Enlight Renewable Energy Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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Provided by Quartr
August 9, 2023

There are 7 speakers on the call.

Operator

Day, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the nLIGHT Q2 2023 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. After the speakers' presentation, there will be a question and answer Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your speaker today, Josef Lefkowitz, please go ahead.

Speaker 1

Thank you, operator. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining our Q2 2023 earnings conference call for nLIGHT Renewable Energy. With me this morning are Gilad Yavett, CEO and Co Founder of nLIGHT Niru Udah, CFO of nLIGHT and Jason Ellsworth, CEO and Co Founder of Clinera. Gilad will provide some opening remarks and will then turn the call over to Jason for a review of our U. S.

Speaker 1

Activity and then to Nir for a review of our financials and guidance. Our executive team will then be available to answer your questions. Certain statements made on the call today, including, but not limited to, statements regarding business strategy and plans, Our project portfolio, market opportunity and potential growth, completion of development and the company's future financial and operational results and guidance, Including revenue and adjusted EBITDA, may be forward looking statements within the meaning of U. S. Federal securities laws, which We reference certain project metrics in this earnings call, and the full information can be found in our earnings release.

Speaker 1

These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ from our expectations. Please refer to our earnings release for more information on the specific factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward looking statements. Although we believe these expectations are reasonable, we undertake no obligation to revise any statements to reflect changes that occur after this call. Additionally, non IFRS financial measures may be discussed on the call. These non IFRS measures should be considered in addition to and not as a substitute for or in isolation from, our results prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Speaker 1

Reconciliations to the most directly comparable IFRS financial measures are available in the earnings release and the earnings presentation for today's call, which is posted on our Investor Relations webpage. With that, I will turn the call over to Gilat.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Josef, and thank you all for joining us today. NLIGHT delivered rapid growth and increased profitability in the Q2. We are executing well across some of the largest and most exciting renewable energy projects. As you've seen from our press release And as Nir will review in a few minutes, we are reiterating our adjusted EBITDA guidance for the year in the range of $188,000,000 to $198,000,000 We are modestly lowering our 2023 Revenue guidance to a range of $265,000,000 to $275,000,000 mainly due to lower merchant pricing in Spain, Coupled with lower wind spin seen this quarter across Spain. This still reflect a strong 41% growth in revenue Over 2022.

Speaker 2

This does not impact our 2023 adjusted EBITDA guidance or our medium to long term outlook. We continue to see strong performance and accelerated growth across the business. Turning to our business. We continue to deliver on our 2 fold objective of above market growth and above market project return. During the Q2, we reached commercial operation on 150 Megawatts of Generation and 40 Megawatts Hour of Energy Storage, including our first operational project in the U.

Speaker 2

S. And our first ever operational energy storage project. We also secured critical milestones on over 2 gigawatts of mature projects. Our progress this quarter gives us Further confidence in delivering our plan to reach 4.6 gigawatts and 3.6 gigawatt hour of operational projects by the end of 2025, 3 times our current operating capacity. In addition, during the quarter, we demonstrated our ability to deliver strong project For example, we secured price increases through amendments on 2 50 megawatts of power purchase agreement in the U.

Speaker 2

S. Market With an average price increase of 87%. We also signed 280 Megawatts And 16 80 Megawatt Hour of new PPAs at attractive prices. Further, In the U. S, we are finding ways to squeeze more out of the IRA, including with our Atrisco project in New Mexico, Where we confirm the project should qualify for the energy community header.

Speaker 2

Across the portfolio, we are executing on our unique Turning to our results. 2nd quarter revenue grew 32% year over year to $53,000,000 We shifted from a net loss To $22,000,000 positive net income this quarter and adjusted EBITDA grew 58% to $42,000,000 in the quarter. We continue to benefit from the ramp up of our operational portfolio. In comparison to the same period last year, we added 700 new megawatts. We also saw significant growth in our operating cash flow generation as cash flow from operations was €39,000,000 during the Quarter, an increase of 95%, reflecting healthy projects and the ramp up of the IPP arm of the business.

Speaker 2

While revenue growth was lower than expected this quarter, driven by lower wind production and electricity prices at Proteccama in Spain, Adjusted EBITDA growth remained as expected, thanks to lower O and M costs and better results across other projects. During the Q2, we recognized compensation from Siemens Gamesa in relation to Project Bjornbergen. With respect to the recent announcement by Siemens Gamesa regarding issues with its onshore wind turbines, We do not expect either a short or long term impact to Project Bjornbergen. We were fully compensated for certain lost revenue in the 2nd quarter due to delays in reaching full production relative to the schedule outlined in our agreement. In addition, as of today, 56 out of 60 turbines are operational, and we expect to reach full production in the coming weeks.

