NuScale Power Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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August 9, 2023

There are 5 speakers on the call.

Operator

Good afternoon, and welcome to NuScale's Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Results Conference Call. Today's call is being recorded. All participants are in a listen only mode. After management's prepared remarks, there will be a question and answer session. A replay of today's conference call will be available and accessible on NuScale's website at ir.

Operator

Newscalepower.com. The web replay will be available for 30 days following the earnings call. A telephone replay will also be available for 7 days through a registration link also accessible on NuScale's website. At this time, for opening remarks, I would like to turn the call over to Scott Kozak, Director of Investor Relations. Please go ahead, Mr.

Operator

Kozak.

Speaker 1

Thanks, operator. Welcome to NuScale's Q2 2023 earnings results conference call. With us today are John Hopkins, President and Chief Executive Officer and Ramzi Hammadi, NuScale's Chief Financial Officer. On today's call, NuScale will provide an update on our business and discuss financial results. We will then open up the phone lines for questions.

Speaker 1

This afternoon, we posted a set of supplemental slides on our Investor Relations website. As reflected in the Safe Harbor on Slide 2, The information set forth in the presentation discussed during the course of our remarks and the subsequent Q and A session includes forward looking statements, which reflect our current views of existing trends and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties. You can find a discussion of our risk factors, which could potentially contribute to such differences in our SEC filings on Form S-one and Form 10 Q. I'll now turn the call over to John Hopkins, NuScale's President and Chief Executive Officer. John?

Speaker 1

Thank you, Scott,

Speaker 2

and good afternoon, everyone. On today's call, I'll cover our continued progress towards commercializing NuScale's SMR. This includes our momentum with our 2 committed customers as well as our business development activities, including customer pipeline expansion. I'll also provide an update on our financial results and outlook. So before we dive in, I want to take a moment to discuss the leadership changes announced recently as we progress from being a research and development focused company Advancing our commercialization and project delivery efforts.

Speaker 2

This transition is supported by incorporating important new skill sets throughout the organization. Continuing with the appointment of our new CFO, Robert Ramsay Hemmity. As we announced earlier this week, Ramzi brings an extensive portfolio of financial experience, including on the public company side. This includes previously serving as Ramzi's distinct experience will be a huge asset to NuScale as we seek to deploy our technology across the globe. Importantly, our balance sheet remains strong and we look forward to maintaining our solid financial position under Ramsey's guidance As we continue to grow as a clean technology leader.

Speaker 2

Ramsey is with me here on the call today and before we take your questions, I'll turn it over to him for a few minutes to say hello and introduce himself. We also announced 2 additional appointments. Our own Executive Vice President of Business Development, Clayton Scott, has been elevated to the role of Chief Commercial Officer. Clayton's deep familiarity with the intricacies of our growing business pipeline, combined with his decades of global experience, Make him the perfect person to take on this important role as it's a pivotal time of growth for NuScale. Claims assumption of the Chief Commercial Officer role is a cornerstone of our transformation to a commercialization project delivery focus.

Speaker 2

These leadership updates follow the announcement of Carl Fischer as our new Chief Operating Officer, which we announced in July. Carl has more than 2 decades of experience in the nuclear industry, starting out in the United States Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program And continuing his career with Duke Energy International and Framatome. With his extensive industry experience, He'll play an essential role in leading our engineering, licensing and other functions in support of the deployment of our Voyager power plants, And we are thrilled to have him on board. Finally, Chris Colbert, who served as CFO of the company since 'seventy, 2021, Has departed NuScale. We wish Chris the very best on his future endeavors.

Speaker 2

Now let's turn back to our earnings presentation starting with our 2023 milestones, which are shown on Slide 4. In July, we are pleased to announce the NuScale standard design approval application was accepted for review by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or NRC. The NRC provided us with a schedule for anticipated 24 months review process for obtaining approval for a power upgrade 77 Megawatt NuScale Power Module, which will support the capacity needs of a wider range of customers.

