Our business is subject to the risk of natural gas and LNG price competition at times when we need to replace any existing customer contract, whether due to natural expiration, default or otherwise, or enter into new customer contracts. Factors relating to competition may prevent us from entering into new or replacement customer contracts on economically comparable terms to existing customer contracts, or at all. Such an event could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects. Factors which may negatively affect potential demand for natural gas from our business are diverse and include, among others:
increases in worldwide LNG production capacity and availability of LNG for market supply;
increases in demand for natural gas but at levels below those required to maintain current price equilibrium with respect to supply;
increases in the cost to supply natural gas feedstock to our liquefaction projects;
increases in the cost to supply LNG feedstock to our Facilities;
decreases in the cost of competing sources of natural gas, LNG or alternate fuels such as coal, heavy fuel oil and automotive diesel oil (“ADO”)
decreases in the price of LNG; and
displacement of LNG or fossil fuels more broadly by alternate fuels or energy sources or technologies (including but not limited to nuclear, wind, solar, biofuels and batteries) in locations where access to these energy sources is not currently available or prevalent.
In addition, we may not be able to successfully execute on our strategy to supply our existing and future customers with LNG produced primarily at our own Liquefaction Facilities upon completion of the Pennsylvania Facility. See “–We have not yet completed contracting, construction and commissioning of all of our Facilities and Liquefaction Facilities. There can be no assurance that our Facilities and Liquefaction Facilities will operate as expected, or at all.”
As part of our business development, we enter into non-binding agreements, and may not agree to final definitive documents on similar terms or at all.
Our business development process includes entering into non-binding letters of intent, non-binding memorandums of understanding, non-binding term sheets and responding to requests for proposals with potential customers. These agreements and any award following a request for proposals are subject to negotiating final definitive documents. The negotiation process may cause us or our potential counterparty to adjust the material terms of the agreement, including the price, term, schedule and any related development obligations. We cannot assure you if or when we will enter into binding definitive agreements for transactions initially described in non-binding agreements, and the terms of our binding agreements may differ materially from the terms of the related non-binding agreements.
As part of our efforts to reduce global carbon emissions, we are making investments in hydrogen energy technologies. The innovative nature of these projects entails the risk that we may never realize the anticipated benefits we hope to achieve for the planet.
We are making investments to develop green hydrogen energy technologies as part of our long-term goal to become one of the world’s leading providers of carbon-free energy. In October 2020, we announced our intention to partner with Long Ridge Energy Terminal and GE Gas Power to transition a power plant to be capable of burning 100% green hydrogen over the next decade, and investment in H2Pro, an Israel-based company developing a novel, efficient, and low-cost green hydrogen production technology. We expect to make additional investments in this field in the future. Because these technologies are innovative, we may be making investments in unproven business strategies and technologies with which we have limited or no prior development or operating experience. As an investor in these technologies, it is also possible that we could be exposed to claims and liabilities, expenses, regulatory challenges and other risks.
Technological innovation may impair the economic attractiveness of our projects.
The success of our current operations and future projects will depend in part on our ability to create and maintain a competitive position in the natural gas liquefaction industry. In particular, although we plan to build out our delivery logistics chain in Northern Pennsylvania using proven technologies such as those currently in operation at our Miami Facility, we do not have any exclusive rights to any of these technologies. In addition, such technologies may be rendered obsolete or uneconomical by legal or regulatory requirements, technological advances, more efficient and cost-effective processes or entirely different approaches developed by one or more of our competitors or others, which could materially and adversely affect our business, ability to realize benefits from future projects, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects.
Changes in legislation and regulations could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects.
Our business is subject to numerous governmental laws, rules, regulations and requires permits that impose various restrictions and obligations that may have material effects on our results of operations. In addition, each of the applicable regulatory requirements and limitations is subject to change, either through new regulations enacted on the federal, state or local level, or by new or modified regulations that may be implemented under existing law. The nature and extent of any changes in these laws, rules, regulations and permits may be unpredictable and may have material effects on our business. Future legislation and regulations or changes in existing legislation and regulations, or interpretations thereof, such as those relating to the liquefaction, storage, or regasification of LNG, or its transportation could cause additional expenditures, restrictions and delays in connection with our operations as well as other future projects, the extent of which cannot be predicted and which may require us to limit substantially, delay or cease operations in some circumstances. For example, in March 2021, an amendment to the Mexican Power Industry Law (Ley de la Industria Electrica) was published which would reduce the dispatch priority of privately-owned power plants compared to state-owned power plants in Mexico. The amendment was determined to be unconstitutional by a Mexican court, but the administration may propose a constitutional amendment to implement the change. More recently, on May 4, 2021, an amendment to the Mexican Hydrocarbons Law (Ley de Hidrocarburos) was published which would negatively impact our permits in Mexico. This amendment is being challenged as unconstitutional. If the amendment is enforced against us, it could negatively affect our permitting applications, our revenue and results of operations. If either amendment is enforced against us, it could negatively affect our plant’s dispatch and our revenue and results of operations. Revised, reinterpreted or additional laws and regulations that delay our ability to obtain permits necessary to commence operations or that result in increased compliance costs or additional operating costs and restrictions could have an adverse effect on our business, the ability to expand our business, including into new markets, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects.
Increasing trucking regulations may increase our costs and negatively impact our results of operations.
We are developing a transportation system specifically dedicated to transporting LNG from our Liquefaction Facilities to a nearby port, from which our LNG can be transported to our operations in the Atlantic Basin and elsewhere. This transportation system may include trucks that we or our affiliates own and operate. Any such operations would be subject to various trucking safety regulations, including those which are enacted, reviewed and amended by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”). These regulatory authorities exercise broad powers, governing activities such as the authorization to engage in motor carrier operations, driver licensing, insurance requirements, financial reporting and review of certain mergers, consolidations and acquisitions, and transportation of hazardous materials. To a large degree, intrastate motor carrier operations are subject to state and/or local safety regulations that mirror federal regulations but also regulate the weight and size dimensions of loads.
All federally regulated carriers’ safety ratings are measured through a program implemented by the FMCSA known as the Compliance Safety Accountability (“CSA”) program. The CSA program measures a carrier’s safety performance based on violations observed during roadside inspections as opposed to compliance audits performed by the FMCSA. The quantity and severity of any violations are compared to a peer group of companies of comparable size and annual mileage. If a company rises above a threshold established by the FMCSA, it is subject to action from the FMCSA. There is a progressive intervention strategy that begins with a company providing the FMCSA with an acceptable plan of corrective action that the company will implement. If the issues are not corrected, the intervention escalates to on-site compliance audits and ultimately an “unsatisfactory” rating and the revocation of the company’s operating authority by the FMCSA, which could result in a material adverse effect on our business and consolidated results of operations and financial position.
Any trucking operations would be subject to possible regulatory and legislative changes that may increase our costs. Some of these possible changes include changes in environmental regulations, changes in the hours of service regulations which govern the amount of time a driver may drive or work in any specific period, onboard black box recorder device requirements or limits on vehicle weight and size.
We may not be able to renew or obtain new or favorable charters or leases, which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We have obtained long-term leases and corresponding rights-of-way agreements with respect to the land on which the Jamaica Facilities, the pipeline connecting the Montego Bay Facility to the Bogue Power Plant (as defined herein), the Miami Facility, the San Juan Facility and the CHP Plant are situated. However, we do not own the land. As a result, we are subject to the possibility of increased costs to retain necessary land use rights as well as local law. If we were to lose these rights or be required to relocate, our business could be materially and adversely affected. The Miami Facility is currently located on land we are leasing from an affiliate. Any payments under the existing lease or future modifications or extensions to the lease could involve transacting with an affiliate. We have also entered into LNG tanker charters in order to secure shipping capacity for our import of LNG to the Jamaica Facilities.
Our ability to renew existing charters or leases for our current projects or obtain new charters or leases for our future projects will depend on prevailing market conditions upon expiration of the contracts governing the leasing or charter of the applicable assets. Therefore, we may be exposed to increased volatility in terms of rates and contract provisions. Likewise, our counterparties may seek to terminate or renegotiate their charters or leases with us. If we are not able to renew or obtain new charters or leases in direct continuation, or if new charters or leases are entered into at rates substantially above the existing rates or on terms otherwise less favorable compared to existing contractual terms, our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
We may not be able to successfully enter into contracts or renew existing contracts to charter tankers in the future, which may result in us not being able to meet our obligations.
We enter into time charters of ocean-going tankers for the transportation of LNG, which extend for varying lengths of time. We may not be able to successfully enter into contracts or renew existing contracts to charter tankers in the future, which may result in us not being able to meet our obligations. We are also exposed to changes in market rates and availability for tankers, which may affect our earnings. Fluctuations in rates result from changes in the supply of and demand for capacity and changes in the demand for seaborne carriage of commodities. Because the factors affecting the supply and demand are outside of our control and are unpredictable, the nature, timing, direction and degree of changes in industry conditions are also unpredictable.
We rely on the operation of tankers under our time charters and ship-to-ship kits to transfer LNG between ships. The operation of ocean-going tankers and kits carries inherent risks. These risks include the possibility of:
natural disasters;
mechanical failures;
grounding, fire, explosions and collisions;
piracy;
human error; and
war and terrorism.
We do not currently maintain a redundant supply of ships, ship-to-ship kits or other equipment. As a result, if our current equipment fails, is unavailable or insufficient to service our LNG purchases, production, or delivery commitments we may need to procure new equipment, which may not be available or be expensive to obtain. Any such occurrence could delay the start of operations of facilities we intend to commission, interrupt our existing operations and increase our operating costs. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
The operation of LNG carriers is inherently risky, and an incident resulting in significant loss or environmental consequences involving an LNG vessel could harm our reputation and business.
Cargoes of LNG and our chartered vessels are at risk of being damaged or lost because of events such as:
marine disasters;
piracy;
bad weather;
mechanical failures;
environmental accidents;
grounding, fire, explosions and collisions;
human error; and
war and terrorism.
An accident involving our cargoes or any of our chartered vessels could result in any of the following:
death or injury to persons, loss of property or environmental damage;
delays in the delivery of cargo;
loss of revenues;
termination of charter contracts;
governmental fines, penalties or restrictions on conducting business;
higher insurance rates; and
damage to our reputation and customer relationships generally.
Any of these circumstances or events could increase our costs or lower our revenues.
If our chartered vessels suffer damage as a result of such an incident, they may need to be repaired. Repairs and maintenance costs for existing vessels are difficult to predict and may be substantially higher than for vessels we have operated since they were built. The loss of earnings while these vessels are being repaired would decrease our results of operations. If a vessel we charter were involved in an accident with the potential risk of environmental impacts or contamination, the resulting media coverage could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, our business, our results of operations and cash flows and weaken our financial condition. These risks also affect Hygo and GMLP and remain relevant following the Mergers.
Our chartered vessels operating in certain jurisdictions including the United States, now or in the future, will be subject to cabotage laws including the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, as amended (the “Jones Act”).
Certain activities related to our logistics and shipping operations may constitute “coastwise trade” within the meaning of laws and regulations of the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Under these laws and regulations, often referred to as cabotage laws, including the Jones Act, in the U.S., only vessels meeting specific national ownership and registration requirements or which are subject to an exception or exemption, may engage in such “coastwise trade”. When we operate or charter foreign-flagged vessels, we do so within the current interpretation of such cabotage laws with respect to permitted activities for foreign-flagged vessels. Significant changes in cabotage laws or to the interpretation of such laws in the places where we operate could affect our ability to operate or charter, or competitively operate or charter, our foreign-flagged vessels in those waters. If we do not continue to comply with such laws and regulations, we could incur severe penalties, such as fines or forfeiture of any vessels or their cargo, and any noncompliance or allegations of noncompliance could disrupt our operations in the relevant jurisdiction. Any noncompliance or alleged noncompliance could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, our business, our results of operations and cash flows, and could weaken our financial condition. These risks also affect Hygo and GMLP.
Our chartered vessels operating in international waters, now or in the future, will be subject to various international and local laws and regulations relating to protection of the environment.
Our chartered vessels’ operations in international waters and in the territorial waters of other countries are regulated by extensive and changing international, national and local environmental protection laws, regulations, treaties and conventions in force in international waters, the jurisdictional waters of the countries in which our vessels operate, as well as the countries of our vessels’ registration, including those governing oil spills, discharges to air and water, the handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes and the management of ballast water. The International Maritime Organization (“IMO”) International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of 1973, as amended from time to time, and generally referred to as “MARPOL,” can affect operations of our chartered vessels. In addition, our chartered LNG vessels may become subject to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea (the “HNS Convention”), adopted in 1996 and subsequently amended by a Protocol to the HNS Convention in April 2010. Other regulations include, but are not limited to, the designation of Emission Control Areas under MARPOL, the IMO International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage of 1969, as amended from time to time, the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, the IMO International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974, as amended from time to time, the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operations of Ships and for Pollution Prevention, the IMO International Convention on Load Lines of 1966, as amended from time to time and the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments in February 2004.
Moreover, the overall trends are towards more regulations and more stringent requirements which are likely to add to our costs of doing business. For example, IMO regulations, which became applicable on January 1, 2020, limit the sulfur content of fuel oil for ships to 0.5 weight percent starting January 1, 2020. Likewise, the European Union is considering extending its emissions trading scheme to maritime transport to reduce GHG emissions from vessels. We contract with leading vessel providers in the LNG market and look for them to take the lead in maintaining compliance with all such requirements, although the terms of our charter agreements may call for us to bear some or all of the associated costs. While we believe we are similarly situated with respect to other companies that charter vessels, we cannot assure you that these requirements will not have a material effect on our business.
Our chartered vessels operating in U.S. waters, now or in the future, will also be subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to protection of the environment, including the OPA, the CERCLA, the CWA and the CAA. In some cases, these laws and regulations require governmental permits and authorizations before conducting certain activities. These environmental laws and regulations may impose substantial penalties for noncompliance and substantial liabilities for pollution. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties. As with the industry generally, our chartered vessels’ operations will entail risks in these areas, and compliance with these laws and regulations, which may be subject to frequent revisions and reinterpretation, may increase our overall cost of business.
There may be shortages of LNG tankers worldwide, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
We rely on ocean-going LNG tankers and freight carriers (for ISO containers) for the movement of LNG. Consequently, our ability to provide services to our customers could be adversely impacted by shifts in tanker market dynamics, shortages in available cargo capacity, changes in policies and practices such as scheduling, pricing, routes of service and frequency of service, or increases in the cost of fuel, taxes and labor, and other factors not within our control. The construction and delivery of LNG tankers require significant capital and long construction lead times, and the availability of the tankers could be delayed to the detriment of our LNG business and our customers because of:
an inadequate number of shipyards constructing LNG tankers and a backlog of orders at these shipyards;
political or economic disturbances in the countries where the tankers are being constructed;
changes in governmental regulations or maritime self-regulatory organizations;
work stoppages or other labor disturbances at the shipyards, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
bankruptcy or other financial crisis of shipbuilders;
quality or engineering problems;
weather interference or a catastrophic event, such as a major earthquake, tsunami or fire; or
shortages of or delays in the receipt of necessary construction materials.
Changes in ocean freight capacity, which are outside our control, could negatively impact our ability to provide natural gas if LNG shipping capacity is adversely impacted and LNG transportation costs increase because we may bear the risk of such increases and may not be able to pass these increases on to our customers. Material interruptions in service or stoppages in LNG transportation could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
• Competition in the LNG industry is intense, and some of our competitors have greater financial, technological and other resources than we currently possess.possess;
We operate in the highly competitive area of LNG production and face intense competition from independent, technology-driven companies as well as from both major and other independent oil and natural gas companies and utilities, many of which have been in operation longer than us.
Many competing companies have secured access to, or are pursuing development or acquisition of, LNG facilities in North America and internationally. We may face competition from major energy companies and others in pursuing our proposed business strategy to provide liquefaction and export products and services. In addition, competitors have and are developing LNG facilities in other markets, which will compete with our LNG facilities. Some of these competitors have longer operating histories, more development experience, greater name recognition, larger staffs and substantially greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we currently possess. We also face competition for the contractors needed to build our facilities. The superior resources that some of these competitors have available for deployment could allow them to compete successfully against us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, ability to realize benefits from future projects, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects.
• Failure of LNG to be a competitive source of energy in the markets in which we operate, and seek to operate, could adversely affect our expansion strategy.strategy;
Our operations are, and will be, dependent upon LNG being a competitive source of energy• Cyclical or other changes in the markets in which we operate. In the United States, due mainly to a historic abundant supply of natural gasdemand for and discoveries of substantial quantities of unconventional, or shale, natural gas, imported LNG has not developed into a significant energy source. The success of the domestic liquefaction component of our business plan is dependent, in part, on the extent to which natural gas can, for significant periods and in significant volumes, be produced in the United States at a lower cost than the cost to produce some domestic supplies of other alternative energy sources, and that it can be transported at reasonable rates through appropriately scaled infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic and actions by OPEC have significantly impacted energy markets, and the price of oil has recently traded at historic low prices.
Potential expansion in the CaribbeanLNG and other parts of world where we may operate is primarily dependent upon LNG being a competitive source of energy in those geographical locations. For example, in the Caribbean, due mainly to a lack of regasification infrastructure and an underdeveloped international market for natural gas, natural gas has not yet developed into a significant energy source. The success of our operations in the Caribbean is dependent, in part, on the extent to which LNG can, for significant periods and in significant volumes, be produced internationally and delivered to Caribbean customers at a lower cost than the cost to deliver other alternative energy sources.
Political instability in foreign countries that export LNG, or strained relations between such countries and countries in the Caribbean, may also impede the willingness or ability of LNG suppliers and merchants in such countries to export LNG to the Caribbean. Furthermore, some foreign suppliers of LNG may have economic or other reasons to direct their LNG to non-Caribbean markets or from or to our competitors’ LNG facilities. Natural gas also competes with other sources of energy, including coal, oil, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar energy, which may become available at a lower cost in certain markets.
As a result of these and other factors, natural gas may not be a competitive source of energy in the markets we intend to serve or elsewhere. The failure of natural gas to be a competitive supply alternative to oil and other alternative energy sources could adversely affect our abilitybusiness and the performance of our customers;
• We may not be able to deliverpurchase or receive physical delivery of LNG or natural gas in sufficient quantities and/or at economically attractive prices to satisfy our delivery obligations under the GSAs, PPAs and SSAs;
• We seek to develop innovative and new technologies as part of our strategy that are not yet proven and may not realize the time and cost savings we expect to achieve;
• We have incurred, and may in the future incur, a significant amount of debt;
• Our business is dependent upon obtaining substantial additional funding from various sources, which may not be available or may only be available on unfavorable terms;
• We may engage in mergers, sales and acquisitions, reorganizations or similar transactions related to our customersbusinesses or assets in the Caribbeanfuture and we may fail to successfully complete such transaction or to realize the expected value;
• Weather events or other locations on a commercial basis.
Any usenatural or manmade disasters or phenomena, some of hedging arrangementswhich may be adversely affect our future operating results or liquidity.
To reduce our exposure to fluctuations in the price, volume and timing risk associated with the purchase of natural gas, we may enter into futures, swaps and option contracts traded or cleared on the Intercontinental Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange or over-the-counter (“OTC”) 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 aimpacted by global climate 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. However, we do not currently have any hedging arrangements, and failure to properly hedge our positions against changes in natural gas prices could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Our risk management strategies cannot eliminate all LNG price and supply risks. In addition, any non-compliance with our risk management strategies could result in significant financial losses.
Our strategy is to maintain a manageable balance between LNG purchases, on the one hand, and sales or future delivery obligations, on the other hand. Through these transactions, we seek to earn a margin for the LNG purchased by selling LNG for physical delivery to third-party users, such as public utilities, shipping/marine cargo companies, industrial users, railroads, trucking fleets and other potential end-users converting from traditional ADO or oil fuel to natural gas. These strategies cannot, however, eliminate all price risks. For example, any event that disrupts our anticipated supply chain could expose us to risk of loss resulting from price changes if we are required to obtain alternative supplies to cover these transactions. We are also exposed to basis risks when LNG is purchased against one pricing index and sold against a different index. Moreover, we are also exposed to other risks, including price risks on LNG we own, which must be maintained in order to facilitate transportation of the LNG to our customers or to our Facilities. If we were to incur a material loss related to commodity price risks, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. There can be no assurance thatprojects, as well as on the economies in the markets in which we will complete the Pennsylvania Facilityoperate or be ableplan to supply our Facilities and the CHP Plant with LNG produced at our own Liquefaction Facilities. Even if we do complete the Pennsylvania Facility, there can be no assurance that it will operate as expected or that we will succeed in our goal of reducing the risk to our operations of future LNG price variations.operate;
• We may experience increased labor costs and regulation, and the unavailability of skilled workers or our failure to attract and retain qualified personnel, could adversely affect us.
We are dependent upon the available labor pool of skilled employees, including truck drivers. We compete with other energy companies and other employers to attract and retain qualified personnel with the technical skills and experience required to construct and operate our energy-related infrastructure and to provide our customers with the highest quality service. In addition, the tightening of the transportation related labor market due to the shortage of skilled truck drivers may affect our ability to hire and retain skilled truck drivers and require us to pay increased wages. Our affiliates in the United States who hire personnel on our behalf are also subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs such matters as minimum wage, overtime and other working conditions. We are also subject to applicable labor regulations in the other jurisdictions in which we operate, including Jamaica. We may face challenges and costs in hiring, retaining and managing our Jamaican and other employee base. A shortage in the labor pool of skilled workers, particularly in Jamaica or the United States, or other general inflationary pressures or changes in applicable laws and regulations, could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified personnel and could require an increase in the wage and benefits packages that we offer, thereby increasing our operating costs. Any increase in our operating costs could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.
Our current lack of asset and geographic diversification could have an adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
The substantial majority of our anticipated revenue in 2021 will be dependent upon our assets and customers in Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Jamaica and Puerto Rico have historically experienced economic volatility and the general condition and performance of their economies, over which we have no control, may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Due to our current lack of asset and geographic diversification, an adverse development at the Jamaica Facilities or our San Juan Facility, in the energy industry or in the economic conditions in Jamaica or Puerto Rico, would have a significantly greater impact on our financial condition and operating results than if we maintained more diverse assets and operating areas.