Speaker 2

Looking at the first half of the year, revenue grew 65 percent to $124,000,000 Net income reached €56,000,000 and adjusted EBITDA grew 87% to €95,000,000 All record half year results for the group. In addition, cash flow from operations tripled To $95,000,000 versus first half of twenty twenty two. Moving back to the broader business. This quarter, we made significant progress across our core markets. In the U.

Speaker 2

S, we continue to execute on our largest and most important project, Benefiting from our interconnection advantage amidst the broader backdrop of the Inflation Reduction Act. We finalized COD on APEX Solar, a 105 Megawatt project and our first to complete in the U. S. Our flagship 3 64 Megawatts and 1.2 Gigawatts Hour Atrisco project in New Mexico It's deep in construction and proceeding on schedule. Project financing is advancing steadily with financial close now expected in September 2023 with a goal to optimize the energy community address.

Speaker 2

We also contracted this quarter The remainder of the 1.2 Gigawatt COBAR cluster in Arizona, the project, which is one of the largest of its kind in the United States, is now fully contracted and includes also 824 Megawatts Hour of Energy Storage. Moreover, our U. S. Team continues to deliver on project conversion. We are pleased to announce this quarter the addition A very exciting project in the U.

Speaker 2

S. To our mature portfolio, Project Roadrunner, comprising 2 50 Megawatts In 800 Megawatt hour in Arizona, Project Roadrunner is due to commence construction mid next year. In short, across the U. S, we are demonstrating a strong knack for execution on project development, contracting and construction, All at once across a large base of projects. Moving to Europe.

Speaker 2

We continue to demonstrate our ability to execute across wind, Solar and storage across our Pan European footprint. We continue to advance RECAMASolar, totaling 2 50 megawatts of solar 200 megawatt hour of energy storage in Spain during the quarter. We expect to shortly secure the critical environmental permit, The final development milestone remaining to reach ready to build status. Construction is set to commence by the end of the year With COD on schedule for the end of 2024. In addition, during the quarter, we secured 100 percent ownership And commence construction on Project Pupin, a 94 Megawatt wind farm in Serbia.

Speaker 2

Pupin is adjacent to Blacksmith, Our 105 Megawatt Operational Wind Farm leveraging the same point of interconnection under our land and expand strategy. The project is scheduled to COD in H2 2025, adding further upside to the 2025 picture. Finally, in Israel, we continue to focus on reaching operations on our near term project, while laying the seeds for future growth In the context of the market's broader deregulation, Genesis Wind, the largest renewable energy project in Israel, totaling 207 Megawatts was connected to the grid during the quarter. 34 out of 39 turbines have completed commissioning, And the project is expected to reach COD as scheduled. In light of the deregulation of the Israeli electricity market, We signed PPAs with Amdocs, a leading global software and services provider and SodaStream, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, And attractive pricing.

Speaker 2

Following deregulation of electricity supply in Israel, we see huge demand for renewable energy Leading multinationals in Israel at significantly higher prices than our previously won fit auction, Driving a higher project return environment in Israel. In short, we had a strong Q2 of execution on our product portfolio amid some volatility in merchant pricing and what looks like periodic lower wind speeds at our operational wind farm in Spain As well as better than expected performance at some other projects. As our operational portfolio grows, diversification works more and more in our favor And volatility in any specific project seeks to drive the overall business. With 32% growth in revenue and 58% on EBITDA, We believe that our growth trajectory is clear. We are poised to deliver above market growth and above market product returns, And we'll continue to focus on strong execution driven by the huge opportunity we see ahead across markets.

Speaker 2

I will now hand it off to Jason, who will provide more details on our U. S. Operations.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Gilad. In the U. S, we made terrific progress across our large portfolio. As Gilad mentioned, Apex is our 1st U. S.

Speaker 3

Project to be completed under nLIGHT. Apex achieved mechanical completion in June and finalized commercial operations within the last couple of weeks. It boasts some exciting advances in project technology that we anticipate will minimize downtime and maximize production. On the construction front, Atrisco Solar is progressing on schedule. While the current project is sized at 3 64 Megawatts and 1.2 Gigawatt Hours.

Speaker 3

It has potential to expand by another 120 Megawatts and 400 Megawatt Hours. Module deliveries are proceeding without interruption. The project's battery supplier has completed work to finalize Factory qualification and has initialized battery shipments. Battery container deliveries are scheduled to begin late in 2023. As Gilad mentioned, definitive project finance agreements are progressing toward completion.

