FinanceLooker

Excrept from filing document 2024-10-31

As of April 30 2024 the aggregate market value of the registrant s common stock held by non affiliates of the registrant was 424 996 599 based on the closing sale price of 27 84 as reported on the NASDAQ Global Market which was retroactively adjusted for the 1 for 30 reverse stock split effective as of 5 00 p m ET on November 8 2024
This Annual Report on Form 10 K contains statements that the Company believes to be forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 the PSLRA All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10 K including statements regarding the Company s future financial condition results of operations plans objectives expectations future performance business operations and business prospects are forward looking statements Words such as expects anticipates estimates goals projects intends plans believes predicts should seeks will could would may forecast and similar expressions and variations of such words are intended to identify forward looking statements and are included along with this statement for purposes of complying with the safe harbor provisions of the PSLRA Forward looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance Instead such statements are based only on our beliefs expectations and assumptions regarding the future As such the realization of matters expressed in forward looking statements involves inherent risks and uncertainties Such statements relate to among other things the following
The forward looking statements contained in this report are subject to risks and uncertainties known and unknown that could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those set forth in or contemplated by the forward looking statements including without limitation the risks described under Item 1A Risk Factors of this report and the following factors
The forward looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this report and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements Except for ongoing obligations to disclose material information under the federal securities laws we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based
Information contained in this report concerning the electric power supply industry and the distributed generation market the distributed hydrogen market the energy storage market and the carbon capture market our general expectations concerning these industries and markets and our position within these industries and markets are based on market research industry publications other publicly available information and assumptions made by us based on this information and our knowledge of these industries and markets which we believe to be reasonable Although we believe that the market research industry publications and other publicly available information including the sources that we utilized in preparing certain portions of this report are reliable they have not been independently verified by us and accordingly we cannot assure you that such information is accurate in all material respects Our estimates particularly as they relate to our general expectations concerning the electric power supply industry and the distributed generation market the distributed hydrogen market the energy storage market and the carbon capture market involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors including those discussed under the section of this report entitled Item 1A Risk Factors
Unless otherwise specifically noted herein all degrees refer to Fahrenheit F kilowatt kW and megawatt MW numbers used in this report designate nominal or rated capacity of the referenced power plant which is the design rated output of the referenced power plant as of the date of initiation of commercial operations efficiency or electrical efficiency means the ratio of the electrical energy generated in the conversion of a fuel to the total energy contained in the fuel lower heating value the standard for power plant generation assumes the water in the product is in vapor form as opposed to higher heating value which assumes the water in the product is in liquid form net of parasitic load kW means 1 000 watts MW means 1 000 000 watts kilowatt hour kWh is equal to 1kW of power supplied to or taken from an electric circuit steadily for one hour and one British Thermal Unit Btu is equal to the amount of heat necessary to raise one pound of pure water from 59oF to 60oF at a specified constant pressure
At FuelCell Energy our purpose is to enable a world powered by clean energy Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Danbury Connecticut we are a global leader in delivering a variety of clean energy solutions to address some of the world s most critical challenges around energy access resilience reliability affordability safety and security Since our inception FuelCell Energy has been innovating and developing commercial technologies that produce clean electricity heat clean hydrogen and water We are also proud to be at the forefront of what we believe to be one of the most critical technologies required to achieve the world s overall emissions objectives carbon capture
Our commercial product portfolio is based on our carbonate electrochemical platform We offer our products in several different configurations for a wide range of power and chemical applications including electricity hydrogen high grade heat including steam water and CO2 upgradable to food and beverage grade and or usable in cement or other industrial products and to concentrate and separate CO2 from fossil fueled industrial applications allowing the sequestration and or utilization of the CO2 We also continue to invest in the development and commercialization of our solid oxide fuel cell platform Our efforts include actively seeking strategic partnerships and opportunities that would enable us to deploy this technology as part of larger scale energy emissions reduction and hydrogen generation projects
We target a range of markets and applications with our products including utilities and independent power producers data centers wastewater treatment commercial and hospitality food and beverage and microgrids among others We market our products primarily in the United States Europe and Korea and we are also pursuing opportunities in other countries around the world We target for expansion and development markets and geographic regions that benefit from and value clean distributed generation are located where there are high energy costs poor grid reliability and or challenged transmission and distribution lines can leverage the multiple value streams delivered by our platforms electricity hydrogen thermal water and carbon recovery are aligned with regulatory frameworks that harmonize energy economic and environmental policies and are committed to reducing their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions
As a company we are committed to helping our customers reduce their environmental impact We are equally committed to reducing our environmental impact and have developed and begun implementing a plan to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 Our platforms have a direct impact on reducing our customers Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions thus lowering the global environmental footprint of baseload or primary power generation
In addition to our core commercial products we engage strategically in research and development both company funded and carried out under grants from and commercial agreements with private companies and various government agencies through our Advanced Technologies programs We focus on generating revenue from our core recurring and non recurring revenue sources while working to identify the next trends in clean energy we believe we can commercialize take to market and grow into future revenue streams
While there have been many challenges for the clean energy sector during the past 18 24 months we continue to believe a large and growing addressable market opportunity exists for our commercially available solutions and those solutions which we are actively developing for commercialization Through the capabilities of our platforms we provide clean reliable baseload or primary power generation baseload or primary power generation is power generated over a period of time at a steady rate hydrogen production high grade heat carbon recovery from the fuels utilized by our platforms isolation and removal of CO2 from exhaust streams and the ability to use biofuels renewable natural gas RNG and a hydrogen hydrocarbon fuel blend for power generation feedstock In addition we are focused on advancing the commercialization of our platform technologies to enable the use of pure hydrogen for baseload power generation to perform electrolysis to convert water and electricity into hydrogen and to isolate and remove CO2 from external exhaust streams
CO2 is also a valuable input ingredient in many products and processes We believe that by using more CO2 carbon capture utilization and emitting less CO2 through the efficiencies of our platforms and by capturing CO2 at the source point the use of our platforms can positively impact climate change while improving air quality compared to traditional combustion power generation Our platforms are capable of delivering CO2 for food and beverage use pH balancing of water supply extending the shelf life of food vital to global food supply and food security as a binder in a number of materials from concrete to sustainable building materials and the production of synthetic fuels polymers and other minerals
In 2019 we launched our Powerhouse strategy to strengthen our business maximize operational efficiencies and position us for future growth Having made progress in achieving key initiatives under the original three pillars of our strategy in fiscal year 2022 we updated the three key pillars of our strategy to Grow Scale and Innovate In conjunction with the restructuring and revised strategic plan that our Board of Directors approved and we announced in November 2024 we have refined and updated certain aspects of this strategy and have further updated the three key pillars of our strategy to Focus Scale and Innovate
Our business model is based on multiple revenue streams targeting both recurring revenue and non recurring revenue Recurring revenue is delivered through recurring electricity capacity and renewable energy credit sales under power purchase agreements PPAs and tariffs for projects we retain in our generation operating portfolio as well as service revenue mainly through long term service agreements Non recurring revenue is generated through power platform and component sales as well as from public and private industry research contracts related to the development of our Advanced Technologies which are discussed in more detail below
We are a complete solutions provider for our platform solutions controlling the design sales manufacturing installation operations and maintenance of our patented fuel cell technology under long term power purchase and service agreements When utilizing long term PPAs the end user of the power or utility hosts the installation and only pays for power as it is delivered avoiding up front capital investment We also develop projects and sell equipment directly to customers providing a complete solution of engineering installing and servicing the fuel cell power plant under an engineering procurement and construction agreement EPC and a long term maintenance and service agreement See the sections below entitled Engineering Procurement and Construction and Service and Warranty Agreements for more information We maintain the long term recurring service obligation and associated revenues running conterminous with the life of such projects
Customers and developers generally have the option to either purchase our fuel cell platforms outright or to enter into a PPA under which the customer or developer i e the end user of the power commits to purchase power as it is produced for an extended period of time typically 10 to 20 years We may elect to retain ownership of a project or we may elect to sell all or some of the project to a third party If a project or project asset is sold revenue from the sale is recognized and reflected in the Product revenues line item of our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss and we recognize revenue separately for the long term maintenance and service agreement with respect to the project over the term of that agreement If a project is retained we recognize electricity capacity and or renewable energy credits monthly over the term of the PPA We report the financial performance of retained projects as Generation revenues and Cost of generation revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
Our decision to retain ownership of certain projects is based in part on the recurring predictable cash flows these projects can offer us the proliferation of PPAs in the industry and the potential access to capital Retaining ownership of PPAs affords us the full benefit of future cash flows under the PPAs which are expected to be higher than if we sell the projects although retaining ownership requires more upfront capital investment and financing We plan to continue to grow our operating portfolio of retained projects prudently and in a balanced manner while also selling projects to customers or project investors when selling presents the best value and opportunity for our capital needs or meets the customer s desired ownership structure Additionally we may monetize certain environmental and incentive tax credits through lending institutions and tax investors including through entering into sale leaseback and partnership flip structures that reduce our required net capital investment in a project while still allowing us to retain ownership of the project
We operate and maintain our project platforms for the life of the project regardless of the ownership structure For all operating fuel cell platforms not operating under a PPA customers enter into long term service agreements with us some of which have terms of up to 20 years We report the revenue earned under long term maintenance and service agreements as Service agreements revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
Given the long history of investment in and deployment of our solutions we believe we have distinct competitive advantages that underpin and enable our strategy including a strong portfolio of products intellectual property deep technical expertise strategic innovation and development relationships and a track record of operational excellence
Our product portfolio is based on our carbonate electrochemical platform Depending on its configuration this platform supports power generation and combined heat and power applications using a variety of fuels including a 50 50 blend of hydrogen and natural gas or biogas blends biogas renewable natural gas and natural gas The fuel cells utilized in these platforms react fuel electrochemically without combusting the fuel which avoids emissions produced by combustion such as nitrogen oxides NOx sulfur oxides SOx and particulates In the electrochemical process fuel and air are reacted in separate chambers in the fuel cell stack The reactions producing CO2 happen before the fuel is mixed with air and the CO2 is concentrated and therefore easy to recover and capture Our carbonate platforms are enabled to recover and capture their own CO2 for use or sequestration before it is emitted into the air These platforms are unique in their ability to also capture CO2 from an external source utilizing the flue stream of a power plant or an industrial boiler as a replacement for ambient air intake
We are also continuing to strategically invest in the development and commercialization of our solid oxide fuel cell platform including actively seeking strategic partnerships that will enable us to deploy this technology as part of larger scale energy emissions reduction and hydrogen generation projects Our solid oxide platform can operate on pure hydrogen fuel We believe this feature will gain importance in the future as hydrogen becomes more widespread as a fuel Our solid oxide platform can be used in electrolysis which is the reverse of fuel cell operation producing hydrogen from power and water
Our multi featured platforms can be configured to provide a number of value streams including electricity hydrogen high grade heat including steam water and CO2 upgradable to food and beverage grade and or usable in cement or other industrial products and to concentrate and separate CO2 from fossil fueled industrial applications allowing the sequestration and or utilization of the CO2
We are focused on using our proprietary technology to pursue the following four significant applications each of which we believe is important to the global energy transition and to limiting climate change reducing NOx SOx and particulate pollution limiting noise pollution associated with traditional power generation and fostering more efficient utilization of land compared to traditional power generation and intermittent renewable energy platforms
The electrical efficiency of our carbonate fuel cell solutions ranges from approximately 47 to 60 upon initial operations of our platforms depending on the configuration When configured for combined heat and power CHP our system efficiencies can potentially reach up to 90 depending on the application Our solutions are designed to deliver high electrical efficiency where the power is used avoiding transmission line losses which average about 5 for the U S grid
With respect to carbon capture capability we have demonstrated up to 95 carbon capture from simulated coal power plant sources while simultaneously producing baseload power For harder to capture streams such as natural gas power generation or industrial boiler capture we can achieve similarly high capture levels but with reduced power output
Tri gen platforms are configurable to deliver on site hydrogen for transportation industrial applications natural gas blending repowering combustion based equipment with zero carbon hydrogen and other uses Our Tri gen hydrogen platform utilizes proprietary fuel cells configured to simultaneously generate three value streams power generation hydrogen and water
We have developed a proprietary solid oxide electrolysis technology which is expected to enable production of hydrogen with high electrical efficiency We believe that our platform will deliver higher efficiency than our competitors and competing technologies with or without the addition of waste heat Our solid oxide stacks in electrolysis mode split water into hydrogen and oxygen using supplied carbon free electricity The hydrogen can be stored as compressed gas creating the ability to produce a virtually limitless supply