Our business could be affected adversely by labor disputes, strikes or work stoppages in Brazil
All of our employees in Brazil are represented by a labor union and are covered by collective bargaining agreements pursuant to Brazilian labor legislation. As a result, we are subject to the risk of labor disputes, strikes, work stoppages and other labor-relations matters. We could experience a disruption of our operations or higher ongoing labor costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Future negotiations with the unions or other certified bargaining representatives could divert management attention and disrupt operations, which may result in increased operating expenses and lower net income. Moreover, future agreements with unionized and non-unionized employees may be on terms that are note as attractive as our current agreements or comparable to agreements entered into by our competitors. Labor unions could also seek to organize some or all of our non-unionized workforce.
We may incur impairments to long-lived assets.
We test our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable. Significant negative industry or economic trends, and decline of our market capitalization, reduced estimates of future cash flows for our business segments or disruptions to our business could lead to an impairment charge of our long-lived assets. Our valuation methodology for assessing impairment requires management to make judgments and assumptions based on historical experience and to rely heavily on projections of future operating performance. Projections of future operating results and cash flows may vary significantly from results. In addition, if our analysis results in an impairment to our long-lived assets, we may be required to record a charge to earnings in our consolidated financial statements during a period in which such impairment is determined to exist, which may negatively impact our operating results.
A major health and safety incident involving LNG or the energy industry more broadly or relating to our business may lead to more stringent regulation of LNG operations or the energy business generally, could result in greater difficulties in obtaining permits, including under environmental laws, on favorable terms, and may otherwise lead to significant liabilities and reputational damage.
Health and safety performance is critical to the success of all areas of our business. Any failure in health and safety performance from our operations may result in an event that causes personal harm or injury to our employees, other persons, and/or the environment, as well as the imposition of injunctive relief and/or penalties for non-compliance with relevant regulatory requirements or litigation. Any such failure that results in a significant health and safety incident may be costly in terms of potential liabilities, and may result in liabilities that exceed the limits of our insurance coverage. Such a failure, or a similar failure elsewhere in the energy industry (including, in particular, LNG liquefaction, storage, transportation or regasification operations), could generate public concern, which may lead to new laws and/or regulations that would impose more stringent requirements on our operations, have a corresponding impact on our ability to obtain permits and approvals, and otherwise jeopardize our reputation or the reputation of our industry as well as our relationships with relevant regulatory agencies and local communities. Individually or collectively, these developments could adversely impact our ability to expand our business, including into new markets. Similarly, such developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
The swaps regulatory and other provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and the rules adopted thereunder and other regulations, including EMIR and REMIT, could adversely affect our ability to hedge risks associated with our business and our operating results and cash flows.
Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act established federal regulation of the OTC derivatives market and made other amendments to the Commodity Exchange Act that are relevant to our business. The provisions of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act and the rules adopted thereunder by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”), the SEC and other federal regulators may adversely affect our ability to manage certain of our risks on a cost-effective basis. Such laws and regulations may also adversely affect our ability to execute our strategies with respect to hedging our exposure to variability in expected future cash flows attributable to the future sale of our LNG inventory and to price risk attributable to future purchases of natural gas to be utilized as fuel to operate our Facilities, our CHP Plant and to secure natural gas feedstock for our Liquefaction Facilities.
The CFTC has proposed new rules setting limits on the positions in certain core futures contracts, economically equivalent futures contracts, options contracts and swaps for or linked to certain physical commodities, including natural gas, held by market participants, with limited exemptions for certain bona fide hedging and other types of transactions. The CFTC has also adopted final rules regarding aggregation of positions, under which a party that controls the trading of, or owns 10% or more of the equity interests in, another party will have to aggregate the positions of the controlled or owned party with its own positions for purposes of determining compliance with position limits unless an exemption applies. The CFTC’s aggregation rules are now in effect, though CFTC staff have granted relief, until August 12, 2022, from various conditions and requirements in the final aggregation rules. With the implementation of the final aggregation rules and upon the adoption and effectiveness of final CFTC position limits rules, our ability to execute our hedging strategies described above could be limited. It is uncertain at this time whether, when and in what form the CFTC’s proposed new position limits rules may become final and effective.
Under the Dodd-Frank Act and the rules adopted thereunder, we may be required to clear through a derivatives clearing organization any swaps into which we enter that fall within a class of swaps designated by the CFTC for mandatory clearing and we could have to execute trades in such swaps on certain trading platforms. The CFTC has designated six classes of interest rate swaps and credit default swaps for mandatory clearing, but has not yet proposed rules designating any other classes of swaps, including physical commodity swaps, for mandatory clearing. Although we expect to qualify for the end-user exception from the mandatory clearing and trade execution requirements for any swaps entered into to hedge our commercial risks, if we fail to qualify for that exception and have to clear such swaps through a derivatives clearing organization, we could be required to post margin with respect to such swaps, our cost of entering into and maintaining such swaps could increase and we would not enjoy the same flexibility with the cleared swaps that we enjoy with the uncleared OTC swaps we may enter. Moreover, the application of the mandatory clearing and trade execution requirements to other market participants, such as Swap Dealers, may change the cost and availability of the swaps that we may use for hedging.
As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFTC and the federal banking regulators have adopted rules requiring certain market participants to collect initial and variation margin with respect to uncleared swaps from their counterparties that are financial end-users and certain registered Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants. The requirements of those rules are subject to a phased-in compliance schedule, which commenced on September 1, 2016. Although we believe we will qualify as a non-financial end user for purposes of these rules, were we not to do so and have to post margin as to our uncleared swaps in the future, our cost of entering into and maintaining swaps would be increased. In June 2011, the Basel Committee on the Banking Supervision, an international trade body comprised of senior representatives of bank supervisory authorities and central banks from 27 countries, including the United States and the European Union, announced the final framework for a comprehensive set of capital and liquidity standards, commonly referred to as “Basel III.” Our counterparties that are subject to the Basel III capital requirements may increase the cost to us of entering into swaps with them or, although not required to collect margin from us under the margin rules, require us to post collateral with them in connection with such swaps in order to offset their increased capital costs or to reduce their capital costs to maintain those swaps on their balance sheets.
The Dodd-Frank Act also imposes regulatory requirements on swaps market participants, including Swap Dealers and other swaps entities as well as certain regulations on end-users of swaps, including regulations relating to swap documentation, reporting and recordkeeping, and certain business conduct rules applicable to Swap Dealers and other swaps entities. Together with the Basel III capital requirements on certain swaps market participants, these regulations could significantly increase the cost of derivative contracts (including through requirements to post margin or collateral), materially alter the terms of derivative contracts, reduce the availability of derivatives to protect against certain risks that we encounter, and reduce our ability to monetize or restructure derivative contracts and to execute our hedging strategies. If, as a result of the swaps regulatory regime discussed above, we were to forgo the use of swaps to hedge our risks, such as commodity price risks that we encounter in our operations, our operating results and cash flows may become more volatile and could be otherwise adversely affected.
The European Market Infrastructure Regulation (“EMIR”) may result in increased costs for OTC derivative counterparties and also lead to an increase in the costs of, and demand for, the liquid collateral that EMIR requires central counterparties to accept. Although we expect to qualify as a non-financial counterparty under EMIR and thus not be required to post margin under EMIR, our subsidiaries and affiliates operating in the Caribbean may still be subject to increased regulatory requirements, including recordkeeping, marking to market, timely confirmations, derivatives reporting, portfolio reconciliation and dispute resolution procedures. Regulation under EMIR could significantly increase the cost of derivatives contracts, materially alter the terms of derivatives contracts and reduce the availability of derivatives to protect against risks that we encounter. The increased trading costs and collateral costs may have an adverse impact on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
Our subsidiaries and affiliates operating in the Caribbean may be subject to the Regulation on Wholesale Energy Market Integrity and Transparency (“REMIT”) as wholesale energy market participants. This classification imposes increased regulatory obligations on our subsidiaries and affiliates, including a prohibition to use or disclose insider information or to engage in market manipulation in wholesale energy markets, and an obligation to report certain data. These regulatory obligations may increase the cost of compliance for our business and if we violate these laws and regulations, we could be subject to investigation and penalties.
Failure to obtain and maintain permits, approvals and authorizations from governmental and regulatory agencies on favorable terms with respect to the design, construction and operation of our facilities could impede operations and construction and could have a material adverse effect on us.
The design, construction and operation of energy-related infrastructure, including our existing and proposed facilities, the import and export of LNG and the transportation of natural gas, are highly regulated activities at the federal, state and local levels. The process to obtain the permits, approvals and authorizations we need to conduct our business is complex, challenging and varies in each jurisdiction in which we operate.
In the United States and Puerto Rico, approvals of the DOE under Section 3 of the NGA, as well as several other material governmental and regulatory permits, approvals and authorizations, including under the CAA and the CWA and their state analogues, may be required in order to construct and operate an LNG facility and export LNG. Permits, approvals and authorizations obtained from the DOE and other federal and state regulatory agencies also contain ongoing conditions, and additional requirements may be imposed. Certain federal permitting processes may trigger the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), which requires federal agencies to evaluate major agency actions that have the potential to significantly impact the environment. Compliance with NEPA may extend the time and/or increase the costs for obtaining necessary governmental approvals associated with our operations and create independent risk of legal challenges to the adequacy of the NEPA analysis, which could result in delays that may adversely affect our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and profitability. On July 15, 2020, the White House Council on Environmental Quality issued a final rule revising its NEPA regulations. These regulations have taken legal effect, and although they have been challenged in court, they have not been stayed. The Council on Environmental Quality has announced that it is engaged in an ongoing and comprehensive review of the revised regulations and is assessing whether and how the Council may ultimately undertake a new rulemaking to revise the regulations. The impacts of any such future revisions that may be adopted are uncertain and indeterminable for the foreseeable future. On June 18, 2020, we received an order from FERC, which asked us to explain why our San Juan Facility is not subject to FERC’s jurisdiction under section 3 of the NGA. Because we do not believe that the San Juan Facility is jurisdictional, we provided our reply to FERC on July 20, 2020 and requested that FERC act expeditiously. On March 19, 2021 FERC issued an order that the San Juan Facility does fall under FERC jurisdiction. FERC directed us to file an application for authorization to operate the San Juan Facility within 180 days of the order, which is September 15, 2021, but also found that allowing operation of the San Juan Facility to continue during the pendency of an application is in the public interest. FERC also concluded that no enforcement action against us is warranted, presuming we comply with the requirements of the order. Parties to the proceeding, including the Company, sought rehearing of the March 19, 2021 FERC order, and FERC denied all requests for rehearing in an order issued on July 15, 2021. We have filed petitions for review of FERC’s March 19, 2021 and July 15, 2021 orders with the United States Court of the Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. To date, no other party has sought review of FERC’s orders. While our petitions for review are pending, we intend to comply with FERC’s directive to file an application for authorization to operate the San Juan Facility no later than the September 15, 2021 deadline.
In Mexico, we have obtained substantially all permits and have commenced operations but are awaiting regassification and transmission permits. The regulatory authority that issues the regassification permit is temporarily closed because of COVID restrictions, and we do not know the precise date when we will receive the permits we need to commence full commercial operations.
We cannot control the outcome of any review or approval process in Mexico or any other jurisdiction where we operate, including whether or when any such permits, approvals and authorizations will be obtained, the terms of their issuance, or possible appeals or other potential interventions by third parties that could interfere with our ability to obtain and maintain such permits, approvals and authorizations or the terms thereof. If we are unable to obtain and maintain such permits, approvals and authorizations on favorable terms, we may not be able to recover our investment in our projects and may be subject to financial penalties under our customer and other agreements. Many of these permits, approvals and authorizations require public notice and comment before they can be issued, which can lead to delays to respond to such comments, and even potentially to revise the permit application. There is no assurance that we will obtain and maintain these governmental permits, approvals and authorizations on favorable terms, or that we will be able to obtain them on a timely basis, and failure to obtain and maintain any of these permits, approvals or authorizations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects. Moreover, many of these permits, approvals and authorizations are subject to administrative and judicial challenges, which can delay and protract the process for obtaining and implementing permits and can also add significant costs and uncertainty.
Existing and future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating costs or construction costs and restrictions.
Our business is now and will in the future be subject to extensive federal, state and local laws and regulations both in the United States and in other jurisdictions where we operate. These requirements regulate and restrict, among other things: the siting and design of our facilities; discharges to air, land and water, with particular respect to the protection of human health, the environment and natural resources and safety from risks associated with storing, receiving and transporting LNG; the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous materials, hazardous waste and petroleum products; and remediation associated with the release of hazardous substances. For example, PHMSA has promulgated detailed regulations governing LNG facilities under its jurisdiction to address siting, design, construction, equipment, operations, maintenance, personnel qualifications and training, fire protection and security. While the Miami Facility is subject to these regulations, none of our LNG facilities currently under development are subject to PHMSA’s jurisdiction, but state and local regulators can impose similar siting, design, construction and operational requirements. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard regulations require certain security and response plans, protocols and trainings to mitigate and reduce the risk of intentional or accidental impacts to energy transportation and production infrastructure located in certain domestic ports.
Federal and state laws impose liability, without regard to fault or the lawfulness of the original conduct, for the release of certain types or quantities of hazardous substances into the environment. As the owner and operator of our facilities, we could be liable for the costs of cleaning up any such hazardous substances that may be released into the environment at or from our facilities and for any resulting damage to natural resources.
Many of these laws and regulations, such as the CAA and the CWA, and analogous state laws and regulations, restrict or prohibit the types, quantities and concentrations of substances that can be emitted into the environment in connection with the construction and operation of our facilities, and require us to obtain and maintain permits and provide governmental authorities with access to our facilities for inspection and reports related to our compliance. For example, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection laws and regulations will apply to the construction and operation of the Pennsylvania Facility. Relevant local authorities may also require us to obtain and maintain permits associated with the construction and operation of our facilities, including with respect to land use approvals. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could lead to substantial liabilities, fines and penalties or capital expenditures related to pollution control equipment and restrictions or curtailment of our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
Other future legislation and regulations could cause additional expenditures, restrictions and delays in our business and to our proposed construction, the extent of which cannot be predicted and which may require us to limit substantially, delay or cease operations in some circumstances. In October 2017, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a legal determination that a 2013 interagency guidance document was a “rule” subject to the Congressional Review Act (“CRA”). This legal determination could open a broader set of agency guidance documents to potential disapproval and invalidation under the CRA, potentially increasing the likelihood that laws and regulations applicable to our business will become subject to revised interpretations in the future that we cannot predict. Revised, reinterpreted or additional laws and regulations that result in increased compliance costs or additional operating or construction costs and restrictions could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
Greenhouse Gases/Climate Change. The threat of climate change continues to attract considerable attention in the United States and inforeign countries. Numerous proposals have been made and could continue to be made at the international, national, regional and state government levels to monitor and limit existing and future GHG emissions. As a result, our operations are subject to a series of risks associated with the processing, transportation, and use of fossil fuels and emission of GHGs.
In the United States to date, no comprehensive climate change legislation has been implemented at the federal level, although various individual states and state coalitions have adopted or considered adopting legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives, including GHG cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, reporting and tracking programs, and emission restrictions, pollution reduction incentives, or renewable energy or low-carbon replacement fuel quotas. At the international level, the United Nations-sponsored “Paris Agreement” was signed by 197 countries who agreed to limit their GHG emissions through non-binding, individually-determined reduction goals every five years after 2020. The United States rejoined the Paris Agreement, effective February 19, 2021, and other countries where we operate or plan to operate, including Jamaica, Ireland, Mexico, and Nicaragua, have signed or acceded to this agreement. However, the scope of future climate and GHG emissions-focused regulatory requirements, if any, remain uncertain.
Governmental, scientific, and public concern over the threat of climate change arising from GHG emissions has resulted in increasing political uncertainty in the United States. For example, based in part on the publicized climate plan and pledges by President Biden, there may be significant legislation, rulemaking, or executive orders that seek to address climate change, incentivize low-carbon infrastructure or initiatives, or ban or restrict the exploration and production of fossil fuels. For example, although the U.S. has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, President Biden has issued executive orders recommitting the U.S. to the Paris Agreement and calling for the federal government to begin formulating the United States nationally determined emissions reductions goal under the agreement with the U.S. recommitting to the Paris Agreement, executive orders may be issued or federal legislation or regulatory initiatives may be adopted to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals.
Climate-related litigation and permitting risks are also increasing, as a number of cities, local governments and private organizations have sought to either bring suit against oil and natural gas companies in state or federal court, alleging various public nuisance claims, or seek to challenge permits required for infrastructure development. Fossil fuel producers are also facing general risks of shifting capital availability due to stockholder concern over climate change and potentially stranded assets in the event of future, comprehensive climate and GHG-related regulation. While several of these cases have been dismissed, there is no guarantee how future lawsuits might be resolved.
The adoption and implementation of new or more comprehensive international, federal or state legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives that impose more stringent restrictions on GHG emissions could result in increased compliance costs, and thereby reduce demand for or erode value for, the natural gas that we process and market. Additionally, political, litigation, and financial risks may result in reduced natural gas production activities, increased liability for infrastructure damages as a result of climatic changes, or an impaired ability to continue to operate in an economic manner. One or more of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
The adoption and implementation of any U.S. federal, state or local regulations or foreign regulations imposing obligations on, or limiting emissions of GHGs from, our equipment and operations could require us to incur significant costs to reduce emissions of GHGs associated with our operations or could adversely affect demand for natural gas and natural gas products. The potential increase in our operating costs could include new costs to operate and maintain our facilities, install new emission controls on our facilities, acquire allowances to authorize our GHG emissions, pay taxes related to our GHG emissions, and administer and manage a GHG emissions program. We may not be able to recover such increased costs through increases in customer prices or rates. In addition, changes in regulatory policies that result in a reduction in the demand for hydrocarbon products that are deemed to contribute to GHGs, or restrict their use, may reduce volumes available to us for processing, transportation, marketing and storage. These developments could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Fossil Fuels. Our business activities depend upon a sufficient and reliable supply of natural gas feedstock, and are therefore subject to concerns in certain sectors of the public about the exploration, production and transportation of natural gas and other fossil fuels and the consumption of fossil fuels more generally. Legislative and regulatory action, and possible litigation, in response to such public concerns may also adversely affect our operations. We may be subject to future laws, regulations, or actions to address such public concern with fossil fuel generation, distribution and combustion, greenhouse gases and the effects of global climate change.
Our customers may also move away from using fossil fuels such as LNG for their power generation needs for reputational or perceived risk-related reasons. These matters represent uncertainties in the operation and management of our business, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Hydraulic Fracturing. Certain of our suppliers of natural gas and LNG employ hydraulic fracturing techniques to stimulate natural gas production from unconventional geological formations (including shale formations), which currently entails the injection of pressurized fracturing fluids (consisting of water, sand and certain chemicals) into a well bore. Moreover, hydraulically fractured natural gas wells account for a significant percentage of the natural gas production in the U.S.; the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported in 2016 that hydraulically fractured wells provided two-thirds of U.S. marketed gas production in 2015. The requirements for permits or authorizations to conduct these activities vary depending on the location where such drilling and completion activities will be conducted. Several states have adopted or considered adopting regulations to impose more stringent permitting, public disclosure or well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations, or to ban hydraulic fracturing altogether. As with most permitting and authorization processes, there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether a permit will be granted, the time it will take for a permit or approval to be issued and any conditions which may be imposed in connection with the granting of the permit. Certain regulatory authorities have delayed or suspended the issuance of permits or authorizations while the potential environmental impacts associated with issuing such permits can be studied and appropriate mitigation measures evaluated. In addition to state laws, some local municipalities have adopted or considered adopting land use restrictions, such as city ordinances, that may restrict the performance of or prohibit the well drilling in general and/or hydraulic fracturing in particular.
Hydraulic fracturing activities are typically regulated at the state level, but federal agencies have asserted regulatory authority over certain hydraulic fracturing activities and equipment used in the production, transmission and distribution of oil and natural gas, including such oil and natural gas produced via hydraulic fracturing. Federal and state legislatures and agencies may seek to further regulate or even ban such activities. For example, the Delaware River Basin Commission (“DRBC”), a regional body created via interstate compact responsible for, among other things, water quality protection, water supply allocation, regulatory review, water conservation initiatives, and watershed planning in the Delaware River Basin, has implemented a de facto ban on hydraulic fracturing activities in that basin since 2010 pending the approval of new regulations governing natural gas production activity in the basin. More recently, the DRBC has stated that it will consider new regulations that would ban natural gas production activity, including hydraulic fracturing, in the basin. If additional levels of regulation or permitting requirements were imposed on hydraulic fracturing operations, natural gas prices in North America could rise, which in turn could materially adversely affect the relative pricing advantage that has existed in recent years in favor of domestic natural gas prices (based on Henry Hub pricing). Increased regulation or difficulty in permitting of hydraulic fracturing, and any corresponding increase in domestic natural gas prices, could materially adversely affect demand for LNG and our ability to develop commercially viable LNG facilities.
We are subject to numerous governmental export laws and trade and economic sanctions laws and regulations. Our failure to comply with such laws and regulations could subject us to liability and have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
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, particularly countries in the Caribbean, Ireland, Mexico, Nicaragua and the other countries in which we seek to do business. We must also comply with U.S. 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. Although we take precautions to comply with all such laws and regulations, violations of governmental export control 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 consequences. Moreover, it is possible that we could invest both time and capital into a project involving a counterparty who may become subject to sanctions. If any of our counterparties becomes subject to sanctions as a result of these laws and regulations or otherwise, we may face an array of issues, including, but not limited to: having to abandon the related project, being unable to recuperate prior invested time and capital or being subject to law suits, 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.
