OPAL Fuels Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results

OPAL Fuels Inc. (“OPAL Fuels” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: OPAL), a leading vertically integrated producer and distributor of renewable natural gas (RNG) for use as a transportation fuel and renewable electricity, today announced financial and operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.

“During the third quarter OPAL Fuels continued to make strong progress on our long-term strategic growth plans while delivering solid operating and financial results,” said co-CEO Adam Comora. “Production from RNG projects in operation continues to be on target. Many of the headwinds that we were experiencing for projects in construction are now behind us. Additionally, we closed on a $500 million credit facility that provides a clear funding pathway for our RNG production projects and growing number of company-owned fueling stations. OPAL Fuels remains well positioned to capitalize on strengthening end markets – both upstream and downstream – as a leading vertically integrated RNG company.”

Other significant third quarter developments include signing of a joint venture with South Jersey Industries (SJI) to develop two RNG projects (the first of which is Atlantic County Landfill which recently entered construction), and commencement of operations of the Emerald RNG Project, a joint venture with GFL where our ownership share represents approximately 1.3 million MMBtu of annual design capacity. The Company now has 5.2 million MMBtu of annual design capacity online across 8 projects, more than tripling our design capacity over the last two years, and an additional 4.4 million MMBtu of design capacity from projects currently in construction.

“We are pleased with this quarter’s performance and remain confident our recent achievements position us well to continue executing on our growth plans. We have also enhanced our disclosures with additional information regarding RNG production and monetization. The additional disclosures should help investors in thinking about both the near and longer-term earnings power of the business,” said co-CEO Jonathan Maurer.

Financial Highlights

• Revenues for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, were $71.1 million and $169.1 million, up 7% and 0.2% compared to same periods last year.
• Net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, was $0.2 million and $106.9 million compared to $5.4 million and $0.6 million in the comparable periods last year.
• Basic net earnings per share attributable to Class A common shareholders for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, was $(0.01) and $0.59, respectively compared to $(0.04) and $(0.04) in the comparable periods last year.
• Based on the change in presentation described below, Adjusted EBITDA¹ for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, was $16.5 million and $19.9 million compared to $17.7 million and $33.0 million in the comparable periods last year.
  • After corresponding with the SEC staff, the Company has decided to no longer include the value of stored RNG and unsold environmental credits held for sale (“RNG Pending Monetization”) in its presentation of Adjusted EBITDA. The Company previously presented Adjusted EBITDA in this way to match the value of RNG produced during the reporting period with its associated costs of production in the same reporting period and including the value of unsold environmental credits. The Company now presents this RNG Pending Monetization and environmental credit sales activity in the period with a new summary table.

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¹ This is a non-GAAP measure. A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measure to comparable GAAP measure has been provided in the financial tables included in this press release. An explanation of this measure and how it is calculated is also included below under the heading “Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

• At September 30, 2023, RNG Pending Monetization totaled $33.5 million.

Operational Highlights

• The portfolio of RNG operating projects is performing well with an average utilization of inlet gas rate of 84%, which is in line with management’s expectations.
• The Emerald RNG project came on-line during the third quarter. This project represents approximately 1.3 million MMBtu of annual design capacity and brings the aggregate annual design capacity of our portfolio of operating projects to 5.2 million MMBtu.^2,3
• RNG produced was 0.7 million and 2.0 million MMBtu, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, an increase of 21% and 26% compared to the prior-year periods.
• RNG sold as transportation fuel was 10.9 million and 30.3 million GGEs, respectively, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, an increase of 65% and 52% compared to the prior-year periods.
• The Fuel Station Services segment sold, dispensed, and serviced an aggregate of 33.1 million and 98.0 million GGEs of transportation fuel for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, an increase of 8% and 18% compared to the prior-year periods.

Construction Update

• OPAL Fuels’ share of annual design capacity for our six projects in construction is approximately 4.4 million MMBtu.
• We expect the Prince William RNG project to commence commercial operations in the first quarter of 2024. This project, owned 100% by OPAL Fuels, represents approximately 1.7 million MMBtu of annual design capacity.
• Regulatory permits have been granted for the Sapphire RNG project, which is now proceeding with the physical construction phase. We anticipate commencing commercial operations in the third quarter of 2024. This project represents approximately 800,000 MMBtu for OPAL Fuels’ 50% ownership share of annual design capacity.

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² Design capacity is the annual design output for each facility and may not reflect actual production from the projects, which depends on many variables including, but not limited to, quantity and quality of the biogas, operational up-time of the facility, and actual productivity of the facility.

³ Represents OPAL Fuels' proportional share with respect to RNG projects owned with joint venture partners.