The largest factor in the cost of electrolysis produced hydrogen is the cost of electricity Consequently efficiency is one of the most effective ways to lower cost We believe our solid oxide platform is among the most efficient available electrolysis technologies We believe this translates to 20 to 35 less electrical energy needed per kg of hydrogen production compared to lower efficiency and low temperature electrolysis For example at an energy cost of 0 10 kWh that difference results in 1 to 1 50 lower hydrogen cost with our SOEC platform We believe our solid oxide platform offers one of the best chances of achieving the 1 per kg levelized cost of hydrogen targeted by the U S Department of Energy by 2050 Applications for this technology include centralized large scale hydrogen production from grid scale
We have operated a sub scale demonstration project of our solid oxide electrolysis technology in our Danbury test facility which demonstrated the high electrical efficiency discussed above We have also been awarded a pilot program to provide a packaged 150 kg day system for demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory which has passed Idaho National Laboratory s acceptance testing in November 2024 and will be delivered and installed in 2025
We are focused on the development and commercialization of a new module design that is expected to enhance our ability to compete for large scale infrastructure projects Learning from our work on carbon capture we are developing a module that incorporates all hot gas piping inside the module Additionally the module is being designed to enable a vertical array plant improve the serviceability of the platform enable module hot swap to maintain overall plant operations at all times and streamline our go to market strategy
We have also adopted this module centric strategy to allow us to concentrate our resources on developing the high efficiency stacks allowing the complexities and expenses of platform customization site design balance of plant procurement and EPC work to be managed by the large scale project developers This strategy has the added benefit of streamlining our manufacturing processes simplifying our supply chain and lowering our working capital intensity Lastly focusing on the core module technology and design allows us to dedicate our engineering resources to the advancement of the stack and module technology including both performance and cost and maintaining a competitive edge versus the competition
We are in the process of developing a solution for long duration energy storage using our proprietary solid oxide electrolysis technology Our solid oxide stacks are designed to alternate between electrolysis and power generation mode with one of our design goals being improved integration of intermittent wind and solar power generation sources into the modern electrical grid via long duration storage of energy Hydrogen based long duration energy storage has the ability to transform the way intermittent resources are supported today as an alternative to combustion energy sources for continuous or peaking power to fill in when intermittent resources are not online Instead of producing power from fuel and air a solid oxide fuel cell stack in electrolysis mode splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using supplied carbon free electricity During high demand periods or periods when intermittent resources are offline the stored hydrogen can be sent back to the same solid oxide stacks which react it with air to produce power and to regenerate the water which will be stored for the next cycle
We market our clean energy solutions worldwide with a longstanding presence in the United States Europe and Korea the largest developed fuel cell market The utilities and independent power producer market has historically been our largest market with customers that include utilities on the East and West coasts of the United States such as UIL Holdings Corporation Inc owned by Avangrid Inc a wholly owned subsidiary of Iberdrola the Long Island Power Authority LIPA and Southern California Edison In Europe utility customers include E ON Connecting Energies one of the largest utilities in the world In Korea we are contracted to operate and maintain a number of large scale utility platform deployments including a 20 MW power plant project for Korea Southern Power Company KOSPO a 20 MW power plant project for Noeul Green Energy Co Ltd and a 59 MW power plant project for Gyeonggi Green Energy Co Ltd
Our power platforms are producing power for a variety of industrial commercial municipal and government customers including manufacturing facilities pharmaceutical processing facilities universities healthcare facilities and wastewater treatment facilities These institutions expect efficient clean and continuous power to reduce operating expenses reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid pollutant emissions to meet their sustainability goals while boosting resiliency and limiting dependence on the distribution grid CHP applications further support economic and sustainability initiatives by minimizing or avoiding the use of combustion based boilers for heat Our patented power platforms are unique in their ability to run on biogas
Our fuel cell projects deliver power at a rate comparable to pricing from the grid in our targeted markets Policy programs that help to support adoption of clean distributed power generation often lead to below grid pricing We measure power costs by calculating the Levelized Cost of Energy LCOE over the life of the project
Given the level of integration in our business model of manufacturing installing and operating fuel cell power platforms there are multiple areas and opportunities for cost reductions We are actively managing and reducing costs in all three LCOE areas including cost reduction initiatives with respect to system components and raw materials advanced lean manufacturing principles improvements in lifetime product costs through continued system and platform engineering and improvements in output and efficiency We are also investing in platform design to reduce overall EPC cost associated with the installation of our platforms
The market for clean energy is highly competitive Many factors including government incentives and specific market dynamics affect how clean energy can deliver outcomes for customers in a given region While clean energy often competes against the electric grid which is readily available to prospective customers and supplied by traditional centralized power plants including coal gas hydro and nuclear plants clean energy is increasingly able to compete with the grid and long distance transmission of electricity in terms of levelized cost of electricity Clean energy sources that customers may consider beyond our solutions include products such as wind turbines solar arrays linear generators and hydro facilities as well as a range of hydrogen and fuel cell solutions from both incumbent and developing competitors
Our platforms are based on a range of technologies and target a variety of applications each of which have incumbent and developing competitors Several companies in the U S are engaged in fuel cell development although to our knowledge we are the only domestic company engaged in manufacturing and deployment of stationary natural gas or biogas fueled carbonate fuel cells In addition to different types of stationary fuel cells some other technologies that compete in the distributed generation marketplace include micro turbines turbines and reciprocating gas engines
Our stationary fuel cell platforms also compete against large scale solar and wind technologies although we complement the unreliable intermittent nature of solar and wind power with the continuous reliable power output of our fuel cells Utility scale solar and wind power require specific geographies and weather profiles transmission for utility scale applications and a source of back up capacity for when the sun or wind is not available They also require a significant amount of land compared to our fuel cell power plants making it difficult to site megawatt class solar and wind projects in urban areas While fuel cells emit negligible amounts of NOx SOx and particulate matter fuel cells do emit some carbon dioxide when fueled with natural gas or carbon neutral biogas although while operating on biogas the platform s emissions would be considered carbon neutral but in both cases less per kWh than other less efficient systems In many markets baseload fuel cells avoid more emissions than wind or solar systems of similar capacity because they operate for many more hours of the day compared to these intermittent resources
Product development cycles are long and product quality and efficiency are critical to success Research and development investments are crucial in this business as are focused intellectual property strategies and protection of such as new technologies and solutions could make our solutions less competitive
We continue to invest in exploring new ways of further improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our platforms Our objective is to continue to improve our competitive position including innovating in areas such as offering multiple platform solutions and methods for producing clean hydrogen solid oxide and carbon separation and carbon capture in order to add value for customers looking for clean and renewable energy and to aid in their decarbonization goals
As a company we are committed to helping our customers reduce their environmental impact We are equally committed to reducing our environmental impact and have therefore developed and begun implementing a plan to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 As part of this commitment during fiscal year 2024 we
Our platforms have a direct impact on reducing our customers Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions thus lowering the global environmental footprint of baseload or primary power generation However our platforms are designed to go beyond power generation delivering hydrogen carbon recovery carbon capture water and thermal energy in various applications As a result of our platforms ability to deliver multiple value streams we help our customers reduce their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions on site without buying off site carbon environmental offsets which do not positively impact the local communities air quality or emissions As a company we are focused on addressing immediate environmental impacts such as NOx SOx and particulate emissions and the multi decade impacts on climate change In the future we plan to commercialize our hydrogen long duration energy storage and carbon capture technologies intended to drive next generation solutions to help customers attain their decarbonization goals and continue to advance core industries such as steel manufacturing cement production and glass making
Our commitment to sustainability is also evident in the design manufacturing installation and on going servicing of our fuel cell energy platforms which are engineered for the circular economy For example when our platforms reach the end of their useful lives we have the capability to refurbish and re use certain parts and also recycle more than 90 by weight of what we cannot re use This is a departure from combustion based wind and solar power generation methods that typically produce a significant amount of unrecyclable waste which increases landfill use and in the case of solar creates the possibility of toxic material contamination Our balance of plant BOP i e the mechanical and electrical components surrounding the fuel cell is designed to have an operating life of 25 to 30 years at which time metals such as steel and copper are reclaimed for scrap value For context by weight approximately 93 of our entire energy platform can be re used or recycled at the end of its useful life
Our Advanced Technologies programs include research and development and demonstration programs funded by third parties We undertake both privately funded and publicly funded research and development to develop and grow these opportunities reduce product and output costs and expand our technology portfolio Our Advanced Technologies programs are currently focused on continued development and commercialization of our solutions that advance solid oxide fuel cells distributed hydrogen and carbon capture We report the revenue earned under these programs as Advanced Technologies contract revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
We have historically worked on technology development with various U S government departments and agencies including the U S Department of Energy the DOE the Department of Defense the DOD the Environmental Protection Agency the EPA the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA the Office of Naval Research the ONR the Department of State the DOS and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Government funding principally from the DOE and DOS provided 4 3 and 6 of our revenue for the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 respectively In addition to these U S government departments and agencies we also work to develop technologies through privately funded programs with companies like Canadian Natural Resources Drax Group and ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company formerly known as ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company EMTEC
Beyond the external funding sources described above we intend to prudently invest capital to accelerate commercialization of solid oxide fuel cells carbon capture and separation and long duration energy storage solutions as discussed below in more detail in the section entitled Company Funded Research and Development
EMTEC and FuelCell Energy began working together in 2016 under an initial joint development agreement with a focus on better understanding the fundamental science behind carbonate fuel cells for use in advanced applications and specifically how to increase efficiency in separating and concentrating carbon dioxide from the exhaust of natural gas fueled power generation
In June 2019 we entered into a license agreement with EMTEC to facilitate the further development of our carbon capture platform the EMTEC License Agreement Pursuant to the EMTEC License Agreement we granted EMTEC and its affiliates a non exclusive worldwide fully paid perpetual irrevocable non transferable license and right to use our patents filed on or before April 30 2021 and any data know how improvements equipment designs methods processes and the like provided directly by the Company or its affiliates to EMTEC or its affiliates under any agreement or otherwise on or before April 30 2021 to the extent it is useful to research develop and commercially exploit carbonate fuel cells in applications in which the fuel cells concentrate carbon dioxide from external industrial and power sources and for any other purpose attendant thereto or associated therewith in exchange for a 10 million payment Such right and license is sublicensable to third parties performing work for or with EMTEC or its affiliates but is not otherwise sublicensable
The EMTEC License Agreement facilitated the execution of the Joint Development Agreement between the Company and EMTEC which was originally effective as of October 31 2019 as amended the Joint Development Agreement The initial focus of the Joint Development Agreement was to further enhance carbonate fuel cell technology for the purpose of capturing carbon dioxide from industrial facilities The Joint Development Agreement which initially had a two year term commenced effective as of October 31 2019 In a series of amendments to the Joint Development Agreement which were effective as of October 31 2021 April 30 2022 December 1 2022 and August 31 2023 the Company and EMTEC extended the term of the Joint Development Agreement such that it was to expire by its terms on March 31 2024 and increased the maximum amount of research costs to be reimbursed by EMTEC from 45 0 million to 67 0 million The original terms of the Joint Development Agreement and the terms of the amendments thereto are described more fully in the Current Reports on Form 8 K filed by the Company on November 6 2019 November 2 2021 May 5 2022 December 19 2022 and August 28 2023
Effective as of March 31 2024 we and EMTEC entered into Amendment No 5 Amendment No 5 to the Joint Development Agreement In Amendment No 5 the Company and EMTEC further extended the term of the Joint Development Agreement such that it will end on December 31 2026 unless terminated earlier so that we and EMTEC may pursue continued work to allow for technical readiness of the Generation 2 Technology fuel cell module as well as additional continuous technology development
In furtherance of the ultimate goal of commercializing the Generation 2 Technology Amendment No 5 provides us among other rights and benefits with the ability to pursue new carbon capture projects with third parties for the remaining duration of the term of the Joint Development Agreement using Generation 1 Technology or Generation 2 Technology provided that the use of Generation 2 Technology must be limited to the use of Generation 2 physical fuel cell properties and design elements in Generation 1 Technology modules with any new sales of such activities authorized work and carbon capture projects when summed together having the capability of capturing no more than 250 000 tons of CO2 on a cumulative annual basis
Under Amendment No 5 following expiration of the term of the Joint Development Agreement the Company will also have the opportunity to continue to service continuing obligations for such projects entered into during the term of the Joint Development Agreement e g completion of contracted builds service and repair replacement of components etc To allow the Company to pursue such projects in Amendment No 5 EMTEC also granted to the Company a worldwide non exclusive royalty free irrevocable during the term of the Joint Development Agreement non sub licensable license to EMTEC s Generation 1 Technology as well as to EMTEC s Generation 2 Technology physical fuel cell properties and design elements including EMTEC s background information and background patents relating to Generation 2 Technology physical fuel cell properties and design elements
Amendment No 5 also removed the cap on the maximum amount of research costs to be reimbursed by EMTEC and instead includes an expected annual budget for the anticipated work through the remaining term of the Joint Development Agreement of at least 10 0 million per year subject to approval by EMTEC Research costs will be set forth in project descriptions that are subject to mutual agreement and pre approval by us and EMTEC in writing As has been the case for the entire term of the Joint Development Agreement project descriptions will continue to be described in written mutually agreed upon documents In addition in Amendment No 5 the hourly rates for the Company s engineers scientists and all other full time employees were increased by 15 over the rates established in the original Joint Development Agreement and such rates will increase by 3 annually beginning on March 31 2025
