Enlight Renewable Energy Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
May 8, 2024

There are 9 speakers on the call.

Operator

Good day and thank you for standing by. Welcome to nLIGHT's First Quarter 2024 Earnings Call. Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to Josef Lekowitz, Vice President and Corporate Finance. Josef, please go ahead.

Speaker 1

Thank you, operator. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining our Q1 2024 earnings conference call for nLIGHT Renewable Energy. Before beginning this call, I would like to draw participants' attention to the following. Certain statements made on the call today, including, but not limited to statements regarding business strategy and plans our project portfolio, market opportunity, utility demand and potential growth, discussions with commercial counterparties and financing sources, pricing trends for materials, progress of company projects, including anticipated timing of related approvals and project completion and anticipated production delays, expected impact from various regulatory developments, completion of developments, the potential impact of the current conflict in Israel on our operations and financial condition and company actions designed to mitigate such impact, expected changes in Cannera's leadership and the company's future financial and operational results and guidance, including revenue and adjusted EBITDA, are forward looking statements within the meaning of U. S.

Speaker 1

Federal securities laws, which reflect management's best judgment based on currently available information. We reference certain project metrics in this earnings call and additional information about such metrics can be found in our earnings release. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ from our expectations. Please refer to our 2023 Annual Report filed with the SEC on March 28, 2024 and other filings for more information on the specific factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward looking statements. Although we believe these expectations are reasonable, we undertake no obligation to revise any statements to reflect changes that occur after this call.

Speaker 1

Additionally, non IFRS financial measures may be discussed on the call. These non IFRS measures should be considered in addition to and not as a substitute for or in isolation from our results prepared in accordance with IFRS. Reconciliations to the most directly comparable IFRS financial measures are available in the earnings release and earnings presentation for today's call, which are posted on our Investor Relations webpage. With me this morning are Dheeraj Yaveh, CEO and Co Founder of nLIGHT Niru Udha, CFO of nLIGHT Jason Ellsworth, CEO and Co Founder of Cloudera and Adam Fischel, COO and Co Founder of Cloudera. Gilad will provide some opening remarks and will then turn the call over to Jason and Adam for a review of our U.

Speaker 1

S. Activity and then to Nir for a review of our Q1 results. Our executive team will then be available to answer your questions.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Youssef, and thank you all for joining us today. NLIGHT is off to a strong start to the year, and we are pleased to present a robust set of financial results for the Q1. Revenue grew 27% year over year to $90,000,000 while adjusted EBITDA grew 28% year over year to $68,000,000 in the quarter. We benefited during the quarter from high production levels across our 1 point 9 gigawatt operational portfolio, particularly at some of our largest wind farms. Net income was €24,000,000 versus €33,000,000 last year, which benefited from one off financing income we recognized post IPO last year, which Nir will explain in

Speaker 1

more detail later on.

Speaker 2

On the back of these results, we are pleased to reaffirm our full year 2024 guidance. In addition to the strong financial results, we continue to execute on our project portfolio during the quarter. Our projects are proceeding on schedule, including the 5 79 Megawatts and 1.7 Gigawatt Hour expected to reach CLD this year as well as the 1.1 Gigawatts and 2.9 Gigawatt Hour of new project we expect to start construction this year. Enlight is on the cusp of a major expansion, which will ultimately result in the tripling of the company's generation and storage capacity to 5.1 gigawatts and 5.7 gigawatt hour by 2026. We are laser focused on the execution and delivery of our plants.

Speaker 2

Let me describe what we are seeing in the United States, where the industry fundamental backdrop is one of the best we have ever seen. First off, demand for electricity is increasing. For most of the past decade, forecast for long term annual U. S. Load growth stood at approximately 0.5% per year, but this accelerated in 2023 when forecast for long term demand nearly doubled to 0.9% a year until 2028.

Speaker 2

This represents an additional 38 gigawatts of peak demand over the next 5 years. To put that in perspective, that is the equivalent of a 75% of California's peak load today. This rapid acceleration in demand has been driven by the reshoring of manufacturing, EVs and most importantly, the installation data centers, which consume an immense quantum of power. And there is a strong possibility that this does not capture the true demand picture, which would drive up to 1.5% annual growth until the end of this decade. This also explains why PPA pricing remains high even as equipment prices have been falling.

