Envirotech Vehicles Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

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August 9, 2024

There are 7 speakers on the call.

Operator

At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Matteo Garcia, Director, Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Speaker 1

Thank you. Welcome everyone to HEI's Q2 2024 Earnings Call. Joining me today are Scott Seew, HEI President and CEO Scott DeGhetto, HEI Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer Shelly Kimura, Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Ann Tera Nishi, American Savings Bank President and CEO and other members of senior management. Our earnings release and our presentation for this call are available in the Investor Relations section of our website. As a reminder, forward looking statements will be made on today's call.

Speaker 1

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations can be found in our presentation, our SEC filings and in the Investor Relations section of our website. Today's presentation also includes references to non GAAP financial measures. You should refer to the information contained in the slides accompanying today's presentation for definitional information and reconciliations of historical non GAAP measures to

Speaker 2

the closest GAAP financial measure. Now Scott Hsu will begin with his remarks. Aloha kakou. Welcome, everyone. For today's call, I'll start with key updates regarding the Maui wildfires and the proposed settlement announced last week.

Speaker 2

I'll then touch on operational progress we've made at the utility in our ongoing efforts to mitigate risk and enhance reliability. And finally, I'll discuss American Savings Results and comment briefly on HEI's review of strategic options for ASB. I'll then turn it over to Scott DeGhetto, who will walk through our Q2 financial results in more detail and discuss the financial implications of recent announcements before we open it up for questions. Yesterday marked 1 year since the wildfires on Maui forever altered the lives of so many of Maui's and Hawaii's residents. We know that for many, the pain of loss is as fresh today as it was over a year ago.

Speaker 2

Our hearts remain with our friends, families, neighbors and employees who suffered so much in the wake of last year's wildfires. It's been heartening for all of us here in Hawaii to see the many ways our community has come together to support the people of Lahaina and Upcountry Maui and to help chart a pathway forward. Last week, we saw an important milestone in those efforts. Following 4 months of mediation efforts, HEI, Hawaiian Electric and other parties reached a settlement agreement in principle to offer those who suffered loss an accelerated path to recovery. I'm thankful for the Governor's leadership in helping to expedite the agreement and keeping all of us focused on working together to do what is best for Maui and Hawaii.

Speaker 2

For HEI, the settlement provides a clearer line of sight toward resolution of the wildfire related tort litigation and increased certainty for our company's path ahead. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the defendants have agreed to collectively pay over $4,000,000,000 to those who were harmed in last year's fires on Maui to settle all tort claims. HEI and Hawaiian Electric's contribution is a total of $1,990,000,000 pretax and includes the $75,000,000 we previously contributed to the 1 Ohana initiative. The settlement amount would be paid annually in 4 equal installments. As a result of the proposed settlement, we recorded a $1,710,000,000 pretax loss for the quarter, which Scott Toghetto will discuss in more detail.

Speaker 2

At this point, the proposed settlement is an agreement in principle between defendants and attorneys representing individual and class plaintiffs and would resolve over 600 lawsuits, which named both HEI and Hawaiian Electric as defendants. The settlement would also resolve all claims among the defendants. The agreement is conditioned on a resolution of the claims of the insurance companies that have paid claims for property loss and other damages with no additional payments from defendants. Subrogation claims have been filed from about 160 different insurers with exposure on Maui. A hearing is scheduled for August 13 to obtain a court order limiting the insurer's recovery to the already agreed upon settlement amounts.

Speaker 2

Once the final settlement agreement is signed, it will take effect following judicial review and approval. The payments would begin after such approval and are expected to commence no earlier than mid-twenty 25. Scott Toghetto will discuss the financial implications of the settlement and the work underway to develop a financing plan. Following the filing of the settlement agreement in principle with the 2nd Circuit Court, all trial dates for the Maui wildfire tort related claims were vacated, meaning there are currently no trial dates pending in any of the tort related lawsuits. With greater certainty for our path forward, our enterprise will be better positioned to invest in a sustainable and resilient future for Maui and all of Hawaii.

Speaker 2

That includes advancing the utility's wildfire safety strategy and strengthening Hawaii's infrastructure to ensure the resilience and reliability of the grid. On our last earnings call, we noted that the utility was implementing enhanced wildfire operational strategies and practices, including a Public Safety Power Shutoff Program or PSPS as a last line of defense. The utility officially launched the PSPS program on July 1, and this means that power can now be preemptively shut off in certain areas identified as high risk during periods of high winds and dry conditions. The utility intends to continue coordinating closely with public agencies, first responders, community organizations and customers to refine and enhance this new program to make it more targeted and effective going forward. While PSPS is an important tool to help keep our communities safe, we're also advancing a broader program of wildfire mitigation work to enhance resilience.