For our use in power applications and hydrogen applications the Joint Development Agreement includes certain worldwide non exclusive perpetual irrevocable licenses to practice the Program Results as defined in the Joint Development Agreement EMTEC s background information and background patents for Generation 1 Technology and EMTEC s background information and background patents for Generation 2 Technology Amendment No 5 makes clear that such licenses will continue on a royalty free basis going forward
In addition to research and development performed under research contracts including as described under the heading Advanced Technologies Programs above we also fund our own research and development activities to i advance our core carbonate and solid oxide cell module capabilities and ii support the commercial fleet with product enhancements and improvements
We work to continuously improve and mature our products and implement lessons learned into our product designs and manufacturing process subsequent to introduction We also continue to invest in improvement initiatives with respect to our core molten carbonate technology For example we have identified improvement opportunities ranging from improved thermal management by reducing internal temperature to improving the performance of our electrical balance of plant and implemented design changes to our commercial platforms which are expected to improve overall product performance
As it relates to our fuel cell modules these improvements center around delivering more uniform temperature distribution within the stack modules with the intent of improving output over the life of the modules to achieve the product s expected design life Continued extension of design life and output of our modules over time is a core research and development focus In addition we are also investing in our commercialization of our patented technologies such as carbon capture and separation solid oxide fuel cells and solid oxide electrolysis cells for hydrogen production and energy storage as we believe these technologies represent significant future market opportunities
We are also focused on the development and commercialization of a module design that enhances our ability to compete for large scale infrastructure projects This work focused on developing a module that incorporates all hot gas piping inside the module This design is expected to greatly improve serviceability and operational availability This module centric strategy allows us to concentrate our resources on developing the high efficiency stacks and allowing the engineering work surrounding the balance of plant design site design and EPC work to be managed by the large scale project developers We believe that focusing on the core module technology and design allows us to dedicate our engineering resources to the advancement of the stack and module technology including both performance and cost and maintaining a competitive edge versus the competition
Company funded research and development is included in Research and development expenses operating expenses in our consolidated financial statements The total research and development expenditures in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss including third party and Company funded expenditures are as follows
Our intellectual property consists of patents trade secrets institutional knowledge and know how that we believe is a competitive advantage and represents a barrier to entry for potential competitors We have extensive experience in designing manufacturing operating and maintaining fuel cell power plants This experience cannot be easily or quickly replicated and combined with our trade secrets proprietary processes and patents safeguards our intellectual property rights
As of October 31 2024 we excluding our subsidiaries had 148 U S patents and 307 patents in other jurisdictions covering our fuel cell technology in certain cases covering the same technology in multiple jurisdictions with patents directed to various aspects of our carbonate technology solid oxide fuel cell SOFC technology proton exchange membrane PEM fuel cell technology and applications thereof As of October 31 2024 we also had 28 patent applications pending in the U S and 86 patent applications pending in other jurisdictions
As of October 31 2024 our subsidiary Versa Power Systems Ltd Versa had 19 U S patents and 68 international patents covering SOFC technology in certain cases covering the same technology in multiple jurisdictions As of October 31 2024 Versa also had 13 pending U S patent applications and 30 patent applications pending in other jurisdictions In addition as of October 31 2024 our subsidiary FuelCell Energy Solutions GmbH had license rights to 2 U S patents and 7 patents outside the U S in certain cases covering the same technology in multiple jurisdictions for carbonate fuel cell technology licensed from Fraunhofer IKTS
Certain of our U S patents are the result of government funded research and development programs including our DOE programs U S patents we own that resulted from government funded research are subject to the government potentially exercising march in rights We believe that the likelihood of the U S government exercising these rights is remote and would only occur if we ceased our commercialization efforts and there was a compelling national need to use the patents
We operate a 167 000 square foot manufacturing facility in Torrington Connecticut where we produce the individual cell packages and assemble fuel cell modules for our carbonate fuel cell products This facility also houses our global service center Our completed modules are conditioned in Torrington and shipped directly to customer sites We continue to invest in manufacturing capability with the goal of reducing production bottlenecks and driving productivity including investments in automation laser welding and the construction of additional integrated conditioning capacity We also constructed a SureSource 1500 in Torrington during fiscal year 2022 which operates as a testing facility for qualifying new supplier components and performance testing and validation of continued platform innovations Additionally we completed the construction of an on site fuel cell demonstration and test unit in fiscal year 2024 This platform allows for component testing with the goal of accelerating the integration of alternate suppliers and allows prospective customers to observe demonstrated capabilities of the fuel cell platform such as carbon separation including for the sampling and testing of separated CO2 to verify quantity quality or purity requirements for food and beverage companies As of October 31 2024 the Torrington facility was operating at a 27 7 MW per year annualized production rate on a single production shift Maximum annualized capacity module manufacturing final assembly testing and conditioning is 100 MW per year under the Torrington facility s current configuration when being fully utilized The Torrington facility is sized to accommodate the eventual annualized production capacity of up to 200 MW per year with additional capital investment in machinery equipment tooling and inventory
We design and manufacture the core fuel cell components that are stacked on top of each other to build a fuel cell stack For megawatt scale power plants four fuel cell stacks are combined to build a 1 4 MW fuel cell module To complete the power platform the fuel cell module or modules are combined with the BOP The mechanical BOP processes the incoming fuel such as natural gas or biogas and includes various fuel handling and processing equipment such as pipes and blowers The electrical BOP processes the power generated for use by the customer and includes electrical interface equipment such as an inverter The BOP components are either purchased directly from suppliers or the manufacturing is outsourced based on our designs and specifications This strategy allows us to leverage our manufacturing capacity focusing on the critical aspects of the power plant where we have specialized knowledge and expertise and possess extensive intellectual property BOP components are shipped directly to a project site and are then assembled with the fuel cell module into a complete power plant
The Torrington production and service facility and the Danbury corporate headquarters and research and development facility are ISO 9001 2015 and ISO 14001 2015 certified and our Field Service operation which maintains the installed fleet of our platforms is ISO 9001 2015 certified reinforcing the tenets of our quality management system and a focus on safety continuous improvement and commitment to quality environmental stewardship and customer satisfaction Sustainability is promoted throughout our organization We manufacture our products and manage them through end of life using environmentally friendly business processes and practices certified to ISO 14001 2015 We continually strive to improve how we plan and execute across the entire product life cycle We maintain a chain of custody and responsibility of our products throughout the product life cycle and strive for cradle to cradle sustainable business practices incorporating sustainability in our corporate culture When our platforms reach the end of their useful lives we can refurbish and re use certain parts and then recycle most of what we cannot re use By weight approximately 93 of the entire power plant can be re used or recycled at the end of its useful life
Our manufacturing and research and development facility in Calgary Alberta Canada is focused on the engineering and development of our SOFC and SOEC technologies This facility also houses our SOFC and SOEC stack research and development effort and includes equipment for the manufacturing of solid oxide cells and stacks including advanced manufacturing capabilities Beginning in fiscal year 2022 we started making additional investments in the Calgary facility to establish a center of competence and excellence for solid oxide cell and stack research and manufacturing This facility includes equipment for the manufacturing of solid oxide cells and stacks including an advanced automated stack manufacturing line which has been developed to ensure that the labor and overhead which are required to produce these
technologies are optimized for efficiency and complement the low direct material cost of the stack The current annualized production capacity of the Calgary facility is 6 MW of SOEC production based on currently installed equipment During the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 we entered into lease expansions extensions and amending agreements which expanded the space leased in Calgary to include an additional approximately 68 000 square feet for a total of approximately 100 000 square feet of space In addition long lead process equipment has been ordered to facilitate the expansion of manufacturing capacity for the solid oxide platforms in Calgary Upon the completion of the Calgary capacity expansion we believe that the total annualized SOEC manufacturing capacity could potentially be increased to up to 80 MW per year However in November 2024 we announced a global restructuring of our operations in the U S Canada and Germany that aims to reduce operating costs realign resources toward advancing the Company s core technologies and protect the Company s competitive position amid slower than expected investments in clean energy This restructuring plan also includes the deferment and cancelation of certain previously planned capital and project expenditures As a result of this restructuring plan we have deferred the capital spending required to complete the Calgary expansion and do not currently have an estimated completion date for this project For more information about our restructuring plan please see Part II Item 8 Note 4 Restructuring and Note 22 Subsequent Events
We have a manufacturing and service facility in Taufkirchen Germany that has the capability to perform final module assembly for up to 20 MW per year of sub megawatt fuel cell power platforms to service the European market Our European service activities are also operated out of this location Our operations in Europe are certified under both ISO 9001 2015 and ISO 14001 2015
As we continue our focus on business in international markets such as Europe and Asia we plan to explore manufacturing and assembly opportunities in those markets to achieve more efficient product manufacturing and supply chain operations as well as meet the increasing government requirements for the inclusion of locally sourced content and components in order to benefit from enhanced clean energy investment incentives
We use various commercially available raw materials and components to construct a fuel cell module including nickel and stainless steel which are key inputs in our manufacturing process Our fuel cell stack raw materials are sourced from multiple vendors and are not considered precious metals We have a global integrated supply chain with qualified sources of supply many of which are located locally in the regions in which we have established manufacturing and service operations including Europe and Asia We have not sourced or procured and do not source or procure directly or indirectly any materials from Russia
From time to time we may enter into over the counter financial hedges to mitigate market price volatility associated with our underlying physical commodity exposure and other asset classes consistent with our Financial Risk Management Policy These hedges are non speculative in nature are entered into with investment grade rated multinational financial institutions and are governed under the terms of the International Swaps and Derivative Association While we manufacture the fuel cells in our Torrington facility the electrical and mechanical BOPs are assembled by and procured from several suppliers All of our suppliers must undergo a stringent and rigorous qualification process We continually evaluate and qualify new suppliers as we diversify our supplier base in our pursuit of lower costs security of supply and consistent quality We purchase mechanical and electrical BOP components from third party vendors based on our own proprietary designs
Assuring the absence of conflict minerals in our power platforms is a continuing initiative Our fuel cells including the fuel cell components and completed fuel cell module do not utilize any 3TG minerals i e tin tungsten tantalum and gold that are classified as conflict minerals We utilize componentry in the BOP such as computer circuit boards that utilize trace amounts of 3TG minerals For perspective total shipments in fiscal year 2023 weighed approximately 4 6 million pounds of which only 14 0 pounds or 0 000299 represented 3TG minerals so the presence of these minerals is negligible Our conflict mineral disclosure filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission SEC on Form SD contains specific information on the actions we are taking to avoid the use of conflict minerals
We provide customers with complete turn key solutions including development engineering procurement construction interconnection and operations for our fuel cell projects We have developed relationships with many design firms and licensed general contractors and have a repeatable safe and efficient execution philosophy that has been successfully demonstrated in numerous jurisdictions both domestically and abroad all with an exemplary safety record The ability to rapidly and safely execute installations minimizes high cost construction period financing and can assist customers in certain situations when the commercial operations date for a project is time sensitive
Ou commercial product portfolio is based on our carbonate electrochemical platform We offer a comprehensive portfolio of services including engineering project management and installation and long term operating and maintenance programs including trained technicians that remotely monitor and operate our platforms around the world 24 hours a day and 365 days a year We directly employ field technicians to service the power platforms and maintain distribution centers near our customers to support the high availability of our platforms
For all operating fuel cell platforms not under a PPA customers purchase long term service agreements LTSAs some of which have terms of up to 20 years Pricing for LTSAs is based upon the value of service assurance and the markets in which we compete and includes all future maintenance and fuel cell module exchanges Each model of our carbonate electrochemical platform has a target design life of 25 to 30 years The fuel cell modules with legacy modules having a 5 year target cell design life and current production modules having a 7 year target cell design life go through periodic replacement while the BOP systems which consist of conventional mechanical and electrical equipment are maintained over the life of the project
Under the typical provisions of both our LTSAs and PPAs we provide services to monitor operate service and maintain power platforms to meet specified performance levels Operations and maintenance are key drivers for power platforms to deliver their projected revenue and cash flows The service aspects of our business model provide a recurring and predictable revenue stream for the Company We have committed future production for scheduled fuel cell module exchanges under LTSAs and PPAs through the respective expiration dates of such LTSAs and PPAs which range through 2042 The pricing structure of the LTSAs incorporates these scheduled fuel cell module exchanges and the committed nature of this production facilitates our production planning Many of our PPAs and LTSAs include guarantees for system performance including electrical output and heat rate Should the power platform not meet the minimum performance levels we may be required to replace the fuel cell module with a new or used replacement module and or pay performance penalties Our goal is to optimize the power platforms to meet expected operating parameters throughout their contracted service terms
In addition to our service agreements we provide a warranty for our products against manufacturing or performance defects for a specific period of time The warranty term in the U S is typically 15 months after shipment or 12 months after acceptance of our products We accrue for estimated future warranty costs based on historical experience