Speaker 2

Enlight is uniquely positioned for this tight power market environment with a broad set of projects that are deliverable in the short- to medium term. These projects include the Trisco, our 3 64 Megawatt and 1.2 Gigawatt Hour flagship project located in New Mexico, which will see completion of its solar component during the Q3 of this year, while the storage part is on track for COD during the Q4, both as planned. Moreover, Quail Ranch, Roadrunner and Country Acres, the 3 major projects we expect to start construction in the United States in 2024, totaling 8 10 Megawatts 2 Gigawatt Hour, have completed all critical development milestones and are on schedule. We will soon initiate major procurement for this project. Equipment pricing remains beneficial to us with panel prices around $0.25 All in battery prices are now $1.70 Both these elements have fallen by 30% to 35% from start of 2023.

Speaker 2

All these factors combined contribute to improving unlevered returns on the project that we are planning to build between now and 2026. This stands at 10.5%, an improvement of 50 bps since last quarter and with additions of financing, reached mid to high teen levels on the levered equity return. In Europe, while short term power prices have been unusually low, long term power prices remain high, reflecting attractive returns for a light operational and development portfolio as we continue to secure important milestones at our near term projects. We reached financial close for 94 Megawatts Wind Farm Project Pupil in Serbia, arranging a €95,000,000 financing package from IBRD and Erste, the same partners who financed our operational blacksmiths project, which is adjacent to Pupin. Pupin, which has signed 15 year CFD agreement at €69 per megawatt hour, is now under construction and is expected to re TLD as planned in the second half of twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2

In addition, we reached financial close on 2 of our smaller Hungarian projects, recovering €29,000,000 of excess equity invested. The normalization of European energy prices and the prevailing higher cost of capital are sparking a greater flow of attractive later stage project acquisition opportunities across the continent. We are currently evaluating several project acquisitions, and we may seek to take advantage of this opportunistic window. In Israel, we continue to engage with the newly deregulated power sector, enhancing our ability to generate and sell electricity to different segments at our home market. Arad Valley 3, a part of the Israel solar and storage cluster, reached COD during the Q1 as we maintain the rollout of this project cluster through 2024.

Speaker 2

We also signed PPAs with 2 additional companies for 50 megawatts of supply as we further expand our reach into Israel's corporate power And finally, we announced the formation of a new subsidiary named Enlight Local, led by 1 of the top management teams in Israel, which will address the power needs of Israeli municipalities and agricultural customers by building distributed power infrastructure. Finally, turning to our operational portfolio. Electricity generation volumes at most of our wind farms were well above expectation, including at Recama in Spain, Blacksmith in Serbia and Genesis Wind in Israel. This was partly offset by weaker merchant pricing, especially at Hikama, where lower electricity prices were recorded during the quarter. Despite these merchant market conditions, our hedging strategy provided significant downside protection as we hedged 65% of Hekama's anticipated production at a high price of €100 for 2024.

Speaker 2

As we show in the slide deck accompanying this quarter results, even in an extreme case where merchant prices for the rest of 2024 end up 50% below the internal forecast we made at the start of the year, our corporate adjusted EBITDA would only drop by 2% from the midpoint of our guidance range. I would like to emphasize that we do not expect lower merchant prices to impact our financial outlook for 2024. Moreover, we are also looking to adapt our commercial strategy to current conditions. After the extraordinary returns that we have made at Ricama, where heavy merchant market exposure over the past 2 years has returned half of the equity we invested in the project, we are now considering options for entering into a long term PPA. To sum up, this quarter showed strong financial performance, and we continue to be on schedule in meeting our COD and project development goals.

Speaker 2

Business fundamentals in the U. S. Are very supportive for planned expansion there, with rising power demand and low equipment costs translating into higher PPA pricing and increasing project returns. And it is exactly these trends that enable nLIGHT to achieve its dual goal of delivering higher than market growth and higher than market returns. I'd now like to hand the call over to Jason.

