Capital Power reports strong second quarter results, increases its 2021 financial guidance, and announces a 6.8% common share dividend increase
EDMONTON, Alberta – Capital Power Corporation (TSX: CPX) today released financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
Highlights
- Generated net cash flows from operating activities of $129 million and adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) of $91 million in the second quarter of 2021
- Generated net income of $17 million and adjusted EBITDA of $241 million in the second quarter of 2021
- Increased 2021 financial guidance for adjusted EBITDA to $1,090 million to $1,140 million (2021 target and original guidance of $975 million to $1,025 million) and AFFO to $570 million to $620 million (2021 target and original guidance of $500 million to $550 million)
- Completed successful offering of common shares for total gross proceeds of $288 million
- Executed a US$150 million private placement of 12-year senior notes
- Extended, amended and transitioned existing credit facilities into an inaugural $1 billion of Sustainability-linked credit facilities
- Increased the common share dividend by 6.8% to $2.19 per year representing the eighth consecutive annual increase
“Capital Power’s financial results in the second quarter of 2021 exceeded management’s expectations,” said Brian Vaasjo, President and CEO of Capital Power. “Financial results benefitted from higher Alberta power prices where our trading desk captured an average realized power price of $75 per megawatt hour in the second quarter. This was partially offset by major outages at the Arlington Valley and Decatur Energy facilities, a stronger Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar and lower wind resource availability at most of our wind facilities. Based on the strong forecast for the remainder of the year driven by a positive outlook for Alberta power prices, we have increased our 2021 financial guidance with revised guidance ranges now exceeding the top end of our original targets.”
“I am pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has approved a 6.8% per common share dividend increase effective for the third quarter 2021 dividend payment, which is consistent with our 7% annual dividend growth guidance for 2021 and 5% for 2022,” stated Mr. Vaasjo. “The annualized dividend of $2.19 per year is forecasted to be below our long-term AFFO payout ratio target of 45% to 55% in 2021.”
“Debt and equity financing activities completed to date in 2021 were significant in reducing financing risk related to our growth initiatives, including 985 megawatts in advanced stages of development,” said Sandra Haskins, SVP Finance and CFO of Capital Power. “With the completion of the $288 million common share offering we do not expect additional equity offerings will be required to fund our current growth projects. The successful financings and confidence in our long-term outlook are supported by the recent affirmations of our investment grade credit ratings and stable outlook by our credit rating agencies, S&P and DBRS.”
| Operational and Financial Highlights 1 (unaudited) |
Three months ended June 30 |
Six months ended June 30 |
||
| (millions of dollars except per share and operational amounts) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Electricity generation (Gigawatt hours) | 4,975 | 5,472 | 10,605 | 11,034 |
| Generation facility availability | 84% | 92% | 90% | 92% |
| Revenues and other income 3 | $387 | $435 | $941 | $968 |
| Adjusted EBITDA 2, 3 | $241 | $217 | $544 | $451 |
| Net income 3 | $17 | $23 | $118 | $23 |
| Net income attributable to shareholders of the Company 3 | $20 | $23 | $123 | $25 |
| Basic earnings (loss) per share 3 | $0.05 | $0.10 | $0.88 | $(0.02) |
| Diluted earnings (loss) per share 3 | $0.05 | $0.09 | $0.87 | $(0.02) |
| Normalized earnings attributable to common shareholders 2,3 | $35 | $18 | $103 | $46 |
| Normalized earnings per share 2, 3 | $0.32 | $0.17 | $0.95 | $0.44 |
| Net cash flows from operating activities | $129 | $91 | $335 | $194 |
| Adjusted funds from operations 2 | $91 | $97 | $250 | $215 |
| Adjusted funds from operations per share 2 | $0.83 | $0.92 | $2.31 | $2.04 |
| Purchase of property, plant and equipment and other assets | $188 | $87 | $313 | $186 |
| Dividends per common share, declared | $0.5125 | $0.4800 | $1.0250 | $0.9600 |
- The operational and financial highlights in this press release should be read in conjunction with the Management’s Discussion and Analysis and the unaudited condensed interim financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
- Earnings before net finance expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, impairments, foreign exchange gains or losses, finance expense and depreciation expense from joint venture interests, gains or losses on disposals and unrealized changes in fair value of commodity derivatives and emissions credits (adjusted EBITDA), normalized earnings attributable to common shareholders, normalized earnings per share, AFFO and AFFO per share are non-GAAP financial measures and do not have standardized meanings under GAAP and are, therefore, unlikely to be comparable to similar measures used by other enterprises. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures.