For many countries around the world 2024 has proven to be more tumultuous than the prior year This is the case at least in part due to the national elections which have taken place or will take place in over 70 countries In the United States for example Congress largely avoided advancing energy legislation while U S regulators including the U S Treasury and Internal Revenue Service IRS DOE EPA and others worked to implement various parts of the Inflation Reduction Act the IRA which was enacted in August of 2022
Since enactment of the IRA we have filed multiple comment letters including formal comments related to the promulgation of rules to govern Sections 45V 48E and 45Y of the Internal Revenue Code the IRC The Company s comments are largely aligned with the industry s views which have focused on statutory intent compliance with existing regulations achieving technical accuracy and other fine points that are relevant to our sector and our business It is important to note that the IRA introduced a series of new tax credits and also reformulated existing tax credits some of which have been in place since the 1970s to incentivize development of renewable clean energy And while the Treasury and IRS have not yet issued final rules governing the new hydrogen credit 45V or the new investment and production
Our Company and our products are subject to various federal provincial state and local laws and regulations relating to among other things land use safe working conditions handling and disposal of hazardous and potentially hazardous substances and emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere Emissions of SOx and NOx from our power plants are substantially lower than conventional combustion based generating stations and are far below existing and proposed regulatory limits The primary emissions from our power plants assuming no cogeneration application are humid flue gas that is discharged at temperatures of 700 800 F water that is discharged at temperatures of 10 20 F above ambient air temperatures and CO2 in per kW hour amounts that are due to the high efficiency of fuel cells significantly less than conventional fossil fuel central generation power plants Depending on the jurisdiction whether our plants require water discharge permits is dependent upon whether the discharge is directed to a storm drain or wastewater system
We are committed to our continued efforts to increase diversity and foster an inclusive work environment that supports the global workforce and the communities we serve We recruit the best qualified employees regardless of gender ethnicity or other protected traits and it is our policy to fully comply with all laws domestic and foreign applicable to discrimination in the workplace Our diversity equity inclusion and belonging principles are also reflected in our employee training and policies
In November 2024 we announced a global restructuring of our operations in the U S Canada and Germany that aims to reduce operating costs realign resources toward advancing the Company s core technologies and protect the Company s competitive position amid slower than expected investments in clean energy The restructuring plan included a reduction in our workforce of approximately 13 or 75 employees in November 2024 and includes reduced spending for product development overhead and other costs This followed a 4 or 17 employee reduction in workforce in September 2024 For more information about these restructuring actions please see Part II Item 8 Note 4 Restructuring and Note 22 Subsequent Events
As part of our compensation philosophy we believe that we must offer and maintain market competitive compensation and benefit programs for all of our team members in order to attract and retain superior and diverse talent In addition to competitive base wages additional programs include an annual Management Incentive Plan Long Term Equity Incentive Plans and a Company matched 401 k Plan
We are committed to EH S excellence Our Environmental Management System is certified to ISO 14001 2015 and our Occupational Health Safety Management System is certified to ISO 45001 2018 Health and safety is both a bottom up and top down priority as the Company s Board of Directors is actively engaged in ongoing review of our polices protocols and performance
Our safety performance is excellent and is demonstrated by experience modification rates below the industry average of 1 0 for the last 7 fiscal years 2018 0 62 2019 0 65 2020 0 59 2021 0 68 2022 0 088 2023 0 89 and 2024 0 83 We have maintained an A rating since 2016 providing Safety Tier 1 performance with ISNetworld a database for online contractor safety management designed to streamline companies and contractors compliance pre qualification processes Because EH S compliance is a priority for us we also leverage ISNetworld to qualify contractors that work on our projects
We file annual quarterly and current reports proxy statements and other information electronically with the SEC Our annual reports on Form 10 K quarterly reports on Form 10 Q current reports on Form 8 K and all amendments to those reports are made available free of charge through the Investors section of the Company s website http www fuelcellenergy com as soon as practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC Material contained on our website is not incorporated by reference in this report Our executive offices are located at 3 Great Pasture Road Danbury CT 06810 The SEC also maintains an Internet website that contains reports and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC located at http www sec gov
Mr Few was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in August 2019 and has served as a director since 2018 Mr Few chairs the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors the Board Mr Few previously served as the Company s Chief Commercial Officer from September 2019 to March 2022 Prior to joining FuelCell Energy Mr Few served as President of Sustayn Analytics LLC a cloud based software waste and recycling optimization company since 2018 and as the Founder and Senior Managing Partner of BJF Partners LLC a privately held strategic consulting firm since 2016 Mr Few has over 30 years of experience increasing enterprise value for Global Fortune 500 and privately held technology telecommunications technology and energy firms He has overseen transformational opportunities across the technology and industrial energy sectors in roles including Founder and Senior Managing Partner of BJF Partners LLC President and Chief Executive Officer of Continuum Energy an energy products and services company from 2013 2016 various roles including Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of NRG Energy Inc an integrated energy company from 2011 to 2012 President of Reliant Energy from 2009 to 2012 and Vice President Smart Energy a retail electricity provider from 2008 to 2009 Mr Few also previously served as a Senior Advisor to Verve Industrial Protection an industrial cybersecurity software company since 2016
Mr Bishop was appointed Executive Vice President in June 2019 and has served as the Company s Chief Financial Officer since June 2011 Mr Bishop previously served as the Company s Treasurer from June 2011 to June 2022 and as Senior Vice President of the Company from June 2011 to June 2019 Mr Bishop was reappointed Treasurer of the Company in August 2023 He has more than 25 years of experience in financial operations and management with public high growth technology companies with a focus on capital raising project finance debt treasury management investor relations strategic planning internal controls and organizational development Since joining the Company in 2003 Mr Bishop has held a succession of financial leadership roles including Assistant Controller Corporate Controller and Vice President and Controller Prior to joining the Company Mr Bishop held finance and accounting positions at TranSwitch Corporation Cyberian Outpost Inc and United Technologies Inc He is a certified public accountant and began his professional career at McGladrey and Pullen LLP now RSM US LLP Mr Bishop also served four years in the United States Marine Corps
Mr Lisowski was appointed Executive Vice President Strategic Partnerships in April 2024 Prior to this Mr Lisowski had served as the Company s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since June 2019 and as the Company s Vice President of Global Operations from January 2018 to June 2019 From 2001 to 2018 Mr Lisowski held various other operations management positions within the Company including Vice President of Supply Chain from 2010 to 2018 Mr Lisowski is a senior global operations leader with progressive operations experience in technology driven businesses having direct responsibility for supply chain manufacturing quality project management EH S and plant engineering functions In his position as the Company s Executive Vice President Strategic Partnerships Mr Lisowski is responsible for the development and expansion of strategic partnerships including but not limited to our carbon capture technology
Mr Dolger was appointed Executive Vice President and General Counsel on December 10 2021 and Corporate Secretary on June 25 2021 Mr Dolger previously served as Interim General Counsel from June 25 2021 to December 10 2021 and as Senior Counsel from May 17 2021 to June 25 2021 In his current positions Mr Dolger oversees all the Company s legal and governmental affairs as well as provides leadership in all aspects of the Company s business including commercial matters compliance corporate governance and board activities Prior to joining the Company Mr Dolger held a variety of legal positions of increasing responsibility at the headquarters of Terex Corporation a public company and a global manufacturer of aerial work platforms and materials processing machinery most recently as Assistant General Counsel from January 2016 to March 2021 Mr Dolger s focus included Securities and Exchange Commission work mergers and acquisitions corporate governance commercial contract drafting and negotiation and implementation of the company s multi year strategic supply chain initiative Prior to joining Terex Corporation Mr Dolger was a senior corporate attorney at Pullman Comley LLC Mr Dolger is a licensed attorney in Connecticut and New York
Mr Feasel was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer in April 2022 Mr Feasel served as President Smart Grid North America of Schneider Electric USA Schneider Electric a multinational energy efficiency and automation provider from December 2019 to April 2022 Prior to that he served Schneider Electric as Vice President Electric
Utility Segment Smart Grid from July 2012 to December 2019 as Vice President Sales and Marketing from November 2010 through July 2012 and as Director Sales and Marketing from March 2005 to November 2010 As President Smart Grid North America Mr Feasel had responsibility for the Electric Utility segment Smart Grid and Microgrid for Schneider Electric in North America Throughout his career at Schneider Electric he held leadership roles in Energy Management Power Quality Utility Solutions Oil Gas Solutions Electrical Distribution Protection and Automation and Microgrids Mr Feasel joined Schneider Electric in 2005 through the company s acquisition of Power Measurement Inc and began his career with the United States Navy serving in the Electrical Division where he was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the systems associated with the nuclear reactor plant on a ballistic missile submarine Mr Feasel has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University since June 2020 where he teaches Electric Utility Grid Planning and Operations for the Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability Program
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities you should carefully consider the specific risk factors discussed below together with all of the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10 K including the section titled Management s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our consolidated financial statements and related notes The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations If any such risks actually occur our business financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected In such cases the market price of our common stock could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment
We have transitioned from a research and development company to a commercial products manufacturer services provider and developer We have not been profitable since our year ended October 31 1997 We expect to continue to incur net losses and generate negative cash flows until we can produce sufficient revenues and gross profit to cover our costs We may never become profitable Even if we do achieve profitability we may be unable to sustain or increase our profitability in the future For the reasons discussed in more detail below there are uncertainties associated with our achieving and sustaining profitability We have from time to time sought financing in the public markets in order to fund operations and will continue to do so Our future ability to obtain such financing could be impaired by a variety of factors including but not limited to the price of our common stock and general market conditions
Our cost reduction strategy for manufacturing is based on the assumption that increases in production will result in economies of scale In addition our cost reduction strategy relies on advancements in our manufacturing process global competitive sourcing engineering design reducing the cost of capital and technology improvements including stack life and projected power output Failure to achieve our cost reduction targets could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition
Our ability to make scheduled payments of principal and interest and other required repayments depends on our future performance which is subject to economic financial competitive and other factors beyond our control Our business may not generate cash flows from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures If we are unable to generate such cash flows we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives such as selling assets restructuring operations restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or dilutive
We may incur additional indebtedness in the future in the ordinary course of business which could include onerous restrictions on us If new debt is added to current debt levels the risks described above could intensify Our debt agreements contain representations and warranties affirmative and negative covenants and events of default that entitle the lenders to cause our indebtedness under such debt agreements to become immediately due and payable
We rely on project financing for our generation operating portfolio which includes debt and tax equity financing arrangements to realize the benefits provided by investment tax credits and accelerated tax depreciation In the event that interest rates continue to rise or there are changes in tax policy our financial results could be harmed
Rising interest rates may increase our cost of capital Part of our business strategy is to generate positive cash flows after debt service from our generation operating portfolio Rising interest rates may have an adverse impact on the cost of debt and thus result in lower cash flows after debt service than we realize today We also expect that projects we retain in our generation operating portfolio will receive capital from tax equity investors who derive a significant portion of their economic returns through tax benefits Tax equity investors are generally entitled to substantially all of the project s tax benefits such as those provided by the U S investment tax credit ITC and Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System or bonus depreciation Our ability to obtain additional financing in the future depends on the continued confidence of financing sources in our business model and the continued availability of tax benefits applicable to our products If we are unable to enter into tax equity financing agreements with attractive pricing terms or at all we may not be able to obtain the capital needed to finance the build out of our generation assets which would impact our overall liquidity and our business financial condition and results of operations
We operate a 167 000 square foot manufacturing facility in Torrington Connecticut where we produce the individual cell packages and assemble the fuel cell modules for our carbonate fuel cell products The maximum annualized capacity module manufacturing final assembly testing and conditioning is 100 MW per year under the Torrington facility s current configuration when being fully utilized The Torrington facility is sized to accommodate the eventual annualized production capacity of up to 200 MW per year with additional capital investment in machinery equipment tooling and inventory
We have a manufacturing and service facility in Taufkirchen Germany that has the capability to perform final module assembly for up to 20 MW per year of carbonate sub megawatt fuel cell power platforms to service the European market Our European service activities are also operated out of this location
Our manufacturing and research and development facility in Calgary Alberta Canada is focused on the engineering and development of our SOFC and SOEC technologies This facility also houses our SOFC and SOEC stack research and development effort and includes equipment for the manufacturing of solid oxide cells and stacks including advanced manufacturing capabilities Beginning in fiscal year 2022 we started making additional investments in the Calgary facility to establish a center of competence and excellence for solid oxide cell and stack research and manufacturing This facility includes equipment for the manufacturing of solid oxide cells and stacks including an advanced automated stack manufacturing line which has been developed to ensure that the labor and overhead which are required to produce these technologies are optimized for efficiency and complement the low direct material cost of the stack The current annualized production capacity of the Calgary facility is 6 MW of SOEC production based on currently installed equipment During the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 we entered into lease expansions extensions and amending agreements which expanded the space leased in Calgary to include an additional approximately 68 000 square feet for a total of