We are also subject to anti-corruption laws and regulations, 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 and/or other benefits. Some of the jurisdictions in which we currently, or may in the future, operate may present heightened risks for FCPA issues, such as Nicaragua, Jamaica, Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Although we have adopted policies and procedures that are designed to ensure that we, our employees and other intermediaries comply with the FCPA, it is highly challenging to adopt policies and procedures that ensure compliance in all respects with the FCPA, particularly in high-risk jurisdictions. Developing and implementing policies and procedures is a complex endeavor. 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-corruptionlabor 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 and reputation with current and potential customers. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and future business prospects.adversely affect;
In addition, in certain countries we serve or expect to serve our customers through third-party agents and other intermediaries, such as customs agents. Violations of applicable import, export, trade and economic sanctions 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 export control and economic sanctions laws and regulations in the future. In such event of non-compliance, our business and results of operations could be adversely impacted.
Risks Related to the Jurisdictions in Which We Operate
• We are currently highly dependent uponsubject to the economic, political, social and other conditions and developments in Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the other jurisdictions in which we operate.
We currently conduct a meaningful portion of our business in Brazil, Jamaica and Puerto Rico and we soon expect to commence commercial operations in Mexico and Nicaragua. As a result, our current business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects are materially dependent upon economic, political and other conditions and developments in these jurisdictions.
We currently have interests and operations in Jamaica and the United States (including Puerto Rico) and currently intend to expand into additional markets in the Caribbean, Mexico, Ireland, Nicaragua and other geographies, and such interests are subject to governmental regulation in each market. The governments in these markets differ widely with respect to structure, constitution and stability and some countries lack mature legal and regulatory systems. To the extent that our operations depend on governmental approval and regulatory decisions, the operations may be adversely affected by changes in the political structure or government representatives in each of the markets in which we operate. Recent political, security and economic changes have resulted in political and regulatory uncertainty in certain countries in which we operate or may pursue operations. Some of these markets have experienced political, security and economic instability in the recent past and may experience instability in the future. In 2019, public demonstrations in Puerto Rico led to the governor’s resignation and the political change interrupted the bidding process for the privatization of PREPA’s transmission and distribution systems. While our operations were not, to date, impacted by the demonstrations or changes in Puerto Rico’s administration, any substantial disruption in our ability to perform our obligations under the Fuel Sale and Purchase Agreement with PREPA could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Furthermore, we cannot predict how our relationship with PREPA could change given PREPA’s award for its transmission and distribution system. PREPA may seek to find alternative power sources or purchase substantially less natural gas from us than what we currently expect to sell to PREPA.
Any slowdown or contraction affecting the local economy in a jurisdiction in which we operate could negatively affect the ability of our customers to purchase LNG, natural gas, steam or power from us or to fulfill their obligations under their contracts with us. If the economy in Brazil, Jamaica, Puerto Rico or other jurisdictions in which we operate worsens because of, for example:
lower economic activity, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which has significantly affected Jamaica’s and other jurisdictions’ tourism industries;
change in applicable laws;
an increase in oil, natural gas or petrochemical prices;
devaluation of the applicable currency;
higher inflation; or
an increase in domestic interest rates,
then our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects may also be significantly affected by actions taken by the government in the jurisdictions in which we operate. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lower economic activity. Certain of the jurisdictions in which we operate have recently restricted travel, implemented workforce pressures, and experienced reduced business development, travel, hospitality and tourism due to COVID-19. Caribbean governments traditionally have played a central role in the economy and continue to exercise significant influence over many aspects of it. They may make changes in policy, or new laws or regulations may be enacted or promulgated, relating to, for example, monetary policy, taxation, exchange controls, interest rates, regulation of banking and financial services and other industries, government budgeting and public sector financing. These and other future developments in the Jamaican economy or in the governmental policies in our Caribbean markets may reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. For example, JPS and SJPC are subject to the mandate of the OUR. The OUR regulates the amount of money that power utilities in Jamaica, including JPS and SJPC, can charge their customers. Though the OUR cannot impact the fixed price we charge our customers for LNG, pricing regulations by the OUR and other similar regulators could negatively impact our customers’ ability to perform their obligations under our GSAs and, in the case of JPS, the PPA, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.operate;
Our development activities and future operations in Nicaragua may be materially affected by political, economic and other uncertainties.
Nicaragua has recently experienced political and economic challenges. Specifically, in 2018, U.S. legislation was approved to restrict U.S. aid to Nicaragua. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, U.S. and European governmental authorities imposed a number of sanctions against entities and individuals in or associated with the government of Nicaragua and Venezuela. If any of our counterparties becomes subject to sanctions as a result of these laws and regulations, changes thereto or otherwise, 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. There is also a risk of civil unrest, strikes or political turmoil in Nicaragua, and the outcome of any such unrest cannot be predicted.
• Our financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected by foreign exchange fluctuations.fluctuations;
Our condensed consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars. Therefore, fluctuations in exchange rates used to translate other currencies into U.S. dollars will impact our reported consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows from period to period. These fluctuations in exchange rates will also impact the value•A small number of our investments andoriginal investors have the return on our investments. Additionally, some of the jurisdictions in which we operate may limit our ability to exchange local currency for U.S. dollars.
A portiondirect the voting of a majority of our cash flowsstock, and expensestheir interests may inconflict with those of our other stockholders;
•The declaration and payment of dividends to holders of our Class A common stock is at the future be incurred in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Our material counterparties’ cash flowsdiscretion of our board of directors and expenses may be incurred in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Therethere can be no assurance that non-U.S. currencieswe will not be subject to volatility and depreciation or that the current exchange rate policies affecting these currencies will remain the same. We may choose not to hedge, or we may not be effective in efforts to hedge, this foreign currency risk. Depreciation or volatility of the Jamaican dollar against the U.S. dollar or other currencies could cause counterparties to be unablecontinue to pay their contractual obligations under our agreementsdividends in amounts or to lose confidence in us and may cause our expenses to increase from time to time relativeon a basis consistent with prior distributions to our revenues asinvestors, if at all;
General Risks
◦We are a result of fluctuations in exchange rates, which could affect the amount of net income that we report in future periods.
We have operations in multiple jurisdictions and may expand our operations to additional jurisdictions, including jurisdictions in which the tax laws, their interpretation or their administration may change. As a result, our tax obligations and related filings are complex and subject to change,holding company and our after-tax profitability could be lower than anticipated.
Weoperational and consolidated financial results are subject to income, withholding and other taxes independent on the United States on a worldwide basis and in numerous state, local and foreign jurisdictions with respect to our income and operations related to those jurisdictions. Our after-tax profitability could be affected by numerous factors, including the availability of tax credits, exemptions and other benefits to reduce our tax liabilities, changes in the relative amountresults of our earnings subject to tax in the various jurisdictionssubsidiaries, affiliates, joint ventures and special purpose entities in which we operate, the potential expansion of our business into or otherwise becoming subjectinvest;
◦We are unable to tax in additional jurisdictions, changes to our existing businesses and operations, the extent of our intercompany transactions andpredict the extent to which taxing authorities in the relevant jurisdictions respect those intercompany transactions.global COVID-19 pandemic will negatively affect our operations, financial performance, nor our ability to achieve our strategic objectives. We are also unable to predict how this global pandemic may affect our customers and suppliers; and
Our after-tax profitability may also be affected by changes in the relevant tax laws and tax rates, regulations, administrative practices and principles, judicial decisions, and interpretations, in each case, possibly with retroactive effect.
◦A change in tax laws in any country in which we operate could adversely affect us.
TaxWe may be unable to successfully integrate the businesses and realize the anticipated benefits of the Mergers.
In 2021, we consummated the Mergers, which involved the integration of Hygo and GMLP with our existing business. The integration of these businesses is a complex, costly and time-consuming process. The success of the Mergers will depend, in part, on our ability to successfully combine each of Hygo and GMLP, which recently operated as independent companies, with our business and realize the anticipated benefits, including synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies, from each combination. If we are unable to achieve these objectives within the anticipated time frame, or at all, the anticipated benefits may not be realized fully, or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected and the value of our common stock may be harmed. The integration of each of Hygo and GMLP into our business may result in material challenges, including, without limitation:
•managing a larger company;
•attracting, motivating and retaining management personnel and other key employees;
•the possibility of faulty assumptions underlying expectations regarding the integration process;
•retaining existing business and operational relationships and attracting new business and operational relationships;
•consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures and eliminating duplicative operations;
•coordinating geographically separate organizations;
•unanticipated issues in integrating information technology, communications and other systems; and
•unanticipated changes in federal or state laws regulationsor regulations.
In the course of the due diligence review of each of Hygo and treatiesGMLP that we conducted prior to the consummation of each of the Mergers, we may not have discovered, or may have been unable to quantify, undisclosed liabilities or other issues of Hygo or GMLP and their respective subsidiaries. Moreover, we may not have adequate legal protection from potential liabilities of, or in respect of our acquisition of, Hygo or GMLP, irrespective of whether such potential liabilities were discovered or not. Examples of such undisclosed or potential liabilities or other issues may include, but are highly complexnot limited to, pending or threatened litigation, regulatory matters, tax liabilities, indemnification of obligations, undisclosed counterparty termination rights, or undisclosed letter of credit or guarantee requirements. Any such undisclosed or potential liabilities or other issues could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Additionally, as a result of the Mergers, rating agencies may take negative actions against our credit ratings, which may increase our financing costs, including in connection with the financing of the Mergers.
Risks Related to Our Business
We have a limited operating history, which may not be sufficient to evaluate our business and prospects.
We have a limited operating history and track record. As a result, our prior operating history and historical financial statements may not be a reliable basis for evaluating our business prospects or the value of our Class A common stock. We commenced operations on February 25, 2014, and we had net losses of approximately $78.2 million in 2018, $204.3 million in 2019, and $264.0 million in 2020. In 2021, we recognized income of $92.7 million. Our limited operating history also means that we continue to develop and implement our strategies, policies and procedures, including those related to project development planning, operational supply chain planning, data privacy and other matters. We cannot give you any assurance that our strategy will be successful or that we will be able to implement our strategy on a timely basis, if at all, or achieve our internal model or that our assumptions will be accurate. Furthermore, in 2021, we consummated the Mergers, which involved the integration of Hygo and GMLP with our existing business. Our operating history prior to 2021 does not reflect the combination of these businesses and our limited operating history may not accurately reflect our business following consummation of the Mergers. The success of our business will depend, in part, on our ability to successfully combine each of Hygo and GMLP, which recently operated as independent companies, with our business and realize the anticipated benefits, failure of which could result in a material adverse effect upon our operations and business. See “—We may be unable to successfully integrate the businesses and realize the anticipated benefits of the Mergers.”
We may not be profitable for an indeterminate period of time.
We have a limited operating history and did not commence revenue-generating activities until 2016. We achieved profitability for the first time in 2021. Several of our projects have not reached commercial operations and we will not receive any material increase in operating cash flows until a project is completed. Even if completed, we may construct facilities to capture anticipated future energy consumption growth in a region in which such growth does not materialize. For example, the purchase of the project company holding the rights to develop and operate the Ireland Facility is subject to interpretation. Consequently,several contingencies, many of which are beyond our control and could cause us not to acquire the remaining interests of the project company or cause a delay in the construction of our Ireland Facility. We have made and will continue to make significant initial investments to complete construction and begin operations of each of our facilities, power plants and liquefaction facilities, as well as all related infrastructure, and we will need to make significant additional investments to develop, improve and operate them. We also expect to make significant expenditures and investments in identifying, acquiring and/or developing other future projects, including in connection with the Mergers and new technologies. We expect to incur significant expenses in connection with the growth of our business, including costs for LNG purchases, rail and truck transportation, shipping and logistics and personnel, as well as any technologies we develop. We will need to raise significant additional debt and equity funding to achieve our goals. We cannot assure you that we will be able to sustain such profitability in the future. Our failure to achieve or sustain profitability would have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our ability to implement our business strategy may be materially and adversely affected by many known and unknown factors.
Our business strategy relies on a variety of factors, including our ability to successfully market LNG, natural gas, steam, and power to end-users, develop and maintain cost-effective logistics in our supply chain and construct, develop and operate energy-related infrastructure in the countries where we operate, expand our projects and operations to other countries where we do not currently operate, and successfully integrate Hygo and GMLP into our business. These
assumptions are subject to significant economic, competitive, regulatory and operational uncertainties, contingencies and risks, many of which are beyond our control, including, among others:
• inability to achieve our target costs for the purchase, liquefaction and export of natural gas and/or LNG and our target pricing for long-term contracts;
• failure to develop strategic relationships;
• failure to obtain required governmental and regulatory approvals for the construction and operation of these projects and other relevant approvals;
• unfavorable laws and regulations, changes in laws or unfavorable interpretation or application of laws and regulations; and
• uncertainty regarding the timing, pace and extent of an economic recovery in the United States, the other jurisdictions in which we operate and elsewhere, which in turn will likely affect demand for crude oil and natural gas.
Furthermore, as part of our business strategy, we target customers who have not been traditional purchasers of natural gas, including customers in developing countries, and these customers may have greater credit risk than typical natural gas purchasers. Therefore, we may be exposed to greater customer credit risk than other companies in the industry. Our credit procedures and policies may be inadequate to sufficiently eliminate risks of nonpayment and nonperformance.
Our strategy may evolve over time. Our future ability to execute our business strategy is uncertain, and it can be expected that one or more of our assumptions will prove to be incorrect and that we will face unanticipated events and circumstances that may adversely affect our ability to execute our business strategy and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to various construction risks.
We are involved in the development of complex small, medium and large-scale engineering and construction projects, including our facilities, liquefaction facilities, power plants, and related infrastructure, which are often developed in multiple stages involving commercial and governmental negotiations, site planning, due diligence, permit requests, environmental impact studies, permit applications and review, marine logistics planning and transportation and end-user delivery logistics. In addition to our facilities, these infrastructure projects can include the development and construction of facilities as part of our customer contracts. Projects of this type are subject to a number of risks including, among others:
•engineering, environmental or geological problems;
•shortages or delays in the delivery of equipment and supplies;
•government or regulatory approvals, permits or other authorizations;
•failure to meet technical specifications or adjustments being required based on testing or commissioning;
•construction accidents that could result in personal injury or loss of life;
•lack of adequate and qualified personnel to execute the project;
•weather interference; and
•potential labor shortages, work stoppages or labor union disputes
Furthermore, because of the nature of our infrastructure, we are dependent on interconnection with transmission systems and other infrastructure projects of third parties, including our customers, and/or governmental entities. Such third-party projects can be greenfield or brownfield projects, including modifications to existing infrastructure or increases in capacity to existing facilities, among others, and are subject to various construction risks. Delays from such third parties or governmental entities could prevent connection to our projects and generate delays in our ability to develop our own projects. In addition, a primary focus of our business is the development of projects in foreign jurisdictions, including in locations where we have no prior development experience, and we expect to continue expanding into new jurisdictions in the future. These risks can be increased in jurisdictions where legal processes, language differences, cultural expectations, currency exchange requirements, political relations with the U.S. government, changes in the political views and structure, government representatives, new regulations, regulatory reviews, employment laws and diligence requirements can make it more difficult, time-consuming and expensive to develop a project. See “–Risks Related to the Jurisdictions in which we Operate—We are subject to the economic, political, social and other conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate.”
The occurrence of any one of these factors, whatever the cause, could result in unforeseen delays or cost overruns to our projects. Delays in the development beyond our estimated timelines, or amendments or change orders to our construction contracts, could result in increases to our development costs beyond our original estimates, which could require us to obtain additional financing or funding and could make the project less profitable than originally estimated or possibly not profitable at all. Further, any such delays could cause a delay in our anticipated receipt of revenues, a loss of one or more customers in the event of significant delays, and our inability to meet milestones or conditions precedents in
our customer contracts, which could lead to delay penalties and potentially a termination of agreements with our customers. We have experienced time delays and cost overruns in the construction and development of our projects as a result of the occurrence of various of the above factors, and no assurance can be given that we will not continue to experience in the future similar events, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, cash flows and liquidity.
Operation of our infrastructure, facilities and vessels involves significant risks.
Our existing infrastructure, facilities and vessels and expected future operations and businesses face operational risks, including, but not limited to, the following:
•performing below expected levels of efficiency or capacity or required changes to specifications for continued operations;
•breakdowns or failures of equipment or shortages or delays in the delivery of supplies;
•operational errors by trucks, including trucking accidents while transporting natural gas, LNG or any other chemical or hazardous substance;
•risks related to operators and service providers of tankers or tugs used in our operations;
•operational errors by us or any contracted facility, port or other operator of related infrastructure;
•failure to maintain the required government or regulatory approvals, permits or other authorizations;
•accidents, fires, explosions or other events or catastrophes;
•lack of adequate and qualified personnel;
•potential labor shortages, work stoppages or labor union disputes;
•weather-related or natural disaster interruptions of operations;
•pollution, release of or exposure to toxic substances, or environmental contamination affecting operation;
•inability, or failure, of any counterparty to any facility-related agreements to perform their contractual obligations;
•decreased demand by our customers, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
•planned and unplanned power outages or failures to supply due to scheduled or unscheduled maintenance.
In particular, we are subject to changing laws, treatiesrisks related to the operation of power plants, liquefaction facilities, marine and regulations inother LNG operations with respect to our facilities, floating storage regasification units ("FSRU") and between the countries inLNG carriers, which we operate. Our tax expense is based onoperations are complex and technically challenging and subject to mechanical and hazardous risks and problems. In particular, marine LNG operations are subject to a variety of risks, including, among others, marine disasters, piracy, bad weather, mechanical failures, environmental accidents, epidemics, grounding, fire, explosions and collisions, human error, and war and terrorism. An accident involving our interpretationcargoes or any of the tax laws in effect at the time the expense was incurred. A change in tax laws, regulations, or treaties, or in the interpretation thereof,our chartered vessels could result in death or injury to persons, loss of property or environmental damage; delays in the delivery of cargo; loss of revenues; termination of charter contracts; governmental fines, penalties or restrictions on conducting business; higher insurance rates; and damage to our reputation and customer relationships generally. Any of these circumstances or events could increase our costs or lower our revenues. If our chartered vessels suffer damage as a materiallyresult of such an incident, they may need to be repaired. Repairs and maintenance costs for existing vessels are difficult to predict and may be substantially higher tax expensethan for vessels we have operated since they were built and result in higher than anticipated operating expenses or require additional capital expenditures. The loss of earnings while these vessels are being repaired would decrease our results of operations. If a higher effective tax ratevessel we charter were involved in an accident with the potential risk of environmental impacts or contamination, the resulting media coverage could have a material adverse effect on our earnings.reputation, our business, our results of operations and cash flows and weaken our financial condition. Our marine operating expenses depend on a variety of factors including crew costs, provisions, deck and engine stores and spares, lubricating oil, insurance, maintenance and repairs and shipyard costs, many of which are beyond its control, such as the overall economic impacts caused by the global COVID-19 outbreak. Factors such as increased cost of qualified and experienced seafaring crew and changes in regulatory requirements could also increase operating expenditures. Future increases to operational costs are likely to occur. If costs rise, they could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, operational problems may lead to loss of revenue or higher than anticipated operating expenses or require additional capital expenditures. Any of these results could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Hygo’s Business ActivitiesWe cannot assure you that future occurrences of any of the events listed above or any other events of a similar or dissimilar nature would not significantly decrease or eliminate the revenues from, or significantly increase the costs of operating, our facilities or assets.
Hygo has commenced commercial operations at one facility. Hygo’s other planned facilities are in various stagesWe depend on third-party contractors, operators and suppliers.
We rely on third-party contractors, equipment manufacturers, suppliers and operators for the development, construction and operation of contracting customers, construction, permittingour projects and commissioning. There can be no assurance that Hygo’s planned facilities will commence operations timely, or at all.
Hygo’s Sergipe Facility commenced commercial operations in March 2020. However, Hygo hasassets. We have not yet commenced commercial operations or entered into binding contracts for the construction, contracts or obtaineddevelopment and operation of all necessary environmental, regulatory, constructionof our facilities and zoning permissions for any of its other facilities. In addition, although Hygo has been awarded environmentalassets, and regulatory licenses for its Santa Catarina Facility, Hygo has not secured any commercial projects nor obtained all remaining necessary approvals. There can be no assurancewe cannot assure you that Hygowe will be able to enter into the
contracts required for the development of Hygo facilities on commercially favorable terms, if at all, or that Hygo will be ablewhich could expose us to obtain all of the environmental, regulatory, constructionfluctuations in pricing and zoning permissions Hygo needs in Brazil and elsewhere.
In particular, Hygo will require agreements with ports proximatepotential changes to its facilities capable of handling the transload of LNG direct from its occupying vessel to its transportation assets.our planned schedule. If Hygo iswe are unable to enter into favorable contracts, or to obtain the necessary regulatory and land use approvals on favorable terms, Hygowe may not be able to construct and operate these assets as anticipated,expected, or at all. In addition,Furthermore, these agreements are the result of arms-length negotiations and subject to change. There can be no assurance that contractors and suppliers will perform their obligations successfully under their agreements with us. 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, 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. For example, each of our vessels is operated and maintained by GLNG or its affiliates pursuant to ship management agreements. Any failure by GLNG or its affiliates in the operation of our vessels could have an adverse effect on our maritime operations and could result in our failure to deliver LNG to our customers as required under our customer agreements. Although some agreements may provide for liquidated damages if the contractor or supplier fails to perform in the manner required with respect to its obligations, the events that trigger such liquidated damages may delay or impair the completion or operation of the facility, and 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, including, among others, any covenants or obligations by us to pay liquidated damages or penalties under our agreements with our customers, development services, the supply of natural gas, LNG or steam and the supply of power, as well as increased expenses or reduced revenue. Such liquidated damages may also be subject to caps on liability, and we may not have full protection to seek payment from our contractors to compensate us for such payments and other consequences. We may hire contractors to perform work in jurisdictions where they do not have previous experience, or contractors we have not previously hired to perform work in jurisdictions we are beginning to develop, future projects Hygo will, in many cases,which may lead to such contractors being unable to perform according to its respective agreement. Furthermore, we may have to secure the usedisagreements with our contractors about different elements of suitable vessels and, as required, convert them. Finally, the construction of facilities is inherently subjectprocess, which could lead to the risksassertion of rights and remedies under their contracts and increase the cost overruns and delays. For example,of the construction of Hygo’s Sergipe Power Plant experiencedapplicable facility or result in a two-month delay relatedcontractor’s unwillingness to the installation of various offshore equipment.
perform further work. If Hygo iswe are unable to construct and commission our facilities and operate all of its facilities,assets as expected, or, when and if constructed, they do not accomplish theirour goals, or if Hygo experienceswe experience delays or cost overruns in construction, our business, operating results, cash flows and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected. Expenses related
We operate in a highly regulated environment and our operations could be adversely affected by actions by governmental entities or changes to Hygo’s pursuitregulations and legislation
Our business is highly regulated and subject to numerous governmental laws, rules, regulations and requires permits, authorizations and various governmental and agency approvals, in the various jurisdictions in which we operate, that impose various restrictions and obligations that may have material effects on our business and results of contractsoperations. Each of the applicable regulatory requirements and regulatory approvals related to Hygo’s facilities still under development may be significant and will be incurred by Hygo regardless of whether these assets are ultimately constructed and operational.