- Includes depreciation and amortization for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 of $135 million and $121 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 of $270 million and $241 million (including $3 million related to the termination of East Windsor steam contract), respectively. Forecasted depreciation and amortization for the remainder of 2021 is $129 million for each of the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Significant Events
Common share offering
In June of 2021 the Company completed a public offering of 7,480,750 common shares (inclusive of the full exercise of a 975,750 common shares over-allotment option), at an issue price of $38.45 per common share for total gross proceeds of $288 million (the Offering) less issue costs of $12 million. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund growth initiatives (including projects in advanced stages of development) and for general corporate purposes.
Executive appointments
On April 30, 2021, Capital Power and the Board of Directors announced the following executive position appointments effective June 1, 2021:
- Bryan DeNeve, Senior Vice President Operations,
- Chris Kopecky, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal, Development and Commercial Officer, and
- Steve Owens, Senior Vice President Construction and Engineering.
Kate Chisholm, Sandra Haskins and Jacquie Pylypiuk will continue to serve in their current roles. Darcy Trufyn, Senior Vice President, Operations, Engineering and Construction retired from his role effective June 30, 2021. Darcy was an integral part of the executive team with outstanding service and valuable contributions over the past twelve years.
Executed 15-year contract for Enchant Solar project
On April 19, 2021, the Company announced that it executed a 15-year renewable energy agreement to sell 51% of the electricity generated from the 75 megawatt Enchant Solar project (Enchant Solar) in Alberta to Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. of Canada, along with bundled renewable energy certificates (RECs). Of the contracted capacity under this agreement, approximately one-quarter will be bundled with project-generated RECs directly from Enchant Solar and three-quarters will be packaged with RECs sourced from Eastern Canada. The terms of this agreement are consistent with the previously disclosed financial expectations for Enchant Solar.
Construction of Enchant Solar is set to commence in the second quarter of 2022 with commercial operations expected in the fourth quarter of 2022.
United States power operations relating to extreme weather event
During the February 9 to 20, 2021 period, extreme winter weather caused some disruptions to our wind facilities, most notably in Texas (Buckthorn Wind) with no significant impact on the balance of Capital Power’s U.S. operations. Buckthorn Wind experienced no significant physical damage, but some turbines were forced offline. As of February 22, 2021, the operations were back to normal. The net impact of the U.S. storm on Buckthorn Wind resulted in increases of $8 million (US$6 million) to adjusted EBITDA and AFFO. In addition, during the peak days of the weather event, the Company was able to leverage its commodity management expertise to physically flow power around North America to contribute a further positive financial impact.
The favourable impacts of the weather event were largely driven by the settlement of the offtake and commodity swaps for Buckthorn Wind for the noted period of extreme weather. However, Buckthorn Wind’s counterparty is contesting the settlement, arguing that settlement should have been based upon a different reference price. Historically these two prices have been similar, but as a result of the recent extreme weather, the Company became aware of a divergence in these prices during scarcity events. Both parties invoked dispute-resolution procedures during the first quarter of 2021 and the Company subsequently initiated litigation. Based on the contract terms of the offtake and commodity swaps, the Company considers the probability of ultimate settlement using the reference price advocated by the counterparty as being unlikely. In the event that the dispute is resolved unfavourably to the Company, the net exposure to the Company’s revenues would be a reduction of up to approximately $18 million (US$15 million).
Approval of normal course issuer bid
During the first quarter of 2021, the Toronto Stock Exchange approved Capital Power’s normal course issuer bid to purchase and cancel up to 10.7 million of its outstanding common shares during the one-year period from February 26, 2021 to February 25, 2022.
Subsequent Events
Dividend increase
On July 29, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase of 6.8% in the annual dividend for holders of its common shares, from $2.05 per common share to $2.19 per common share. This increased common share dividend will commence with the third quarter 2021 quarterly dividend payment on October 29, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 30, 2021.
US$150 million private placement of senior notes
On July 20, 2021, the Company executed a US$150 million private placement of senior notes. The 12-year senior notes will bear a coupon rate of 3.24% and mature on October 28, 2033. Subject to satisfying closing conditions, the transaction is expected to fund on October 28, 2021. The net proceeds from the transaction will be used to fund growth initiatives including 985 megawatts (MW) in advanced stages of development and for general corporate purposes.
