or future applicable laws or regulations or by its own by-laws or other governing rules or investment portfolio mandates, ratings mandates or criteria, taxonomies, or standards, or other independent expectations, including with regard to any direct or indirect environmental, sustainability, or social impact of any Eligible Projects or for listing or admission to trading on any dedicated “green,” “environmental,” “social,” “sustainable,” or other equivalently labeled index or segment of any stock exchange or securities market, in particular with regard to any direct or indirect environmental, sustainability, or social impact of any projects or uses, the subject of or related to, any Eligible Projects. Any failure by us to allocate an amount equal to the net proceeds from the sale of the sustainability notes to one or more Eligible Projects or the failure of those investments or financings to satisfy investor, index, or stock exchange or securities market expectations or requirements could have a material adverse effect on the market price of the sustainability notes and/or result in adverse consequences for certain investors with portfolio mandates to invest in securities to be used for a particular purpose. No assurance can be given that the sustainability notes will be listed or admitted to trading on any dedicated “green,” “environmental,” “social,” “sustainable,” or other equivalently labeled segment of any stock exchange or securities market (whether or not regulated), and we do not intend to apply for any such listing or admission.
The Eligible Projects to which we may allocate the net proceeds from the sustainability notes may have complex direct or indirect environmental, sustainability, or social impacts, and adverse environmental or social impacts may occur during the design, construction, and operation of the projects. In addition, projects may become controversial or criticized by activist groups or other stakeholders, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of the sustainability notes.
There is no legal, regulatory, or market definition of or standardized criteria for what constitutes a “green,” “social,” “sustainable,” or other equivalently labeled project, and any such designations made by third parties with respect to the sustainability notes may not be suitable for the investment criteria of an investor.
There is currently no clear definition (legal, regulatory, or otherwise) of, nor market consensus as to what constitutes, a “green,” “social,” “sustainable,” or an equivalently labeled project, or as to what precise attributes are required for a particular project to be defined as “green,” “social,” “sustainable,” or such other equivalent label, nor can any assurance be given that such a clear definition or consensus will develop over time or, if such definition or consensus develops in the future, that the Eligible Projects will meet such criteria. Accordingly, no assurance is or can be given to investors that any Eligible Projects selected to receive an allocation of funds from the net proceeds of the sustainability notes will meet any or all investor expectations regarding such “green,” “social,” “sustainable,” or other equivalently labeled performance objectives, or that any adverse environmental, social, and/or other impacts will not occur during the implementation of any Eligible Projects financed, in whole or in part, by the net proceeds from the sale of the sustainability notes.
No assurance or representation is given as to the suitability or reliability for any purpose whatsoever of any opinion or certification of any third party (whether or not solicited by us), including any second party opinion such as the SPO discussed under “Use of Proceeds,” that may be made available in connection with the issuance of the sustainability notes and, in particular, with respect to whether any Eligible Projects fulfill any environmental, social, sustainability, and/or other criteria. For the avoidance of doubt, any such opinion or certification is not and shall not be deemed to be incorporated into nor form part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Any such opinion or certification is not, nor should be deemed to be, a recommendation by us or any underwriter, or any other person, to buy, sell, or hold the sustainability notes. Any such opinion or certification is only current as of the date that opinion or certification was initially issued. Prospective investors must determine for themselves the relevance of any such opinion or certification and/or the information contained therein and/or the provider of such opinion or certification for the purpose of any investment in the sustainability notes. Currently, the providers of such opinions and certifications are not subject to any specific regulatory or other regime or oversight. Any withdrawal of any such opinion or certification or any additional opinion or certification attesting that we are not complying in whole or in part with any matters for which such opinion or certification is opining or certifying may have a material adverse effect on the value of the sustainability notes and/or result in adverse consequences for certain investors with mandates to invest in securities to be used for a particular purpose.
S-13