Speaker 2

Over 35% of the utility's capital budget this year, nearly $120,000,000 is dedicated to these efforts. One element of the wildfire safety strategy is to improve situational awareness through the use of advanced technologies. The utility has already deployed 52 new weather stations across its service territory, which will help inform decisions about whether a PSPS event is necessary. And by the end of September, Hawaiian Electric expects to have installed 44 AI enhanced video cameras in elevated risk areas, helping the company, fire agencies and emergency operation centers to identify potential wildfires early and respond more quickly. Hardening the grid is another important component of the utility strategy.

Speaker 2

This includes making investments to upgrade poles, install covered conductors and strategically underground lines. Importantly, the investments Hawaiian Electric is making to harden the grid will increase resilience for many different kinds of environmental risks that we face in Hawaii, including hurricanes, floods, tsunamis and wildfires. Strengthening this infrastructure will also enhance the reliability of service to customers. The utility also continues to make important progress to enhance reliability through the expansion of the renewable generation fleet in our state. The utility recently placed 2 new solar plus storage projects in service on Maui and Oahu.

Speaker 2

The Kauiheilani project is Maui's first solar plus storage and the biggest in Hawaiian Electric System, providing the island with 60 megawatts of solar generation capacity and 2 40 megawatt hours of storage. The Kupono project, now Oahu's largest solar plus storage project, will provide over 40 megawatts of solar generation capacity and 168 megawatt hours of storage. Turning now to the bank. As we've discussed over the last year, HEI has been advancing a strategy designed to support a strong financially healthy enterprise that will empower a thriving future for Hawaii. Consistent with this approach, HEI has been undertaking a comprehensive review of strategic options for ASB.

Speaker 2

There is no set timetable for the review and there can be no assurances that any actions regarding ASB will result from our evaluation. In connection with this ongoing evaluation, we reported a non cash goodwill impairment charge for the bank, which Scott Tagueto will discuss shortly. The bank's core operations and earnings remain strong as it continues to serve as a trusted financial partner to customers across Hawaii. Excluding the goodwill impairment and Maui wildfire related expenses, ASP improved profitability and grew net income in the Q2 compared to last year. ASB saw net interest margin expansion and through prudent expense control, a decrease in non interest expense.

Speaker 2

ASV's loyal and long tenured deposit base remains stable. And as of June 30, 83 percent of deposits were FDIC insured or fully collateralized. In summary, our operations remain strong across our companies, and we've made significant progress to clarify the path forward for our company. As we look ahead, we'll continue to take prudent and measured actions to ensure our companies are well positioned to serve our customers and community for the long term. With that, I'll now turn the call over to Scott DeGhetto, who will discuss our financial results.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Scott. I'll start with our results for the quarter on Slide 6. For the Q2, we recorded a consolidated net loss of $1,300,000,000 or $11.74 per share. As Scott mentioned, the quarter's results included 2 significant one time losses. First, at the utility, we recorded a $1,710,000,000 loss or $1,270,000,000 after taxes due to the accrual of estimated wildfire liabilities from tort related claims as a result of the proposed settlement announced last week.

Speaker 3

Including the loss accrual, utility net loss for the quarter was $1,230,000,000 The $1,710,000,000 loss accrued at the utility is lower than the $1,990,000,000 we have agreed to under the proposed settlement for two reasons. First, the $1,990,000,000 includes the $75,000,000 1 Ohana contribution that was accrued in 2023. 2nd, the settlement amount is spread over 4 equal annual installments and the loss recorded is our best estimate of an equivalent lump sum amount. 2nd, we also recorded an $82,200,000 goodwill impairment for $66,100,000 after taxes at ASB in connection with HEI's ongoing review of strategic options. The goodwill was related to acquisitions that took place in the 1980s and 1990s.

Speaker 3

The impairment is non cash and has no impact on ASB's liquidity. In addition to the $1,710,000,000 tort related accrual, there were $2,800,000 of pre tax wildfire related expenses net of insurance recoveries and deferrals recorded at the utility in the 2nd quarter. Dollars 1,000 and holding company wildfire related pretax expenses were $6,500,000 Excluding these expenses, consolidated core net income and EPS were $49,100,000 $0.44 per share compared to $54,600,000 $0.50 per share in the Q2 of 2023. Utility core net income was $43,900,000 compared to $45,300,000 in the same quarter last year. Banc core net income of $20,700,000 was up from $20,200,000 compared to the same quarter last year and holding company core net loss of $15,500,000 was up from 10,900,000 utility core net income was driven by higher O and M and higher wildfire mitigation expenses.