Speaker 2

The design reflected in this application includes the same fundamental safety case and the features approved by the NRC in 2020. With our track record of regulatory approvals at the NRC and more than $1,600,000,000 invested to date derisking the NuScale module Through comprehensive testing, scaling and more, we are familiar with the NRC process and look forward to working with them to secure the successful approval I would add that the NuScale standard plan design completed in 2022 provides a comprehensive plan design for potential customers to leverage deploying NuScale Voyager SMR power plants. This means significant savings for our customers as they can focus their investment in engineering resources on-site specific design changes. Moving on to Slide 5 with our committed customers, the Carbon Free Power Project or CFPP and Row Power. Looking first to CFPP, We are producing 4 genes and materials essential to the manufacturing of the first NuScale power modules.

Speaker 2

We're also finalizing a Class 2 cost estimate for the CFPP. Furthermore, NuScale is working with Carbon Free Power Project to Finalize the combined license applications or COLA. As a reminder, the COLA is both a construction permit and operating license Per Part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, this is a single step licensing process. It means our design will be licensed to operate even before it's built. In comparison, the older Part fifty process involves 2 steps: A construction permit and preliminary safety report and then a licensing process to improve plant operations once the plant is built.

Speaker 2

Open up the plant owner to risk that plant operations could be delayed possibly significantly. Even more seriously, there is potential The plant will never receive a license to operate after it's already been built. These concerns do not exist with our Part 52 process. In July, a limited work authorization or LWA was submitted to the NRC for review and approval, Which will authorize commencement of early construction activities at the site. This submission is a milestone not only for NuScale As it's the first LWA for one of our voyage power plants, but also milestone for the industry because it is the first NRC application To initiate construction activities for a commercial SMR, UAMS is targeting 80% subscription for the project by year end 2023.

Speaker 2

They are working to achieve this target in 3 ways. 1st, existing CFPP participants can increase their subscription levels. 2nd, GMS members who are not CFPB participants can sign on to the project. And 3rd, Carbon Free Power Project can bring an additional Western Public Power Utilities, investor owned utilities, data center operators And industrial customers, the expense and challenge of accessing natural gas in the region, the rapid retirement of coal plants And the acute need to add dispatchable power generation to complement renewable resources are primary consideration for CFPB participants. Other U Labs members and utilities operating in the Western U.

Speaker 2

S. Created opportunities across all three of these groups. Moving on to our 2nd committed customer, Ropower. We had a busy quarter in Romania. At the G7 Leaders Summit in May, The Biden administration announced a multinational public private partnership that intends to provide up to $275,000,000 to advance the deployment of a NuScale Voyager Small Modereactor in Romania.

Speaker 2

Commitments were made by entities in the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Funding is expected to support a number of important activities From procurement of long lead materials to completion of front end engineering and design or feed work and more. In addition, the U. S. Export Import Bank and the U.

Speaker 2

S. International Development Finance Corporation issued letters of interest with This exciting news comes as NuScale and Rotal Power are in the late stages of completing the Phase 1 FEED study to analyze the preferred site, a We formed a coal plant in Dorchester, Romania, and we are already in advanced discussions on the next phase of the project. Rho Power is secure in the funding it needs to complete the Phase 2 FEED study. And announced in July, DS Private Equity signed a term sheet agreement with Nutella Electrica Enova Power and Gas, the shareholders of Ropower, with the intention to invest €75,000,000 for the development of the study. Also in May, NuScale and Ropower opened the 1st international NuScale Energy Exploration Center or E2 Center in Romania In collaboration with the U.

Speaker 2

S. And Romanian governments, the control room simulator of our SMR technology Installed at the University Polytechnica of Bucharest. It will further Romania's goals to become a leader in the safe and secure deployment of Small Modere Reactors and serve as a workforce development tool for the Romanian nuclear workforce. Looking at the business development pipeline more broadly on Slide 6, we are pleased and confident with the breadth of scale of our opportunities. I'll start on the international side by briefly spotlighting KGHM in Poland, a process company.

Speaker 2

In July, KGHAM received a decision in principle from the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment to create a pathway to make investments in support of its SMR program. This is a positive development as obtaining this decision entitled KGHM To acquire property to site a future plant as well as apply for a number of further administrative arrangements, including a construction license. Turning to the U. S, as noted in recent quarters, we expected to see interest accelerate as prospective Better understood the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act or IRA, especially for repurposing coal plants and producing hydrogen. And our prediction is proven to be true.

