24.Merger or Consolidation
In the event of a corporate transaction, the Board of Directors (or the Committee) may, provide for any of, or a combination of any of, the following: (a) each purchase right shall be assumed or an equivalent purchase right shall be substituted by the successor entity or parent or subsidiary of such successor entity, (b) a date selected by the Board of Directors (or the Committee) on or before the date of consummation of such corporate transaction shall be treated as a purchase date and all outstanding purchase rights shall be exercised on such date, (c) all outstanding purchase rights shall terminate and the accumulated payroll deductions will be refunded to each Participant upon or immediately prior to the Corporate Transaction, or (d) outstanding purchase rights shall continue unchanged. For purposes of the Plan, a “corporate transaction” shall have the meaning given to it in The FuelCell Energy, Inc. 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time, or any successor plan thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no corporate transaction shall be deemed to have occurred unless the transaction also meets the definition of a “corporate transaction” described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.424-1(a)(3).
25.Notice to Company of Disqualifying Disposition
By electing to participate in the Plan, each participant agrees to promptly give to the Company notice in writing of any Common Stock disposed of within two years after the first day of the Offering Period on which the related option was granted showing the number of such shares disposed of. Each participant further agrees to provide any information about such a transfer as may be requested by the Company or any subsidiary corporation in order to assist it in complying with the tax laws. Such dispositions generally are treated as “disqualifying dispositions” under Sections 421 and 424 of the Code, which have certain tax consequences to participants and to the Company and its participating subsidiaries.
26.Withholding of Additional Federal Income Tax
By electing to participate in the Plan, each participant acknowledges that the Company and its participating subsidiaries are required to withhold taxes with respect to the amounts deducted from the participant’s compensation and accumulated for the benefit of the participant under the Plan, and each participant agrees that the Company and its participating subsidiaries may deduct additional amounts from the participant’s compensation, when amounts are added to the participant’s account, used to purchase Common Stock or refunded, in order to satisfy such withholding obligations. Each participant further acknowledges that when Common Stock is purchased under the Plan the Company and its participating subsidiaries may be required to withhold taxes with respect to all or a portion of the difference between the fair market value of the Common Stock purchased and its purchase price, and each participant agrees that such taxes may be withheld from compensation otherwise payable to such participant. It is intended that tax withholding will be accomplished in such a manner that the full amount of payroll deductions elected by the participant under the Plan will be used to purchase Common Stock. However, if amounts sufficient to satisfy applicable tax withholding obligations have not been withheld from compensation otherwise payable to any participant, then, notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Company may withhold such taxes from the participant’s accumulated payroll deductions and apply the net amount to the purchase of Common Stock, unless the participant pays to the Company, prior to the exercise date, an amount sufficient to satisfy such obligations. Each participant further acknowledges that the Company and its participating subsidiaries may be required to withhold taxes in connection with the disposition of stock acquired under the Plan and agrees that the Company or any participating subsidiary may take whatever action it considers appropriate to satisfy such withholding requirements, including deducting from compensation otherwise payable to such participant an amount sufficient to satisfy such withholding requirements or conditioning any disposition of Common Stock by the participant upon the payment to the Company or such subsidiary of an amount sufficient to satisfy such withholding requirements.
27.Effective Date
This Plan became effective on April 5, 2018 (the “Effective Date”), the date on which the Company’s shareholders approved this Plan at the annual shareholders meeting. This plan is being amended and restated effective as of May 22, 2023, subject to approval by the Company’s shareholders at the Company’s 2023 annual meeting.