There is no existing market in Brazil for the sale of LNG as a fuel source for trucking or vehicles generally. BR Distribuidora does not currently distribute, nor is obligated to commence distribution of, LNG through its distribution and fuel centers. Additionally, BR Distribuidora is not obligated to, and may not, convert any portion of its existing fleet of diesel trucks. Moreover, Hygo’s agreement with BR Distribuidoralimitations is subject to change, either through new regulations enacted on the federal, state or local level, or by new or modified regulations that may be implemented under existing law. The nature and extent of any changes in these laws, rules, regulations and permits may be unpredictable, have retroactive effects, and may have material effects on our business. Future legislation and regulations or changes in existing legislation and regulations, or interpretations thereof, such as those relating to the liquefaction, storage, or regasification of LNG, or its transportation could cause additional expenditures, restrictions and delays in connection with our operations as well as other future projects, the extent of which cannot be predicted and which may require us to limit substantially, delay or cease operations in some circumstances.
In addition, these rules and regulation are subject to decision, administration and implementation by various governmental agencies and bodies, which take actions or decisions that adversely affect our business or operations. For example, in March 2021, an amendment to the Mexican Power Industry Law (Ley de la Industria Electrica) was published which would reduce the dispatch priority of privately-owned power plants compared to state-owned power plants in Mexico. The amendment is currently suspended by Mexican courts in response to various challenges by hundreds of industry participants. The Mexican government may not implement such amendment until all such challenges have been resolved by a final judgment or dismissed by the Mexican courts. Furthermore, the Mexican Supreme Court recently discussed the constitutionality of the law and issued a non-binding majority vote in favor of declaring it unconstitutional, with the required super-majority for a general unconstitutional declaration being short by one vote. The law therefore remains suspended by the various challenges and until all of those challenges have been resolved or the suspensions revoked. As another example, on May 4, 2021, an amendment to the Mexican Hydrocarbons Law (Ley de Hidrocarburos) was published which would negatively impact our permits in Mexico. However, it has been challenged as unconstitutional by several private parties, and the legal claims are pending resolutions by Mexican courts. If the amendment is enforced against us, it could negatively affect our permitting applications, our revenue and results of operations. If either amendment is enforced against us, it could negatively affect our plant’s dispatch and our revenue and results of operations. Revised, reinterpreted or additional laws and regulations that delay our ability to obtain permits necessary to commence operations or that result in increased compliance costs or additional operating costs and restrictions could have an adverse effect on our business, the ability to expand our business, including into new markets, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects.
In the United States and Puerto Rico, approvals of the Department of Energy (“DOE”) under Section 3 of the NGA, as well as several other material governmental and regulatory approvalpermits, approvals and authorizations, including under the CAA and the CWA and their state analogues, may be required in order to construct and operate an LNG facility and export LNG. Permits, approvals and authorizations obtained from the DOE and other uncertainties. Hygofederal and state regulatory agencies also contain ongoing conditions, and additional requirements may be imposed. Certain federal permitting processes may trigger the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), which requires federal agencies to evaluate major agency actions that have the potential to significantly impact the environment. Compliance with NEPA may extend the time and/or increase the costs for obtaining necessary governmental approvals associated with our operations and create independent risk of legal challenges to the adequacy of the NEPA analysis, which could result in delays that may adversely affect our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and profitability. On July 15, 2020, the White House Council on Environmental Quality issued a final rule revising its NEPA regulations. These regulations have taken legal effect, and although they have been challenged in court, they have not been stayed. The Council on Environmental Quality has announced that it is engaged in an ongoing and comprehensive review of the revised regulations and is assessing whether and how the Council may ultimately undertake a new rulemaking to revise the regulations. The impacts of any such future revisions that may be adopted are uncertain and indeterminable for the foreseeable future. On June 18, 2020, we received an order from FERC, which asked us to explain why our San Juan Facility is not subject to FERC’s jurisdiction under section 3 of the NGA. Because we do not believe that the San Juan Facility is jurisdictional, we provided our reply to FERC on July 20, 2020, and requested that FERC act expeditiously. On March 19, 2021, FERC issued an order that the San Juan Facility does fall under FERC jurisdiction. FERC directed us to file an application for authorization to operate the San Juan Facility within 180 days of the order, which is September 15, 2021, but also found that allowing operation of the San Juan Facility to continue during the pendency of an application is in the public interest. FERC also concluded that no enforcement action against us is warranted, presuming we comply with the requirements of the order. Parties to the proceeding, including the Company, sought rehearing of the March 19, 2021 FERC order, and FERC denied all requests for rehearing in an order issued on July 15, 2021. In order to comply with the FERC’s directive, on September 15, 2021, we filed an application for authorization to operate the San Juan Facility, which remains pending.
We may not comply with each of these requirements in the future, or at all times, including any changes to such laws and regulations or their interpretation. The failure to satisfy any applicable legal requirements may result in the suspension of our operations, the imposition of fines and/or remedial measures, suspension or termination of permits or other authorization, as well as potential administrative, civil and criminal penalties, which may significantly increase compliance costs and the need for additional capital expenditures.
Failure to obtain and maintain permits, approvals and authorizations from governmental and regulatory agencies and third parties on favorable terms could impede operations and construction.
The design, construction and operation of our infrastructure, facilities and businesses, including our FSRUs, FLNG units and LNG carriers, the import and export of LNG and the transportation of natural gas, among others, are highly regulated activities at the national, state and local levels and are subject to various approvals and permits. 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 varies in each jurisdiction in which we operate. We may be unable to realizeobtain such approvals on terms that are satisfactory for our operations and on a timeline that meets our commercial obligations. Many of these permits, approvals and authorizations require public notice and comment before they can be issued, which can lead to delays to respond to such comments, and even potentially to revise the anticipated benefitspermit application. We may also be (and have been in select circumstances) subject to local opposition, including citizens groups or non-governmental organizations such as environmental groups, which may create delays and challenges in our permitting process and may attract negative publicity, which may create an adverse impact on our reputation. In addition, such rules change frequently and are often subject to discretionary interpretations, including administrative and judicial challenges by regulators, all of which may make compliance more difficult and may increase the length of time it takes to receive regulatory approval for our operations, particularly in countries where we operate, such as Mexico and Brazil. For example, in Mexico, we have obtained substantially all permits but are awaiting regasification and transmission permits for our power plant and permits necessary to operate our terminal. On August 16, 2022, the U.S. Maritime Administration ("MARAD") announced it had paused the statutory 356-day application review timeline of our FLNG project off the coast of Louisiana pending receipt of additional information. MARAD has continued to review the application and prepare the draft environmental impact statement for the project while the timeline is paused. On October 27, MARAD issued an information request, and on October 28, 2022, MARAD restarted the timeline. No assurance can be given that we will be able to obtain approval of this partnership.application and receive the required permits, approvals and authorizations from governmental and regulatory agencies related to our project on a timely basis or at all. We intend to apply for an updated permits for the Pennsylvania Facility with the aim of obtaining these permits to coincide with the commencement of construction activities. We cannot assure if or when we will receive this permit, which is needed prior to commencing certain construction activities related to the facility. Any administrative and judicial challenges can delay and protract the process for obtaining and implementing permits and can also add significant costs and uncertainty. We cannot control the outcome of any review or approval
The transportation industryprocess, including whether or when any such permits and authorizations will be obtained, the terms of their issuance, or possible appeals or other potential interventions by third parties that could interfere with our ability to obtain and maintain such permits and authorizations or the terms thereof. Furthermore, we are developing new technologies and operate in Brazil currently reliesjurisdictions that may lack mature legal and regulatory systems and may experience legal instability, which may be subject to regulatory and legal challenges, instability or clarity of application of laws, rules and regulations to our business and new technology, which can result in difficulties and instability in obtaining or securing required permits or authorizations. There is no assurance that we will obtain and maintain these permits and authorizations on traditional fuels such as gasolinefavorable terms, or that we will be able to obtain them on a timely basis, and diesel. And although there is wide acknowledgementwe may not be able to complete our projects, start or continue our operations, recover our investment in the industry that LNG represents a less expensiveour projects and more environmentally friendly alternativemay be subject to these fuels, no significant portion of the transportation industry is currently utilizing LNG. Hygo cannot predict when,financial penalties or even if, any meaningful portion of the transportation industry within Brazil will convert to LNG powered vehicles. Hygo’s agreement with Petrobras Distribuidora S.A. (“BR Distribuidora”) does not contractually obligate it to convert any portion of its fleet of diesel trucks to LNG-powered vehicles. Unlesstermination under our customer and until there is a significant conversion to LNG-powered vehicles within Brazil, Hygo will not realize the anticipated benefits of Hygo’s partnership with BR Distribuidora,other agreements, which could adversely impact our future revenues.
In addition, Hygo’s activities with respect to the sale of LNG are subject to the approval of other regulatory authorities, including Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (“ANP”). There can be no assurance as to whether regulatory approvals will be received or that they will be granted in a timely manner. Until Hygo receives these approvals, Hygo will be unable to make sales through BR Distribuidora’s distribution channels or other channels. Accordingly, Hygo has not yet made any sales pursuant to this arrangement.
Brazil and the Netherlands are conducting a joint investigation into allegations against Hygo’s former Chief Executive Officer, including allegations of improper payments made in Brazil. The outcome of this investigation could cause Hygo reputational harm or have a material adverse effect on Hygo’s business.our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.
On September 23, 2020, Eduardo Antonello, Hygo’s former Chief Executive Officer, was namedWhen we invest significant capital to develop a project, we are subject to the risk that the project is not successfully developed and that our customers do not fulfill their payment obligations to us following our capital investment in a joint corruption investigationproject.
A key part of our business strategy is to attract new customers by agreeing to finance and develop new facilities, power plants, liquefaction facilities and related infrastructure in Brazilorder to win new customer contracts for the supply of natural gas, LNG, steam or power. This strategy requires us to invest capital and time to develop a project in exchange for the Netherlands. Mauricio Carvalho, the majority shareholder of Evolution Power Partners S.A. (“Evolution”), Hygo’s joint venture partner in Centrais Elétricas Barcarena S.A. (“CELBA”), was also namedability to sell our products and generate fees from customers in the investigation. In connection withfuture. When we develop these projects, our required capital expenditure may be significant, and we typically do not generate meaningful fees from customers until the investigation, on September 23, 2020, Brazilian federal police executed search warrants on Hygo’s office in Brazil and certainproject has commenced commercial operations, which may take a year or more to achieve. If the project is not successfully developed for any reason, we face the risk of its joint ventures, and seized documents and electronic records and devices belonging to those entities relating to Mr. Antonello, Hygo and its joint ventures. On September 25, 2020, Hygo’s boardnot recovering some or all of directors initiated an internal review with respect to Mr. Antonello’s conduct with respect to Hygo and its joint ventures. The board of directors was assisted in this review by outside counsel and accounting advisors. The review included forensic accounting work, review of certain contracts, interviews with certain company personnel and representatives, and review of internal audit material, certain corporate credit card expenses and Hygo’s anti-corruption policies. The board of directors of Hygo and its advisors didour invested capital, which may be significant. If the project is successfully developed, we face the risks that our customers may not identify any evidence establishing briberyfulfill their payment obligations or may not fulfill other corrupt conduct involving Hygo. In October 2020, before the review was completed, Mr. Antonello resigned as Chief Executive Officer and was replaced by Paul Hanrahan, who also joined the Hygo board of directors. The Hygo board of directors will continue its oversight and review of compliance procedures in accordance with the ethical and corporate governance standards established by applicable law.
While Hygo has conducted its own internal investigation and did not identify evidence establishing bribery or other corrupt conduct involving Hygo, Hygo does not know if any authority is conducting an investigation of Mr. Antonello or Hygo, the results of any investigation, or whether any litigation will arise out of, relating to, or in connection with the investigation or the extent of theperformance obligations that impact that the investigation or any such litigation may have on Hygo’s business. Publicity or other events associating with Mr. Antonello or the investigation, regardless of their foundation or accuracy, could adversely affect Hygo’s and our reputation and Hygo’s ability to conduct Hygo’s business in Brazilcollect payment. Our customer contracts and other jurisdictions. For example, Hygo may experience difficulties participating in public auctionsdevelopment agreements do not fully protect us against this risk and, in some cases,instances, may be disqualified, as wasnot provide any meaningful protection from this risk. This risk is heightened in foreign jurisdictions, particularly if our counterparty is a government or government-related entity because any attempt to enforce our contractual or other rights may involve long and costly litigation where the case with respect to Hygo’s bid to lease Petrobras’s Bahìa Regasification Terminal (the “Bahìa Facility”). On September 30, 2020, Hygo’s subsidiary, NFE Power Comercializadora de Gás Natural Ltda. (“NFE Power Comercializadora”), participatedultimate outcome is uncertain. If we invest capital in a public competitive bid process sponsoredproject where we do not receive the payments we expect, we will have less capital to invest in other projects, our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected, and we could face the inability to comply with the terms of our existing debt or other agreements, which would exacerbate these adverse effects.
Failure to maintain sufficient working capital could limit our growth and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have significant working capital requirements, primarily driven by Petrobrasthe delay between the purchase of and payment for the lease of the Bahìa Facility. Although NFE Power Comercializadora was the only qualifying participant to submit a bid, in October 2020, Petrobras notified all participants that NFE Power Comercializadora was disqualified. NFE Power Comercializadora subsequently filed an administrative appeal before the Petrobras Bid Committee challenging the final result of the competitive process. In December 2020, NFE Power Comercializadora lost the appeal and was not awarded the bid for the Bahìa Facility.
Hygo’s cash flow will be dependent upon the ability of its operating subsidiaries and joint ventures to make cash distributions to Hygo, the amount of which will depend on various contingencies.
Hygo currently anticipates that a major source of Hygo’s earnings will be cash distributions from Hygo’s operating subsidiaries and joint ventures. The amount of cash that Hygo’s operating subsidiaries and joint ventures can distribute each quarter to their owners, including Hygo, principally depends upon the amount of cash they generate from their operations, which will fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on, among other things:
the amount of LNG or natural gas sold to customers;
the level of dispatch of the Sergipe Power Plant and Hygo’s future power plants;
any restrictions on the payment of distributions contained in covenants in their financing arrangements and joint venture agreements;
the levels of investments in each of Hygo’s operating subsidiaries, which may be limited and disparate;
the levels of operating expenses, maintenance expenses and general and administrative expenses;
regulatory action affecting: (i) the supply of, or demand for electricity in Brazil, (ii) operating costs and operating flexibility; and
prevailing economic conditions.
Hygo’s facilities may be impacted by operational issues and delays. For example, in September 2020, the Sergipe Power Plant experienced transformer failures impacting its ability to dispatch at 100%, which have not yet been fully resolved, and the plant isextended payment terms that we offer our customers. Differences between the date when we pay our suppliers and the date when we receive payments from our customers may adversely affect our liquidity and our cash flows. We expect our working capital needs to increase as our total business increases. If we do not currently operating at 100% capacity. In addition, Hygo does not wholly own all of its operating subsidiaries and joint ventures. As a result, if such operating subsidiaries and joint ventures make distributions, including tax distributions, they will also have to make distributions to their noncontrolling interest owners.
Hygosufficient working capital, we may not be able to fully utilizepursue our growth strategy, respond to competitive pressures or fund key strategic initiatives, such as the capacitydevelopment of itsour facilities, which could impact its future revenues and materiallymay harm Hygo’sour business, financial condition and operating results.results of operations.
Hygo’s FSRUOur ability to generate revenues is substantially dependent on our current and future long-term agreements and the performance by customers under such agreements.
Our business strategy relies upon our ability to successfully market our products to our existing and new customers and enter into or replace our long-term supply and services agreements for the sale of natural gas, LNG, steam and power. If we contract with our customers on short-term contracts, our pricing can be subject to more fluctuations and less favorable terms, and our earnings are likely to become more volatile. An increasing emphasis on the short-term or spot LNG market may in the future require us to enter into contracts based on variable market prices, as opposed to contracts based on a fixed rate, which could result in a decrease in its cash flow in periods when the market price for shipping LNG is depressed or insufficient funds are available to cover its financing costs for related vessels.Our ability to generate cash is dependent on these customers’ continued willingness and ability to continue purchasing our products and 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 which are necessary to enable us to deliver and sell natural gas or LNG, and compliance with certain contractual representations and warranties. Further, adverse economic conditions in our industry increase the risk of nonpayment and nonperformance by customers, particularly customers that have significant excess capacity thatsub-investment grade credit ratings. The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely impact our customers through decreased demand for power due to decreased economic activity and tourism, or through the adverse economic impact of
the pandemic on their power customers. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including governmental and other third-party responses thereto, on our customers could enhance the risk of nonpayment by such customers under our contracts, which would negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In particular, JPS and SJPC, which are public utility companies in Jamaica, could be subject to austerity measures imposed on Jamaica by the International Monetary Fund (the “IMF”) and other international lending organizations. Jamaica is currently subject to certain public spending limitations imposed by agreements with the IMF, and any changes under these agreements could limit JPS’s and SJPC’s ability to make payments under their long-term GSAs and, in the case of JPS, its ability to make payments under its PPA, with us. In addition, PREPA is currently subject to bankruptcy proceedings pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. As a result, PREPA’s ability to meet its payment obligations under its contracts will be largely dependent upon funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other sources. PREPA’s contracting practices in connection with restoration and repair of PREPA’s electrical grid in Puerto Rico, and the terms of certain of those contracts, have been subject to comment and are the subject of review and hearings by U.S. federal and Puerto Rican governmental entities. In the event that PREPA does not dedicatedhave or does not obtain the funds necessary to satisfy obligations to us under our agreement with PREPA or terminates our agreement prior to the end of the agreed term, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. If any of these customers fails to perform its obligations under its contract for the reasons listed above or for any other reason, our ability to provide products or services and our ability to collect payment could be negatively impacted, which could materially adversely affect our operating results, cash flow and liquidity, even if we were ultimately successful in seeking damages from such customer for a particular anchor customer. Partbreach of Hygo’scontract.
Our current lack of asset and geographic diversification could have an adverse effect on our business, strategycontracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
The substantial majority of our revenue in 2022 is to utilize undedicated excess capacity of Hygo’s FSRU facilities to serve additional downstreamdependent upon our assets and customers in Jamaica, Brazil and Puerto Rico, as well as our LNG sales to third parties. See “—Competition in the regionsLNG industry is intense, and some of our competitors have greater financial, technological and other resources than we currently possess.”Our operations in Jamaica began in October 2016, when our Montego Bay Facility commenced commercial operations, and continue to grow, and our San Juan Facility became fully operational in the third quarter of 2020. We commenced our operations in Brazil in 2021, following the Mergers. Jamaica, Brazil and Puerto Rico have historically experienced economic volatility and the general condition and performance of their economies, over which Hygo operates. However, Hygo has not secured, and Hygowe have no control, may be unable to secure, commitments for all of its excess capacity. Factors which could cause Hygo to contract less than full capacity include difficulties in negotiations with potential counterparties and factors outside of its control such as the price of and demand for LNG. Failure to secure commitments for less than full capacity could impact Hygo’s future revenues and materially harm Hygo’saffect our business, financial condition and operating results.
In addition,results of operations. Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Brazil are subject to acts of terrorism or sabotage and natural disasters, in particular hurricanes, extreme weather conditions, crime and similar other risks which may negatively impact our operations in the operatorregion. See “—Risks Related to the Jurisdictions in which we Operate—We are subject to the economic, political, social and other conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate.” We may also be affected by trade restrictions, such as tariffs or other trade controls. Additionally, tourism is a significant driver of economic activity in the Caribbean and Brazil and directly and indirectly affects local demand for our LNG and therefore our results of operations. Trends in tourism in the Caribbean and Brazil are primarily driven by the economic condition of the Sergipe Facility, Centrais Elétricas de Sergipe S.A. (“CELSE”) (which is an entity wholly owned by Centrais Elétricas de Sergipe Participações S.A. (“CELSEPAR”), a 50/50 joint venture between Hygo and Ebrasil Energia Ltda. (“Ebrasil”)), hastourists’ home country or territory, the right to utilize 100%condition of the capacity at Hygo’s Sergipe Facility pursuant to the Sergipe FSRU Charter. In order to utilize the excess capacity of the Sergipe Facility, Hygo will need the consent of CELSEtheir destination, and the senior lenders under CELSE’s financing arrangements. If Hygo is unableavailability, affordability and desirability of air travel and cruises. Additionally, unexpected factors could reduce tourism at any time, including local or global economic recessions, terrorism, travel restrictions, pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, severe weather or natural disasters. Due to obtainour current lack of asset and geographic diversification, an adverse development at our facilities in Jamaica, Brazil or Puerto Rico, in the necessary consents to utilizeenergy industry or in the excess capacity of the Sergipe Facility, Hygo’s business,economic conditions in Jamaica, Brazil or Puerto Rico, would have a significantly greater impact on our financial condition and operating results than if we maintained more diverse assets and operating areas.
Because we are currently dependent upon a limited number of customers, the loss of a significant customer could adversely affect our operating results.