Speaker 2

Jason?

Speaker 3

Thank you, Gilad. NLIGHT and Cleanera are rapidly expanding in the U. S. And we are laser focused on construction and project finance. In total, we plan to be in active construction on more than 1.2 gigawatts of solar and 3.2 gigawatt hours of battery during 2024.

Speaker 3

Our 3 64 Megawatt and 1.2 Gigawatt hour at Trisco project in New Mexico is on schedule. We expect to reach COD on the solar in the Q3. The solar project has already reached mechanical completion and commissioning work is underway. The battery is expected to be complete during the Q4. Equipment is almost all on-site and work is underway to connect the initial circuits.

Speaker 3

Looking beyond Atrisco, we plan to begin construction on Country Acres, Quell Ranch and Roadrunner in the second half. These projects together total 8 10 megawatts of generation and over 2 gigawatt hours of energy storage. The 392 Megawatt and 688 Megawatt Hour Country Acres Project in California is expected to begin 1st. All regulatory and permitting hurdles are clear and construction contracts are nearly complete. Quellar Ranch is not far behind.

Speaker 3

The 128 Megawatt and 400 Megawatt Hour project in New Mexico is ready to start construction, but awaiting PPA regulatory approval. Finally, the 2 90 Megawatt 9 40 Megawatt Hour Roadrunner project in Arizona completing its remaining governmental approvals. Before year end, we expect all three of these projects to be under construction, each is an important part of delivering our 2020 6 objectives. Our COBAR project in Arizona is comprised of 3 busbar PPAs totaling approximately 1.2 gigawatts and 824 Megawatt hours and contracted with APS and SRP. The ATS Q reform is ongoing and is still on track to support a year end 2026 COD for the vast majority of the project with the remainder to follow in early 2027.

Speaker 3

We continue to engage with APS to advance the interconnection work as quickly as possible. As a reminder, another 3.2 gigawatt hours of battery potential is under development at the site, but not yet contracted. Taking a step back, we continue to see strong support for our project fundamentals. PPA pricing remains sticky in light of the trends Gilad mentioned earlier. Equipment prices have also declined with costs for both solar panels and batteries falling in the past year.

Speaker 3

Since the beginning of 2023, both solar module and battery pricing have dropped by approximately 30% to 35%. This has served to offset the increase in financing costs and deliver improved Turning to supply chain, there is currently renewed concern regarding possible trade sanctions aimed at Asian equipment producers. Cleanera uses module supply from Southeast Asia and India that are audited by third parties to ensure compliance with today's UFLPA and ADCDB rules. Our suppliers have proven ability to work efficiently and successfully through routine customs investigations and deliver on time. If additional sanctions emerge, Cleanera has supply contingency plans in place to limit potential sanction impact, including use of U.

Speaker 3

S. Assembled bifacial panels and batteries. On a final note, Adam will lead the company's U. S. Commentary next quarter.

Speaker 3

I'm excited to see the organization grow and develop under his exceptional leadership. I'd now like to turn the call over to Nir for

Speaker 4

a review of our quarterly results. Nir?

Speaker 5

Thank you, Jason. In the Q1 of 2024, the company's revenue increased to $90,000,000 up from $70,000,000 last year, a growth rate of 27% year over year. Growth was mainly driven by new operational projects compared to last year, while being offset by a decline in revenue caused by much lower electricity prices in Spain relative to the prices observed in the same quarter last year. Since the Q1 of last year, 10 new projects in the U. S, Hungary and Israel started selling electricity.

Speaker 5

The most important of this is Genesis Wind, which contributed €9,000,000 to revenue. In addition, Bjornberg, which barely sold power at the start of 2023, contributed $7,000,000 in this quarter. Recama generated approximately $20,000,000 in revenues. However, its contribution fell 6% year over year due to much lower Spanish power prices compared to Q1 'twenty three. We sold power in Spain at an overall average price of €65 per megawatt this quarter versus €85 per megawatt in the same period last year.