Speaker 2

With various degrees of advanced conversations taking place with investor owned utilities, Municipal utilities, tech companies with data centers to support, as well as groups involved in carbon capture initiatives and hydro production. In addition, major industrial companies want to take advantage of the IRA as they seek 20 fourseven clean, reliable energy In processing for various applications, interest is growing and we are pleased to see the types of opportunities that are diversifying. Turning to Slide 7, we highlight another significant business development opportunity in the U. S, a memorandum of understanding that we signed with Nucor Corporation, the largest and most diversified steel and clean steel products company in North America. As part of this MOU, our 2 companies will explore opportunities for deploying NuScale SMRs to power Nucor's electric arc fence mills The MOU also envisions an expanded partnership to which Nucor will supply NuScale With its net zero steel products for NuScale projects.

Speaker 2

I also want to discuss New research that we believe will help drive further business development, which brings me to Slide 8 in 9. It shows NuScale's capabilities for the industrial sector using superheated steam, a first for Lightwater SMR technology. A few months ago, the U. S. Department of Energy stated that the greatest challenge facing our nation and our planet is the climate crisis.

Speaker 2

To avoid its worst effects, we need to do everything possible to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2,050. Achieving these net zero targets require a massive build out of clean power resources To touch numerous aspects of the economy, to make real progress, we must decarbonize sectors beyond electricity market, Such as Process Industries and Transportation, each of which produce a similar amount of emissions. NuScale's technology addresses electricity market and as seen in this recent research can also enable industrial decarbonization This is a meaningful step towards potential reducing emissions and what has previously been a hard to decarbonize space And when critical to achieving global climate goals. As seen on Slide 9, our compact and cost competitive SME can therefore offer oil refiners and chemical companies with new options to decarbonize their operations or products Using carbon free nuclear energy, we started presenting this value proposition to companies in the industrial, petrochemical and oil refining sectors around the world. As a reminder, NuScale's Voyager plants maintain significant competitive advantages And the safe production of superheated steam near major industrials.

Speaker 2

For example, our plants can operate off grid. Also, we can achieve a site boundary emergency planning zone for most plant locations. Therefore, Voyager plants can be located closer to end users, which reduces heat loss due to steam transport and results in a To be clear, NuScale is the only SMR supplier To have any regulators approval for a means to achieve a site boundary emergency planning zone. Moving on to Slide 10, I want to highlight a few additional updates for the quarter. First, while the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process remains ongoing in Congress.

Speaker 2

We are encouraged by activity on Capitol Hill so far. With positive developments in both the House and Senate To demonstrate financial support for NuScale and advanced SMRs. The amounts provided by the FY 2024 House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, Mark, would be sufficient to fully fund both the remaining federal cost share on the UANF and NuScale grants. Although less generous than the House Bill, the FY 'twenty four Senate Energy and Water Procreation Bill provides significantly more funding And NuScale grants. We believe that this incremental progress positions NuScale well as we look to the conference As we have said previously, this funding is one of the critical mechanisms To support our participation in the CFPB, we are pleased to continue receiving strong bipartisan and bicameral support As well as backing from the Biden administration.

Speaker 2

2nd, we look at project developments. Back in March, we placed our 1st long lead material order with our partner Doosan and Earnability. Doosan is now producing forgings and materials Associated with the manufacturing of the 1st NuScale Power Modules. The integral steam plenum, Part of the NuScale power module was the 1st forging produced. It had an ingot weight of 2 72 tons It will have a final machine weight of 24 times.

Speaker 2

These activities also include steam generator tubes That will be installed in NuScale Power Modules. Doosan placed an order for 200 kilometers of steam generator tubing The global manufacturer, Omenia, in the Q2. Deliveries are scheduled during 2024. This activity positioned us to begin manufacturing of our first modules later this year, When 14s will be assembled and machined to their final dimensions, we are not aware of another North American SMR vendor It has progressed to the manufacturing phase and we are excited to lead the way for the industry. In summary, we are satisfied with our growth and development in the first half of twenty twenty three.