Our current results of operations and liquidity are, and will continue to be in the near future, substantially dependent upon a limited number of customers, including JPS (as defined herein), SJPC (as defined herein) and PREPA (as defined herein), which have each entered into long-term GSAs and, in the case of JPS, a PPA in relation to the power produced at the CHP Plant (as defined herein), with us, and Jamalco (as defined herein), which has entered into a long-term SSA with us, and which represent a substantial majority of our income. Our operating results are currently contingent on our ability to maintain LNG, natural gas, steam and power sales to these customers. Our near-term ability to generate cash is dependent on these customers’ continued willingness and ability to continue purchasing our products and services and to perform their obligations under their respective contracts. The loss of any of these customers could have an adverse effect on our revenues and we may not be able to enter into a replacement agreement on terms as favorable as the terminated agreement. We may be unable to accomplish our business plan to diversify and expand our customer base by attracting a broad array of customers, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may not be able to convert our anticipated customer pipeline into binding long-term contracts, and if we fail to convert potential sales into actual sales, we will not generate the revenues and profits we anticipate.
We are actively pursuing a significant number of new contracts for the sale of LNG, natural gas, steam, and power with multiple counterparties in multiple jurisdictions. Counterparties commemorate their purchasing commitments for these products in various degrees of formality ranging from traditional contracts to less formal arrangements, including non-binding letters of intent, non-binding memorandums of understanding, non-binding term sheets and responding to requests for proposals with potential customers. These agreements and any award following a request for proposals are subject to negotiating final definitive documents. The negotiation process may cause us or our potential counterparty to adjust the material terms of the agreement, including the price, term, schedule and any related development obligations. We cannot assure you if or when we will enter into binding definitive agreements for transactions initially described in non-binding agreements, and the terms of our binding agreements may differ materially from the terms of the related non-binding agreements. For example, we were unable to reach a definitive agreement with an affiliate of Eni s.p.a regarding a potential tolling arrangement. In addition, the effectiveness of our binding agreements can be subject to a number of conditions precedent that may not materialize, rendering such agreements non-effective. Moreover, while certain of our long-term contracts contain minimum volume commitments, our expected sales to customers under existing contracts may be substantially in excess of such minimum volume commitments. Our near-term ability to generate cash is dependent on these customers’ continued willingness and ability to nominate in excess of such minimum quantities and to perform their obligations under their respective contracts. Given the variety of sales processes and counterparty acknowledgement of the volumes they will purchase, we sometimes identify potential sales volumes as being either “Committed” or “In Discussion.” “Committed” volumes generally refer to the volumes that management expects to be sold under binding contracts or awards under requests for proposals. “In Discussion” volumes generally refer to volumes related to potential customers that management is actively negotiating, responding to a request for proposals, or with respect to which management anticipates a request for proposals or competitive bid process to be announced based on discussions with potential customers. Management’s estimations of “Committed” and “In Discussion” volumes may prove to be incorrect. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that “Committed” or “In Discussion” volumes will result in actual sales, and such volumes should not be used to predict the Company’s future results. We may never sign a binding agreement to sell our products to the counterparty, or we may sell much less volume than we estimate, which could result in our inability to generate the revenues and profits we anticipate, having a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
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, including the contracts with JPS, SJPC, Jamalco and PREPA, contain various termination rights allowing our customers to terminate the contract, including, without limitation:
•upon the occurrence of certain events of force majeure;
•if we fail to make available specified scheduled cargo quantities;
•the occurrence of certain uncured payment defaults;
•the occurrence of an insolvency event;
•the occurrence of certain uncured, material breaches; and
•if we fail to commence commercial operations or achieve financial close within the agreed timeframes.
We may not be able to replace these contracts on desirable terms, or at all, if they are terminated. Contracts that we enter into in the future may contain similar provisions. If any of our current or future contracts are terminated, such termination could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flows, liquidity and prospects.
Competition in the LNG industry is intense, and some of our competitors have greater financial, technological and other resources than we currently possess.
A substantial majority of our revenue in 2022 is dependent upon our LNG sales to third parties. We operate in the highly competitive industry for LNG and face intense competition from independent, technology-driven companies as well as from both major and other independent oil and natural gas companies and utilities, in the various markets in which we operate and many of which have been in operation longer than us. Various factors relating to competition may prevent us from entering into new or replacement customer contracts on economically comparable terms to existing customer contracts, or at all, including , among others:
•increases in worldwide LNG production capacity and availability of LNG for market supply;
•increases in demand for natural gas but at levels below those required to maintain current price equilibrium with respect to supply;
•increases in the cost to supply natural gas feedstock to our liquefaction projects;
•increases in the cost to supply LNG feedstock to our facilities;
•decreases in the cost of competing sources of natural gas, LNG or alternate fuels such as coal, heavy fuel oil and automotive diesel oil (“ADO”);
•decreases in the price of LNG; and
•displacement of LNG or fossil fuels more broadly by alternate fuels or energy sources or technologies (including but not limited to nuclear, wind, solar, biofuels and batteries) in locations where access to these energy sources is not currently available or prevalent.
In addition, we may not be able to successfully execute on our strategy to supply our existing and future customers with LNG produced primarily at our own liquefaction facilities upon completion of the Pennsylvania Facility or through our Fast LNG solution. Various competitors have and are developing LNG facilities in other markets, which will compete with our LNG facilities, including our Fast LNG solution. Some of these competitors have longer operating histories, more development experience, greater name recognition, larger staffs, larger and more versatile fleets, and substantially greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we currently possess. We also face competition for the contractors needed to build our facilities and skilled employees. See “—We may experience increased labor costs and regulation, and the unavailability of skilled workers or our failure to attract and retain qualified personnel, as well as our ability to comply with such labor laws, could adversely affected.affect us.” The superior resources that some of these competitors have available for deployment could allow them to compete successfully against us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, ability to realize benefits from future projects, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects. We anticipate that an increasing number of marine transportation companies, including many with strong reputations and extensive resources and experience will enter the LNG transportation market and the FSRU market. This increased competition may cause greater price competition for our products. As a result of these factors, we may be unable to expand our relationships with existing customers or to obtain new customers on a favorable basis, if at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Failure of LNG to be a competitive source of energy in the markets in which Hygo operates,we operate, and seeksseek to operate, could adversely affect Hygo’sour expansion strategy.
Hygo’sOur operations are, and will be, dependent upon LNG being a competitive source of energy in the markets in which Hygo operates.we operate. In particular, hydroelectric power generationthe United States, due mainly to a historic abundant supply of natural gas and discoveries of substantial quantities of unconventional or shale natural gas, imported LNG has not developed into a significant energy source. The success of the domestic liquefaction component of our business plan is dependent, in part, on the predominant sourceextent to which natural gas can, for significant periods and in significant volumes, be produced in the United States at a lower cost than the cost to produce some domestic supplies of electricity in Brazil and LNG is one of several other alternative energy sources, usedand that it can be transported at reasonable rates through appropriately scaled infrastructure. Since August 2021, LNG prices have increased materially, and global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and global inflationary pressures, have generated further energy pricing volatility, which can have an adverse effect on market pricing of LNG and global demand for our products, as well as our ability to supplement hydroelectric generation.remain competitive in the markets in which we operate. Potential expansion in the Caribbean, Latin America and other parts of world where Hygowe may operate is primarily dependent upon LNG being a competitive source of energy in those geographical locations. Likewise, recent declinesFor example, in the Caribbean, due mainly to a lack of regasification infrastructure and an underdeveloped international market for natural gas, natural gas has not yet developed into a significant energy source. In Brazil, hydroelectric power generation is the predominant source of electricity and LNG is one of several other energy sources used to supplement hydroelectric generation. The success of our operations is dependent, in part, on the extent to which LNG can, for significant periods and in significant volumes, be produced internationally and delivered to our customers at a lower cost than the cost to deliver other alternative energy sources.
Political instability in foreign countries that export LNG, or strained relations between such countries and countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, may also impede the willingness or ability of crudeLNG suppliers and merchants in such countries to export LNG to the Caribbean, Latin America and other countries where we operate or seek to operate. Furthermore, some foreign suppliers of LNG may have economic or other reasons to direct their LNG to other markets or from or to our competitors’ LNG facilities. Natural gas also competes with other sources of energy, including coal, oil, if sustained, will make crude oilnuclear, hydroelectric, wind and its derivativessolar energy, which may become available at a more competitive fuel source to LNG.
lower cost in certain markets. As a result of these and other factors, natural gas may not be a competitive source of energy in the markets Hygo intendswe intend to serve or elsewhere. The failure of natural gas to be a competitive supply alternative to oil and other alternative energy sources could adversely affect Hygo’sour ability to deliver LNG or natural gas to Hygo’sour customers or other locations on a commercial basis.basis, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, ability to realize benefits from future projects, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and prospects.
Cyclical or other changes in the demand for and price of LNG and natural gas may adversely affect our business and the performance of our customers.
•additions to competitive regasification capacity in North America, Brazil, Europe, Asia and other markets, which could divert LNG or natural gas from our business;
•imposition of tariffs by China or any other jurisdiction on imports of LNG from the United States;
•insufficient or oversupply of natural gas liquefaction or export capacity worldwide;
•insufficient LNG tanker capacity;
•weather conditions and natural disasters;
•reduced demand and lower prices for natural gas;
•increased natural gas production deliverable by pipelines, which could suppress demand for LNG;
•decreased oil and natural gas exploration activities, including shut-ins and possible proration, which may decrease the production of natural gas;
•cost improvements that allow competitors to offer LNG regasification services at reduced prices;
•changes in supplies of, and prices for, alternative energy sources, such as coal, oil, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar energy, which may reduce the demand for natural gas;
•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 or exported LNG and/or natural gas;
•political conditions in natural gas producing regions;
•adverse relative demand for LNG compared to other markets, which may decrease LNG imports into or exports from North America; and
•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 the prices we have to pay for natural gas or LNG, which could materially and adversely affect the performance of our customers, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flows, liquidity and prospects. The COVID-19 pandemic and certain actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries ("OPEC") related to the supply of oil in the market have caused volatility and disruption in the price of oil which may negatively impact our potential customers’ willingness or ability to enter into new contracts for the purchase of natural gas. Additionally, in situations where our supply chain has capacity constraints and as a result we are unable to receive all volumes under our long-term LNG supply agreements, our supplier may sell volumes of LNG in a mitigation sale to third parties. In these cases, the factors above may impact the price and amount we receive under mitigation sales and we may incur losses that would have an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Conversely, current market conditions have increased LNG values to historically high levels. The elevated market values could increase the economic incentives an LNG seller has to fail to deliver LNG cargos to us if they can sell the same LNG cargos at a higher price to another buyer in the market after giving effect to any contractual penalties the seller would owe to us for failing to deliver. Our contracts may not require an LNG seller to compensate us for the full current market value of an LNG cargo that we have purchased, and if so, we may not be contractually entitled to receive full economic indemnification upon an LNG seller’s failure to deliver an LNG cargo to us.Recently, the LNG industry has experienced increased volatility. If market disruptions and bankruptcies of third-party LNG suppliers and shippers negatively impacts our ability to purchase a sufficient amount of LNG or significantly increases our costs for purchasing LNG, our business, operating results, cash flows and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected. There can be no assurance we will achieve our target cost or pricing goals. In particular, because we have not currently procured fixed-price, long-term LNG supply to meet all future customer demand, increases in LNG prices and/or shortages of LNG supply could adversely affect our profitability. Our actual costs and any profit realized on the sale of our LNG may vary from the estimated amounts on which our contracts for feedgas were originally based. There is inherent risk in the estimation process, including significant changes in the demand for and price of LNG as a result of the factors listed above, many of which are outside of our control. If LNG were to become unavailable for current or future volumes of natural gas due to repairs or damage to supplier facilities or tankers, lack of capacity, impediments to international shipping or any other reason, our ability to continue delivering natural gas, power or steam to end-users could be restricted, thereby reducing our revenues. Any permanent interruption at any key LNG supply chains that caused a material reduction in volumes transported on or to our tankers and facilities could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
Our risk management strategies cannot eliminate all LNG price and supply risks. In addition, any non-compliance with our risk management strategies could result in significant financial losses.
Our strategy is to maintain a manageable balance between LNG purchases, on the one hand, and sales or future delivery obligations, on the other hand. Through these transactions, we seek to earn a margin for the LNG purchased by selling LNG for physical delivery to third-party users, such as public utilities, shipping/marine cargo companies, industrial users, railroads, trucking fleets and other potential end-users converting from traditional ADO or oil fuel to natural gas. These strategies cannot, however, eliminate all price risks. For example, any event that disrupts our anticipated supply chain could expose us to risk of loss resulting from price changes if we are required to obtain alternative supplies to cover these transactions. We are also exposed to basis risks when LNG is purchased against one pricing index and sold against a different index. Moreover, we are also exposed to other risks, including price risks on LNG we own, which must be maintained in order to facilitate transportation of the LNG to our customers or to our facilities. If we were to incur a material loss related to commodity price risks, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
We are dependent on third-party LNG suppliers and may not be able to purchase or receive physical delivery of LNG or natural gas in sufficient quantities and/or at economically attractive prices to satisfy our delivery obligations under the GSAs, PPAs and SSAs.
Under our GSAs, PPAs and SSAs, we are required to deliver to our customers specified amounts of LNG, natural gas, power and steam, respectively, at specified times and within certain specifications, all of which requires us to obtain sufficient amounts of LNG from third-party LNG suppliers or our own portfolio. We may not be able to purchase or receive physical delivery of sufficient quantities of LNG to satisfy those delivery obligations, which may provide a counterparty with the right to terminate its GSA, PPA or SSA, as applicable, or subject us to penalties and indemnification obligations under those agreements. While we have entered into supply agreements for the purchase of LNG between 2022 and 2030, we may need to purchase significant additional LNG volumes to meet our delivery obligations to our downstream customers. Price fluctuations in natural gas and LNG may make it expensive or uneconomical for us to acquire adequate supply of these items or to sell our inventory of natural gas or LNG at attractive prices. Failure to secure contracts for the purchase of a sufficient amount of LNG or at favorable prices could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, cash flows and liquidity.
Additionally, we are dependent upon third-party LNG suppliers and shippers and other tankers and facilities to provide delivery options to and from our tankers and energy-related infrastructure. If any third parties were to default on their obligations under our contracts or seek bankruptcy protection, we may not be able to replace such contracts or purchase LNG on the spot market or receive a sufficient quantity of LNG in order to satisfy our delivery obligations under our GSAs, PPAs and SSAs or at favorable terms. Under tanker charters, we will be obligated to make payments for our chartered tankers regardless of use. We may not be able to enter into contracts with purchasers of LNG in quantities equivalent to or greater than the amount of tanker capacity we have purchased, as our vessels maybe be too small for those obligations. Any such failure to purchase or receive delivery of LNG or natural gas in sufficient quantities could result in our failure to satisfy our obligations to our customers, which could lead to losses, penalties, indemnification and potentially a termination of agreements with our customers. Furthermore, we may seek to litigate any such breaches by our third-party LNG suppliers and shippers. Such legal proceedings may involve claims for substantial amounts of money and we may not be successful in pursing such claims. Even if we are successful, any litigation may be costly and time-consuming. If any such proceedings were to result in an unfavorable outcome, we may not be able to recover our losses (including lost profits) or any damages sustained from our agreements with our customers. See “—General Risks—We are and may be involved in legal proceedings and may experience unfavorable outcomes.” These actions could also expose us to adverse publicity, which might adversely affect our reputation and therefore, our results of operations. Further, if, it could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, cash flows and liquidity, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our liquidity to make payments on our debt or comply with our financial ratios and other covenants. See “—We have incurred, and may in the future incur, a significant amount of debt.”
We may not be able to fully utilize the capacity of our FSRUs and other facilities.
Our FSRU facilities have significant excess capacity that is currently not dedicated to a particular anchor customer. Part of our business strategy is to utilize undedicated excess capacity of our FSRU facilities to serve additional downstream customers in the regions in which we operate. However, we have not secured, and we may be unable to secure, commitments for all of our excess capacity. Factors which could cause us to contract less than full capacity include difficulties in negotiations with potential counterparties and factors outside of our control such as the price of and demand for LNG. Failure to secure commitments for less than full capacity could impact our future revenues and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
LNG that is processed and/or stored on FSRUs and transported via pipeline is subject to risk of loss or damage to LNG that is processed and/or stored at its FSRUs and transported via pipeline.damage.
LNG processed and stored on FSRUs may be subject to loss or damage resulting from equipment malfunction, faulty handling, ageing or otherwise. For the period of time during which LNG is stored onWhere we have chartered in, but subsequently not outchartered an FSRU, which in turn results in our being unable to transfer risk of loss or is dispatched to a pipeline, CELSE, in the case of the Sergipe Facility, bearsdamage, we could bear the risk of loss or damage to all such LNG.those volumes of LNG for the period of time during which those applicable volumes of LNG are stored on an FSRU or are dispatched to a pipeline. Any such disruption to the supply of LNG and natural gas may lead to delays, disruptions or curtailments in the production of power at the Sergipe Power Plant. If CELSE cannot generate energy at the Sergipe Power Plant by burning natural gas,our facilities, which could materially and adversely affect our revenues, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.operations.
Hygo has a limited operating history and anticipates significant capital expenditures.
Hygo commenced operations in May 2016 and has a limited operating history and track record. As a result, its prior operating history and historical consolidated financial statements may not be a reliable basis for evaluating its business prospects. In addition, Hygo has historically derived its revenues from theThe operation of itsour vessels is dependent on short-termour ability to deploy our vessels to an NFE terminal or to long-term charters.
Our principal strategy for our FSRU and LNG carriers is to provide steady and reliable shipping, regasification and marine operations to NFE terminals and, to the extent favorable to our business, replace or enter into new long-term carrier time charters but Hygo expects the majority of its future revenuesfor our vessels. Most requirements for new LNG projects continue to be derived from its LNG-to-power projects. Hygo’s strategy may not be successful, and if unsuccessful, it may be unable to modify it in a timely and successful manner. Hygo cannot give any assurance that it will be able to implement its strategyprovided on a timelylong-term basis, if at all, or achieve its internal model or that its assumptions will be accurate. Hygo’s limited history also means that it continues to develop and implement various policies and procedures including those related to data privacy and other matters. Hygo will need to continue to build its team to implement its strategies.
Hygo will continue to incur significant capital and operating expenditures while it develops its network of downstream LNG infrastructure, including for the completion of the Barcarena Facility, the Santa Catarina Facility and other projects in Brazil currently under construction, as well as other future projects. Hygo will need to invest significant amounts of additional capital to implement its strategy. Hygo has not completed constructing all of its facilities and its strategy includes the construction of additional facilities. Any delays beyond the expected development period for these assets would prolong, and could increasethough the level of operating lossesspot voyages and negative operating cash flows. Hygo’s future liquidity may also be affected by the timingshort-term time charters of construction financing availabilityless than 12 months in relationduration together with medium term charters of up to the incurrence of construction costs and other outflows and by the timing of receipt of cash flows under its customer contractsfive years has increased in relationrecent years. This trend is expected to the incurrence of project and operating expenses. Hygo’s ability to generate any positive operating cash flow and achieve profitability in the future is dependent on, among other things, its ability to successfully and timely complete necessary infrastructure, including its Barcarena and Santa Catarina Facilities and other projects in Brazil currently under construction, and fulfill its delivery obligations under its customer contracts.
Hygo’s power generation projects may depend on the construction and operation of transmission and interconnection facilities by third parties.
Hygo’s power generation projects must interconnect to Brazil’s transmission system and such projects may depend on the completion of new lines and/or increases in the capacity of existing facilities by the applicable power transmission concessionaires in order to interconnect and become fully operational. Delays from such concessionaires in the completion of the necessary interconnection and associated facilities may affect the ability of Hygo’s power generation projects to start commercial operation and/or fulfill power delivery commitments under the PPAs.
Hygo’s ability to dispatch electricity from its power plants is dependent upon hydrological and other grid conditions in Brazil.
Historically, Brazil’s electricity generation has been dominated by hydroelectricity plants. There are substantial seasonal variations in monthly and annual flows to the plants, which depend fundamentally on the volume of rain that falls in each rainy season. When hydrological conditions are poor, the National Electricity System Operator (Operador Nacional do Sistema, or “ONS”) dispatches thermoelectric power plants, including those that Hygo operates, to top up hydroelectric generation and maintain the electricity supply level.
The ONS Grid Code allows the ONS to dispatch thermoelectric power plants for the following reasons or under the following circumstances:
when marginal operation cost is the samecontinue as the variable unit costspot market for LNG expands. More frequent changes to vessel sizes, propulsion technology and emissions profile, together with an increasing desire by charterers to access modern tonnage could also reduce the appetite of such power plant;
duecharterers to inflexibility or necessity of the generator;
when dispatch of such power plant is needed in ordercommit to maintain the stability of the system;
as determined by the Energy Industry Monitoring Committee where extraordinary circumstances exist;
due to accelerated and/or replacement generation as proposed by the generator in order to make up for the unavailability of fuel; and
for purposes of exportation of power to foreign markets.
long-term charters that match their full requirement period. As a result, the amountduration of electricity generated by thermoelectric power plants, including Hygo’s power plantslong-term charters could also decrease over time. We may also face increased difficulty entering into long-term time charters upon the expiration or early termination of our contracts. The process of obtaining long-term charters for FSRUs and LNG carriers is highly competitive and generally involves an intensive screening process and competitive bids, and often extends for several months. If we lose any of our charterers and are unable to re-deploy the related vessel to a NFE terminal or into a new replacement contract for an extended period of time, we will not receive any revenues from that vessel, but we will be required to pay expenses necessary to maintain the vessel in seaworthy operating condition and to service any associated debt. In addition, it is an event of default under the credit facilities related to all of our vessels if the time charter of any vessel related to any such credit facility is cancelled, rescinded or frustrated and we are already contracted and its power plantsunable to secure a suitable replacement charter, post additional security or make certain significant prepayments. Any event of default under development, can vary significantlyGMLP’s credit facilities would result in response to the hydrologicalacceleration of amounts due thereunder.
We rely on tankers and other grid conditions in Brazil. If Hygo’s power plants are not dispatched or are dispatched at levels lower than expected, its operationsvessels outside of our fleet for our LNG transportation and financial results may be adversely affected.transfer.
Hygo may not be profitableIn addition to our own fleet of vessels, we rely on third-party ocean-going tankers and freight carriers (for ISO containers) for an indeterminate periodthe transportation of time.