Speaker 3

Bank core net income was up slightly due to prudent expense management and higher non interest income, partially offset by lower net interest income. The core net loss of the holding company was driven by higher losses at Pacific Current. Turning to our liquidity on Slide 7. We continue to prudently manage our liquidity and as of the end of the second quarter, the holding company and the utility had 124,000,000 dollars 89,000,000 of cash on hand respectively. In connection with the proposed global settlement related to the wildfires on Maui, HEI and Hawaiian Electric are working closely with financial advisors to develop a financing plan for our settlement contribution.

Speaker 3

As Scott noted, the payments would begin after judicial approval of a final settlement and are expected to begin no earlier than mid-twenty 25. We intend to finance the settlement payments through a mix of debt, common equity, equity linked securities or other potential options, although there can be no assurance at this time as to the availability of terms of any such financing. Because the plan is still being developed to finance the payments we've agreed to under the settlement, HEI and Hawaiian Electric are required to disclose that there is a substantial doubt regarding each company's ability to continue as a going concern. Accounting rules require that a financing plan be probable of being implemented in order to resolve the conditions giving rise to the substantial doubt disclosure. Once a financing plan is sufficiently progressed, we expect the going concern issue to be resolved.

Speaker 3

As a result of the going concern assessment, the utility dividend to HEI has been suspended. At that, let's open up the call to questions.

Operator

Thank you. We will now begin the question and answer session. We'll take our first question from Michael Lonergan at Evercore ISI.

Speaker 4

Hi, thanks for taking my questions. So the plaintiffs and defendants agreed to settle the wildfire cases without the insurance companies who are looking for a significant amount. Just wondering, what gives you confidence the settlement will ultimately be finalized under the terms of the deal where the plaintiffs still need to reach an agreement with the insurers or obtain the court order borrowing them from recovering outside the settlement?

Speaker 2

Yes. Hi, Mike. This is Scott Siew. The settlement really does represent a very important move forward in that it does lay out the most significant terms to settle the claims, the tort claims. It's recognized that at this stage, yes, the subrogation plaintiffs still have not agreed to the allocation of the total amount of money that would be provided by the defendants.

Speaker 2

But very importantly, it allows 90 days for those discussions between the individual plaintiffs, lawyers and the subrogation plaintiffs to work that out or in the alternative for the court to actually issue an order which helps to resolve the issue. So, I think it's very important that again it brings clarity for everybody and then it provides a pretty well defined process ahead of us to resolve that issue.

Speaker 4

Great. Thank you. And then secondly from me, you laid out a mix of financing options that you could use to pay for the settlement. Do you have a level of capital spending in mind over this 4 year period and then FFO to debt target over that timeframe?

Speaker 5

So Mike, this is Paul. So we're currently working on our long term capital plans and obviously a lot depends on what happens or the timing of the settlement agreement. Clearly, we feel good about getting to a settlement and based on that having access to the capital markets more broadly for a lot of the growth investments that we foresee in the future. Things like our Wai'au generation project and of course our increased wildfire mitigation type spend. We are targeting investment grade credit metrics over the long term.

Speaker 5

That's critical and important for us because it also translates into lower customer bills. So we're very focused on that.

Speaker 3

Yes. Mike, this is Scott DeGhetto. On the broader kind of financing of the settlement, what I would say is we're working closely with our financial advisors to develop a financing plan for our settlement contribution. Keep in mind that this settlement was just agreed to a week ago. And we don't expect payments to begin until mid-twenty 25 at the earliest.

Speaker 3

So we believe that gives us sufficient time to develop and finalize that plan. And then as far as the FFO to debt goes, what I would say is we're in constant communication with the rating agencies, just in terms of discussing where we are and where we'd like to be over time.

Speaker 4

Great. Thank you. And then lastly for me, so on your financing plans, you talked about mix of debt, common equity, equity linked securities. And then broadly speaking, you mentioned other potential options. So you've already disclosed strategic alternatives potentially for American Savings Bank.

Speaker 4

And I'm just wondering, is it fair to say all options are on the table, including maybe selling a stake in the utility or a smaller scale sale like Pacific Current? Or just in general, is there any more color you could provide about the other potential options you mentioned?

Speaker 3

Yes. We're not going to get into specifics about the other potential options. From my perspective, we wanted to keep it as broad as possible. I mean there's the regular way debt, equity, equity length that you mentioned, but there's a lot of other different financing mechanisms available in the marketplace that we want to make sure we take a look at.

Speaker 4

Great. Thanks for taking my questions.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Mike.

Operator

We'll move next to Jonathan Reeder at Wells Fargo.