approximately 100 000 square feet of space In addition long lead process equipment has been ordered to facilitate the expansion of manufacturing capacity for the solid oxide platforms in Calgary Upon the completion of the Calgary capacity expansion we believe that the total annualized SOEC manufacturing capacity could potentially be increased to up to 80 MW per year However in November 2024 we announced a global restructuring of our operations in the U S Canada and Germany that aims to reduce operating costs realign resources toward advancing the Company s core technologies and protect the Company s competitive position amid slower than expected investments in clean energy This restructuring plan also includes the deferment and cancelation of certain previously planned capital and project expenditures As a result of this restructuring plan we have deferred the capital spending required to complete the Calgary expansion and do not currently have an estimated completion date for this project If our restructuring plan does not result in the intended benefits or savings or results in unanticipated costs including but not limited to additional charges and or higher than expected costs or if we are unable to successfully implement our restructuring plan during the expected timeframe our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected For more information about our restructuring plan please see Part II Item 8 Note 4 Restructuring and Note 22 Subsequent Events
If our business does not grow as quickly as we expect our existing and planned manufacturing facilities would in part represent excess capacity for which we may not recover the cost In that circumstance our revenues may be inadequate to support our committed costs and our planned growth and our gross margins and business strategy would be adversely affected If our business grows more quickly than we anticipate our existing and planned manufacturing facilities may become inadequate and we may need to seek out new or additional space or retrofit or further equip our existing facilities at considerable cost to us
We have recorded significant impairment charges and may in the future be required to record significant impairment charges to operations in our financial statements should we determine that our goodwill other indefinite lived intangible assets i e in process research and development IPR D and other long lived assets i e project assets property plant and equipment and amortizing intangible assets are impaired Such charges might have a significant impact on our reported financial condition and results of operations Project assets and property plant and equipment impairment charges totaled approximately 1 3 million 2 4 million and 1 8 million for the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 respectively
As required by accounting rules we review our goodwill for impairment at least annually as of July 31 or more frequently if facts and circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit that has goodwill is less than its carrying value Factors that may be considered a change in circumstances indicating that the carrying value of our goodwill might not be recoverable include a significant decline in projections of future cash flows and lower future growth rates in our industry We review IPR D for impairment on an annual basis as of July 31 or more frequently if facts and circumstances indicate the fair value is less than the carrying value If the technology has been determined to be abandoned or not recoverable we would be required to record a charge reflecting impairment of the asset We review long lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount may not be recoverable We consider a project asset commercially viable and recoverable if such project asset is anticipated to be sellable for a profit or generates positive cash flows in excess of the cost of the project asset once it is either fully developed or fully constructed If any of our project assets are not considered commercially viable or costs are not deemed to be recoverable we would be required to record a charge reflecting the impairment of such project assets
A portion of our revenues has been derived from long term cooperative agreements and other contracts with the DOE and other U S government agencies These agreements are important to the continued development of our technology and our products We also contract with private sector companies under certain Advanced Technologies contracts to develop strategically important and complementary offerings
Generally our privately funded Advanced Technologies contracts including our EMTEC Joint Development Agreement contracted demonstration projects undertaken with EMTEC or other ExxonMobil affiliates and our government research and development contracts are subject to the risk of termination at the convenience of the contracting party and may contain
certain milestones and deliverables which we may not be able to meet if actual results or the timing of deliverables differ materially from our original estimates or contractually agreed timelines Furthermore with respect to government funded contracts irrespective of the amounts allocated by the contracting agency such contracts are subject to annual Congressional appropriations and the results of government or agency sponsored reviews and audits of our cost reduction projections and efforts We can only receive funds under government funded contracts ultimately made available to us annually by Congress as a result of the appropriations process Accordingly we cannot be sure whether we will receive the full amounts awarded under our privately funded government research and development or other contracts Termination of the contracts or failure to receive the full amounts under any of our Advanced Technologies contracts could materially and adversely affect our business prospects results of operations and financial condition
Investor owned utilities may resist adoption of distributed generation fuel cell plants as such plants are disruptive to the utility business model that primarily utilizes large central generation power plants and associated transmission and distribution On site distributed generation that is on the customer side of the electric meter competes with the utility Distributed generation on the utility side of the meter generally has power output that is significantly less than central generation power plants and may be perceived by the utility as too small to materially impact its business limiting its interest Additionally perceived technology risk may limit utility interest in stationary fuel cell power plants
Utility companies commonly charge fees to larger industrial customers for disconnecting from the electric grid or for having the capacity to use power from the electric grid for back up purposes These fees could increase the cost to our customers of using our SureSource products and could make our products less desirable thereby harming our business prospects results of operations and financial condition
We use various raw materials and components to construct a fuel cell module including nickel and stainless steel that are critical to our manufacturing process We also rely on third party suppliers for the BOP components in our products Suppliers must undergo a qualification process which takes four to twelve months We continually evaluate new suppliers and we are currently qualifying several new suppliers There are a limited number of suppliers for some of the key components of our products In addition to the extent the processes that our suppliers use to manufacture components are proprietary we may be unable to obtain comparable components from alternative suppliers all of which could harm our business prospects results of operations and financial condition We do not know whether we will be able to maintain long term supply relationships with our critical suppliers or secure new long term supply relationships on terms that will allow us to achieve our objectives if at all A supplier s failure to develop and supply components in a timely manner or to supply components that meet our quality quantity or cost requirements or our technical specifications or our inability to obtain alternative sources of these components on a timely basis or on terms acceptable to us could each harm our ability to manufacture our products In addition our supply chain was adversely affected by the COVID 19 pandemic and in the future could be adversely affected by pandemics or other widespread adverse public health events which may create global shipping and logistics challenges These challenges may include extended shipping lead times and pricing pressures on transportation and logistics that could adversely impact our ability to meet our production schedules and project deadlines may result in additional and increased costs or may otherwise adversely impact our business results of operations and financial condition If such events occur and we are unable to pass these costs on to our customers or timely complete projects we may experience reduced revenue and other adverse impacts on our business results of operations and financial condition
Our results of operations can be directly affected by volatility in the cost and availability of energy which is subject to global supply and demand and other factors beyond our control Higher energy costs result in increases in operating expenses at our manufacturing facilities in the expense of shipping materials to our facilities and in the expense of operating our projects for which we procure natural gas all of which may in turn adversely affect our business financial condition and results of operations
In recent years there has been an increased focus from stakeholders on ESG matters including greenhouse gas emissions and climate related risks renewable energy water stewardship waste management diversity equality and inclusion responsible sourcing and supply chain human rights and social responsibility Given our commitment to ESG matters we actively manage these issues and have established and publicly announced certain goals commitments and targets which we may refine or even expand further in the future These goals commitments and targets reflect our current plans and aspirations and are not guarantees that we will be able to achieve them Evolving stakeholder expectations and our efforts to manage these issues report on them and accomplish our goals present numerous operational regulatory reputational financial legal and other risks any of which could have a material adverse impact including on our reputation and stock price
We derive significant revenue from contracts awarded through competitive bidding processes involving substantial costs and risks Our contracted projects may not convert to revenue and our project awards and sales pipeline may not convert to contracts which may have a material adverse effect on our revenue and cash flows
We expect a significant portion of the business that we will seek in the foreseeable future will be awarded through competitive bidding against other fuel cell technologies and other forms of power generation The competitive bidding process involves substantial costs and a number of risks including the significant cost and managerial time to prepare bids and proposals for contracts that may not be awarded to us and our failure to accurately estimate the resources and costs that will be required to fulfill any contract we win In addition following a contract award we may encounter significant expense delay or contract modifications or award revocation as a result of our competitors protesting or challenging contracts awarded to us in competitive bidding Our failure to compete effectively in this procurement environment could adversely affect our revenue and or profitability
Some of the project awards we receive and orders we accept from customers require certain conditions or contingencies such as permitting interconnection financing or regulatory approval to be satisfied some of which are outside of our control Certain awards are cancelable or revocable at any time prior to contract execution The time periods from receipt of an award to execution of a contract or receipt of a contract to installation may vary widely and are determined by a number of factors including the terms of the award governmental policies or regulations that go into effect after the award the terms of the customer contract and the customer s site requirements These same or similar conditions and contingencies may be required by financiers in order to draw on financing to complete a project If these conditions or contingencies are not satisfied or changes in laws affecting project awards occur or awards are revoked or cancelled project awards may not convert to contracts and installations may be delayed or canceled This could have an adverse impact on our revenue and cash flow and our ability to complete construction of a project
We apply the transfer of control over time revenue recognition method under Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers to certain service contracts which are subject to estimates On an annual basis we perform a review process to help ensure that total estimated contract costs include estimates of costs to complete that are based on the most recent available information The amount of costs incurred on a cumulative to date basis as a function of estimated costs at completion is applied to contract consideration to determine the cumulative revenue that should be recognized to date
We have contracted under long term service agreements with certain customers to provide service on our products over terms up to 20 years Under the provisions of these contracts we provide services to maintain monitor and repair customer power plants to meet minimum operating levels Pricing for service contracts is based upon estimates of future costs including future module exchanges While we have conducted tests to determine the overall life of our products we have not run certain of our products over their projected useful life or in all potential conditions prior to large scale commercialization As a result we cannot be sure that these products will last to their expected useful life or perform as anticipated in all conditions which could result in warranty claims performance penalties maintenance and module replacement costs in excess of our estimates losses on service contracts and or a negative perception of our products As a result of our products lack of maturity we have incurred and may continue to incur charges for warranty claims performance penalties maintenance and module replacement costs in excess of our estimates and losses on service contracts Each of these risks could be material under these contracts and as a result we may experience diminished returns or be required to write off all or a portion of our capitalized costs in these project assets
In certain instances we have executed PPAs with the utility end user of the power or site host of the fuel cell power plant We may then sell the PPA and power plant to a project investor or retain the project and collect revenue from the sale of power over the term of the PPA recognizing electricity revenue as power is generated and sold Our growing portfolio of project assets used to generate and sell power under PPAs and utility tariff programs exposes us to operational risks and uncertainties including among other things lost revenues due to prolonged outages replacement equipment costs risks associated with facility start up operations failures in the availability or acquisition of fuel including natural gas and renewable natural gas the impact of severe adverse weather conditions natural disasters terrorist attacks cybersecurity attacks risks of property damage or injury from energized equipment availability of adequate water resources and ability to intake and discharge water use of new or unproven technology fuel commodity price risk and fluctuating market prices and lack of alternative available fuel sources
Our ability to proceed with projects under development and complete construction of projects on schedule and within budget may be adversely affected by escalating costs for materials and fuel including natural gas and renewable natural gas supply chain and logistics challenges tariffs labor and regulatory compliance inability to obtain necessary permits interconnections or other approvals on acceptable terms or on schedule and by other factors If any development project or construction is not completed is delayed or is subject to cost overruns we could become obligated to make delay or termination payments or become obligated for other damages under contracts experience diminished returns or be required to write off all or a portion of our capitalized costs in the project Each of these events could have an adverse effect on our business financial condition results of operations and prospects
We develop complex and evolving products and we continue to advance the capabilities of our fuel cell stacks We produce carbonate fuel stacks with a 7 year cell design life We are also in the process of manufacturing and selling SOEC and SOFC products We provide product warranties for a specific period of time against manufacturing or performance defects We accrue for warranty costs based on historical warranty claim experience however actual future warranty expenses may be greater than we have assumed in our estimates Issues have been and may continue to be found in existing or new products including but not limited to module decay rates which have exceeded and may continue to exceed design expectations This has resulted and may continue to result in a delay in recognition or loss of revenues and may result in loss of market share or failure to achieve broad market acceptance The occurrence of defects has also caused and may continue to cause us to incur significant warranty support and repair costs in excess of our estimates could divert the
attention of our engineering personnel from our product development efforts and could harm our relationships with our customers Although we seek to limit our liability a product liability claim brought against us even if unsuccessful would likely be time consuming could be costly to defend and may hurt our reputation in the marketplace Our customers could also seek and obtain damages from us for their losses
We compete on the basis of our products reliability efficiency environmental considerations and cost Technological advances in alternative energy products improvements in the electric grid or other sources of power generation that use lower priced fuel or no fuel or other fuel cell technologies may negatively affect the development or sale of some or all of our products or make our products less economically attractive non competitive or obsolete prior to or after commercialization Significant decreases in the price of alternative technologies or grid delivered electricity or significant increases in the price of our fuels could have a material adverse effect on our business because other generation sources could be more economically attractive to consumers than our products Additionally in certain markets consumers and regulators have expressed a preference for zero carbon generating resources over fueled resources which could adversely affect sales of our products in such markets
