New Fortress Energy Announces First Quarter 2022 Results

New Fortress Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NFE) (“NFE” or the “Company”) today reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2022.

Summary Highlights

• Reported Q1 2022 net cash flow from operations of $114 million, net income of approximately $241 million and EPS of $1.13 per share on a fully diluted basis
• Reported Q1 2022 Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $258 million (six-months trailing of $592 million)
• Reiterated on-track to achieve illustrative full-year 2022 and 2023 Adjusted EBITDA targets⁽¹⁾ of $1.0+ billion and $1.5+ billion, respectively
• NFE’s Board of Directors approved a dividend of $0.10 per share, with a record date of June 14, 2022 and a payment date of June 28, 2022
• Continued to execute across multiple strategic initiatives. Within the past 60 days:
  • Accelerated optimization initiatives associated with NFE’s floating storage and regasification (FSRU) ships portfolio – 9 FSRUs in total (6 operational, 3 conversion candidates), 3 open / coming open in 2022
  • Executed two 20-year sale and purchase agreements with Venture Global for total 2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG supply on free-on-board basis (FOB) from announced / expected onshore Louisiana LNG facilities
  • Materially progressed Fast LNG liquefaction FID projects (Fast LNG 1-3) and new Fast LNG opportunities:
    • Advanced commercial discussions with Eni⁽²⁾ for 1.4 mtpa (tolling arrangement with 50% offtake rights to NFE per signed MOU announced 2/28)
    • Filed permit applications for 2.8 mtpa deployment offshore Louisiana (100% merchant to NFE, targeted initial in-service 1Q23)
    • Long-lead procurement items for Fast LNG units 2 and 3 have been placed; on schedule with construction activities to place 2 Fast LNG units into service in 2023
    • Advanced pre-application progress for 6 additional Fast LNG permits (1.4 mtpa each) for offshore U.S. Gulf Coast deployment
  • Advanced Zero Parks hydrogen business in-line with previously reported expectations; expect to reach FID⁽³⁾ and break ground on U.S. Gulf Coast green hydrogen project in Q2 2022

Financial Highlights

Please refer to our Q1 2022 Investor Presentation (the “Presentation”) for further information about the following terms:

1. "Illustrative Adjusted EBITDA" is based on the "Illustrative Total Segment Operating Margin Goal" less illustrative Core SGA assumed to be at $145M including the pro rata share of Core SG&A from unconsolidated entities.“Illustrative Total Segment Operating Margin Goal,” or “Illustrative Future Goal” means our goal for Total Segment Operating Margin under certain illustrative conditions. Please refer to this explanation for all uses of this term in this press release. This goal reflects the volumes of LNG that it is our goal to sell under binding contracts multiplied by the average price per unit at which we expect to price LNG deliveries, including both fuel sales and capacity charges or other fixed fees, less the cost per unit at which we expect to purchase or produce and deliver such LNG or natural gas, including the cost to (i) purchase natural gas, liquefy it, and transport it to one of our terminals or purchase LNG in strip cargos or on the spot market, (ii) transfer the LNG into an appropriate ship and transport it to our terminals or facilities, (iii) deliver the LNG, regasify it to natural gas and deliver it to our customers or our power plants and (iv) maintain and operate our terminals, facilities and power plants. For vessels chartered to third parties, this illustration reflects the revenue from ships chartered to third parties, capacity and tolling arrangements, and other fixed fees, less the cost to operate and maintain each ship, in each case based on contracted amounts for ship charters, capacity and tolling fees, and industry standard costs for operation and maintenance. There can be no assurance that the costs of purchasing or producing LNG, transporting the LNG and maintaining and operating our terminals and facilities will result in the Illustrative Total Segment Operating Margin Goal reflected. For the purpose of this press release, we have assumed an average Total Segment Operating Margin between $6.76 and $16.25 per MMBtu for all downstream terminal economics, because we assume that (i) we purchase delivered gas at a weighted average of $9.58 in Q2-22, $10.33 in 2022, and $11.50 in 2023, (ii) our volumes increase over time, and (iii) we will have costs related to shipping, logistics and regasification similar to our current operations because the liquefaction facility and related infrastructure and supply chain to deliver LNG from Pennsylvania or Fast LNG (“FLNG”) does not exist, and those costs will be distributed over the larger volumes. For Hygo + Suape assets we assume an average delivered cost of gas of $19.50 in 2022, and $16.21 in 2023 based on industry averages in the region and the existing LNG contract at Sergipe. Hygo + Sergipe incremental assets include every terminal and power plant other than Sergipe, and we assume all are Operational and earning revenue through fuel sales and capacity charges or other fixed fees. This illustration reflects our effective share of operating margin from Sergipe Power Plant. For Vessels chartered to third parties, this illustration reflects the revenue from ships chartered to third parties, capacity and tolling arrangements, and other fixed fees, less the cost to operate and maintain each ship, in each case based on contracted amounts for ship charters, capacity and tolling fees, and industry standard costs for operation and maintenance. We assume an average Total Segment Operating Margin of up to $218k per day per vessel and our effective share of revenue and operating expense related to the existing tolling agreement for the Hilli FLNG going forward. For Fast LNG, this illustration reflects the difference between the delivered cost of open LNG and the delivered cost of open market LNG less Fast LNG production cost. Management is currently in multiple discussions with counterparties to supply feedstock gas at pricing up to $3.89 per MMBtu, multiplied by the volumes for Fast LNG installation of 1.2 MTPA each per year. These costs do not include expenses and income that are required by GAAP to be recorded on our financial statements, including the return of or return on capital expenditures for the relevant project, and selling, general and administrative costs. Our current cost of natural gas per MMBtu are higher than the costs we would need to achieve Illustrative Total Segment Operating Margin Goal, and the primary drivers for reducing these costs are the reduced costs of purchasing gas and the increased sales volumes, which result in lower fixed costs being spread over a larger number of MMBtus sold. References to volumes, percentages of such volumes and the Illustrative Total Segment Operating Margin Goal related to such volumes (i) are not based on the Company’s historical operating results, which are limited, and (ii) do not purport to be an actual representation of our future economics. We cannot assure you if or when we will enter into contracts for sales of additional LNG, the price at which we will be able to sell such LNG, or our costs to produce and sell such LNG. Actual results could differ materially from the illustration and there can be no assurance we will achieve our goal.
2. NFE’s project with Eni is subject to entering into definitive agreements.
3. “FID” means management has made an internal commitment to commit resources (including capital) to a particular project. Our management has not made an FID decision on certain projects as of the date of this press release, and there can be no assurance that we will be willing or able to make any such decision, based on a particular project’s time, resource, capital and financing requirements.
4. “Total Segment Operating Margin” is the total of our Terminals and Infrastructure Segment Operating Margin and Ships Segment Operating Margin. Terminals and Infrastructure Segment Operating Margin includes our effective share of revenue, expenses and operating margin attributable to our 50% ownership of Centrais Elétricas de Sergipe Participações S.A. (“CELSEPAR”). Ships Segment Operating Margin includes our effective share of revenue, expenses and operating margin attributable to our ownership of 50% of the common units of Hilli LLC. Hilli LLC owns Golar Hilli Corporation (“Hilli Corp”), the disponent owner of the Hilli.
5. “Adjusted EBITDA” see definition and reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure in the exhibits to this press release.

Additional Information

For additional information that management believes to be useful for investors, please refer to the presentation posted on the Investors section of New Fortress Energy’s website, www.newfortressenergy.com, and the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is available on the Company’s website. Nothing on our website is included or incorporated by reference herein.

Earnings Conference Call

Management will host a conference call on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time. The conference call may be accessed by dialing (866) 953-0778 (from within the U.S.) or (630) 652-5853 (from outside of the U.S.) fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call; please reference “NFE First-Quarter 2022 Earnings Call."

A simultaneous webcast of the conference call will be available to the public on a listen-only basis at www.newfortressenergy.com. Please allow extra time prior to the call to visit the website and download any necessary software required to listen to the internet broadcast.

A replay of the conference call will be available after 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time on May 5, 2022 through 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time on May 12, 2022 at (855) 859-2056 (from within the U.S.) or (404) 537-3406 (from outside of the U.S.), Passcode: 4257013.

About New Fortress Energy Inc.