Speaker 5

The decline in pricing was offset by very high production volume, which were 20% higher than last year as well as a result of our hedging strategy, which allowed us to sell 52% of Zhekama production at the price of €98 per megawatt. In Israel, 7 of the 12 solar plus storage cluster units are now in operation, contributing $3,000,000 while none were selling electricity in the same period last week. Finally, the reclassification of financial assets project in Israel to fixed asset project boosted revenues by 3,000,000 dollars though at the same time, we moved this sum from the financial income line. 4th quarter net income declined by 26% to $24,000,000 from $33,000,000 last year due to unusually high finance income in 2023. In the Q1 of last year, we recorded a one off $12,000,000 benefit caused by the depreciation of the Israeli shekel on the large amount of cash the company had received following completion of our NAVDAQ IPO in February 2023.

Speaker 5

In addition, we recorded $2,000,000 noncash gain in Q1 2024, stemming from the mark to market of interest rate hedges and a positive revaluation of foreign exchange denominated liabilities. Cash from operations declined by 36% to €35,000,000 from €55,000,000 last year, influenced by working capital. In the Q1 of

Operator

4, the company's adjusted EBITDA grew by 28 percent

Speaker 5

to $68,000,000 compared to $54,000,000 for the same period in 2023. On the whole, adjusted EBITDA growth was driven by the same positive factor, which affected our revenue growth. Looking to our balance sheet. Enlight achieved 2 financial closings for projects in Central Europe. We raised €95,000,000 loan for the construction of the Pupin Wind project in Serbia and $42,000,000 financing facility for the construction of the Topolsa solar project in Hungary.

Speaker 5

We also recycled $29,000,000 of excess capital back to Enite as a result of this transaction. In addition, Enlight has $325,000,000 of revolving credit facility at Israeli and International Bank as of the balance sheet date, none of which have been drawn. This is $65,000,000 above what we reported in our Q4 'twenty three results. Moving to 2024 guidance. Given the strong set of results we delivered for the Q1, we reaffirm our financial outlook for the year, expecting annual revenue between $335,000,000 to $360,000,000 and with adjusted and $255,000,000 percent of 24 generation output will be sold at fixed price either through hedges or PPAs.

Speaker 5

Our guidance reflects annual growth of 36% 30% at the midpoint compared to 2023, respectively, demonstrating our accelerated growth path in 2024 and the years ahead. I will now turn it over to the operator for questions.

Operator

Your first question comes from the line of Justin Clare with ROTH MKM. Please go ahead.

Speaker 4

Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking our questions.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Justin.

Speaker 4

So, first off, just wanted to start on module supply. I was wondering since the announcement of the latest ED CBD case that's targeting Southeast Asian countries, can you talk about whether you're seeing any change in the market so far? You mentioned pricing is down to $0.25 a watt. Are you seeing that change? Are you seeing it move higher at this point?

Speaker 4

And then if tariffs were placed on both cells and modules from Southeast Asia, can you just talk about your ability to access supply and whether you see any potential for disruption to your product timelines?

Speaker 2

Jason, would you like to take the answer and I will compliment you if needed?

Speaker 3

Yes, absolutely. Thank you. Great question and certainly on our mind specifically, we're seeing the market remain fairly stable in terms of supply and pricing. There is some shuffling going on and certainly some of that shuffling is an increased emphasis on investment in the U. S.

Speaker 3

And acceleration on those investments by producers who are looking to increase U. S. Content as the demand is there and there's likely need for that in the future. In the meantime, we're seeing a mix in terms of our supply chain that is manageable given the outcomes, especially given our emphasis on non targeted Southeast Asia supply. That said, we also have a solid set of relationships and work related to supply out of the U.

