, seismic events, hurricanes and other adverse weather conditions, acts of aggression or terrorism, cybersecurity breaches and other hazards, each of which could result in significant delays in commencement or interruptions of operations or result in damage to or destruction of our facilities and assets or damage to persons and property. Some of the regions in which we operate are affected by hurricanes or tropical storms. We do not, nor do we intend to, maintain insurance against all of these risks and losses, and the business interruption insurance that we do carry may not be adequate to pay for the full extent of loss from a covered incident. In particular, we do not carry business interruption insurance for hurricanes and other natural disasters. Therefore, the occurrence of one or more significant events not fully insured or indemnified against could create significant liabilities and losses or delays.
We may be unable to procure adequate insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates in the future. For example, environmental regulations have led in the past to increased costs for, and in the future may result in the lack of availability of, insurance against risks of environmental damage or pollution. A significant release of natural gas, marine disasters or natural disasters could result in losses that exceed our insurance coverage. Any uninsured or underinsured loss could harm our business and financial condition. In addition, our insurance may be voidable by the insurers as a result of certain of our actions. In addition, insurance may not cover all of the types of costs, expenses and losses we could incur to respond to and remediate a security breach. We also cannot ensure that our existing insurance coverage will continue to be available on acceptable terms or will be available in sufficient amounts to cover one or more large claims, or that the insurer will not deny coverage as to any future claim. The successful assertion of one or more large claims
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against us that exceed available insurance coverage or the occurrence of changes in our insurance policies could cause us to incur direct losses or result in premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or coinsurance requirements.
We operate in jurisdictions that have experienced and may in the future experience significant political volatility. Our projects and developments could be negatively impacted by political disruption including risks of delays to our development timelines and delays related to regime change in the jurisdictions in which we intend to operate. While we maintain industry-standard war risk insurance, our insurance policies in totality may not be adequate enough to protect us from all losses related to political disruptions, including losses as a result of project delays or business interruption. Any attempt to recover from loss from political disruption may be time-consuming and expensive, and the outcome may be uncertain.
Changes in the insurance markets attributable to terrorist attacks or political change may also make certain types of insurance more difficult for us to obtain. In addition, the insurance that may be available may be significantly more expensive than our existing coverage.
We may be subject to litigation, arbitration or other claims which could materially and adversely affect us.
We may in the future be subject to litigation and enforcement actions, such as claims relating to our operations, securities offerings and otherwise in the ordinary course of business. Some of these claims may result in significant defense costs and potentially significant judgments against us, some of which are not, or cannot be, insured against. In the event of any litigation or enforcement action, we would establish warranty, claim or litigation reserves that we believe are adequate; we cannot be certain, however, of the ultimate outcomes of any claims that may arise in the future, and legal proceedings may result in the award of substantial damages against us beyond our reserves. Resolution of these types of matters against us may result in our having to pay significant fines, judgments or settlements, which, if uninsured or in excess of insured levels, could adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. Furthermore, plaintiffs may in certain of these legal proceedings seek class action status with potential class sizes that vary from case to case. Class action lawsuits can be costly to defend, and if we were to lose any certified class action suit, it could result in substantial liability for us. Certain litigation or the resolution thereof may affect the availability or cost of some of our insurance coverage, which could materially and adversely impact us, expose us to increased risks that would be uninsured, and materially and adversely impact our ability to attract directors and officers.
Kaiser has the ability to direct the voting of a majority of the voting power of our common stock, and his interests may conflict with those of our other stockholders.
Our common stock consists of two classes: Class A and Class B. Holders of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Class B Common Stock”) are entitled to one vote per share. Holders of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock will vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or by applicable law. Kaiser, through his ownership of EE Holdings, indirectly owns 100% of our Class B Common Stock (representing 75.7% of the total combined voting power of our Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock).