Speaker 3

In Arizona, We are making significant progress on the C. O. Bar project. We successfully contracted the remaining 258 Megawatts of C. O.

Speaker 3

Bar And the first 8 24 Megawatt hours of storage with APS, the COBAR project is one of the largest of its in the U. S. At 1.2 gigawatts and approximately 824 megawatt hours of storage. Nearly 1 gigawatt of the project is contracted to SRP, with the remainder now on contract with APS. SRP and APS are 2 of Arizona's largest utilities and a big part of our current and future development work in the Grand Canyon State.

Speaker 3

Each Solar project is attractively priced with a 20 year busbar PPA. Discussions are underway to contract The additional 3.2 gigawatt hours of storage potential on the interconnection. Seobar is on schedule to Start construction in the Q4 of 2023. We currently expect to achieve COD in phases over the course of 2025. In addition to C.

Speaker 3

O. Bar, our team is negotiating offtake agreements on multiple projects, including several more projects in Arizona, With approximately 9.5 gigawatts of projects through system impact study, we have a strong hand for negotiating agreements across our portfolio. To that end, we expect a busy second half as we work to finalize multiple offtake agreements. On that note and by way of announcement, we just last week Signed another 20 year busbar PPA, this time on our new Roadrunner project with ABCO in Arizona. The project is 250 Megawatts and 800 Megawatt Hours and scheduled to commence construction in 2024 With COD in early 2026, we are excited about working with APCO and further expanding our work with them and our other utility partners And in the broader Western U.

Speaker 3

S. On supply chain, our diversified sourcing strategy continues to deliver. We have reliable module supply out of both India and Southeast Asia. Since early 2023, modules have been flowing to our Projects in volume, on time and without interruption. On battery, our cell supply out of Asia is qualified and now shipping packs for assembly in the U.

Speaker 3

S. We expect to have a source for domestic battery supply qualified and arriving at projects in late 2024. We are strategic about supply relationships and work carefully to make supply a competitive advantage. As a result, We have confidence in our ability to supply the needs of our large and growing portfolio now and in the future. With completion of Apex, construction on Atrisco, launch of C.

Speaker 3

O. Bar and rapid growth in offtake contracts, quickly expanding our mature portfolio by the way, We are hitting our stride in the U. S. Our interconnection advantage is growing, project development is blossoming, And we have strong and reliable supply chain support for our expanding opportunities. We feel things are headed in the right direction.

Speaker 3

With that, I'll turn it over to Nir to review the company's financials.

Speaker 4

Thank you, Jason. In the Q2 of 2023, revenues increased to EUR 53,000,000 representing a year over year growth rate of 32%. The growth was mainly driven by the revenue contribution of new operational projects as well as the inflation indexation embedded in our PPA For projects that were already operational last year. In comparison to the same period last year, we added Hekama and Bjornberg to its operational portfolio totaling 700 megawatts. This project collectively contributed EUR 11,000,000 of revenue.

Speaker 4

We also benefited from inflation indexation embedded in our PPA, which contributed an additional $3,000,000 of revenue during the quarter. This reflected an average indexation of 6.8% across 5.92 Megawatts of PPA. With respect to FX, the impact of the strengthening error was offset by a weaker shekel with a cumulative negative impact of EUR 1,000,000. Net income increased to EUR 22,000,000 transitioning from EUR 1,000,000 loss last year. €12,000,000 of the increase was driven by new projects, including €6,000,000 from Bjornberg, largely reflecting the after tax impact of the compensation recognized from Siemens Gamesa.

Speaker 4

The residual growth in net income of $11,000,000 was driven by a reduced expectation of Earn out payment to be incurred for the acquisition of Cleanera for early stage projects not in our mature portfolio of EUR 5,000,000 And financing income of EUR 6,000,000 Adjusted EBITDA grew by 58% to EUR 42,000,000 compared to EUR 26,000,000 for the same period in 2022. The increase was driven by the same factor, Which affected our revenue increase in the same period as well as $8,000,000 of compensation recognized from Siemens Gamesa Due to the delay in reaching full production at Project Bjornberg, offset by €2,000,000 increase in overhead As the team scales to accommodate rapid growth, compensation from Siemens Gamesa is recognized in our adjusted EBITDA, but not in our revenue. In addition, we sold €5,000,000 of electricity in projects treated as financial assets in the quarter, Which under IFRS, we are required to account for not as revenue, but as financing income or other non P and L metric. Moving to 2023 guidance, we are pleased to reaffirm our outlook for full year adjusted EBITDA, Which is expected to be between EUR188,000,000 EUR 198,000,000. As Gilad mentioned, on an adjusted EBITDA level, lower merchant prices in spend during the Q2 had no net impact.