Speaker 6

Hey, team. How is it going today?

Speaker 2

Hi, Jonathan.

Speaker 6

Thanks for taking my question. First off, as a non legal expert, can you just please explain how Judge Cahill's court, I guess, could force the insurers into accepting the settlement and waiving their ability to pursue the subrogation claims against the defendants?

Speaker 2

Sure, Jonathan. And again, keep in mind, I am also a non lawyer. So what's in play right now is you have individual plaintiffs who let's see what was the actual date. I think it was anyway, just a few weeks ago, they actually filed in Judge Cahill's court a motion which challenges the subrogation plaintiff's ability to independently seek claims. So that is one of the ongoing efforts by the individual plaintiffs.

Speaker 2

Judge Cahill has agreed to hold a hearing on August 13, in which he will really look at the issue of whether or not individual plaintiffs I'm sorry, subrogation plaintiffs are required to work through individual plaintiffs' settlement amounts, as opposed to themselves in parallel coming against the defendants. So the August 13 hearing is just that, it's a hearing. We don't have any particular sense of how long it will take for the judge to rule on this issue. We're hopeful that it will be resolved fairly quickly, which would allow more clarity to be brought to the overall settlement agreement.

Speaker 6

Okay. So I mean, again, this is my non legal understanding, but if he requires the insurance companies to work through the individual plate and settlement agreements, isn't that kind of putting a substantial financial and legal burden back on the victims after reaching this settlement and really not allowing them to move forward if the insurance companies can essentially go after these individual plaintiffs that try to recoup the $2,300,000,000 or whatever that they paid out so far?

Speaker 2

Yes. I mean in effect, what the individual plaintiffs' lawyers are arguing is that in effect it does result between having to

Speaker 6

ideal outcome either. So like what happens exactly after 90 days assuming the court doesn't come to this agreement and if the victims have not or sorry, if the insurers and the victims haven't resolved their dispute, what happens after 90 days? Is it just the settlement kind of dissolves and then those court cases would kind of resume that are currently

Speaker 2

suspended? Well, so the term sheet does require as a condition precedent that again within this 90 days either there is an agreement that's reached between the individual plaintiffs and the subrogation plaintiffs or you receive a court decision that resolves the issue. If the 90 days comes and goes without either of these occurring, then it's fair to say all the parties would assess, reassess what the right steps forward are at that point. But I can't speculate on what that would be.

Speaker 6

Okay. And then I guess just another one for me, if you don't mind. With the global settlement, I mean, it seems like it's really within reach and defendants seemingly are highly motivated to reach the settlement, get it finalized. It would seem like the one way to get there might be to increase the total size of the settlement above the 4,040,000,000 dollars so as to hopefully get the insurers on board, but not at the expense of the victims. How would you describe the prospects and willingness of the defendants to do this?

Speaker 2

Well, I can't speak for the other defendants, Jonathan, but I can say that I think we believe that the what's reflected in the current term sheet is a fair outcome. And really the issue is between the subrogation plaintiffs and the individual plaintiffs. We feel that again we are hopeful. I am cautiously optimistic that it will be able to be worked out.

Speaker 6

Okay. Like I know in the term sheet kind of said that the amount kind of represents the maximum amount that I guess the parties could kind of handle. Is that true for all of them or is it based on, I guess, the mediator is also like assigned responsibility or liability?

Speaker 2

Yes. Again, I can't comment on what the capacity is of all the different defendants. This was an overall amount and the allocated amounts were developed through the mediation process. The mediators considered any number of factors, which again I can't really speculate on.

Speaker 4

Okay.

Speaker 6

All right. Thank you. I appreciate you taking the questions and good luck with the difficult situation.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Jonathan.

Operator

And that concludes our Q and A session. I will now turn the conference back over to Scott Su for closing remarks.

Speaker 2

So thank you all for calling in today. So in closing, I want to first acknowledge again the significance of the 1 year anniversary of the Maui wildfires. The perseverance and resilience and togetherness of the Lahaina and Kula communities really shown through all of yesterday's remembrance events. I also want to acknowledge our shareholders, many of whom are our neighbors here for your continued investment in HEI. We've made significant progress towards rebuilding the strength of our company in the service of the people of Hawaii.

Speaker 2

We truly do recognize that service to our people, our communities and our customers. We feel that this settlement agreement represents significant progress. It's a very large accomplishment as it brings certainty and creates a path forward for us. We do not intend to raise rates to pay for the settlement amounts and we believe that we will be ultimately successful in meeting the needs. So again, we greatly appreciate your support and we'll continue to help our communities move forward to a sustainable future.

Speaker 2

Thank you.

Operator

This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.

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