Speaker 2

We have significant opportunity in front of us as we continue to build momentum, Grow our business and deliver on our commitments to our customers. NuScale has numerous competitive advantages and is years ahead Of our competitors in the industry, we are proud to be leading the way in such an important industry that is helping drive the global energy transition. Now let's move to our financial update for the quarter. The company's financial results are available in our press release and filings. So my focus will be on performance drivers.

Speaker 2

I'll start by discussing 2nd quarter results on Slide 11. All figures following refer to NuScale's Q2 2023 results Unless I say it otherwise. NuScale ended the quarter with a cash balance of approximately 215,000,000 Consistent with past quarters, our primary use of cash is related to operating expenses as we continue our pivot into manufacturing and commercialization. Operating expenses slightly increased in the quarter, although our R and D costs decreased due to shifts in project schedules. While G and A costs increased due to compensation costs associated with a growing headcount and higher business development costs as we continue to market our brand globally.

Speaker 2

While the shifts impact quarterly results, they are not meaningful for our overall project timelines. As you all know, there are several additional factors critical to the CFPP moving forward, and our working assumption is that CFPP We'll hit a subscription goal, agree upon a Class II cost estimate and secure DOE funding and remain our first customer. But it is possible that conditions arise that the project could terminate and ULANs could recover a portion of its net development costs And expense associated with long lead materials from NuScale. As of June 30, NuScale has $59,000,000 in letters of credit, Collateralized by $60,000,000 in restricted cash to cover this possibility. These costs will be partially offset as NuScale has an agreement in principle Take ownership of the long lead equipment contract work in progress stated at $26,000,000 as of June 30, 2023, As well as other intangible assets, the value which cannot reasonably estimate at this time.

Speaker 2

While we are unable to estimate the full value of all We feel the maximum expense of the company would be approximately $15,000,000 for the development cost reimbursement agreement as of the end of June. Turning back to the financials. Revenue for the quarter was limited as expected. In the early phases of projects like this, we are generating revenue by supporting siting, licensing and front end engineering and site specific design work. As we pivot to manufacturing our modules, we will see payments from customers for equipment orders.

Speaker 2

Looking ahead, we reiterate our forecast of full year cash flow from operations in a range of negative $102,000,000 to 142,000,000 Importantly, the House appropriation bill potentially funds the final year of NuScale's DOE Cross Share Award. While the Senate Appropriations Bill funding would be sufficient to cover all planned FY 'twenty four activities for the NuScale grant, We note that before we have certainty about DOE awards for NuScale and CFPP, the House and Senate Appropriations Bill will have to go through the reconciliation process And the President must sign the final appropriations measure into law. I'd like to mention a few additional items. NuScale has always been disciplined with regards to capital management. And as part of that strategy, the company filed a Form S-three or shelf S-three When it became eligible to do so in June, further demonstrating our prudent approach and to enhance our financial flexibility, We have a plan to file an at the market facility or ATM facility.

Speaker 2

Like the shelf S-three, we consider putting this ATM in place as a prudent measure It's procedurally efficient to do even if we aren't ready to put it to use. I also want to address recent executive sales of company stock. It is normal and expected for executives of newly publicly traded companies to sell a small portion of their overall stake To diversify as well as cover taxes with the exercise of expiring options in RSUs. Recent sales also reflect programmatic 10b5-one plans. Importantly, our executives continue to maintain very Significant stakes in NuScale.

Speaker 2

I also note the Board's stock ownership policy, which requires our top executives to hold equity value to 2x their base salaries To ensure the alignment of executive and shareholders' interests, I speak for myself as well as our management team When I say that we believe deeply in NuScale, its distinct competitive advantages and its future leading the usually important SMR space. Finally, as seen on Slide 11, we are pleased to inform you that we will hold an Analyst Day on October 6 at the New York Stock Exchange. In person attendance will be limited into capacity constraints at the Exchange. However, there will be a webcast of management presentations. We look forward to connecting with you all at that time.

Speaker 2

Before we go to Q and A, I'd like to hand the call over to Ramzi to quickly say hello and introduce himself. Ramsey?