As a result, Kaiser, through his ownership of EE Holdings, has the right to designate a certain number of nominees for election to our board of directors and is able to control matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors, changes to our organizational documents, any material change in the nature of the business or operations of our company and our subsidiaries, taken as a whole, as of the date of the Stockholder’s Agreement (as defined herein), and significant corporate transactions, including any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets for so long as EE Holdings beneficially owns (directly or indirectly) a certain percentage of our outstanding voting power. This concentration of ownership makes it unlikely that any holder or group of holders of our Class A Common Stock will be able to affect the way we are managed or the direction of our business. The interests of Kaiser with respect to matters potentially or actually involving or affecting us, such as future acquisitions, financings and other corporate opportunities and attempts to acquire us, may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders. The existence of such a significant stockholder may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers, delaying or preventing changes in control or changes in management or limiting the ability of our other stockholders to approve transactions that they may deem to be in our best interests. Kaiser’s concentration of stock ownership may also adversely affect the trading price of our Class A Common Stock to the extent investors perceive a disadvantage in owning stock of a company with significant stockholders.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation includes an exclusive forum clause, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we, in writing, select or consent to the selection of an alternative forum, all complaints asserting any internal corporate claims (defined as claims, including claims in the right of our company: (i) that are based upon a violation of a duty by a current or former director, officer, employee, or stockholder in such capacity; or (ii) as to which the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) confers jurisdiction upon the Court of Chancery), to the fullest extent permitted by law, and subject to applicable jurisdictional requirements, shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have, or declines to accept, subject matter jurisdiction, another state court or a federal court located
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within the State of Delaware). Further, unless we select or consent to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Our choice-of-forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. These choice-of-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such persons. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provisions.
Provisions in our governing documents and under Delaware law, as well as Kaiser’s indirect beneficial ownership of all of our outstanding Class B Common Stock, could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management, and may adversely affect the market price of our Class A Common Stock.
Some provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change in control would be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions could also make it difficult for stockholders to elect directors that are not nominated by the current members of our board of directors or take other corporate actions, including effecting changes in our management. Among other things, these provisions include:
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providing for two classes of stock;
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authorizing the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock that could be issued by our board of directors to increase the number of outstanding shares and thwart a takeover attempt;
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from and after such time as EE Holdings (including its permitted transferees) ceases to beneficially own at least 40% of the combined voting power of our then-outstanding capital stock entitled to vote generally in director elections (the “Trigger Date”), establishing a classified board of directors, with each class serving three-year staggered terms, so that not all members of our board of directors are elected at one time;
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from and after such time as our board is classified, providing that directors can be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2∕3% of the voting power of the stock outstanding and entitled to vote on the election of directors, voting together as a single class;
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prohibiting the use of cumulative voting for the election of directors;
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from and after the Trigger Date, eliminating the ability of stockholders to call special meetings and prohibiting stockholder action by written consent and instead requiring stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders;
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from and after the Trigger Date, providing that only the board can fill vacancies on the board of directors;
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from and after the Trigger Date, requiring the approval of the holders of at least 66 2∕3% of voting power of the stock outstanding and entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, to amend or repeal our bylaws and certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation;
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establishing advance notice provisions for stockholder proposals and nominations for elections to the board of directors to be acted upon at meetings of stockholders; and
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providing that the board of directors is expressly authorized to adopt, or to alter or repeal, our bylaws.
In addition, Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. An interested stockholder includes a person, individually or together with any other interested stockholder, who within the last three years has owned 15% of our voting stock. Although we will opt out of Section 203, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that have the same effect as Section 203, except that they will provide that Kaiser and his successors (other than our company), as well as their direct and indirect transferees, will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to such restrictions.
Kaiser, through his indirect beneficial ownership of all of our outstanding Class B Common Stock, controls approximately 75.7% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, which gives him the ability to prevent a potential takeover of our company. If a change in control or change in management is delayed or prevented, the market price of our Class A Common Stock could decline.
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We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE rules and, as a result, rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
Kaiser indirectly beneficially owns a majority of our voting power for the election of our directors. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. Under the NYSE rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power with respect to director elections is held by another person or group of persons acting together is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain NYSE corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
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a majority of such company’s board of directors consist of independent directors;
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such company have a nominating and governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing such committee’s purpose and responsibilities;
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such company have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing such committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
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such company conduct an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and governance and compensation committees.
These requirements will not apply to us as long as we remain a controlled company. We rely on all of the controlled company exemptions and are required to do so under the Stockholder's Agreement that we entered into with EE Holdings (the “Stockholder’s Agreement”) for so long as we remain a controlled company and EE Holdings holds director designation rights pursuant to the Stockholder's Agreement. Accordingly, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance requirements.
Risks Related to the Financing of Our Business