New Fortress Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NFE) is a global energy infrastructure company founded to help address energy poverty and accelerate the world’s transition to reliable, affordable, and clean energy. The company owns and operates natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure, ships, and logistics assets to rapidly deliver turnkey energy solutions to global markets. Collectively, the company’s assets and operations reinforce global energy security, enable economic growth, enhance environmental stewardship and transform local industries and communities around the world.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” including: our expected delivery and sales volumes of LNG and growth goals, including with respect to ability to finalize definitive agreements, cargo optimization, and other drivers; expected needs for LNG supply and demand in the future; expectations regarding ability to construction, complete and commission our projects on time and within budget to derive expected goals and benefits; ability to maintain our expected development timelines; expected or illustrative financial metrics; our ability to finalize and execute definitive agreements with Eni and to fulfill all of the conditions precedent to effectiveness under our HOA; expectations regarding our benefits from our Fast LNG asset and ability to use our current assets for our Fast LNG project; expectations regarding our ability to place our Fast LNG asset into service within our expected timeline; our ability to match our LNG supply and demand profile; our expected needs for LNG supply in the future; our ability to reach FID on our NFE Zero Parks facility; capitalization of NFE Zero Parks; and the implementation and success of our financing alternatives, including any asset sales. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking words such as “expects,” “may,” “will,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words. These forward-looking statements represent the Company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events, and it is possible that the results described in this press release will not be achieved. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of the Company’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the risk that the volumes we are able to sell are less than we expect due to decreased customer demand or our inability to supply; our ability to successfully benefit from current elevated and volatile commodity market environment; the risk that our development, construction or commissioning of our facilities will take longer than we expect; the risk that we fail to meet internal financial metrics or financial metrics posed by the market on us; the risk that we may not develop our Fast LNG project on the timeline we expect or at all, or that we do not receive the benefits we expect from the Fast LNG project; cyclical or other changes in the demand for and price of LNG and natural gas; the risk that the foregoing or other factors negatively impact our liquidity and our ability to capitalize our projects; and the risk that we may be unable to implement our financing strategy or to effectively leverage our assets. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such factors. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements included in the Company’s annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC, which could cause its actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

Exhibits – Financial Statements

Adjusted EBITDA

For the three months ended March 31, 2022

(Unaudited, in thousands of U.S. dollars)

Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to income/(loss) from operations, net income/(loss), cash flow from operating activities or any other measure of performance or liquidity derived in accordance with GAAP. We believe this non-GAAP measure, as we have defined it, offers a useful supplemental view of the overall operation of our business in evaluating the effectiveness of our ongoing operating performance in a manner that is consistent with metrics used for management’s evaluation of the Company’s overall performance and to compensate employees. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is widely used by investors to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items such as interest expense, taxes, depreciation, and amortization which vary substantially from company to company depending on capital structure, the method by which assets were acquired and depreciation policies. Further, we exclude certain items from our SG&A not otherwise indicative of ongoing operating performance.

We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net income, plus transaction and integration costs, contract termination charges and loss on mitigations sales, depreciation and amortization, interest expense (net of interest income), other (income), net, loss on extinguishment of debt, changes in fair value of non-hedge derivative instruments and contingent consideration, tax expense, and adjusting for certain items from our SG&A not otherwise indicative of ongoing operating performance, including non-cash share-based compensation and severance expense, non-capitalizable development expenses, cost to pursue new business opportunities and expenses associated with changes to our corporate structure, plus our pro rata share of Adjusted EBITDA from unconsolidated entities, less the impact of equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated entities.

Adjusted EBITDA is mathematically equivalent to our Total Segment Operating Margin, as reported in the segment disclosures within our financial statements, minus Core SG&A, including our pro rata share of such expenses of unconsolidated entities. Core SG&A is defined as total SG&A adjusted for non-cash share-based compensation and severance expense, non-capitalizable development expenses, cost of exploring new business opportunities and expenses associated with changes to our corporate structure. Core SG&A excludes certain items from our SG&A not otherwise indicative of ongoing operating performance.

The principal limitation of this non-GAAP measure is that it excludes significant expenses and income that are required by GAAP to be recorded in our financial statements. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to our GAAP net income/(loss), and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business. Adjusted EBITDA does not have a standardized meaning, and different companies may use different Adjusted EBITDA definitions. Therefore, Adjusted EBITDA may not be necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Moreover, our definition of Adjusted EBITDA may not necessarily be the same as those we use for purposes of establishing covenant compliance under our financing agreements or for other purposes. Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as alternatives to net income (loss) and diluted earnings (loss) per share attributable to New Fortress Energy, which are determined in accordance with GAAP.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA for the 3 months ended March, 31, 2021, December 31, 2021 and March 31, 2022:

Segment Operating Margin

(Unaudited, in thousands of U.S. dollars)

Performance of our two segments, Terminals and Infrastructure and Ships, is evaluated based on Segment Operating Margin. Segment Operating Margin reconciles to Consolidated Segment Operating Margin as reflected below, which is a non-GAAP measure. We define Consolidated Segment Operating Margin as GAAP net income (loss), adjusted for selling, general and administrative expense, transaction and integration costs, contract termination charges and loss on mitigation sales, depreciation and amortization, interest expense, other (income) expense, loss on extinguishment of debt, net, income from equity method investments and tax expense. Consolidated Segment Operating Margin is mathematically equivalent to Revenue minus Cost of sales minus Operations and maintenance minus Vessel operating expenses, each as reported in our financial statements.

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