Speaker 3

Thank you, John, and hello, everyone. I'm honored to be joining my first NuScale earnings call today I'm thrilled to be part of an exciting, trailblazing company like NuScale, especially as the business moves deeper into such a critical part of its journey, The commercialization of SMRs. I've been following the company closely, and it's clear to me that NuScale's technology has the ability to completely reshape the energy sector, I look forward to getting to know you all better soon. I'll now pass the call back to John to answer your questions. Operator?

Operator

Your first question comes from the line of Marc Bianchi with TD Cowen. Your line is open.

Speaker 4

Hey, thank you. I guess I wanted to start with trying to understand a little bit more around sort of the cash flow scenarios As you're exiting this year and then into 2024, I think if you hit the guidance here, you'll have maybe $150,000,000 to $200,000,000 of cash on December 31. And then there's John, you mentioned the scenario with CFPP. If that ends up Not going forward, I want to just clarify how much cash could be going out the door there. And then on the appropriations, If the Senate version ends up happening, maybe that's sort of a way to think about a low end case.

Speaker 4

What would that mean on a year over year basis in terms of your cash flows? How much cash flow is coming in fiscal 'twenty 4 versus or fiscal 2023 versus fiscal 2024.

Speaker 2

Yes, Mark. As it relates to projected cash for 2023 and inpatient for 24, we're not really providing any specific guidance at this time. However, as I mentioned, we're About $260,000,000 of net cash, including we did set aside the reserve of $60,000,000 And we did also, as I mentioned before, Follow the Form S3 that provides us the flexibility if needed. At this point in time, as it relates to ATEM, we see no needs. But I'll say we worked the Hill really hard this year and on both sides of the aisle.

Speaker 2

And I was extremely impressed that The both on the House and Senate, what has come through and if it is in fact approved, I think we're in a pretty good stead going forward as it relates To fulfilling the grants from the government and keeping the required cash, filling out our award that we received as well as the UAMS award. So if you don't mind, I'll just leave it at that.

Speaker 4

Okay. Well, I guess then on the I guess part of the Sort of outlook for 2024 relies on the signing of these Three more customers that

Speaker 3

you've

Speaker 4

kind of got as one of your action plans. Is there a point where if we get here we are in August and We haven't seen anything announced yet. Is there a point this year if you haven't announced anything that then it starts to risk 24 or is the cash flow just so variable that the timing isn't quite as important as just however the Cadence of milestones is or something like that?

Speaker 2

Actually, Mark, what we're seeing and I commented before about, we're seeing a lot of Activity, in fact, Clayton Scott right now is with a major utility in discussions. And a lot of this has been Prompted by what we talked before, people are starting to come to realization of the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act and They need to be in construction by 2,032. So we're seeing a lot of activity customer wise, Both on the major utilities, but also I commented on we're seeing this market dynamics continues just The change in the fact that a year ago, I would not have anticipated what I call the industrials, which are, As I mentioned in my report, oil and gas, chemicals, large data centers, all trying to look at how To decarbonize themselves and what we're finding is that with the emergency planning zone that we have, If you think of large industrials, typically they're not in close proximity to a nuclear plant because if a nuclear plant were to trip, they don't want You don't have business interruption occur to their facilities. However, with an emergency planning zone with the fence line And then also not needing to be connected to the grid.

Speaker 2

And also another big area of interest is the fact we're air dry cool. The amounts of water typically, 140000 to 20000 acre feet, we're in the 400000 to 600. We're gleaning a lot of interest. Here's the 3rd leg of the stool as I commented before. Many of these customers, they need 20 fourseven reliable clean energy, But they don't necessarily want to own and act a nuclear asset.

Speaker 2

So if we can come up with the model, which we're working on currently, I've been able to help finance to do wrap around with these cultures where the customers will provide us long term power purchase agreements And also in some instances, even the willingness to help us develop the cost, this is going to open the aperture significantly. And I'm hopeful in the coming quarters, we're going to be able to roll out exactly what I'm talking about. So we would have the ability to go in And let's say, Baytown or Geismar, Louisiana, we have multiple industrials that share a fence line. If we could go off there an energy solution To provide them the energy requirements, if it's for process heat or for hydrogen, ammonia, whatever it is, And where they share the fence line, provide those customers with what they need, and that is moving forward. So I'm pretty bullish that we're going to meet our 3, if not more customers by the end of this year.