Speaker 3

S. That would allow us to sidestep eventual issues with some cost impact, but it's a manageable amount of cost impact, a few pennies of cost impact to us and then to the projects. Of course, the benefit there is there's additional opportunity related to domestic content and the upside related to domestic content if that shift occurs. So we see this as generally a on the in large part a neutral topic in the near term and potentially in the longer term accelerating the shift to domestic supply that will in fact

Speaker 4

points 2 short

Speaker 2

points to that. 1st, 2 points 2 short points to that. First, in general, we still see a positive trend in terms of the panels pricing. So we see them still going down and then offsetting some of the other elements. And it's worth to mention the strategic step we did last year with Warid, the Indian supplier that and the MSA that we have with this supplier that allows us very good responsiveness to the ADCVD future steps that will be taken.

Speaker 2

So we have a good source that we believe will be available.

Speaker 4

Got it. Okay. Just a follow on that, with the domestic content adder, can you talk about the timing potential in which you think you could secure that adder on the solar side of the business, but then also for storage projects as well? Curious what the time frame might be?

Speaker 2

So we are aligning some of our project in order to get more from the domestic content, especially in project where the tax equity path will be ITC. Then we see a strong benefit for that, for example, Rustic Hills. And we believe that for 2027, we will be on track to get the adder on that.

Speaker 4

Got it. Okay. And then maybe just one more here. We've seen obviously a very strong increase in demand for electricity from data centers. Wondering if you're looking to participate in RFPs that are being done from data centers and whether or not those might incorporate solar and storage?

Speaker 2

Yes, I'll start and then Youssef can complement me. So I think it's a great question. We see a very positive environment for us right now that is being created in the U. S. Because of the data center growth that leads to this increase in electricity demand primarily and also opens up a lot of opportunities for us also in the business model.

Speaker 2

So it's not only participating in PPAs, we are reviewing and exploring other, I would say, business development and even M and A options that are related to this trend, which will be we believe that will be long term.

Speaker 6

And may I just add to that, in the West, which is obviously power constrained and with big data center builds over the next decade, that is contracted via the utility. So the utility will sleeve the corporate demand through a PPA direct with the utility. So we won't see it in an RFP with the data center providers directly. We'll see it with increased demand from the utilities. And just given the interconnection positions we hold in the West, we think that puts us in a really position to deliver in the near term for those data center clients, which is of huge value to them.

Speaker 4

Got it. Okay, very helpful. Thank you.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Justin.

Operator

Your next question comes from the line of Maheep Mandloi from Mizuho. Please go ahead.

Speaker 7

Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking the questions. Just on the module procurement, if I could ask on that. Can you talk about the sourcing, you talked about Wari being one of the big ones. Are you looking to source solar cells from them or potentially modules from their potential expansion in the U.

Speaker 7

S? Or do you have any other suppliers lined up for that as well?

Speaker 2

Jason, would you like to take that?

Speaker 3

Yes, absolutely. I'll take that. Our relationship with Wari includes solar cells and Wari is a producer of solar cells. So yes, their produced solar cells are part of our sourcing plan with them and our contractual relationship. We're continuing to look at the advent and introduction of solar cells in the U.

Speaker 3

S. And that's a longer term equation. That is the 2027 timeframe for projects and domestic content that Gilad was referencing. We're targeting that timeframe to be careful, though we're of course open to and working on accelerating as much possible as it relates to other projects and opportunities that might pull us in a little earlier than that. But 2027 is really the reasonable timeframe that we're looking at to include U.

Speaker 3

S. Sales.

Speaker 7

Appreciate that. And then maybe just switching to the construction schedule, you kind of talked about everything. It seems on target or on track. But curious on your thoughts on how should we think about going forward, do you expect any bottlenecks over here on a run rate basis either from EPC constraints or transformer switchgear constraints? For the market, I think we're obviously hearing from some of the suppliers that projects are getting pushed out, but just curious why you're not seeing that right now and what are your expectations for that going forward?

Speaker 7

Thanks.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Naeve, I think this is a great question. I think that we are very confident right now on the operational track. First, the Montresco, that is a major project for us and we plan the COD of both the solar side and the battery side before the end of 2024 and we are at least on track. And I believe that we took very important operational and procurement decisions that will also support construction on time of the new 3 projects that we are going to build in the U. S.

Speaker 2

In 2024 including decision for transformers that we did and other elements that can be bottlenecked. So we feel quite confident right now on our plan.