Other companies some of which have substantially greater resources than ours are currently engaged in the development of products and technologies that are similar to or may be competitive with our products and technologies Several companies in the U S are engaged in fuel cell development although we are the only domestic company engaged in manufacturing and deployment of stationary carbonate fuel cells Other emerging fuel cell technologies include small or portable PEM fuel cells stationary phosphoric acid fuel cells stationary solid oxide fuel cells and small residential solid oxide fuel cells Any of these technologies and any of our competitors has the potential to capture market share in our target markets There are also other potential fuel cell competitors internationally that could capture market share
Other than fuel cell developers we must also compete with companies that manufacture combustion based distributed power equipment including various engines and turbines and have well established manufacturing distribution operating and cost features Electrical efficiency of these products can be competitive with our power plants in certain applications Significant competition may also come from gas turbine companies and large scale solar and wind technologies
Our plans are dependent upon market acceptance of as well as enhancements to our products Fuel cell systems represent an emerging market and we cannot be sure that potential customers will accept fuel cells as a replacement for traditional power sources or non fuel based power sources hydrogen generation sources or storage As is typical in a rapidly evolving industry demand and market acceptance for recently introduced products and services are subject to a high level of uncertainty and risk Since the distributed generation hydrogen carbon capture and storage markets are still evolving it is difficult to predict with certainty the size of these markets and their growth rates The development of a market for our products may be affected by many factors that are out of our control including
We must develop additional commercially viable products in order to achieve profitability Our development timeline for bringing new commercially viable products to market has shifted as a result of delays in adoption of clean energy technologies timing of product developments and implementation of our recently announced global restructuring and workforce reduction plan which may not be successful
In fiscal year 2022 we provided aspirational long term revenue targets to be met by the end of fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2030 In developing these revenue targets we made certain timing assumptions regarding among other things the development commercialization and market adoption timelines of our SOEC SOFC and carbon capture products However these long term revenue targets do not reflect the current market realities regarding the pace of hydrogen adoption and infrastructure build out as well as continuing uncertainty regarding the IRA and other large scale clean energy policies globally In addition in November 2024 we announced a global restructuring of our operations in the U S Canada and Germany that aims to reduce operating costs reduce headcount realign resources toward advancing the Company s core technologies and protect the Company s competitive position amid slower than expected investments in clean energy As part of the restructuring plan we have begun to reduce spending on product development As a result of current market realities and in conjunction with our restructuring plan the timing of the development and commercialization of our SOEC SOFC and carbon capture products has been delayed from our prior estimates and accordingly due to these factors we will not meet the aspirational revenue targets that we provided in fiscal year 2022 Going forward the commercialization of these technologies will be paced by market adoption of new clean energy products and our ability to contract with partners to bring our solutions to market If we are unable to meet cost or performance goals with respect to these products once commercialized including goals for power output hydrogen production rates of carbon capture useful life and reliability then our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability from sales of these new products will be delayed or may not occur at all In addition if we are unable to develop additional commercially viable products in the future we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to become profitable The profitable commercialization of our products depends on our ability to reduce the costs of our products and there can be no assurance that we will be able to sufficiently reduce these costs to achieve profitability Also if our restructuring plan and workforce reduction does not result in the intended benefits or savings or results in unanticipated costs including but not limited to additional charges and or higher than expected severance and employee termination benefits costs or if we are unable to successfully implement our restructuring plan during the expected timeframe our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected For more information about our restructuring plan please see Part II Item 8 Note 4 Restructuring and Note 22 Subsequent Events
Our business exposes us to potential product liability claims that are inherent in products that use hydrogen Our products utilize fuels such as natural gas and convert these fuels internally to hydrogen that is used by our products to generate electricity Although our platforms do not combust fuels for the generation of electricity the fuels we use are combustible and may be toxic In addition our SureSource products operate at high temperatures and use corrosive carbonate material which could expose us to potential liability claims Although we incorporate a robust design and redundant safety features in our power plants have established comprehensive safety maintenance and training programs follow third party certification protocols codes and standards and do not store natural gas or hydrogen at our power plants we cannot guarantee that there will not be accidents Any accidents involving our products or other hydrogen using products could materially impede widespread market acceptance and demand for our products In addition we might be held responsible for damages beyond the scope of our insurance coverage We also cannot predict whether we will be able to maintain adequate insurance coverage on acceptable terms
We are increasingly dependent on information technology and disruptions failures or security breaches of our information technology infrastructure could have a material adverse effect on our operations and the operations of our power plant platforms In addition increased information technology security threats and more sophisticated computer crime pose a risk to our systems networks products and services
We rely on information technology networks and systems including the Internet to process transmit and store electronic and financial information and to manage a variety of business processes and activities including communication with power plants owned by us or our customers and production manufacturing financial logistics sales marketing and administrative functions Additionally we collect and store data that is sensitive to us and to third parties Operating these information technology networks and systems and processing and maintaining this data in a secure manner are critical to our business operations and strategy We depend on our information technology infrastructure to communicate internally and externally with employees customers suppliers and others We also use information technology networks and systems to comply with regulatory legal and tax requirements and to operate our fuel cell power plants These information technology systems many of which are managed by third parties or used in connection with shared service centers may be susceptible to damage disruptions or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software databases or components thereof power outages hardware failures computer viruses attacks by computer hackers or other cybersecurity risks including the impact of emerging technologies telecommunication failures user errors natural disasters terrorist attacks or other catastrophic events If any of our significant information technology systems suffer severe damage disruption or shutdown and our disaster recovery and business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner our product sales financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected and we could experience delays in reporting our financial results or our fuel cell power plant operations may be disrupted exposing us to performance penalties under our contracts with customers
In addition information technology security threats from user error to cybersecurity attacks designed to gain unauthorized access to our systems networks and data are increasing in frequency and sophistication Cybersecurity attacks may range from random attempts to coordinated and targeted attacks including sophisticated computer crime and advanced persistent threats These threats pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality availability and integrity of our data
Cybersecurity attacks could also include attacks targeting customer data or the security integrity and or reliability of the hardware and software installed in our products We have experienced and may continue to experience in the future cybersecurity attacks that have resulted in unauthorized parties gaining access to our information technology systems and networks and in one instance gaining control of the information technology system at one of our power plants However to date no cybersecurity attack has resulted in any material loss of data interrupted our day to day operations or had a material impact on our financial condition results of operations or liquidity While we actively manage information technology security risks within our control there can be no assurance that such actions will be sufficient to mitigate all potential risks to our systems networks and data In addition to the direct potential financial risk as we continue to build own and operate generation assets other potential consequences of a material cybersecurity attack include reputational damage litigation with third parties disruption to systems unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information corruption of data diminution in the value of our investment in research development and engineering and increased cybersecurity protection and remediation costs which in turn could adversely affect our competitiveness results of operations and financial condition The amount of insurance coverage we maintain may be inadequate to cover claims or liabilities relating to a cybersecurity attack
Additionally the legal and regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy in the U S and international jurisdictions is constantly evolving Violation or non compliance with any of these laws or regulations contractual requirements relating to data security and privacy or our own privacy and security policies either intentionally or unintentionally or through the acts of intermediaries could have a material adverse effect on our brand reputation business financial condition and results of operations as well as subject us to significant fines litigation losses third party damages and other liabilities
We are required to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting In a prior fiscal year our management identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting If other control deficiencies are identified in the future we may not be able to report our financial results accurately prevent fraud or file our periodic reports in a timely manner which may adversely affect investor confidence in our Company and as a result the value of our common stock
We are required pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act Section 404 to furnish a report by management on among other things the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting Complying with Section 404 requires a rigorous compliance program as well as adequate time and resources We may not be able to complete our internal control evaluation testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion Additionally if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting we will not be able to assert that our internal controls are effective A material weakness is a deficiency or combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis
In a prior fiscal year our management identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which has been remediated We cannot be certain that other material weaknesses and control deficiencies will not occur in the future If material weaknesses are identified in the future or if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner our reported financial results could be materially misstated and we could be subject to investigations or sanctions by regulatory authorities which would require additional financial and management resources and the value of our common stock could decline
To the extent we identify future weaknesses or deficiencies there could be material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements and we could fail to meet our financial reporting obligations As a result our ability to obtain additional financing on favorable terms or at all could be materially and adversely affected which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business our financial condition and the value of our common stock If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective in the future investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports could be further eroded which would have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock
The methods estimates and judgments we use in applying our accounting policies have a significant impact on our results of operations Such methods estimates and judgments are by their nature subject to substantial risks uncertainties and assumptions and factors may arise over time that could lead us to reevaluate our methods estimates and judgments
In future periods management will continue to reevaluate its estimates for contract margins service agreements loss accruals warranty performance guarantees liquidated damages inventory valuation allowances and allowance for doubtful accounts Changes in those estimates and judgments could significantly affect our results of operations and financial condition We will also adopt changes required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the SEC
We are subject to various federal state and local laws and regulations relating to among other things land use safe working conditions handling and disposal of hazardous and potentially hazardous substances and emissions of carbon dioxide and pollutants into the atmosphere Our business exposes us to the risk of harmful substances escaping into the environment resulting in personal injury or loss of life damage to or destruction of property and natural resource damage Depending on the nature of the claim our current insurance policies may not adequately reimburse us for costs incurred in settling environmental damage claims and in some instances we may not be reimbursed at all In addition it is possible that industry specific laws and regulations will be adopted covering matters such as transmission scheduling distribution emissions and the characteristics and quality of our products including installation and servicing These regulations could limit the growth in the use of carbonate fuel cell products decrease the acceptance of fuel cells as a commercial product and increase our costs and therefore the price of our products We believe that our businesses are operating in compliance in all material respects with applicable environmental laws however these laws and regulations have changed frequently
in the past and it is reasonable to expect additional and more stringent changes in the future Accordingly compliance with existing or future laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business prospects results of operations and financial condition If we fail to comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations governmental authorities may seek to impose fines and penalties on us or to revoke or deny the issuance or renewal of operating permits and private parties may seek damages from us Under those circumstances we might be required to curtail or cease operations conduct site remediation or other corrective action or pay substantial damage claims
Given that some of our product configurations run on fossil fuels we may be negatively impacted by CO2 related changes in applicable laws regulations ordinances rules or the requirements of the incentive programs on which we and our customers currently rely Changes in any of the laws regulations ordinances or rules that apply to our installations and new technology could make it illegal or more costly for us or our customers to install and operate our products at particular sites Additionally our customers and potential customers energy procurement policies may prohibit or limit their willingness to procure our products Our business prospects may be negatively impacted if we are prevented from completing new installations or our installations become more costly as a result of laws regulations ordinances or rules applicable to our products or by our customers and potential customers energy procurement policies
In addition certain of our products benefit from federal state and local governmental incentives mandates or other programs promoting clean energy generation Any changes to or termination of these programs could reduce demand for our products impair sales financing and adversely impact our business financial condition and results of operations
Government agencies such as the Defense Contract Audit Agency routinely audit and investigate government contractors These agencies review a contractor s performance under its contracts cost structure and compliance with applicable laws regulations and standards If the agencies determine through these audits or reviews that we improperly allocated costs to specific contracts they will not reimburse us for these costs Therefore an audit could result in adjustments to our revenue and costs