Hygo has a limited operating historyLNG and did not commence revenue-generating activities until 2016, and therefore did not achieve profitability as of December 31, 2020. Hygo will needship-to-ship kits to make a significant capital investment to construct and begin operations of the Barcarena Facility, the Santa Catarina Facility, its downstream distribution hubs and its other LNG-to-power projects in Brazil, and Hygo will need to make significant additional investments to develop, improve and operate them, as well as all related infrastructure. Hygo also expects to make significant expenditures and investments in identifying, acquiring and/or developing other future projects. Hygo also expects to incur significant expenses in connection with the launch and growth of its business, including costs fortransfer LNG purchases, rail and truck transportation, shipping and logistics and personnel. Hygo will need to raise significant additional debt and/or equity capital to achieve its goals. Hygobetween ships. We may not be able to achieve profitability,successfully enter into contracts or renew existing contracts to charter tankers on favorable terms or at all, which may result in us not being able to meet our obligations. Our ability to enter into contracts or renew existing contracts will depend on prevailing market conditions upon expiration of the contracts governing the leasing or charter of the applicable assets. Therefore, we may be exposed to increased volatility in terms of charter rates and contract provisions. Fluctuations in rates result from changes in the supply of and demand for capacity and changes in the demand for seaborne carriage of commodities. Because the factors affecting the supply and demand are outside of our control and are highly unpredictable, the nature, timing, direction and degree of changes in industry conditions are also unpredictable. Likewise, our counterparties may seek to terminate or renegotiate their charters or leases with us. If we are not able to renew or obtain new charters or leases in direct continuation, or if new charters or leases are entered into at rates substantially above the existing rates or on terms otherwise less favorable compared to existing contractual terms, our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
Furthermore, our ability to provide services to our customers could be adversely impacted by shifts in tanker market dynamics, shortages in available cargo carrying capacity, changes in policies and practices such as scheduling, pricing, routes of service and frequency of service, or increases in the cost of fuel, taxes and labor, emissions standards, maritime regulatory changes and other factors not within our control. The availability of the tankers could be delayed to the detriment of our LNG business and our customers because the construction and delivery of LNG tankers require significant capital and long construction lead times. Changes in ocean freight capacity, which are outside our control, could negatively impact our ability to provide natural gas if LNG shipping capacity is adversely impacted and LNG transportation costs increase because we may bear the risk of such increases and may not be able to pass these increases on to our customers.
The operation of ocean-going tankers and kits carries inherent risks. These risks include the possibility of natural disasters; mechanical failures; grounding, fire, explosions and collisions; piracy; human error; epidemics; and war and terrorism. We do not currently maintain a redundant supply of ships, ship-to-ship kits or other equipment. As a result, if our current equipment fails, is unavailable or insufficient to service our LNG purchases, production, or delivery commitments we may need to procure new equipment, which may not be readily available or be expensive to obtain. Any such occurrence could delay the start of operations of facilities we intend to commission, interrupt our existing operations and
increase our operating costs. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Hire rates for FSRUs and LNG carriers may fluctuate substantially. If rates are lower when we are seeking a new charter, our earnings may decline.
Hire rates for FSRUs and LNG carriers fluctuate over time as a result of changes in the supply-demand balance relating to current and future FSRU and LNG carrier capacity. This supply-demand relationship largely depends on a number of factors outside of our control. For example, driven in part by an increase in LNG production capacity, the market supply particularly of LNG carriers has been increasing. As of October 6, 2022, the LNG carrier order book totaled 256 vessels, including three FSRUs/FSUs. We believe that this and any future expansion of the global LNG carrier fleet may have a negative impact on charter hire rates, vessel utilization and vessel values, the impact of which could be amplified if the expansion of LNG production capacity does not keep pace with fleet growth. The LNG market is also closely connected to world natural gas prices and energy markets, which it cannot predict. A substantial or extended decline in demand for natural gas or LNG could adversely affect our ability to charter or re-charter our vessels at acceptable rates or to acquire and profitably operate new vessels. Accordingly, this could have a material adverse effect on our earnings, financial condition, operating results and prospects.
Vessel values may fluctuate substantially and, if these values are lower at a time when we are attempting to dispose of vessels, we may incur a loss.
Vessel values can fluctuate substantially over time due to a number of different factors, including:
•prevailing economic conditions in the natural gas and energy markets;
•a substantial or extended decline in demand for LNG;
•increases in the supply of vessel capacity without a commensurate increase in demand;
•the size and age of a vessel; and
•the cost of retrofitting, steel 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, which could have an adverse effect on our business and operations if we do not maintain sufficient cash reserves for maintenance and replacement capital expenditures. Moreover, the cost of a replacement vessel would be significant.
During the period a vessel is subject to a charter, we will not be permitted to sell it does, Hygoto take advantage of increases in vessel values without the charterers’ consent. If a charter terminates, we may be unable to re-deploy the affected vessels at attractive rates or for our operations and, rather than continue to incur costs to maintain and finance them, we may seek to dispose of them. When vessel values are low, we may not be able to dispose of vessels at a reasonable price when we wish to sell vessels, and conversely, when vessel values are elevated, we may not be able to acquire additional vessels at attractive prices when we wish to acquire additional vessels, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flow, and financial condition.
The carrying values of our vessels may not represent their fair market value at any point in time because the market prices of secondhand vessels tend to fluctuate with changes in charter rates and the cost of new build vessels. Our vessels are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Although we did not recognize an impairment charge on any of its vessels for the year ended December 31, 2021, we cannot assure you that itwe will not recognize impairment losses on our vessels in future years. Any impairment charges incurred as a result of declines in charter rates could negatively affect our business, financial condition, or operating results.
Maritime claimants could arrest our vessels, which could interrupt our cash flow.
If we are in default on certain kinds of obligations related to our vessels, such as those to our lenders, crew members, suppliers of goods and services to our vessels or shippers of cargo, these parties may be entitled to a maritime lien against one or more of our vessels. In many jurisdictions, a maritime lien holder may enforce its lien by arresting a vessel through foreclosure proceedings. In a few jurisdictions, claimants could try to assert “sister ship” liability against one vessel in our fleet for claims relating to another of our vessels. The arrest or attachment of one or more of our vessels could interrupt our cash flow and require us to pay to have the arrest lifted. Under some of our present charters, if the vessel is arrested or
detained (for as few as 14 days in the case of one of our charters) as a result of a claim against us, we may be in default of our charter and the charterer may terminate the charter. This would negatively impact our revenues and cash flows.
We seek to develop innovative and new technologies as part of our strategy that are not yet proven and may not realize the time and cost savings we expect to achieve.
We analyze and seek to implement innovative and new technologies that complement our businesses to reduce our costs, achieve efficiencies for our business and our customers and advance our long-term goals, such as our ISO container distribution system, our Fast LNG solution and our green hydrogen project.The success of our current operations and future projects will depend in part on our ability to create and maintain a competitive position in the natural gas liquefaction industry. We have developed our Fast LNG strategy to procure and deliver LNG to our customers more quickly and cost-effectively than traditional LNG procurement and delivery strategies used by other market participants. See “—Our Fast LNG technology is a novel technology that is not yet proven and we may not be able to sustain such profitabilityimplement it as planned or at all.” We are also making investments to develop green hydrogen energy technologies as part of our long-term goal to become one of the world’s leading providers of carbon-free energy. In October 2020, we announced our intention to partner with Long Ridge Energy Terminal and GE Gas Power to transition a power plant to be capable of burning 100% green hydrogen over the next decade, and we made our first hydrogen-related investment in H2Pro, an Israel-based company developing a novel, efficient, and low-cost green hydrogen production technology. Furthermore, on August 4, 2022, we announced our agreement with Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, for a 120 MW industrial-scale green hydrogen plant near Beaumont, Texas. We continue to develop our ISO container distribution systems in the various markets where we operate. We expect to make additional investments in this field in the future. Because these technologies are innovative, we may be making investments in unproven business strategies and technologies with which we have limited or no prior development or operating experience. As an investor in these technologies, it is also possible that we could be exposed to claims and liabilities, expenses, regulatory challenges and other risks. We may not be able to successfully develop these technologies, and even if we succeed, we may ultimately not be able to realize the time, revenues and cost savings we currently expect to achieve from these strategies, which could adversely affect our financial results.
Hygo’s operationalTechnological innovation may impair the economic attractiveness of our projects.
The success of our current operations and consolidatedfuture projects will depend in part on our ability to create and maintain a competitive position in the natural gas liquefaction industry. In particular, although we plan to build out our delivery logistics chain in Northern Pennsylvania using proven technologies such as those currently in operation at our Miami Facility, we do not have any exclusive rights to any of these technologies. In addition, such technologies may be rendered obsolete or uneconomical by legal or regulatory requirements, technological advances, more efficient and cost-effective processes or entirely different approaches developed by one or more of our competitors or others, which could materially and adversely affect our business, ability to realize benefits from future projects, results of operations, financial resultscondition, liquidity and prospects.
Our Fast LNG technology is a novel technology that is not yet proven and we may not be able to implement it as planned or at all.
We have developed our Fast LNG strategy to procure and deliver LNG to our customers more quickly and cost-effectively than traditional LNG procurement and delivery strategies used by other market participants. Our ability to create and maintain a competitive position in the natural gas liquefaction industry may be adversely affected by our inability to effectively implement our Fast LNG technology. We are partiallyin the process of designing and constructing our first Fast LNG solution, and are therefore subject to construction risks, risks associated with third-party contracting and service providers, permitting and regulatory risks. See “—We are subject to various construction risks” and “—We depend on third-party contractors, operators and suppliers.” Because our Fast LNG technology is a new technology that has not been previously implemented, tested or proven, we are also exposed to unknown and unforeseen risks associated with the development of new technologies, including failure to meet design, engineering, or performance specifications, incompatibility of systems, inability to contract or employ third parties with sufficient experience in technologies used or inability by contractors to perform their work, delays and schedule changes, high costs and expenses that may be subject to increase or difficult to anticipate, regulatory and legal challenges, instability or clarity of application of laws, rules and regulations to the technology, and added difficulties in obtaining or securing required permits or authorizations, among others. See “—Failure to obtain and maintain permits, approvals and authorizations from governmental and regulatory agencies and third parties on favorable terms could impede operations and construction.” The success and profitability of our Fast LNG technology is also dependent on the resultsvolatility of the joint ventures, affiliatesprice of natural gas and special purpose entitiesLNG compared to the related levels of capital spending required to implement the technology. Natural gas and LNG prices have at various times been and may become volatile due to one or more factors. Volatility or weakness in natural gas or LNG prices could render our LNG procured through Fast LNG too expensive for our customers, and we may not be able to obtain our anticipated return
on our investment or make our technology profitable. In addition, we may seek to construct and develop floating offshore liquefaction units as part of our Fast LNG in jurisdictions which could potentially expose us to increased political, economic, social and legal instability, a lack of regulatory clarity of application of laws, rules and regulations to our technology, or additional jurisdictional risks related to currency exchange, tariffs and other taxes, changes in laws, civil unrest, and similar risks. See “—Risks Related to the Jurisdictions in which we Operate—We are subject to the economic, political, social and other conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate.” Furthermore, as part of our business strategy for Fast LNG, we may enter into tolling agreements with third parties, including in developing countries, and these counterparties may have greater credit risk than typical. Therefore, we may be exposed to greater customer credit risk than other companies in the industry. Our credit procedures and policies may be inadequate to sufficiently eliminate risks of nonpayment and nonperformance. We may not be able to successfully develop, construct and implement our Fast LNG solution, and even if we succeed in developing and constructing the technology, we may ultimately not be able to realize the cost savings and revenues we currently expect to achieve from it, invests.which could result in a material adverse effect upon our operations and business.
Hygo conducts its business mainly through its operating subsidiaries.We have incurred, and may in the future incur, a significant amount of debt.
On an ongoing basis, we engage with lenders and other financial institutions in an effort to improve our liquidity and capital resources. As of December 31, 2021 and September 30, 2022, we had approximately $3,896 million and $4,498 million, respectively, aggregate principal amount of indebtedness outstanding on a consolidated basis. In addition, Hygoconnection with the Mergers, we assumed a significant amount of indebtedness, including guarantees and preferred shares, and we incurred a significant amount of debt to pay a portion of the purchase price for the GMLP Merger, to refinance certain debt of GMLP and its subsidiaries, conduct someto pay related fees and expenses, and for general corporate purposes. The terms and conditions of theirour indebtedness include restrictive covenants that may limit our ability to operate our business, through joint ventureto incur or refinance our debt, engage in certain transactions, and require us to maintain certain financial ratios, among others, any of which may limit our ability to finance future operations and capital needs, react to changes in our business and in the economy generally, and to pursue business opportunities and activities.If we fail to comply with any of these restrictions or are unable to pay our debt service when due, our debt could be accelerated or cross-accelerated, and we cannot assure you that we will have the ability to repay such accelerated debt. Any such default could also have adverse consequences to our status and reporting requirements, reducing our ability to quickly access the capital markets. Our ability to service our existing and any future debt will depend on our performance and operations, which is subject to factors that are beyond our control and compliance with covenants in the agreements governing such debt. We may incur additional debt to fund our business and strategic initiatives.If we incur additional debt and other special purpose entities,obligations, the risks associated with our substantial leverage and the ability to service such debt would increase, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition.
Our business is dependent upon obtaining substantial additional funding from various sources, which may not be available or may only be available on unfavorable terms.
We believe we will have sufficient liquidity, cash flow from operations and access to additional capital sources to fund our capital expenditures and working capital needs for the next 12 months and the reasonably foreseeable future. In the future, we expect to incur additional indebtedness to assist us in developing our operations and we are considering alternative financing options, including in specific markets or the opportunistic sale of one of our non-core assets. We also historically have relied, and in the future will likely rely, on borrowings under term loans and other debt instruments to fund our capital expenditures. If any of the lenders in the syndicates backing these debt instruments were unable to perform on its commitments, we may need to seek replacement financing.We cannot assure you that such additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Our ability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms will depend on financial, economic and market conditions, which have increased in volatility and at times have been negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our progress in executing our business strategy and other factors, many of which are created specificallybeyond our control, including domestic or international economic conditions, increases in key benchmark interest rates and/or credit spreads, the adoption of new or amended banking or capital market laws or regulations, the re-pricing of market risks and volatility in capital and financial markets, risks relating to participatethe credit risk of our customers and the jurisdictions in public auctions for enterpriseswhich we operate, as well as general risks applicable to the energy sector.Additional debt financing, if available, may subject us to increased restrictive covenants that could limit our flexibility in conducting future business activities and could result in us expending significant resources to service our obligations. Additionally, we may need to adjust the generationtiming of our planned capital expenditures and transmission segments. Hygo’sfacilities development depending on the requirements of our existing financing and availability of such additional funding. If we are unable to obtain additional funding, approvals or amendments to our financings outstanding from time to time, or if additional funding is only available on terms that we determine are not acceptable to us, we may be unable to fully execute our business plan, we may be unable to pay or refinance our indebtedness or to fund our other liquidity needs, and our financial condition or results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Our current and any future sale and leaseback agreements contain or may contain restrictive covenants that may limit our liquidity and corporate activities.
Our current and any future sale and leaseback agreements we may enter into contain and are expected to contain, customary covenants and event of default clauses, including specified financial ratios and financial covenants, as well as cross-default provisions and restrictive covenants and performance requirements that may affect our operational and financial flexibility. Such restrictions could affect, and in many respects limit or prohibit, among other things, our ability to incur additional indebtedness, create liens, sell assets, or engage in mergers or acquisitions, as well as our ability to plan for or react to market conditions or meet itsextraordinary capital needs or otherwise restrict corporate activities. Any failure to meet payment and other obligations, including the financial obligations is therefore relatedcovenant requirements, could lead to defaults under other sale and leaseback agreements or any future sale and leaseback agreements. If we are not in partcompliance with our covenants and are not able to obtain covenant waivers or modifications, the cash flowcurrent or future owners of our leased vessels, as appropriate, could retake possession of the vessels or require us to pay down our indebtedness or sell vessels in our fleet. We could lose our vessels if we default on our bareboat charters in connection with the sale and earningsleaseback agreements, which would negatively affect our revenues, results of its subsidiariesoperations and joint venturesfinancial condition. There can be no assurance that such restrictions will not adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs. As a result of these restrictions in current sale and leaseback agreements, or similar restrictions in future sale and leaseback agreements, we may need to seek permission from the distribution or other transfersowners of earningsour leased vessels to Hygoengage in the formcertain corporate actions. Their interests may be different from ours and we may not be able to obtain their permission when needed. This may prevent us from taking actions that we believe are in our best interest, which may adversely impact our revenues, results of dividends, loans or other advancesoperations and payments that are governed by various joint venture financing and operating arrangements.financial condition.
Hygo hasWe have entered into, joint ventures, and may in the future enter into additional or modify existing, joint ventures that might restrict itsour operational and corporate flexibility.flexibility or require credit support.
HygoWe have entered into, joint ventures to acquire and develop LNG infrastructure projects and may in the future enter, into additional joint venture arrangements with third parties.parties in respect of our projects and assets. For example, our interest in the Hilli is the result of an acquisition by GMLP in July 2018 of 50% of the common units in Hilli LLC (the “Hilli Acquisition”), the disponent owner of Hilli Corp. (as defined herein), the owner of the Hilli, which represents the equivalent of 50% of the two liquefaction trains, out of a total of four, that have been contracted to Perenco Cameroon SA (“Perenco”) and Société Nationale Des Hydrocarbures (“SNH” and, together with Perenco, the “Customer”) pursuant to a Liquefaction Tolling Agreement (“LTA”) with an 8-year term. In August 2022, we established Energos, as a joint venture platform with certain funds or investment vehicles managed by Apollo, for the development of a global marine infrastructure platform, of which we own 20%. As Hygo doeswe do not operate the assets owned by these joint ventures, itsour control over their operations is limited by provisions of the agreements it haswe have entered into with itsour joint venture partners and by itsour percentage ownership in such joint ventures. Because Hygo doeswe do not control all of the decisions of itsour joint ventures, it may be difficult or impossible for Hygous to cause the joint venture to take actions that Hygo believeswe believe would be in its or the joint venture’s best interests. For example, Hygowe cannot unilaterally cause the distribution of cash by itsour joint ventures. Additionally, as the joint ventures are separate legal entities, any right Hygowe may have to receive assets of any joint venture or other payments upon their liquidation or reorganization will be effectively subordinated to the claims of the creditors of that joint venture (including tax authorities, trade creditors and tradeany other third parties that require such subordination, such as lenders and other creditors).
Moreover, joint venture arrangements involve various risks and uncertainties, such as committing Hygoour commitment to fund operating and/or capital expenditures, the timing and amount of which itwe may not control, and itsour joint venture partners may not satisfy their financial obligations to the joint venture. Hygo’s resultsWe have provided and may in the future provide guarantees or other forms of operations depend on the performance of these joint ventures and their abilitycredit support to distribute funds to Hygo, and Hygo may be unable to control the amount of cash it will receive from their operations or the timing of capital expenditures, which could adversely affect its financial condition.
Hygo may guarantee the indebtedness of itsour joint ventures and/or affiliates.
Hygo For example, in connection with the closing of the Hilli Acquisition, GMLP agreed to provide a several guarantee (the “GMLP Guarantee”) of 50% of the obligations of Hilli Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilli LLC, under a Memorandum of Agreement, dated September 9, 2015, with Fortune Lianjiang Shipping S.A., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (“Fortune”), pursuant to which Hilli Corp has sold to and leased back from Fortune the Hilli under a 10-year bareboat charter agreement (the “Hilli Facility”), pursuant to a Deed of Amendment, Restatement and Accession relating to a guarantee between GLNG, Fortune and GMLP dated July 12, 2018. The Hilli Facility provided for post-construction financing for the Hilli in the amount of $960 million.These guarantees or credit support contain and can contain certain financial restrictions and other covenants that may provide guarantees to certain banks with respect to commercial bank indebtednessrestrict our business and financing activities. We backstop the GMLP guarantee of its joint ventures and/or affiliates.Hilli Corp’s debt under the Hiili Leaseback by separately guaranteeing GMLP’s performance. Failure by any of itsour joint ventures (e.g., Hilli Corp), equity method investees and/or affiliate to service their debt requirements and comply with any provisions contained in their commercial loan agreements, including paying scheduled installments and complying with certain covenants, may lead to an event of default under the related loan agreement. As a result, if Hygo’sour joint ventures, equity method investees and/or affiliates are unable to obtain a waiver or do not have enough cash on hand to repay the outstanding borrowings, the relevant lenders may foreclose their liens on the relevant assets or vessels securing the loans or seek repayment of the loan from Hygo,us, or both. Either of these possibilities could have a material adverse effect on Hygo’sour business. Further, by virtue of Hygo’s our
guarantees with respect to Hygo’sour joint ventures and/or affiliates, this may reduce itsour ability to gain future credit from certain lenders.
Hygo is dependent upon GLNGAny use of hedging arrangements may adversely affect our future operating results or liquidity.
To reduce our exposure to fluctuations in the price, volume and its affiliates fortiming risk associated with the operation and maintenancepurchase of its vessels.
Each of Hygo’s vessels is operated and maintained by GLNG or its affiliates pursuant to ship management agreements. These agreements are the result of arms-length negotiations and subject to change. In addition,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 (“OTC”) 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.
The swaps regulatory and other provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and the rules adopted thereunder and other regulations, including EMIR and REMIT, could adversely affect our ability to hedge risks associated with our business and our operating results and cash flows.