Speaker 6

And if I may add to Gilat's point, I think all those projects have signed interconnection agreements, signed PPAs, real estates and for the large part all their permits. So that gives us a large degree of comfort on the milestones that these projects have achieved that were on plan, if not ahead.

Speaker 7

Awesome. And then maybe just one last one on merchant pricing in Spain. The table in the press release was pretty useful to understand the sensitivity. But spot prices are already down 50% versus the 68.5% number you have in there. Just curious how to how should we treat that table or going forward here?

Speaker 2

Thanks. So what was exactly the question?

Speaker 7

The spot prices in Spain is almost around 30 something dollars right now per megawatt hour, so almost 50% below your assumption of 68.5%. So does that imply like EBITDA could be 2% below the midpoint for the rest of the year or?

Speaker 6

No. So the current price today may be 30, but if you look at the forwards for the remainder of the year, they're in the 70 range, if not higher. So there's been kind of a short term decline in power prices, which we've seen in February and mostly in March, which has been driven by strong hydro and a lot of wind and solar resource. That hydro was expected to come off, which is why you see the near term future is at the 70 range, July, August, September and so on and so forth. So the 30 is maybe today's price, but it's not the expectation of price in the market for for the remainder of the year.

Speaker 2

Yes. And I would add to that is that the point we are making in the presentation is our resilience to even a short term downturn in the prices, in the spot prices in Spain. And the point that we just shown is that even in a reduction of 50% in the merchant prices, we don't see any impact. It's on the EBITDA. And the opposite, what we see is other, say, positive results in other projects.

Speaker 2

So we do not see any reason why to reduce our guidelines, maybe to the opposite, but we will consider that next quarter. And on the long term, we see also in Spain very good, I would say, forecast and folds for the electricity prices, including PPAs. So the fact that we get offers right now for 10 years PPA on a high basis provide us a lot of confidence that we can either remain in the merchant profile where we benefited a lot in the last 2 years, as you know, and basically being able to withdraw more than 50% of the equity of the project. So we had a very good upside in the last 2 years. And what we see currently forward for the next 10 years is good levels of prices and also flexibility to sign long term PPA at high levels that represent, I would say, higher returns than the original models.

Speaker 2

So I think that we stand there with very good situation. In Spain, this I think this was the goal of showing that table on the quarter.

Speaker 7

Got it. And I appreciate that color as well. Thank you.

Operator

Your next question comes from the line of Mark Strouse with JPMorgan. Please go ahead.

Speaker 1

Hello. This is Michael Fairbanks on for Mark Straus. Thanks for taking our questions. For the U. S.

Speaker 1

Development pipeline, how are you feeling about the availability of tax equity, particularly on the PTC side? We've heard some tightness there. So just wondering if you're seeing that and to what extent can you use transferability to offset that? Thanks.

Speaker 2

So I can begin and Youssef if you want just that. I think the profile of our offtake rest of the fundamentals, but primarily offtake of our project in the West is very attractive to tax equity providers, because we have long term busbar PPAs for 20 and in some projects 30 years with a very, I would say, a solid profile. So as produced, we don't have any exposure to a curtailment as opposed to hub settled PPAs that you can find in other areas. So this leads to, I think, very strong demand that we are getting for tax equity for the project. So we feel less the bottlenecks right now.

Speaker 2

And I think that this is one of the advantages of the portfolio that we see right now in WEC and specifically with the project online right now.

Speaker 6

And just to add, there's also the optionality that Transferability has provided to do the hybrid structures, which is around the tax equity providers syndicating the credits to corporate clients of theirs, which have tax exposure and then retaining the interest for the purposes of monetizing the depreciation. So there's plenty of demand. It's just a matter of exactly the structure that works best for us.

Speaker 1

Great. Thank you very much. And then just one follow-up. Any update you guys have on the overall ramp up at the Genesis and Bjorn wind projects since the last call?

Speaker 2

Yes, yes. It's thanks. It's on plan and even better than planned. So we see improved performance of both plants and also we are getting to arrangement continuous arrangement with the supply on the path. So we feel very good there.