Speaker 4

Lower margin revenue versus expectation were offset by lower than expected O and M costs. For those who may be less familiar, the Spanish government implemented a windfall tax on renewable generators To reduce the impact of high electricity price on consumers, the drop in merchant electricity price during this quarter in Spain, While impacting revenues had no impact on adjusted EBITDA as we paid significantly less windfall tax than expected For the very same reason, the decline in forward electricity prices in spend for the remainder of the year is expected to be offset in the same way To lower windfall taxes, lower wind production at Trecama impacted adjusted EBITDA during the quarter, But was offset by the compensation paid by Siemens Gamesa for Project Buren. We therefore reaffirming our adjusted EBITDA guidance. However, with respect to revenue, largely driven by lower margin pricing in Spain for the remainder of the year, Coupled with lower production in Spain, we are modestly adjusting our 2023 revenue guidance to be between EUR 265,000,000 EUR 275,000,000 Looking forward to 2024, while merchant prices have come down in Spain, Prices generally remain high. During the Q2, we signed hedges comprising 22% of expected production At an average price of €97 per megawatt hour for 24 delivery.

Speaker 4

This is compared to EUR77 price we hedged in EUR 2023. As Gilad mentioned, as our operational portfolio grows, we expect our relative exposure to Hekama and quarter to Quarter volatility from the asset to decline. At the end of the quarter, we secured EUR 170,000,000 of revolving credit Facility from several large Israeli banks. The facility provide us with additional financial firepower as well as the flexibility To manage our equity investment in projects prior to their respective financial flows as we optimize project financing. In conclusion, we expect a strong second half of the year.

Speaker 4

We are executing well and are very excited about the future. With that, I will turn it over to the operator for your questions. Operator?

Operator

Thank and wait for your name to be announced. Where we compile the Q and A roster. We will now take the first question. From the line of Mark Strouse from JPMorgan, please go ahead.

Speaker 5

Hi, this is Michael on for Mark. Just wanted to ask within the U. S. Market, it looks like There was an uptick in the storage development portfolio. And then also just with the Roadrunner PPA, can you provide any color on How you would see returns in the future portfolio trending in the market?

Speaker 5

Thank you.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Marc. Jason, would you like to take this question?

Speaker 3

Yes, absolutely. So on the storage side, we are seeing a tremendous demand on storage, making great progress At Atrisco, as we have battery pack shipping and that project proceeding as planned and on schedule. So We have a lot of confidence in our ability to deliver on that growing storage portfolio amidst all of that demand. So Very excited about what's happening. And much of that is in the Western U.

Speaker 3

S. Where there is a maturing demand for capacity. Also in the Western U. S, as you point to Roadrunner, APCO, and that project, We're excited about that relationship. It's the first of 4 projects that we're working on with APCO.

Speaker 3

The others are not nearly as mature and something that speaks to some great things to come. Generally, in terms of our returns and margins, we have found strong pricing power, Ability to price accordingly given the rise in rates in the market And in fact, the fact that there are the comparative price of energy has gone up, we're finding ability to price Well, including having had the ability to go back and reprice on projects That were impacted by inflation. So, again, strong ability to price, especially given our the advanced nature of our portfolio With about 9.5 gigs through system impact study, we are hitting our stride With all of our utility customers as they're looking for something that can deliver in the near term.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Jason. It's Gilad. Just to add for you, Mark, I think Roadrunner is a good example Also point that was discussed also during IPO and NDRs were our team Basically shows our ability not only to develop on greenfield, but also to take on opportunities in the market. The WorldRunner was not included Initially, in the development portfolio and as a very strong opportunity in Arizona, in a market that we well know, I think that we show that we can also do these kind of actions. And on the other side, again, on energy On a quite similar note, we identified energy storage as a strong need in the U.

Speaker 2

S, specifically in Western U. S. And we see a lot of upside from our, I would say, proactive strategy in this regard.

Speaker 5

Thank you. And then just one follow-up. We're just hoping you could provide thoughts on prospects For the Israeli market, just given some of the deregulation and other recent PPA announcements as well. Thank you.