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 OTC options and swaps with other natural gas merchants and financial institutions. Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act established federal regulation of the OTC derivatives market and made other amendments to the Commodity Exchange Act that are relevant to our business. The provisions of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act and the rules adopted thereunder by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”), the SEC and other federal regulators may adversely affect the cost and availability of the swaps that we may use for hedging, including, without limitation, rules setting limits on the positions in certain contracts, rules regarding aggregation of positions, requirements to clear through specific derivatives clearing organizations and trading platforms, requirements for posting of margins, regulatory requirements on swaps market participants. Our counterparties that are also subject to the capital requirements set out by the Basel Committee on the Banking Supervision in 2011, commonly referred to as “Basel III,” may increase the cost to us of entering into swaps with them or, although not required to collect margin from us under the margin rules, require us to post collateral with them in connection with such swaps in order to offset their increased capital costs or to reduce their capital costs to maintain those swaps on their balance sheets. Our subsidiaries and affiliates operating in Europe and the Caribbean may be subject to the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (“EMIR”) and the Regulation on Wholesale Energy Market Integrity and Transparency (“REMIT”) as wholesale energy market participants, which may impose increased regulatory obligations, including a prohibition to use or disclose insider information or to engage in market manipulation in wholesale energy markets, and an obligation to report certain data, as well as requiring liquid collateral. These regulations could significantly increase the cost of derivative contracts (including through requirements to post margin or collateral), materially alter the terms of derivative contracts, reduce the availability of derivatives to protect against certain risks that we encounter, and reduce our ability to monetize or restructure derivative contracts and to execute our hedging strategies. If, as a result of the swaps regulatory regime discussed above, we were to forgo the use of swaps to hedge our risks, such as commodity price risks that we encounter in our operations, our operating results and cash flows may become more volatile and could be otherwise adversely affected.
We may incur impairments to long-lived assets.
We test our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable. Significant negative industry or economic trends, decline of our market capitalization, reduced estimates of future cash flows for our business segments or disruptions to our business, or adverse actions by governmental entities, changes to regulation or legislation could lead to an impairment charge of our long-lived assets. Our valuation methodology for assessing impairment requires management agreements with GLNGto make judgments and assumptions based on historical experience and to rely heavily on projections of future operating performance. Projections of future operating results and cash flows may vary significantly from results. In addition, if our analysis results in an impairment to our long-lived assets, we may be required to record a charge to earnings in our consolidated financial statements during a period in which such impairment is determined to exist, which may negatively impact our operating results.
Weather events or its affiliatesother natural or manmade disasters or phenomena, some of which may be adversely impacted by global climate change, could have a material adverse effect on our operations and projects, as well as on the economies in the markets in which we operate or plan to operate.
Weather events such as storms and related storm activity and collateral effects, or other disasters, accidents, catastrophes or similar events, natural or manmade, such as explosions, fires, seismic events, floods or accidents, could result in damage to our facilities, liquefaction facilities, auxiliary vessels, or related infrastructure, interruption of our
operations or our supply chain, as well as delays or cost increases in the construction and the development of our proposed facilities or other infrastructure. Changes in the global climate may have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods and rising sea levels; if any such effects were to occur, they could have an adverse effect on our onshore and offshore operations. Due to the nature of our operations, we are particularly exposed to the risks posed by hurricanes, tropical storms and their collateral effects, in particular with respect to Hygo’s vessels.fleet operations, floating offshore liquefaction units and other infrastructure we may develop in connection with our Fast LNG technology. In particular, we may seek to construct and develop floating offshore liquefaction units as part of our Fast LNG in locations that are subject to risks posed by hurricanes and similar severe weather conditions or natural disasters or other adverse events or conditions that could severely affect our infrastructure, resulting in damage or loss, contamination to the areas, and suspension of our operations.For example, our operations in coastal regions in southern Florida, the Caribbean, and Latin America are frequently exposed to natural hazards such as sea-level rise, coastal flooding, cyclones, extreme heat, hurricanes, and earthquakes. These climate risks can affect our operations, potentially even damaging or destroying our facilities, leading to production downgrades, costly delays, reduction in workforce productivity, and potential injury to our people. In addition, jurisdictions with increased political, economic, social and legal instability, lack of regulatory clarity of application of laws, rules and regulations to our technology, and could potentially expose us to additional jurisdictional risks related to currency exchange, tariffs and other taxes, changes in laws, civil unrest, and similar risks. In addition, because of the location of some of our operations, we are subject to other natural phenomena, including earthquakes, such as the one that occurred near Puerto Rico in January 2020, which resulted in a temporary delay of development of our Puerto Rico projects. If GLNGone or more tankers, pipelines, facilities, liquefaction facilities, vessels, equipment or electronic systems that we own, lease or operate or that deliver products to us or that supply our facilities, liquefaction facilities, and customers’ facilities are damaged by severe weather or any of its affiliates that provide servicesother disaster, accident, catastrophe or similar event, our construction projects and our operations could be significantly interrupted, damaged or destroyed. These delays, interruptions and damages could involve substantial damage to Hygo fails to perform these services satisfactorilypeople, property or the termsenvironment, and repairs could take a significant amount of time, particularly in the ship management agreements change, itevent of a major interruption or substantial damage. We do not, nor do we intend to, maintain insurance against all of these risks and losses. We may not be able to maintain desired or required insurance in the future at rates that we consider reasonable. See “—Our insurance may be insufficient to cover losses that may occur to our property or result from our operations.” The occurrence of a significant event, or the threat thereof, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Hygo may not be able to purchase or receive physical delivery of natural gas or LNG in sufficient quantities and/or at economically attractive prices to supply the Sergipe Power Plant and satisfy its delivery obligations under the PPAs, which could have a material adverse effect on Hygo.
Under the PPAs related to the Sergipe Power Plant and its other LNG-to-power facilities, Hygo is required to deliver power, which also requires Hygo to obtain sufficient amounts of LNG. However, Hygo may not be able to purchase or receive physical delivery of sufficient quantities of LNG to satisfy those delivery obligations, which may subject Hygo to certain penalties and provide its counterparties with the right to terminate their PPAs. With respect to the Sergipe Power Plant, Hygo has entered into a supply agreement with Ocean LNG Limited (“Ocean LNG”), an affiliate of Qatar Petroleum. If Ocean LNG fails to deliver sufficient LNG to Sergipe, Hygo would be forced to purchase LNG on the spot market, which may be on less favorable terms. In addition, price fluctuations in natural gas and LNG may make it expensive or uneconomical for Hygo to acquire adequate supply of these items for its other customers.
Hygo is dependent upon third party LNG suppliers and shippers and other tankers and facilities to provide delivery options to and from its tankers and energy-related infrastructure. If LNG were to become unavailable for current or future volumes of natural gas due to repairs or damage to supplier facilities or tankers, lack of capacity, impediments to international shipping or any other reason, Hygo’s ability to continue delivering natural gas, power or steam to end-users could be restricted, thereby reducing its revenues. Additionally, under tanker charters, Hygo will be obligated to make payments for its chartered tankers regardless of use. Hygo may not be able to enter into contracts, with purchasers of LNG in quantities equivalent to or greater than the amount of tanker capacity it has purchased. If any third parties were to default on their obligations under Hygo’s contracts or seek bankruptcy protection, Hygo may not be able to purchase or receive a sufficient quantity of natural gas in order to supply the Sergipe Power Plant and satisfy its delivery obligations under its PPAs. Any permanent interruption at any key LNG supply chains that caused a material reduction in volumes transported to Hygo’s facilities could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
Recently, the LNG industry has experiencedExisting and future environmental, social, health and safety laws and regulations could result in increased volatility. If market disruptions and bankruptcies of third party LNG suppliers and shippers negatively impacts Hygo’s ability to purchase a sufficient amount of LNG or significantly increases its costs for purchasing LNG, its business, operating results, cash flows and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected.
Under certain circumstances, Hygomore stringent compliance requirements, which may be requireddifficult to make payments under itscomply with or result in additional costs and may otherwise lead to significant liabilities and reputational damage.
Our business is now and will in the future be subject to extensive national, federal, state, municipal and local laws, rules and regulations, in the United States and in the jurisdictions where we operate, relating to the environment, social, health and safety and hazardous substances. These requirements regulate and restrict, among other things: the siting and design of our facilities; discharges to air, land and water, with particular respect to the protection of human health, the environment and natural resources and safety from risks associated with storing, receiving and transporting LNG, natural gas supply agreements.
If Hygo failsand other substances; the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous materials, hazardous waste and petroleum products; and remediation associated with the release of hazardous substances. Many of these laws and regulations, such as the CAA and the CWA, and analogous laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, restrict or prohibit the types, quantities and concentrations of substances that can be emitted into the environment in connection with the construction and operation of our facilities and vessels, and require us to take delivery of contracted volumes under its gas supply agreements, it may be requiredobtain and maintain permits and provide governmental authorities with access to make paymentsour facilities and vessels for inspection and reports related to counterparties under such agreements.our compliance. For example, CELSE entered into a 25-year LNG supply agreement with Ocean LNG for the supplyPennsylvania Department of LNGEnvironmental Protection laws and regulations will apply to the Sergipeconstruction and operation of the Pennsylvania Facility. PursuantChanges or new environmental, social, health and safety laws and regulations could cause additional expenditures, restrictions and delays in our business and operations, the extent of which cannot be predicted and which may require us to limit substantially, delay or cease operations in some circumstances. For example, in October 2017, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a legal determination that a 2013 interagency guidance document was a “rule” subject to the termsCongressional Review Act (“CRA”). This legal determination could open a broader set of agency guidance documents to potential disapproval and invalidation under the Sergipe Supply Agreement, CELSE is requiredCRA, potentially increasing the likelihood that laws and regulations applicable to take delivery of a specified base quantity of LNG each year,our business will become subject to certain adjustments. If CELSE takes less thanrevised interpretations in the full number of scheduled cargoes per year under the Sergipe Supply Agreement, CELSE will be required to pay Ocean LNG a cancellation fee per cargo according to a formula based on the number of the cargoes not taken, subject to a cap over every five-year periodfuture that we cannot predict. Revised, reinterpreted or additional laws and the full 25 year term.
Hygo’s current lack of assetregulations that result in increased compliance costs or additional operating or construction costs and geographic diversificationrestrictions could have ana material adverse effect on itsour business, contracts, financial condition, operating results, cash flow, liquidity and prospects.
Any failure in environmental, social, health and safety performance from our operations may result in an event that causes personal harm or injury to our employees, other persons, and/or the environment, as well as the imposition of injunctive relief and/or penalties or fines for non-compliance with relevant regulatory requirements or litigation.Such a failure, or a similar failure elsewhere in the energy industry (including, in particular, LNG liquefaction, storage,
transportation or regasification operations), could generate public concern, which may lead to new laws and/or regulations that would impose more stringent requirements on our operations, have a corresponding impact on our ability to obtain permits and approvals, and otherwise jeopardize our reputation or the reputation of our industry as well as our relationships with relevant regulatory agencies and local communities. As the owner and operator of our facilities and owner or charteror of our vessels, we may be liable, without regard to fault or the lawfulness of the original conduct, for the release of certain types or quantities of hazardous substances into the environment at or from our facilities and for any resulting damage to natural resources, which could result in substantial liabilities, fines and penalties, capital expenditures related to cleanup efforts and pollution control equipment, and restrictions or curtailment of our operations. Any such liabilities, fines and penalties that exceed the limits of our insurance coverage. See “—Our insurance may be insufficient to cover losses that may occur to our property or result from our operations.” Individually or collectively, these developments could adversely impact our ability to expand our business, including into new markets.
Greenhouse Gases/Climate Change. The threat of climate change continues to attract considerable attention in the United States and around the world. Numerous proposals have been made and could continue to be made at the international, national, regional and state government levels to monitor and limit existing and future GHG emissions. As a result, our operations are subject to a series of risks associated with the processing, transportation, and use of fossil fuels and emission of GHGs. In the United States to date, no comprehensive climate change legislation has been implemented at the federal level, although various individual states and state coalitions have adopted or considered adopting legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives, including GHG cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, reporting and tracking programs, and emission restrictions, pollution reduction incentives, or renewable energy or low-carbon replacement fuel quotas. At the international level, the United Nations-sponsored “Paris Agreement” was signed by 197 countries who agreed to limit their GHG emissions through non-binding, individually-determined reduction goals every five years after 2020. The United States rejoined the Paris Agreement, effective February 19, 2021, and other countries where we operate or plan to operate, including Jamaica, Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, and Nicaragua, have signed or acceded to this agreement. However, the scope of future climate and GHG emissions-focused regulatory requirements, if any, remain uncertain. Governmental, scientific, and public concern over the threat of climate change arising from GHG emissions has resulted in increasing political uncertainty in the United States and worldwide. For example, based in part on the publicized climate plan and pledges by President Biden, there may be significant legislation, rulemaking, or executive orders that seek to address climate change, incentivize low-carbon infrastructure or initiatives, or ban or restrict the exploration and production of fossil fuels. For example, executive orders may be issued or federal legislation or regulatory initiatives may be adopted to achieve U.S. goals under the Paris Agreement.
Climate-related litigation and permitting risks are also increasing, as a number of cities, local governments and private organizations have sought to either bring suit against oil and natural gas companies in state or federal court, alleging various public nuisance claims, or seek to challenge permits required for infrastructure development. Fossil fuel producers are also facing general risks of shifting capital availability due to stockholder concern over climate change and potentially stranded assets in the event of future, comprehensive climate and GHG-related regulation. While several of these cases have been dismissed, there is no guarantee how future lawsuits might be resolved.
The substantial majorityadoption and implementation of Hygo’s anticipated revenuenew or more comprehensive international, federal or state legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives that impose more stringent restrictions on GHG emissions could result in increased compliance costs, and thereby reduce demand for or erode value for, the natural gas that we process and market. The potential increase in our operating costs could include new costs to operate and maintain our facilities, install new emission controls on our facilities, acquire allowances to authorize our GHG emissions, pay taxes related to our GHG emissions, and administer and manage a GHG emissions program. We may not be able to recover such increased costs through increases in customer prices or rates. In addition, changes in regulatory policies that result in a reduction in the future will be dependent upon its assetsdemand for hydrocarbon products that are deemed to contribute to GHGs, or restrict their use, may reduce volumes available to us for processing, transportation, marketing and customersstorage. Furthermore, political, litigation, and financial risks may result in Brazil. Brazil has historically experiencedreduced natural gas production activities, increased liability for infrastructure damages as a result of climatic changes, or an impaired ability to continue to operate in an economic volatility and the general condition and performancemanner. One or more of the Brazilian economy, over which Hygo has no control, may affect itsthese developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Dueoperation.
Fossil Fuels. Our business activities depend upon a sufficient and reliable supply of natural gas feedstock, and are therefore subject to concerns in certain sectors of the public about the exploration, production and transportation of natural gas and other fossil fuels and the consumption of fossil fuels more generally. For example, PHMSA has promulgated detailed regulations governing LNG facilities under its current lackjurisdiction to address siting, design, construction, equipment, operations, maintenance, personnel qualifications and training, fire protection and security. While the Miami Facility is subject to these regulations, none of assetour LNG facilities currently under development are subject to PHMSA’s jurisdiction, but regulators and geographic diversification, an adverse development at any of its facilities in Brazil,governmental agencies in the energy industryjurisdictions in which we operate can impose similar siting, design, construction and operational requirements that can affect our projects, facilities, infrastructure and operations. Legislative and regulatory action, and possible litigation, in response to such public concerns may also adversely affect our operations. We may be subject to future laws, regulations, or actions to address such public concern with fossil fuel generation,
distribution and combustion, greenhouse gases and the effects of global climate change. Our customers may also move away from using fossil fuels such as LNG for their power generation needs for reputational or perceived risk-related reasons. These matters represent uncertainties in the economic conditions in Brazil, wouldoperation and management of our business, and could have a significantly greater impactmaterial adverse effect on Hygo’sour financial conditionposition, results of operations and operating results than if it maintained more diverse assetscash flows.
Hydraulic Fracturing. Certain of our suppliers of natural gas and operating areas.
Hygo’s operations could be limited or restricted in orderLNG employ hydraulic fracturing techniques to comply with protectionsstimulate natural gas production from unconventional geological formations (including shale formations), which currently entails the injection of pressurized fracturing fluids (consisting of water, sand and certain chemicals) into a well bore. Moreover, hydraulically fractured natural gas wells account for indigenous populations locateda significant percentage of the natural gas production in the areasU.S.; the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported in 2016 that hydraulically fractured wells provided two-thirds of U.S. marketed gas production in 2015. Hydraulic fracturing activities can be regulated at the national, federal or local levels, with governmental agencies asserting authority over certain hydraulic fracturing activities and equipment used in the production, transmission and distribution of oil and natural gas, including such oil and natural gas produced via hydraulic fracturing. Such authorities may seek to further regulate or even ban such activities. For example, the Delaware River Basin Commission (“DRBC”), a regional body created via interstate compact responsible for, among other things, water quality protection, water supply allocation, regulatory review, water conservation initiatives, and watershed planning in the Delaware River Basin, has implemented a de facto ban on hydraulic fracturing activities in that basin since 2010 pending the approval of new regulations governing natural gas production activity in the basin. More recently, the DRBC has stated that it will consider new regulations that would ban natural gas production activity, including hydraulic fracturing, in the basin. If additional levels of regulation or permitting requirements were imposed on hydraulic fracturing operations, natural gas prices in North America could rise, which in turn could materially adversely affect the relative pricing advantage that has existed in recent years in favor of domestic natural gas prices (based on Henry Hub pricing).
The requirements for permits or authorizations to conduct these activities vary depending on the location where such drilling and completion activities will be conducted. Several jurisdictions have adopted or considered adopting regulations to impose more stringent permitting, public disclosure or well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations, or to ban hydraulic fracturing altogether. As with most permitting and authorization processes, there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether a permit will be granted, the time it operates,will take for a permit or approval to be issued and any conditions which may be imposed in connection with the granting of the permit. See “—Failure to obtain and maintain permits, approvals and authorizations from governmental and regulatory agencies and third parties on favorable terms could alsoimpede operations and construction.” Certain regulatory authorities have delayed or suspended the issuance of permits or authorizations while the potential environmental impacts associated with issuing such permits can be studied and appropriate mitigation measures evaluated. In addition, some local jurisdictions have adopted or considered adopting land use restrictions, such as city or municipal ordinances, that may restrict the performance of or prohibit the well drilling in general and/or hydraulic fracturing in particular. Increased regulation or difficulty in permitting of hydraulic fracturing, and any corresponding increase in domestic natural gas prices, could materially adversely impacted by any changes in Brazilian lawaffect demand for LNG and our ability to comply with certain requirements embodied in international treaties and other laws related to indigenous communities.develop commercially viable LNG facilities.
Indigenous Communities.Indigenous communities—including, in Brazil, Afro-indigenous (“Quilombola”) communities—are subject to certain protections under international and national laws. There are several indigenous communities that surround its operations in Brazil. Hygo has entered into agreements with some of these communities that mainly provide for the use of their land for its operations, and negotiations with other such communities are ongoing. In the event that Hygo is unable to reach an agreement with indigenous communities, that its relationship with these communities deteriorates in future, or that such communities do not comply with any existing agreements related to Hygo’s operations, it could have a material adverse effect on Hygo’s business and results of operations.
Brazil has ratified the International Labor Organization’s Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (“ILO Convention 169”), which is grounded on the principle of consultation and participation of indigenous and traditional communities under the basis of free, prior, and informed consent (“FPIC”). ILO Convention 169 sets forthstates that governments are to ensure that members of tribes directly affected by legislative or administrative measures, including the grant of government authorizations, such as are required for Hygo’sour Brazilian operations, are consulted through appropriate procedures and through their representative institutions. ILO Convention 169 further states thatinstitutions, particularly using the principle of consultation must be undertaken aiming at achieving an agreement orand participation of indigenous and traditional communities under the basis of free, prior, and informed consent to the proposed legislative or administrative measures.
(“FPIC”). Brazilian law does not specifically regulate the FPIC process for indigenous and traditional people affected by undertakings, nor does it set forth that individual members of an affected community shall render their FPIC on an undertaking that may impact them. However, in order to obtain certain environmental licenses for Hygo’sour operations, Hygo iswe are required to comply with the requirements of, consult with, and obtain certain authorizations from a number of institutions regarding the protection of indigenous interests: IBAMA, local environmental authorities in the National Congress (in specific cases),localities in which we operate, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and the National Indian Foundation (Fundação Nacional do Índio or FUNAI) (for indigenous people) or Palmares Cultural Foundation (Fundação Cultural Palmares) (for Quilombola communities). If Hygo is not able to timely obtain the necessary authorizations or obtain them on favorable terms for its operations in areas where indigenous communities reside, Hygo could face construction delays, increased costs, or otherwise experience adverse impacts on its business and results of operations.
Additionally, the American Convention on Human Rights (“ACHR”), to which Brazil is a party, sets forth rights and freedoms prescribed for all persons, including property rights without discrimination due to race, language, and national or social origin. The ACHR also provides for consultation with indigenous communities regarding activities that may affect the integrity of their land and natural resources. If Brazil’s legal process for consultation and the protection of indigenous rights is challenged under the ACHR and found to be inadequate, it could result in orders or judgments that could ultimately adversely impact its operations. For example, in February 2020, the Interamerican Court of Human Rights (“IACtHR”) found that Argentina had not taken adequate steps, in law or action, to ensure the consulting of indigenous communities and obtaining those communities’ free prior and informed consent for a project impacting their territories. IACtHR further found that Argentina had thus violated the ACHR due to infringements on the indigenous communities’
rights to property, cultural identity, a healthy environment, and adequate food and water by failing to take effective measures to stop harmful, third-party activities on the indigenous communities’ traditional land. As a result, IACtHR ordered Argentina, among other things, to achieve the demarcation and grant of title to the indigenous communities over their territory and the removal of the third-partiesthird parties from the indigenous territory. HygoWe cannot predict whether this decision will result in challenges regarding the adequacy of existing Brazilian legal requirements related to the protection of indigenous rights, changes to the existing Brazilian government body consultation process, or impact itsour existing development agreements or its negotiations for outstanding development agreements with indigenous communities in the areas in which it operates. However, if the consultations withwe operate.
There are several indigenous communities potentially impacted by Hygo’sthat surround our operations in Brazil. Hygo has entered into agreements with some of these communities that mainly provide for the use of their land for our operations, and negotiations with other such communities are foundongoing. If we are not able to be insufficient, Hygotimely obtain the necessary authorizations or obtain them on favorable terms for our operations in areas where indigenous communities reside, our relationship with these communities deteriorates in future, or that such communities do not comply with any existing agreements related to our operations, we could face construction delays, increased costs, or otherwise experience a material adverse impact toimpacts on its business and results of operations.