• Construction of our Polk County RNG project, owned 100% by OPAL Fuels, continues on schedule. Regulatory permits have been granted and we anticipate commercial operations to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. This project represents approximately 1.1 million MMBtu of annual design capacity.
• Our two dairy projects in California are expected to be commissioned in the third quarter (Hilltop) and fourth quarter (Vander Schaaf) of 2024, respectively.⁴
• We announced the start of construction at the Atlantic RNG project, the first project under our 50/50 joint venture with South Jersey Industries (SJI), located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. This project represents approximately 0.3 million MMBtu of annual design capacity. This project is expected to commence commercial operations in mid-2025.

Development Update

• We continue to target placing 2.0 million MMBtu of RNG projects (representing OPAL Fuels’ proportional ownership) into construction by the end of 2023.
• Our Advanced Development Pipeline⁵ comprises 7.9 million MMBtu of feedstock biogas per year.

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⁴ Achievement of these commissioning dates is subject to receipt of certain permits and successful resolution of a series of change order requests from the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contractor responsible for the design and construction of the projects’ facilities, which the Company has disputed. For more information, please see the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2023.

⁵ The Company's Advanced Development Pipeline ("ADP") comprises projects that have been qualified and are reasonably expected to be in construction within the next twelve to eighteen months. The MMBtu associated with these projects is presented as anticipated design capacity. Anticipated design capacity is the Company’s currently anticipated annual design output for each facility and may not reflect actual production from the projects, which depends on many variables including, but not limited to, quantity and quality of the biogas, operational up-time of the facility, and actual productivity of the facility.

2023 Guidance Update

As mentioned above, we no longer include the value of RNG Pending Monetization in our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA.

• Based on the updated reporting presentation, the Company currently estimates that Adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2023 will range between $60 and $63 million.
• At December 31, 2023, RNG Pending Monetization is expected to range between $20-22 million.
• We expect to monetize approximately $8.5 million in ITC credits, which is our share of the ITC credits generated by the Emerald RNG project, in the fourth quarter, which is included in our Adjusted EBITDA guidance.
• We expect full year 2023 capital expenditures, excluding investments in unconsolidated entities, to total approximately $135 million. Additionally, our share of the capital expenditures for 2023 in Emerald and Sapphire for the period after deconsolidation is expected to be approximately $25.0 million.
• RNG produced in 2023 is anticipated to range between 2.7 million MMBtu and 2.9 million MMBtu.⁶ RNG sold as transportation fuel is anticipated to range between 45 million GGEs and 50 million GGEs.⁷

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⁶ Reflects OPAL Fuels proportional ownership with respect to RNG projects owned with joint venture partners.

⁷ Includes volumes sold in OPAL Fuel's proprietary dispensing network as well as third party stations that are serviced and maintained by OPAL Fuels.

Results of Operations

RNG Facility Capacity and Utilization Summary

RNG Pending Monetization Summary

Liquidity

In September we entered into a $500 million senior secured credit facility, which provides for up to $450 million of initial and delayed draw term loans and $50 million of revolving credit. As of September 30, 2023, we have drawn approximately $164.1 million under the facility.

As of September 30, 2023, our liquidity was $359.9 million, consisting of $326.9 million of availability under the credit facility, and $33.0 million of cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments.

We believe our liquidity and anticipated cash flows from operations will be sufficient to meet our existing funding needs.

Capital Expenditures and Investments by Unconsolidated Entities

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, OPAL Fuels invested $92.3 million across RNG projects in construction and OPAL Fuels owned fueling stations in construction as compared to $85.2 million as of the comparable period in 2022.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company's portion of capital expenditures in unconsolidated entities was $14.3 million. This represents our share of capital expenditures incurred by Paragon for the Emerald and Sapphire projects post deconsolidation.

Earnings Call

A webcast to review OPAL Fuels’ Third Quarter 2023 results is being held tomorrow, November 14, 2023 at 11:00AM Eastern Time.

Materials to be discussed in the webcast will be available before the call on the Company's website.

Participants may access the call at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/hj3yrjwj/. Investors can also listen to a webcast of the presentation on the company’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.opalfuels.com/news-events/events-presentations.

Glossary of terms

“Environmental Attributes” refer to federal, state, and local government incentives in the United States, provided in the form of Renewable Identification Numbers, Renewable Energy Credits, Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits, rebates, tax credits and other incentives to end users, distributors, system integrators and manufacturers of renewable energy projects that promote the use of renewable energy.

“GGE” refers to Gasoline gallon equivalent. The conversion ratio is 1MMBtu of natural gas equal to 7.74 GGE.

“LFG” refers to landfill gas.

“MMBtu” refers to British thermal units.

“Renewable Power” refers to electricity generated from renewable sources.