Further although we have internal controls in place to oversee our government contracts no assurance can be given that these controls are sufficient to prevent isolated violations of applicable laws regulations and standards If the agencies determine that we or one of our subcontractors engaged in improper conduct we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties and administrative sanctions payments fines and suspension or prohibition from doing business with the government any of which could materially affect our results of operations and financial condition
As an exporter we must comply with various laws and regulations relating to the export of products services and technology from the U S and with the laws and regulations of other countries having jurisdiction over our operations We are subject to export control laws and regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulation the Export Administration Regulation and the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List which generally prohibit U S companies and their intermediaries from exporting certain products importing materials or supplies or otherwise doing business with restricted countries businesses or individuals and require companies to maintain certain policies and procedures to ensure compliance We are also subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which prohibits improper payments to foreign governments and their officials by U S and other business entities Under these laws and regulations U S companies may be held liable for their actions and actions taken by their strategic or local partners or representatives If we or our intermediaries fail to comply with the requirements of these laws and regulations or similar laws of other countries governmental authorities in the United States or elsewhere as applicable could seek to impose civil and or criminal penalties which could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business financial condition and results of operations
We will need to raise additional capital and such capital may not be available on acceptable terms if at all If we do raise additional capital utilizing equity existing stockholders will suffer dilution If we do not raise additional capital our business could fail or be materially and adversely affected
The implementation of our business plan and strategy requires additional capital to fund operations as well as investment by us in project assets If we are unable to raise additional capital in the amounts required on terms acceptable to us or at all we will not be able to successfully implement our business plan and strategy Our capital intensive business model increases the risk that we will not be able to successfully implement our plans if we do not raise additional capital in the amounts required
In addition if we raise additional funds through further issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock into the public market including shares of our common stock issued upon exercise of options or warrants holders of our common stock could suffer significant dilution and any new equity securities we issue could have rights preferences and privileges superior to those of our then existing capital stock Any debt financing secured by us in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities If we cannot raise additional funds when we need them our business and prospects could fail or be materially and adversely affected In addition if additional funds are not secured in the future we will have to modify reduce defer or eliminate parts of our present and anticipated future projects or sell some or all of our assets
Failure to protect our existing intellectual property rights may result in the loss of our exclusivity or the right to use our technologies If we do not adequately ensure our freedom to use certain technology we may have to pay others for rights to use their intellectual property pay damages for infringement misappropriation or other violation or be enjoined from using such intellectual property We rely on patent trade secret trademark and copyright law to protect our intellectual property
We previously licensed certain of our carbonate fuel cell manufacturing intellectual property to POSCO Energy on an exclusive basis in the South Korean and broader Asian markets and pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement with POSCO Energy we have done so again but this time on a limited non exclusive basis to enable module replacement to POSCO Energy s existing LTSA customers only In addition effective as of June 11 2019 we entered into a license agreement with EMTEC to facilitate the further development of our carbon capture platform the EMTEC License Agreement Pursuant to the EMTEC License Agreement we granted EMTEC and its affiliates a non exclusive worldwide fully paid perpetual irrevocable non transferable license and right to use our patents filed on or before April 30 2021 and any data know how improvements equipment designs methods processes and the like provided directly by us or our affiliates to EMTEC or its affiliates under any agreement or otherwise on or before April 30 2021 to the extent it is useful to research develop and commercially exploit carbonate fuel cells in applications in which the fuel cells concentrate carbon dioxide from external industrial and power sources and for any other purpose attendant thereto or associated therewith Such right and license is sublicensable to third parties performing work for or with EMTEC or its affiliates but is not otherwise sublicensable Furthermore on November 5 2019 we entered into the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement pursuant to which we agreed to grant EMTEC and its affiliates a worldwide non exclusive royalty free irrevocable perpetual sub licensable non transferable subject to certain exceptions right and license to practice certain Company background intellectual property to the extent not already licensed pursuant to the EMTEC License Agreement for new carbonate fuel cell technology in carbon capture applications and hydrogen applications We depend on POSCO Energy and EMTEC to also protect our intellectual property rights but we cannot assure you that POSCO Energy or EMTEC will do so
As of October 31 2024 we excluding our subsidiaries had 148 U S patents and 307 patents in other jurisdictions covering our fuel cell technology in certain cases covering the same technology in multiple jurisdictions with patents directed to various aspects of our carbonate technology SOFC technology PEM fuel cell technology and applications thereof As of October 31 2024 we also had 28 patent applications pending in the U S and 86 patent applications pending
in other jurisdictions As of October 31 2024 our subsidiary Versa Power Systems Ltd Versa had 19 U S patents and 68 international patents covering SOFC technology in certain cases covering the same technology in multiple jurisdictions As of October 31 2024 Versa also had 13 pending U S patent applications and 30 patent applications pending in other jurisdictions In addition as of October 31 2024 our subsidiary FuelCell Energy Solutions GmbH had license rights to 2 U S patents and 7 patents outside the U S in certain cases covering the same technology in multiple jurisdictions for carbonate fuel cell technology licensed from Fraunhofer IKTS
Some of our intellectual property is not covered by any patent or patent application and includes trade secrets and other confidential and or proprietary know how particularly as it relates to our manufacturing processes and engineering design In addition some of our intellectual property includes technologies and processes that may be similar to the patented technologies and processes of third parties If we are found to be infringing misappropriating or otherwise violating third party intellectual property we do not know whether we will be able to obtain licenses to use such intellectual property on acceptable terms if at all Our patent position is subject to complex factual and legal issues that may give rise to uncertainty as to the validity scope and enforceability of a particular patent
We cannot assure you that any of the U S or international patents owned by us including our subsidiaries or other patents that third parties license to us will not be invalidated circumvented challenged rendered unenforceable or licensed to others or that any of our owned or licensed pending or future patent applications will be issued with the breadth of claim coverage sought by us or our licensors if issued at all In addition effective patent trademark copyright and trade secret protection may be unavailable limited or not applied for in certain foreign countries
We also seek to protect our proprietary intellectual property including intellectual property that may not be patented or able to be patented in part by confidentiality agreements and if applicable inventors rights agreements with our subcontractors vendors suppliers consultants strategic business associates and employees We cannot assure you that these agreements will not be breached that we will have adequate remedies for any breach or that such persons or institutions will not assert rights to intellectual property arising out of these relationships Certain of our intellectual property has been licensed to us on a non exclusive basis from third parties that may also license such intellectual property to others including our competitors If our licensors are found to be infringing misappropriating or otherwise violating third party intellectual property we do not know whether we will be able to obtain licenses to use the intellectual property licensed to us on acceptable terms if at all
If necessary or desirable we may seek extensions of existing licenses or further licenses under the patents or other intellectual property rights of others However we can give no assurances that we will obtain such extensions or further licenses or that the terms of any offered licenses will be acceptable to us The failure to obtain a license from a third party for intellectual property that we use at present could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to suspend the manufacture or shipment of products or our use of processes requiring the use of that intellectual property
While we are not currently engaged in any material intellectual property litigation we could become subject to lawsuits in which it is alleged that we have infringed misappropriated or otherwise violated the intellectual property rights of others or commence lawsuits against others who we believe are infringing misappropriating or otherwise violating our rights or violating their agreements to protect our intellectual property Our involvement in intellectual property litigation could result in significant expense to us adversely affecting the development of sales of the challenged product or intellectual property and diverting the efforts of our technical and management personnel whether or not that litigation is resolved in our favor
Multiple U S patents that we own have resulted from government funded research and are subject to the risk of exercise of march in rights by the government March in rights refer to the right of the U S government or a government agency to exercise its non exclusive royalty free irrevocable worldwide license to any technology developed under contracts funded by the government if the contractor fails to continue to develop the technology These march in rights permit the U S government to take title to these patents and license the patented technology to third parties if the contractor fails to utilize the patents
The closing price of our common stock on December 23 2024 was 11 18 per share There can be no assurance that the current stock price will be maintained and it is possible that our stock price could drop significantly In the past following periods of volatility in the market price of their stock companies have been the subject of securities class action litigation If we become involved in securities class action litigation in the future it could result in substantial costs and diversion of management s attention and resources and could harm our stock price business prospects results of operations and financial condition
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market which imposes continued listing requirements with respect to listed securities including a minimum bid price requirement During fiscal year 2024 we received written notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market Nasdaq notifying us that we were not in compliance with Nasdaq s continued listing standards While we have subsequently regained compliance with such standards there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain compliance with the Nasdaq listing requirements including the minimum bid price requirement If we fail to maintain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement or to meet the other applicable continued listing requirements in the future and Nasdaq determines to delist our common stock the delisting could adversely affect the market price and liquidity of our common stock reduce our ability to raise additional capital and result in operational challenges and damage to investor relations and market reputation
Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock into the public market including shares of our common stock issued upon exercise of options or warrants or perceptions that those sales could occur could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and our ability to raise capital in the future
Provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation as amended Certificate of Incorporation and Third Amended and Restated By Laws By laws and in Delaware and Connecticut corporate law may make it difficult and expensive for a third party to pursue a tender offer change in control or takeover attempt that is opposed by our management and board of directors These anti takeover provisions could substantially impede the ability of public stockholders to benefit from a change in control or change in our management and board of directors
Our By laws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders which could limit our stockholders ability to obtain a judicial forum deemed favorable by the stockholder for disputes with us or our directors officers or employees
Our By laws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law our Certificate of Incorporation or our By laws any action to interpret apply enforce or determine the validity of our Certificate of Incorporation or By laws or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that the stockholder finds favorable for disputes against us or our directors officers or other employees which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors officers and other employees Alternatively if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our By laws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such an action we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions which could adversely affect our business and financial condition
The terms of our Series B Preferred Stock also provide rights to their holders that could negatively impact us Holders of the Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to receive cumulative dividends at the rate of 50 per share per year payable either in cash or in shares of our common stock To the extent the dividend is paid in shares of our common stock additional issuances could be dilutive to our existing stockholders and the sale of those shares could have a negative impact on the price of our common stock A share of our Series B Preferred Stock may be converted at any time at the option of the holder into 0 0197 shares of our common stock which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of 50 760 per share plus cash in lieu of fractional shares Furthermore the conversion rate applicable to the Series B Preferred Stock is subject to additional adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events
The rights of the holders of our Series B Preferred Stock rank senior to our obligations to our common stockholders Upon our liquidation the holders of Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to receive 1 000 00 per share plus all accumulated and unpaid dividends the Liquidation Preference Until the holders of Series B Preferred Stock receive the Liquidation Preference with respect to their shares of Series B Preferred Stock in full no payment will be made on any junior shares including shares of our common stock The existence of senior securities such as the Series B Preferred Stock could have an adverse effect on the value of our common stock
We are or may become party to various lawsuits arbitrations mediations regulatory proceedings and claims which may include lawsuits arbitrations mediations regulatory proceedings or claims relating to commercial liability product recalls product liability product claims employment matters environmental matters breach of contract intellectual property indemnification stockholder suits derivative actions or other aspects of our business Litigation including the other types of proceedings identified above is inherently unpredictable and although we may believe we have meaningful defenses in these matters we may incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims that could have a material adverse effect on our business financial condition and results of operations The costs of responding to or defending litigation may be significant and may divert the attention of management away from our strategic objectives There may also be adverse publicity associated with litigation that may decrease customer confidence in our business or our management regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are ultimately found liable
Financial market volatility can affect the debt equity and project finance markets This may impact the amount of financing available to all companies including companies with substantially greater resources better credit ratings and more successful operating histories than ours It is impossible to predict future financial market volatility and instability and the impact on our Company and it may have a materially adverse effect on us for a number of reasons such as
Our products require a long term investment from our customers Global inflationary pressures particularly in the United States have increased recently to levels not seen in recent years Should our customers be impacted by these pressures it could result in delays in purchasing decisions which could impact future sales of our products and our results of operations