Sustainability-linked credit facilities
On July 14, 2021, the Company announced the extension, amendment and transition of its existing committed credit facilities to sustainability-linked credit facilities (SLCs). The 5-year commitment to SLCs extends the Company’s existing $1 billion of unsecured credit facilities, which include a $700 million syndicated credit facility and an unsecured club credit facility of $300 million, to July 2026. The SLCs are structured with one key performance indicator with annual sustainability performance targets aligned to one of Capital Power’s publicly stated sustainability targets: to reduce Scope 1 CO2 emission intensity by 65% by 2030 from 2005 levels. The SLCs include terms that reduce or increase borrowing costs as the annual targets are met or missed.
Analyst conference call and webcast
Capital Power will be hosting a conference call and live webcast with analysts on July 30, 2021 at 9:00 am (MT) to discuss the second quarter financial results. The conference call dial-in number is:
(800) 319-4610 (toll-free from Canada and USA)
Interested parties may also access the live webcast on the Company’s website at www.capitalpower.com with an archive of the webcast available following the conclusion of the analyst conference call.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The Company uses (i) adjusted EBITDA, (ii) AFFO, (iii) AFFO per share, (iv) normalized earnings attributable to common shareholders, and (v) normalized earnings per share as financial performance measures.
These terms are not defined financial measures according to GAAP and do not have standardized meanings prescribed by GAAP and, therefore, are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures used by other enterprises. These measures should not be considered alternatives to net income, net income attributable to shareholders of the Company, net cash flows from operating activities or other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with GAAP. Rather, these measures are provided to complement GAAP measures in the analysis of the Company’s results of operations from management’s perspective.
Forward-looking Information
Forward-looking information or statements included in this press release are provided to inform the Company’s shareholders and potential investors about management’s assessment of Capital Power’s future plans and operations. This information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The forward-looking information in this press release is generally identified by words such as will, anticipate, believe, plan, intend, target, and expect or similar words that suggest future outcomes.
Material forward-looking information in this press release includes disclosures regarding (i) status of, and updates to, the Company’s 2021 AFFO and adjusted EBITDA guidance, (ii) forecasted depreciation for the remainder of 2021, (iii) the intended use of proceeds from the common share offering (see Significant Events), (iv) expectations pertaining to the financial guidance, timing of construction and timing of commercial operations commencement of Enchant Solar (see Significant Events), (v) expectations around the resolution of the pricing dispute on the Buckthorn Wind offtake and commodity swaps (see Significant Events), (vi) the intended use of proceeds and expected closing date of the U.S. private placement of senior notes (see Subsequent Events) and (vii) matters relating to the LLR Proceeding, including the recovery from appropriate parties.
These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company considering its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate including its review of purchased businesses and assets. The material factors and assumptions used to develop these forward-looking statements relate to: (i) electricity, other energy and carbon prices, (ii) performance, (iii) business prospects (including the need for and potential re-contracting of facilities) and opportunities including expected growth and capital projects, (iv) status of and impact of policy, legislation and regulations, (v) effective tax rates, and (vi) matters relating to the LLR Proceeding, including the recovery and timing thereof from appropriate parties.
Whether actual results, performance or achievements will conform to the Company’s expectations and predictions is subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the Company’s expectations. Such material risks and uncertainties are: (i) changes in electricity, natural gas and carbon prices in markets in which the Company operates and the use of derivatives, (ii) regulatory and political environments including changes to environmental, climate, financial reporting, market structure and tax legislation, (iii) generation facility availability, wind capacity factor and performance including maintenance expenditures, (iv) ability to fund current and future capital and working capital needs, (v) acquisitions and developments including timing and costs of regulatory approvals and construction, (vi) changes in the availability of fuel, (vii) ability to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions, (viii) limitations inherent in the Company’s review of acquired assets, (ix) changes in general economic and competitive conditions and (x) changes in the performance and cost of technologies and the development of new technologies, new energy efficient products, services and programs. See Risks and Risk Management in the Company’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis for both the six months ended June 30, 2021, prepared as of July 29, 2021 and the Company’s Integrated Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2020, prepared as of February 18, 2021, for further discussion of these and other risks.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the specified approval date. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.
About Capital Power
Capital Power (TSX: CPX) is a growth-oriented North American wholesale power producer with a strategic focus on sustainable energy headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. We build, own, and operate high-quality, utility-scale generation facilities that include renewables and thermal. We have also made significant investments in carbon capture and utilization to reduce carbon impacts and are committed to be off coal in 2023. Capital Power owns over 6,400 MW of power generation capacity at 26 facilities across North America. Projects in advanced development include 425 MW of owned renewable generation capacity in North Carolina and Alberta and 560 MW of incremental natural gas combined cycle capacity from the repowering of Genesee 1 and 2 in Alberta.