Speaker 1

Mhmm.

Speaker 4

Okay. That's great. I wanted to ask a couple more just on CFPP and Row Power. So as it relates to CFPP, we've got this 80% subscription level, and the Class 2 cost estimate, that both need to be sort of achieved by year end. Can you Talk to us if there's any more color around how those are going.

Speaker 4

And then what sort of timeline should we be forward to be getting updates on that. Is this something that would all be sort of coming together in December, January kind of like it did this past year or could we be getting some nuggets before then?

Speaker 2

Mark, we continue to make progress on CPP. As I commented, they just submitted a limited work authorization to the NRC review. This will early this will authorize the early start constructions. As it relates to subscriptions, we are working with UAMPS They are targeting 80% subscription for CFPP by 2023. And as I mentioned before, we believe there's 3 ways you can get it.

Speaker 2

No, the existing CIPP participants could increase their subscription levels. We believe they're under subscribed currently. We can find UAMS members that are not participating. And as I mentioned before, there's a lot of discussions we're having right now With Western Public Utilities that are facing rapid coal retirement or they're looking at the expense of accessing natural gas, So we're working with them and as it stands right now, things could change, but we see that they will continue to be our first customer They will get the subscription. We believe the funding will come through and we're working diligently to make that happen.

Speaker 2

From a timing perspective, we're watching it very closely. We have weekly conversations with our customer at UAMS. So we're informing each other, we're trying to see each other. This is a near term deployable project and our timelines haven't changed. We're still looking at the 2029 COD, 2030 COD timeframe, which I believe is the only project in this country that's going to make that

Speaker 4

timeline. Okay, great. And then just one more on Row Power. So I think Phase 1 FEED is sort of the it seems to me maybe that's the next Pleased to get updated. When should we be expecting an update there?

Speaker 4

And what sort of information type of information would be revealed at that time?

Speaker 2

Actually, I talked with a customer today, the CEO of Nuclear Electric, Cosmo Gheia is in Washington D. C. Today in discussions. You're right. We're in the late stages of completing the first feed and we're in advanced discussions on Phase 2.

Speaker 2

As you know, Phase 2 consists of the preparatory work for contracting construction and we have begun engagement with the local suppliers. So we should be coming out here near term, I'd say, over the next couple of months on progress as it relates to completion of Phase 1 And going into Phase 2. But right now, the customer is very bullish. I commented before also that the U. S.

Speaker 2

Government As in with Rural Power or with Romania, we're seeing monies hopefully coming in from Japan, Korea, UAE, you know, to the tune of $275,000,000 and that's to advance the deployment of the SMR in Romania And for the funding for the 2nd phase and talking with the CEO, one of our Koreans I've signed a term sheet for $75,000,000 and other monies looks to become the U. S. XM supporting this And also the DFC is supporting this. Finally, as you know, former OPEC, now the DFC had a nuclear moratorium, which they've dropped. So there seems to be a lot of focus right now on ensuring that that Romanian project continues to go forward.

Speaker 2

It's important to our country. It's important to the Romanians. I'll be over there in September meeting with the Romanian Prime Minister and Energy Minister And again to talk about the progress of the project.

Speaker 4

Great. Okay. Thanks, John. I'll turn it back.

Speaker 2

Mark, thank you, buddy.

Operator

That is all the time we have today. I'd like to turn the call back to CEO, John Hopkins for closing remarks.

Speaker 2

Thank you, operator. As mentioned, we believe NuScale is well positioned as a first mover in the SMR space And poised to commercialize and deliver clean energy, upscale. Nuclear technology, we believe, is essential to powering the global energy transition, And we are in the forefront of that effort with our work to deliver safe, scalable and reliable carbon free nuclear power. We are pleased, as I stated, with our progress in 2023 across all funds, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together throughout the remainder of the year. I'd like to thank all of you for interest in NuScale and participating on our call today.

Speaker 2

And we hope, as I stated, to see many of you at our Analyst Day in New York On October 6. Thank you, operator.

Operator

This concludes today's conference call. You may now disconnect.

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