Hygo isInternational Waters. Our chartered vessels’ operations in international waters and in the territorial waters of other countries are regulated by extensive and changing international, national and local environmental protection laws, regulations, treaties and conventions in force in international waters, the jurisdictional waters of the countries in which our vessels operate, as well as the countries of our vessels’ registration, including those governing oil spills, discharges to air and water, the handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes and the management of ballast water. The International Maritime Organization (“IMO”) International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of 1973, as amended from time to time, and generally referred to as “MARPOL,” can affect operations of our chartered vessels. In addition, our chartered LNG vessels may become subject to comprehensive regulationthe International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea (the “HNS Convention”), adopted in 1996 and subsequently amended by a Protocol to the HNS Convention in April 2010. Other regulations include, but are not limited to, the designation of Emission Control Areas under MARPOL, the IMO International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage of 1969, as amended from time to time, the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, the IMO International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974, as amended from time to time, the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operations of Ships and for Pollution Prevention, the IMO International Convention on Load Lines of 1966, as amended from time to time and the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments in February 2004.
Moreover, the overall trends are towards more regulations and more stringent requirements which are likely to add to our costs of doing business. For example, IMO regulations, which became applicable on January 1, 2020, limit the sulfur content of fuel oil for ships to 0.5 weight percent starting January 1, 2020, thus increasing the cost of fuel and increasing expenses for us. Likewise, the European Union is considering extending its business, which fundamentally affects its financial performance.emissions trading scheme to maritime transport to reduce GHG emissions from vessels. We contract with industry leading vessel providers in the LNG market and look for them to take the lead in maintaining compliance with all such requirements, although the terms of our charter agreements may call for us to bear some or all of the associated costs. While we believe we are similarly situated with respect to other companies that charter vessels, we cannot assure you that these requirements will not have a material effect on our business.
Hygo’s business isOur chartered vessels operating in U.S. waters, now or in the future, will also be subject to extensive regulation by various Brazilian regulatory authorities, particularly Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (“ANEEL”), ANPfederal, state and Agência Nacional de Transportes Aquaviários (“ANTAQ”). ANEEL regulateslocal laws and oversees various aspectsregulations relating to protection of Hygo’s business and establishes its tariffs. If Hygo is obligated by ANEEL to make additional and unexpected capital investments and is not allowed to adjust its tariffs accordingly, if ANEEL does not authorize the recovery of all costs or if ANEEL modifiesenvironment, including the regulations related to tariff adjustments, Hygo may be adversely affected. ANP regulatesOPA, the import and export of LNGCERCLA, the CWA and the transportationCAA. In some cases, these laws and distribution of natural gas activities, including Hygo’s downstream distribution business. ANTAQ regulatesregulations require governmental permits and oversees port activities in Brazil.
In addition, both the implementation of Hygo’s strategyauthorizations before conducting certain activities. These environmental laws and regulations may impose substantial penalties for growthnoncompliance and its ordinary business may be adversely affected by governmental actions such as changes to current legislation, the termination of federal and state concession programs, creation of more rigid criteriasubstantial liabilities for qualification in public energy auctions, or a delay in the revision and implementation of new annual tariffs.
If regulatory changes require Hygo to conduct its business in a manner substantially different from its current operations, Hygo’s operations, financial results and its capacity to fulfill its contractual obligations may be adversely affected
CELSE and CELBA could be penalized by ANEEL for failingpollution. Failure to comply with the terms of their respective authorizationsthese laws and applicable legislationregulations may result in substantial civil and CELSEcriminal fines and CELBA may not recover the full value of their respective investments if such authorizations are terminated.
CELSE and CELBA will carry out their respective power generation activities in accordancepenalties. As with the authorizations granted by the Brazilian government through the MME (the “MME Authorizations”). CELSE’s authorization expiresindustry generally, our chartered vessels’ operations will entail risks in November 2050,these areas, and CELBA’s authorization, which is in the process of being granted, is expected to expire in 2055. ANEEL may impose penalties on CELSE and CELBA if they fail to complycompliance with any provision of the MME Authorizations or with the legislationthese laws and regulations, applicable to the Brazilian power industry. Depending on the extent of the non-compliance, these penalties could include:
substantial fines (in some cases up to 2% of gross revenues arising from the generation activity in the 12-month period immediately preceding the assessment);
prohibition on operations;
bans on the construction of new facilities or the acquisition of new projects;
restrictions on the operation of existing facilities and projects; or
restrictions on operations (including the exclusion from participating in upcoming auctions), temporary suspension of participation in auctions and bidding processes for new concessions and authorizations.
ANEEL may also terminate the MME Authorizations prior to their expiration in the event that CELSE or CELBA fails to comply with the provisions of the MME Authorizations, is declared bankrupt or is dissolved. In the event of non-compliance by CELSE and/or CELBA, ANEEL may also impose certain of the penalties (in particular, bans and restrictions) on affiliates of CELSE and CELBA.
CELSE and CELBA are subject to extensive legislation and regulations imposed by the Brazilian government and ANEEL, and cannot predict the effect of any changes to the legislation or regulations currently in force regarding their respective businesses.
The implementation of Hygo’s business strategy and its ability to carry out its activities may be adversely affected by certain governmental actions.
Hygowhich may be subject to newfrequent revisions and reinterpretation, may increase our overall cost of business.
We are subject to numerous governmental export laws, and trade and economic sanctions laws and regulations, enactedand anti-corruption laws and regulation.
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, particularly countries in the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the other countries in which we seek to do business. We must also comply with trade and economic sanctions laws, including the U.S. Commerce Department’s Export Administration Regulations and economic and trade sanctions regulations maintained by the BrazilianU.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
For example, in 2018, U.S. legislation was approved to restrict U.S. aid to Nicaragua and in 2018, 2019 and 2020, U.S. and European governmental authorities imposed a number of sanctions against entities and individuals in or associated with the government of Nicaragua and Venezuela. Although we take precautions to comply with all such laws and regulations, violations of governmental export control 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 consequences. Moreover, it is possible that we could invest both time and capital into a project involving a counterparty who may become subject to sanctions. If any of our counterparties becomes subject to sanctions as a result of these laws and regulations, changes thereto or otherwise, we may face an array of issues, including, but not limited to, (i) having to suspend our development or operations on a temporary or permanent basis, (ii) being unable to recuperate prior invested time and capital or being subject to lawsuits, or (iii) investigations or regulatory proceedings that could retroactivelybe time-consuming and expensive to respond to and which could lead to criminal or civil fines or penalties.
We are also subject to anti-corruption laws and regulations, 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 and/or other benefits. Some of the jurisdictions in which we currently, or may in the future, operate may present heightened risks for FCPA issues, such as Nicaragua, Jamaica, Brazil and Mexico or other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Although we have adopted policies and procedures that are designed to ensure that we, our employees and other intermediaries comply with the FCPA, it is highly challenging to adopt policies and procedures that ensure compliance in all respects with the FCPA, particularly in high-risk jurisdictions. Developing and implementing policies and procedures is a complex endeavor. 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 trade and economic sanctions laws and 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, the imposition of an independent compliance monitor, as well as potential personnel change and disciplinary actions. In addition, non-compliance with such 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 and reputation with current and potential customers. In addition, in certain countries we serve or expect to serve our customers through third-party agents and other intermediaries. Violations of applicable import, export, 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 rules for renewal of its concessions and authorizations.
future. The non-renewaloccurrence of any of Hygo’s authorizations,these events could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and future business prospects.The U.S. sanctions and embargo laws and regulations vary in their application, as wellthey 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 non-renewalscope of certain laws may be unclear and may be subject to changing interpretations. Any such violation could result in fines, penalties or other sanctions that could severely impact our ability to access U.S. capital markets and conduct our business. In addition, certain financial institutions may have policies against lending or extending credit to companies that have contracts with U.S. embargoed countries or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism, which could adversely affect our ability to access funding and liquidity, our financial condition and prospects.
Our charterers may inadvertently violate applicable sanctions and/or call on ports located in, or engage in transactions with, countries that are subject to restrictions imposed by the U.S. or other governments, which could adversely affect its energy supply contracts,business.
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. However, our vessels may be sub-chartered out to a sanctioned party or call on ports of a sanctioned nation on charterers’ instruction, and without our knowledge or consent.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.
Increasing transportation regulations may increase our costs and negatively impact our results of operations.
We are developing a transportation system specifically dedicated to transporting LNG using ISO tank containers and trucks to our customers and facilities. This transportation system may include trucks that we or our affiliates own and operate. Any such operations would be subject to various trucking safety regulations in the various countries where we operate, including those which are enacted, reviewed and amended by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”). These regulatory authorities exercise broad powers, governing activities such as the authorization to engage in motor carrier operations, driver licensing, insurance requirements, and transportation of hazardous materials. To a large degree, intrastate motor carrier operations are subject to state and/or local safety regulations that mirror federal regulations but also regulate the weight and size dimensions of loads.Any trucking operations would be subject to possible regulatory and legislative changes that may increase our costs. Some of these possible changes include changes in environmental regulations, changes in the hours of service regulations which govern the amount of time a driver may drive or work in any specific period, onboard black box recorder device requirements or limits on vehicle weight and size. In addition to increased costs, fines and penalties, any non-compliance or violation of these regulations, could result in the suspension of our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations and Hygo’s capacity to fulfill its contractual obligations.
The regulatory framework under which Hygo operates is subject to legal challenge.
The Brazilian government implemented fundamental changes in the regulation of the power industry in legislation passed in 2004 known as the Lei do Novo Modelo do Setor Elétrico, or New Regulatory Framework. Challenges to the constitutionality of the New Regulatory Framework are still pending before the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal), although preliminary injunctions have been dismissed. It is not possible to estimate when these proceedings will be finally decided. If all or part of the New Regulatory Framework were held to be unconstitutional, there would be uncertain consequences for the validity of existing regulation and the further development of the regulatory framework. The outcome of the legal proceedings is difficult to predict, but it could have an adverse impact on the entire energy sector, including Hygo’sour business and results of operations. Due to the duration of the lawsuit, it is possible that the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court will not give retroactive effect to its decision, but rather preserve the validity of past acts applying a judicial practice known as modulation of effects.
If the regulatory framework under which Hygo operates is revised in a way that results in Hygo being required to conduct its business in a manner substantially different from its current operations, Hygo’s operations, financial results and capacity to fulfill its contractual obligations may be adversely affected.
Commercialization activity is subject to potential losses due to short-term variations in energy prices on the spot market.
Hygo’s sales on the spot market are subject to potential differences in the settlement between the energy delivered and the energy sold. The differences are settled by the Câmara de Comercialização de Energia Elétrica (the Electric Energy Trading Chamber) at the spot price, or the PLD. The PLD is based on the energy traded in the spot energy market. It is calculated for each submarket and load level on a weekly basis and is based on the marginal cost of operation. The maximum and the minimum value of the PLD are set every year by ANEEL. Short-term variations in energy prices on the spot energy market may lead to potential losses in Hygo’s commercialization activity.
NFE is uncertain as to the review of the Physical Guarantee of its generation power plants.
The “Physical Guarantee” is the amount of power that a plant is expected to contribute to the electricity grid over the life of a PPA. NFE cannot be certain if future events could affect the Physical Guarantee of each of its individual power plants. When the Physical Guarantee of a power plant is decreased, NFE's ability to supply electricity under that plant's PPAs is adversely affected, which can lead to a decrease in NFE's revenues and increase NFE's costs if its generation subsidiaries are required to purchase power elsewhere. Damage to the step up transformer and related equipment at the Sergipe Power Plant in September 2020 and February 2021 is expected to decrease the Sergipe Power Plant's Physical Guarantee by up to 106MW for a 5 year period between 2022-2027. CELSE will need to purchase this capacity on the spot market in order to fulfill its obligations under the PPA and receive capacity payments. Additionally, to the extent CELSE is required to dispatch before repairs to the transformer and related equipment are complete, CELSE could be required to purchase the difference between its committed output and the final available power for delivery to PPA customers for the length of the requested dispatch period.
Hygo is currently highly dependent upon economic, political, regulatory and other conditions and developments in Brazil.
Hygo currently conducts all of its business in Brazil. As a result, Hygo’s current business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects are materially dependent upon economic, political and other conditions and developments in Brazil. For example, on July 8, 2019, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras (“Petrobras”) the state-owned oil company in Brazil, entered into an agreement (Termo de Compromisso de Cessão de Prática) with Brazilian antitrust authorities (Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica - CADE) pursuant to which it has agreed to divest its equity participation in the gas pipelines and state gas distribution companies in Brazil by December 31, 2021. Such divestment plan, intended to end Petrobras’s monopoly on the distribution of gas in Brazil, will increase competition and may affect Hygo’s business.
In particular, the Brazilian economy has been characterized by frequent and occasionally extensive intervention by the Brazilian government and unstable economic cycles. The Brazilian government has often changed monetary, taxation, credit, tariff and other policies to influence the course of Brazil’s economy. The Brazilian government’s actions to control inflation and implement other policies have at times involved wage and price controls, blocking access to bank accounts, imposing capital controls and limiting imports into Brazil. In addition, Brazilian markets and politics have been characterized by considerable instability in recent years due to uncertainties derived from the ongoing corruption investigations such as Operation Car Wash, the conviction of Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the impeachment of Former President Dilma Rousseff and the election of Congressman Jair Bolsonaro. The spread of COVID-19 in Brazil has resulted in heightened uncertainty and political instability as government officials debate appropriate response measures. These uncertainties and any measures adopted by the new administration may increase market volatility and political instability.
Hygo’s sale and leaseback agreements contain restrictive covenants that may limit its liquidity and corporate activities, and could have an adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations.
Hygo’s sale and leaseback agreements for the Golar Nanook, Golar Penguin and Golar Celsius contain, and any future sale and leaseback agreements it may enter into are expected to contain, customary covenants and event of default clauses, including cross-default provisions and restrictive covenants and performance requirements that may affect Hygo’s operational and financial flexibility. In addition, Hygo also assigns the shares in its subsidiaries which are the charterers of these vessels to the owners/lessors. Such restrictions could affect, and in many respects limit or prohibit, among other things, its ability to incur additional indebtedness, create liens, sell assets, or engage in mergers or acquisitions. These restrictions could also limit Hygo’s ability to plan for or react to market conditions or meet extraordinary capital needs or otherwise restrict corporate activities. There can be no assurance that such restrictions will not adversely affect its ability to finance its future operations or capital needs.
Certain of Hygo’s sale and leaseback agreements contain cross-default clauses and require it to maintain specified financial ratios, satisfy certain financial covenants and/or assign equity interests in its subsidiaries to third parties, including, among others, the following requirements:
that Hygo maintains Free Liquid Assets (as defined in the Penguin Leaseback) of at least $50.0 million; and
that Hygo assigns the shares in each of Golar Hull M2026 Corp., Golar Hull M2023 Corp. and Golar FSRU 8 Corp., its subsidiaries that are the charterers under Hygo’s sale and leaseback agreements, to the applicable vessel owners.
As of December 31, 2020, Hygo was in compliance with the consolidated leverage ratio and the minimum free liquidity covenants in its sale and leaseback agreements.
As a result of the restrictions in its sale and leaseback agreements, or similar restrictions in future sale and leaseback agreements, Hygo may need to seek permission from the owners of its leased vessels in order to engage in certain corporate actions. Their interests may be different from Hygo’s and Hygo may not be able to obtain their permission when needed. This may prevent Hygo from taking actions that it believes are in its best interest, which may adversely impact Hygo’s revenues, results of operations and financial condition.position.
A failure by HygoOur chartered vessels operating in certain jurisdictions, including the United States, now or in the future, may be subject to meet its paymentcabotage laws, including the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, as amended (the “Jones Act”).
Certain activities related to our logistics and shipping operations may constitute “coastwise trade” within the meaning of laws and regulations of the U.S. and other obligations,jurisdictions in which we operate. Under these laws and regulations, often referred to as cabotage laws, including its financial covenantthe Jones Act in the U.S., only vessels meeting specific national ownership and registration requirements could leador which are subject to defaults under its sale and leaseback agreementsan exception or any future sale and leaseback agreements. If Hygo is notexemption, may engage in compliance with its covenants and is not able to obtain covenant waiverssuch “coastwise trade.” When we operate or modifications,charter foreign-flagged vessels, we do so within the current interpretation of such cabotage laws with respect to permitted activities for foreign-flagged vessels. Significant changes in cabotage laws or future ownersto the interpretation of its leasedsuch laws in the places where we operate could affect our ability to operate or charter, or competitively operate or charter, our foreign-flagged vessels in those waters. If we do not continue to comply with such laws and regulations, we could incur severe penalties, such as appropriate, could retake possessionfines or forfeiture of theany vessels or require Hygo to pay down its indebtedness to a level at which Hygo is in compliance with its covenantstheir cargo, and any noncompliance or sell vessels in its fleet. Hygoallegations of noncompliance could lose its vessels if it defaults on its bareboat charters in connection with the sale and leaseback agreements, which would negatively affect Hygo’s revenues, results ofdisrupt our operations and financial condition.
There are risks and uncertainties relating to Hygo’s sale and leaseback transactions.
On closing of its sale and leaseback transactions, Hygo transferred its ownership interests in each of the Golar Nanook, the Golar Penguin and the Golar Celsius. Although the operation of these vessels is expected to continue in the ordinary course, the bareboat charters in connection with the sale and leaseback transactions may, in certain circumstances, be terminated.relevant jurisdiction. Any such termination could have a significant adverse effect on Hygo’s business, financial condition and results of operations of its vessels. The sale and leaseback agreements will also require significant periodic cash payments in respect of the required rent thereunder, which Hygo has not historically incurred for the Golar Celsiusnoncompliance or prior to December 2019, the Golar Penguin, and other allocated operating and maintenance costs. The increase in Hygo’s lease expense may have an adverse impact on its future operations and profitability.
Risks Related to GMLP Business Activities
GMLP currently derives all of its revenue from a limited number of customers. The loss of any of its customers would result in a significant loss of revenues and cash flow, if it is unable to re-charter a vessel to another customer for an extended period of time.
GMLP’s fleet consists of six FSRUs, four LNG carriers and an interest in the Hilli. GMLP has derived, and believes that it will continue to derive, all of its revenues and cash flow from a limited number of customers. The majority of its charters have fixed terms, but might nevertheless be lost in the event of unanticipated developments such as a customer’s breach. The ability of each of GMLP’s customers to perform its respective obligations under a charter with GMLP will depend on a number of factors that are beyond its control and may include, among other things, general economic conditions, the condition of the LNG shipping industry, prevailing prices for natural gas and LNG, the impact of COVID-19 and similar pandemics and epidemics and the overall financial condition of the counterparty. GMLP could also lose a customer or the benefits of a charter if the customer fails to make charter payments because of its financial inability, disagreements with GMLP or otherwise or the customer exercises its right to terminate the charter in certain circumstances.
If GMLP loses any of its charterers and is unable to re-deploy the related vessel for an extended period of time, it will not receive any revenues from that vessel, but it will be required to pay expenses necessary to maintain the vessel in seaworthy operating condition and to service any associated debt. In addition, it is an event of default under the credit facilities related to all of GMLP’s vessels if the time charter of any vessel related to any such credit facility is cancelled, rescinded or frustrated and it is unable to secure a suitable replacement charter, post additional security or make certain significant prepayments. Any event of default under GMLP’s credit facilities would result in acceleration of amounts due thereunder. Under the sale and leaseback arrangement in respect of the Golar Eskimo, if the time charter pursuant to which the Golar Eskimo is operating is terminated, the owner of the Golar Eskimo (which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Merchants Bank Leasing) will have the right to require GMLP to purchase the vessel from it unless GMLP is able to place such vessel under a suitable replacement charter within 24 months of the termination. GMLP may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments or prepayments or be able to purchase the Golar Eskimo. In such a situation, the loss of a chartereralleged noncompliance could have a material adverse effect on GMLP’sour reputation, our business, our results of operations and cash flows, and could weaken our financial condition.
We do not own the land on which our projects are located and are subject to leases, rights-of-ways, easements and other property rights for our operations.
We have obtained long-term leases and corresponding rights-of-way agreements and easements with respect to the land on which various of our projects are located, including the Jamaica Facilities, the pipeline connecting the Montego Bay Facility to the Bogue Power Plant (as defined herein), the Miami Facility, the San Juan Facility and the CHP Plant are situated, facilities in Brazil such as the Garuva-Itapoa pipeline connecting the TBG pipeline to the Sao Francisco do Sul terminal, rights of way to the Petrobras/Transpetro OSPAR oil pipeline facilities, among others. In addition, our operations will require agreements with ports proximate to our facilities capable of handling the transload of LNG direct from our occupying vessel to our transportation assets. We do not own the land on which these facilities are located. As a result, we are subject to the possibility of increased costs to retain necessary land use rights as well as applicable law and regulations, including permits and authorizations from governmental agencies or third parties. If we were to lose these rights or be required to relocate, we would not be able to continue our operations at those sites and our business could be materially and adversely affected. For example, our ability to operate the CHP Plant is dependent on our ability to enforce the related lease. General Alumina Jamaica Limited (“GAJ”), one of the lessors, is a subsidiary of Noble Group, which completed a financial restructuring in 2018. If GAJ is involved in a bankruptcy or similar proceeding, such proceeding could negatively impact our ability to enforce the lease. If we are unable to enforce the lease due to the bankruptcy of GAJ or for any other reason, we could be unable to operate the CHP Plant or to execute on our contracts related thereto. 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 our assets as anticipated, or at all, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
GMLP’s business strategy depends on its ability to expand relationships with existing customersWe could be negatively impacted by environmental, social, and obtain new customers, for which it will face substantial competition.
GMLP’s principal strategy is to provide steadygovernance (“ESG”) and reliable shipping, regasification and liquefaction operations for its customers. The process of obtaining long-term charters for FSRUs and LNG carriers is highly competitive and generally involves an intensive screening process and competitive bids, and often extends for several months. GMLP believes FSRU and LNG carrier time charters are awarded based upon bid price as well as a variety of factors relating to the vessel operator, including:
Governments, investors, customers, employees and LNG shipping experience, technical abilityother stakeholders are increasingly focusing on corporate ESG practices and reputation for operation of highly specialized vessels;