Speaker 2

Yes. So in the Israeli market in the past, the offtake came from feed in tariff auction For renewable energy alone, since renewable energy was very competitive, so we ended up with very low cost, Low price, low tariffs on the feed in tariff auctions that were significantly lower Then the price in the market that came from usually from natural gas, the Israeli regulator identified this trend And basically provided us with the opportunity to compete in the market in a way of Supply license against the marginal price in the market. In this way today, we can Sign off take agreement in the form of corporate PayPay directly with Consumers, in our case, we are using large consumers such as Amdocs and SodaStream that are a subsidiary of Pepsi, PepsiCo and still benefit the marginal price of electricity, which is about 30% higher than the previous feed in tariff auction tariff that we got. And this is why we are very optimistic right now on the future return

Speaker 5

Thanks. That's it for me.

Operator

Thank Question? There are no further questions at this time. One moment please. There is one more question. From the line of David Harte from Wolfe, Please go ahead.

Speaker 6

Hi, good morning. Can you hear me okay?

Speaker 2

Yes, we can, David.

Speaker 6

Great. Thank you. I was just hoping you could give us an update on the commentary you had In the last call in May on expected returns, do you still anticipate Maybe just give an update on equity financing and particularly how you've seen the tax equity market evolve? Thank you.

Speaker 2

So first, on the return, David, as we articulated in our remarks, We continue to see uptrend in the returns driving from the IRA regulation. Specifically, on our project, we benefit now on the Trisco after finally Classifying at risk in energy community, which will contribute, I think, quite significantly to the levered return of the project And also the fact that we see the continuous reduction in solar panel pricing. And in terms of the equity market, I will let Josef.

Speaker 1

Yes. So I think, David, to parse your question, it's First hand, a bit of an update on the tax equity position and our access to tax equity. And the second part of your question was, Do we need additional capital to complete our mature projects? Am I hearing that right?

Speaker 6

Yes, that's about right. Just wanted you talked about enabled to fund 1.5 gigawatts per year growth, essentially through 2026 without any equity. So I just wanted to get it just to make sure that I was still intact and then just how you've seen that. If you're seeing a shift and say how much you'll fund With tax equity versus cash equity?

Speaker 1

Yes, sure. So the thesis that we outlined, I think, quite clearly last quarter It's very much intact. We added 2 projects in the mature portfolio this quarter versus last. 1, obviously, is Roadrunner, Which is going to start construction towards the middle back end of next year. And Pupin, which an additional wind farm in Serbia, which Gilad discussed in his remarks, around 100 megawatts, Which we commenced construction during the quarter.

Speaker 1

Those are additions to the mature project portfolio. But again, The sell down strategy, which we outlined last quarter, the ability to sell down minority stakes in our projects and recycle capital, That's a critical part of our strategy as we look to recycle capital into growth. In terms of the tax equity market, I don't know, Gilad, Nir, if you wanted to comment on what we're seeing on the tax equity market and the strategy?

Speaker 2

Yes. In general, what I can say is that we are Seeing, I would say, a continuous acceptance in the market of the new regulation of the IRA And the new option of tax transferability, we believe that tax transferability options will open up In the next quarter and allow, I would say, a little bit easiness or more supply In the tax equity market and until then, we continue to finance the short term project on the traditional tax

Speaker 6

Got it. Great. Thank you. Maybe just sneak one last quick on the 87% increase PPA pricing of the 2 50 megawatts, any sense of how much was still remaining to be repriced, let's say, in terms of PPAs? And Any potential any expected price increase among those?

Speaker 1

So thanks for that question, David. So we've got probably around 300 megawatts give or take that we are still in discussions with. The 87% number, just maybe it's worth explaining why that's the case. Obviously, there's the offset to inflation and rising cost of finance, but the extent of that number is really to reflect The fact that we are benefiting from the IRA and not relaying those benefits to the offtake. So in this scenario, the offtaker Preferred an ITC path.

Speaker 1

The project sits in the Southwest, so obviously would have preferred a PTC track. And in order to make Atsen different, we needed a more substantial increase in the PPA price to get to the return that we needed. So getting back to the thesis, I think Jason outlined in his remarks that the interconnection advantage in our near term capacity of our projects Enables us to really take pricing power in the near term portfolio to deliver the above market returns we've been emphasizing.

Speaker 6

Got it. Thank

Operator

you. Thank you. There are no further questions at this time. I would like to hand back over to Gilat for final remarks.

Speaker 2

Yes. So thank you, Sandra, and thank you, everybody, Thank you for attending the call. We are very happy with the strong results And the rapid growth that we continue to show and the strong trends that we see in the coming quarters towards I would say execution of our mature portfolio up to 2025, we'll be happy to take any further question on a 1 on 1 if you would like further clarification. Thank you.

Operator

That does conclude our conference for today. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.

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