Operator

You. Your next question comes from the line of David Paz with Wolfe Research. Please go ahead.

Speaker 8

Great. Just wanted to just circle back on the PJM portfolio and you touched on it. But just if you could maybe at a high level talk about your plans in that market and then in particular all the demand that of course we're seeing from data centers and so forth. Do you anticipate as part of your farm down strategy, I think it was 30% or so going forward, Just one of those kind of portfolios that we should look at, what kind of interest are you seeing and are you particularly looking at breaking it down pieces? Or you mentioned that in your one of your earlier comments on M and A, just maybe overall just address your PG and strategy?

Speaker 2

Yes. Thanks for the question, David. So first to begin with, we continue to advance the PG and M portfolio. It's advanced well. We have more than 5 projects there.

Speaker 2

But with 5 projects, we are on fast track. And with network upgrade cost of less than $5,000,000 per project, which I think is a fantastic for PJM. I think that I understand that on the fast track nLIGHT holds 40% of the project right now that are on the fast track on PJM. I think it's amazing. And then to your question, yes, we believe that PJM is a potential for our strategy on the sell downs.

Speaker 2

There are some elements in PJM where I think maybe positioned these projects as good, I would say, options for doing this kind of equity recycle we mentioned in previous quarter. When the project finally mature completely mature and get to their optimal value. We believe that the high PPA prices in PGM derived by the data centers demand and I would say multiple players that are interested in project there may create a very high upside for us in this market.

Speaker 8

Great. Thank you on that. And then just on your unlevered return targets for your 2024 to 26 portfolio. Obviously, that was great to see a 50 basis point improvement. How locked in from here are those returns?

Speaker 8

Do you anticipate more movement, again, just for those set of projects on your returns? Or have you locked in the pricing and so forth that we should probably kind of think of that in a steady state?

Speaker 6

So thanks, David. So PPAs are signed for over 90% of that block, right? So the revenue side, obviously, we feel a great degree of confidence. On the cost side, we're naturally going to be going to procurement in a significant way. And that's on everything we're going to obviously start building this year.

Speaker 6

So we're in negotiations in advanced negotiations on procurement decisions. For example, on the 3 big projects in the U. S. That we're going to commence construction this year. Naturally, we have the Atrisco project where procurement is obviously all done and that's locked in.

Speaker 6

Yes, so we feel pretty good. I think their CODAR, which is obviously a big project, which we hope to make some procurement decisions by the end of this year, early next.

Speaker 8

Great. All right. Thank you.

Operator

That concludes our question and answer session. And I will now turn the call back over to Youssef for closing remarks.

Speaker 6

Thank you, operator. Thanks everyone for joining today. We will be at the JPMorgan Energy Conference in New York as well as Roth's Sustainability Conference in London and we look forward to catching you up there. Thank you.

Operator

This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your

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Key Takeaways

  • Strong Q1 performance: Revenue grew 27% year-over-year to $90 million and adjusted EBITDA rose 28% to $68 million, enabling the company to reaffirm its full-year 2024 guidance.
  • Robust US project pipeline: The Trisco 364 MW/1.2 GWh project remains on schedule for solar COD in Q3 and storage COD in Q4, while three additional projects totaling 810 MW/2 GWh are set to begin construction in 2024.
  • Favorable US fundamentals: Long-term US load growth forecasts have nearly doubled to 0.9% annually through 2028, supporting high PPA pricing and driving unlevered project returns to 10.5% (up 50 bps) and levered equity returns into the high teens.
  • European financing milestones: nLIGHT closed €95 million of financing for the 94 MW Pupin wind project in Serbia and recovered €29 million of excess equity from two Hungarian projects, while evaluating opportunistic acquisitions amid normalized energy prices and higher capital costs.
  • Hedging strategy secures guidance: The company hedged 65% of Hecama’s 2024 production at €100/MWh, and sensitivity analysis shows adjusted EBITDA would fall by only ~2% if merchant prices drop 50%, leaving 2024 guidance unaffected.
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Enlight Renewable Energy Q1 2024
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