“RNG” refers to renewable natural gas.

“D3” refers to cellulosic biofuel with a 60% GHG reduction requirement.

“RIN” refers to Renewal Identification Numbers.

“EPA” refers to Environmental Protection Agency.

About OPAL Fuels Inc.

OPAL Fuels Inc. (Nasdaq: OPAL) is a leading vertically integrated producer and distributor of renewable electricity and renewable natural gas (RNG), a proven low-carbon energy source that is rapidly decarbonizing multiple sectors including the transportation and utility industries. OPAL Fuels delivers complete renewable solutions to customers and production partners. With a portfolio of 24 operating renewable fuel and renewable power projects, OPAL Fuels is positioned to advance the clean energy transition in support of renewable fuel for transportation, for utilities, for powering EV charging infrastructure, and by offering hydrogen fuel solutions. To learn more about OPAL Fuels and how it is leading the effort to capture North America’s harmful methane emissions and decarbonize the economy, please visit https://opalfuels.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this communication may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and generally relate to future events or OPAL Fuels’ (the “Company”) future financial or other performance metrics. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” “expect,” or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company and its management, as the case may be, are inherently uncertain and subject to material change. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include various factors beyond management’s control, including but not limited to general economic conditions and other risks, uncertainties and factors set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in the Company's annual report on Form 10K filed on March 29, 2023, and other filings the Company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this communication, which speak only as of the date they are made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein. The Company expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any statement is based.

Disclaimer

This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase, nor a solicitation of an offer to sell, subscribe for or buy, any securities, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer or securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited)

This release includes various financial measures that are non-GAAP financial measures as defined under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. We believe these measures provide important supplemental information to investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results. We use these measures, together with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP” or “U.S. GAAP”), for internal managerial purposes and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. However, we do not, and you should not, rely on non-GAAP financial measures alone as measures of our performance. We believe that non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of our operations, that when taken together with GAAP results and the reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures that we also provide give a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. We strongly encourage you to review all of our financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and to not solely rely on any single non-GAAP financial measure.

Non-GAAP financial measures are limited as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, the Company’s GAAP results. The Company expects to continue reporting non-GAAP financial measures, adjusting for the items described below (and/or other items that may arise in the future as the Company’s management deems appropriate), and the Company expects to continue to incur expenses, charges or gains like the non-GAAP adjustments described below. Accordingly, unless expressly stated otherwise, the exclusion of these and other similar items in the presentation of non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as an inference that these costs are unusual, infrequent, or non-recurring. These Non-GAAP financial measures are not recognized terms under GAAP and do not purport to be alternatives to GAAP net income or any other GAAP measure as indicators of operating performance. Moreover, because not all companies use identical measures and calculations, the Company’s presentation of Non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. We strongly encourage you to review all of our financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and to not solely rely on any single non-GAAP financial measure.

Adjusted EBITDA

To supplement the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP, the Company uses a non-GAAP financial measure that it calls adjusted EBITDA (“Adjusted EBITDA”). This non-GAAP measure adjusts net income for realized and unrealized gain on interest rate swaps, net loss attributable to non-redeemable non-controlling interests, transaction costs and one-time non-recurring charges, non-cash charges, gain on deconsolidation of VIEs, amortization of basis differences in equity method investments, major maintenance for Renewable Power and unrealized loss (gain) for derivative instruments. Management believes this non-GAAP measure provides meaningful supplemental information about the Company’s performance, for the following reasons: (1) it allows for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management to assess the Company’s operating performance and make financial and operational decisions; (2) the measure excludes the effect of items that management believes are not directly attributable to the Company’s core operating performance and may obscure trends in the business; (3) the measure better aligns revenues with expenses; and (4) the measure is used by institutional investors and the analyst community to help analyze the Company’s business. In future quarters, the Company may adjust for other expenditures, charges or gains to present non-GAAP financial measures that the Company’s management believes are indicative of the Company’s core operating performance.

Non-GAAP financial measures are limited as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, the Company’s GAAP results. The Company expects to continue reporting non-GAAP financial measures, adjusting for the items described below (and/or other items that may arise in the future as the Company’s management deems appropriate), and the Company expects to continue to incur expenses, charges or gains like the non-GAAP adjustments described below. Accordingly, unless expressly stated otherwise, the exclusion of these and other similar items in the presentation of non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as an inference that these costs are unusual, infrequent, or non-recurring. Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized term under GAAP and does not purport to be an alternative to GAAP net income or any other GAAP measure as an indicator of operating performance. Moreover, because not all companies use identical measures and calculations, the Company’s presentation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies.

The following tables presents the reconciliation of our Net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA:

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