Economic and political events in 2023 and 2024 have altered the landscape in which we and other U S companies operate in a variety of ways In response to inflationary pressures the U S Federal Reserve has raised interest rates resulting in an increase in the cost of borrowing for us our customers our suppliers and other companies relying on debt financing World events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting economic sanctions have impacted the global economy Prolonged inflationary conditions high and or increased interest rates and additional sanctions or retaliatory measures related to the Russia Ukraine crisis or other geo political situations could further negatively affect U S and international commerce and exacerbate or prolong the period of high energy prices and supply chain constraints At this time the extent and duration of these economic and political events and their effects on the economy and the Company are impossible to predict
Our future success is substantially dependent on the services and performance of our executive officers and other key management engineering scientific manufacturing and operating personnel The loss of the services of any such personnel could materially adversely affect our business Our ability to achieve our commercialization plans and to increase production at our manufacturing facility in the future will also depend on our ability to attract and retain additional qualified personnel and we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so Recruiting personnel for the fuel cell industry is competitive Our inability to attract and retain additional qualified personnel or the departure of key employees could materially and adversely affect our development commercialization and manufacturing plans and therefore our business prospects results of operations and financial condition In addition our inability to attract and retain sufficient personnel to quickly increase production at our manufacturing facility when and if needed to meet increased demand may adversely impact our ability to respond rapidly to any new product growth or revenue opportunities Our inability to attract and retain sufficient qualified personnel to staff our government or third party funded research contracts may result in our inability to complete such contracts or terminations of such contracts which may adversely impact financial conditions and results of operations
Since we market our products both inside and outside the U S our success depends in part on our ability to secure international customers and our ability to manufacture products that meet foreign regulatory and commercial requirements in target markets as well as the ability to provide service to our international customers We have limited experience developing and manufacturing our products to comply with the commercial and legal requirements of international markets In addition we are subject to tariff regulations and requirements for export licenses particularly with respect to the export of some of our technologies We face numerous challenges in our international expansion including the strain any future growth may place on our management service and operations teams and financial infrastructure unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and other geopolitical risks fluctuations in currency exchange rates longer accounts receivable requirements and collections greater bonding and security requirements difficulties in managing international operations potentially adverse tax consequences restrictions on repatriation of any earnings and the burdens of complying with a wide variety of international laws Any of these factors could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition
We source raw materials and parts for our products on a global basis which subjects us to a number of potential risks including the impact of export duties and quotas trade protection measures imposed by the U S and other countries including tariffs potential for labor unrest changing global and regional economic conditions and current and changing regulatory environments Changes to these factors may have an adverse effect on our ability to source raw materials and parts in line with our current cost structure
We could also expand our business into new and emerging markets many of which have an uncertain regulatory environment relating to currency policy Conducting business in such markets could cause our exposure to changes in exchange rates to increase due to the relatively high volatility associated with emerging market currencies and potentially longer payment terms for our proceeds Our ability to hedge foreign currency exposure is dependent on our credit profile with financial institutions that are willing and able to do business with us Deterioration in our credit position or a significant tightening of the credit market conditions could limit our ability to hedge our foreign currency exposure and therefore result in exchange gains or losses
The Company s Board of Directors the Board recognizes the critical importance of maintaining the trust and confidence of our customers business partners and employees The Board is actively involved in oversight of the Company s risk management program and cybersecurity represents an important component of the Company s overall approach to enterprise risk management ERM The Company s cybersecurity policies standards processes and practices are integrated into the Company s ERM program and are based on recognized frameworks established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other applicable industry standards In general the Company seeks to address cybersecurity risks through a comprehensive cross functional approach that is focused on preserving operational continuity and the confidentiality security and availability of the information that the Company collects and stores by identifying preventing and mitigating cybersecurity threats and effectively responding to cybersecurity incidents when they occur
The Company engages third parties in the periodic assessment and testing of the Company s policies standards processes and practices that are designed to address cybersecurity threats and incidents These efforts include a wide range of activities including penetration testing vulnerability assessments tabletop exercises and other activities focused on evaluating the effectiveness of our cybersecurity measures and planning The results of such assessments influence the Company s tuning of cybersecurity policies standards processes and practices the results of which are shared with the Board and the Audit Committee
The Board in coordination with the Audit Committee oversees the Company s ERM process including the management of risks arising from cybersecurity threats The Board and the Audit Committee each receive regular updates on cybersecurity program key metrics outstanding vulnerabilities and emerging cybersecurity risks
The Global Vice President of Information Technology and Director of Cyber Security work in close partnership with the Company s senior leadership team to protect the Company s information systems from cybersecurity threats and to promptly respond to any cybersecurity incidents in accordance with the Company s incident response and recovery plans This collaboration work includes activities in support of the prevention detection mitigation and remediation of cybersecurity threats and incidents in real time and to report such threats and incidents to the Audit Committee and others when appropriate
The Global Vice President of Information Technology earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Information Systems from Western Connecticut State University and has served in various roles in information technology and information security for over 30 years including serving in leadership roles of two large public companies The Director of Cyber Security earned a Bachelor s Degree in Information Systems from Western New England University and has extensive cybersecurity leadership experience including expertise in threat data analytics digital forensics and data recovery Prior to joining the Company the Director of Cyber Security formed and served as CEO of a successful incident response and cybersecurity consulting firm
To date there have been no cyber security threats or incidents that have materially impacted our operations or financial condition However as a result of risks from cybersecurity threats including as a result of previous cybersecurity incidents we continue to allocate substantial resources to sustain and enhance our cyber security capabilities which allocation of resources has in turn materially affected our business strategy and processes Despite these investments we cannot be certain that the protective measures and processes implemented will be successful or adequate to counter all current and emerging risks and threats A significant cybersecurity incident involving our systems and data or those of our customers business partners or vendors could have a materially adverse effect on our business strategy results of operations and financial condition
From time to time the Company is involved in legal proceedings including but not limited to regulatory proceedings claims mediations arbitrations and litigation arising out of the ordinary course of its business Legal Proceedings Although the Company cannot assure the outcome of such Legal Proceedings management presently believes that the result of such Legal Proceedings either individually or in the aggregate will not have a material adverse effect on the Company s consolidated financial statements and no material amounts have been accrued in the Company s consolidated financial statements with respect to these matters
We have never paid a cash dividend on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future In addition the terms of our Series B Preferred Stock prohibit the payment of dividends on our common stock unless all dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock have been paid in full
At 5 00 p m Eastern Time on November 8 2024 we effected a 1 for 30 reverse stock split reducing the number of our common shares outstanding on that date from 611 278 662 shares to approximately 20 375 932 shares The number of authorized shares of common stock remains unchanged at 1 000 000 000 shares and the number of authorized shares of preferred stock remains unchanged at 250 000 shares The number of shares of common stock issuable upon settlement of outstanding restricted stock unit performance stock unit and deferred stock unit awards were reduced proportionately in connection with the reverse stock split Additionally the conversion rate of our Series B Preferred Stock as defined elsewhere herein the exercise price of all outstanding options the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding options and the number of shares reserved for future issuance pursuant to our equity compensation plans and employee stock purchase plan were all adjusted proportionately in connection with the reverse stock split All share and per share amounts exercise prices conversion rates and conversion prices presented herein have been adjusted retroactively to reflect these changes
The following graph compares the annual change in the Company s cumulative total stockholder return on its common stock for the five fiscal years ended October 31 2024 with the cumulative stockholder total return on i the Russell 2000 Index ii our fiscal year 2024 peer group consisting of Standard Industry Classification Group Code 3690 companies listed on the Nasdaq Global Market and New York Stock Exchange and a customized 15 company peer group 2024 Peer Group and iii our fiscal year 2023 peer group consisting of Standard Industry Classification Group Code 3690 companies listed on the Nasdaq Global Market and New York Stock Exchange and a customized 14 company peer group 2023 Peer Group The peer group was updated for fiscal year 2024 to align with the peer group selected by the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee of the Board for the purposes of benchmarking executive compensation The 2024 Peer Group is consistent with the peer group expected to be disclosed in the Company s Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders It assumes 100 00 invested on October 31 2019 with dividends reinvested
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the information included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10 K Unless otherwise indicated the terms Company FuelCell Energy we us and our refer to FuelCell Energy Inc and its subsidiaries All tabular dollar amounts are in thousands In certain instances the capitalized terms used in this section are defined elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10 K including in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In addition to historical information this discussion and analysis contains forward looking statements All forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected Please see the section of this Annual Report entitled Forward Looking Statement Disclaimer for a discussion of the uncertainties risks and assumptions associated with these statements as well as the other risks set forth in our filings with the SEC including those set forth under the section entitled Item 1A Risk Factors in this Annual Report
At FuelCell Energy our purpose is to enable a world powered by clean energy We are a global leader in delivering a variety of clean energy solutions to address some of the world s most critical challenges around energy access resilience reliability affordability safety and security Since our inception FuelCell Energy has been innovating and developing commercial technologies that produce clean electricity heat clean hydrogen and water We are also proud to be at the forefront of what we believe to be one of the most critical technologies required to achieve the world s overall emissions objectives carbon capture Today we offer commercial technology that produces clean electricity heat clean hydrogen and water and is also capable of recovering and capturing carbon for utilization and or sequestration depending on product configuration and application We also continue to invest in product development and commercializing technologies that are expected to add new capabilities to our platforms abilities to deliver hydrogen and long duration hydrogen based energy storage through our solid oxide technologies as well as further enhance our existing platforms carbon capture solutions
We target a range of markets and applications with our products including utilities and independent power producers data centers wastewater treatment commercial and hospitality food and beverage and microgrids among others We market our products primarily in the United States Europe and Korea and we are also pursuing opportunities in other countries around the world We target for expansion and development markets and geographic regions that benefit from and value clean distributed generation are located where there are high energy costs poor grid reliability and or challenged transmission and distribution lines can leverage the multiple value streams delivered by our platforms electricity hydrogen thermal water and carbon recovery are aligned with regulatory frameworks that harmonize energy economic and environmental policies and are committed to reducing their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions
FuelCell Energy headquartered in Danbury Connecticut was founded in 1969 as a New York corporation to provide applied research and development services on a contract basis We completed our initial public offering in 1992 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1999 We began selling stationary fuel cell power plants commercially in 2003
On November 13 2024 the Company s Board of Directors approved a global restructuring of its operations in the U S Canada and Germany The restructuring plan is aimed at reducing operating costs and better aligning its workforce with the needs of the Company s business and its customers The restructuring plan included a reduction in our workforce of approximately 13 or 75 employees in November 2024 and includes reduced spending for product development overhead and other costs This followed a 4 or 17 employee reduction in workforce in September 2024 The restructuring plan also includes the deferment and cancelation of certain previously planned capital and project expenditures The restructuring plan will not impact the way the Company supports existing customers and the Company will continue to
Management evaluates our results of operations and cash flows using a variety of key performance indicators including revenues compared to prior periods and internal forecasts costs of our products and results of our cost reduction initiatives and operating cash use These are discussed throughout the Results of Operations and Liquidity and Capital Resources sections Results of Operations are presented in accordance with U S GAAP
The following discussion and analysis of our Results of Operations and Liquidity and Capital Resources includes a comparison of the fiscal year ended October 31 2024 fiscal year 2024 to the fiscal year ended October 31 2023 fiscal year 2023 A similar discussion and analysis that compares fiscal year 2023 to the fiscal year ended October 31 2022 fiscal year 2022 can be found in Item 7 Management s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of our Form 10 K for the fiscal year ended October 31 2023
Total revenues for the year ended October 31 2024 decreased 11 3 million or 9 to 112 1 million from 123 4 million for the year ended October 31 2023 Total costs of revenues for the year ended October 31 2024 increased by 14 1 million or 11 to 148 1 million from 133 9 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The Company s gross margin was 32 0 in fiscal year 2024 as compared to a gross margin of 8 5 in fiscal year 2023 A discussion of the changes in product revenues service agreements revenues generation revenues and Advanced Technologies contract revenues follows
Product revenues for the year ended October 31 2024 were 25 7 million compared to 19 6 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The increase in product revenues during the year ended October 31 2024 was primarily driven by 18 0 million of revenue recognized under the Company s long term service agreement LTSA with Gyeonggi Green Energy Co Ltd GGE for the replacement of 6 fuel cell modules for GGE s 58 8 MW fuel cell power plant platform in Hwasong si Korea The increase also reflects 7 7 million of revenue recognized under the Company s sales contract with Ameresco Inc which was entered into during the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 pursuant to which the Company is to provide a 2 8 MW platform to the Sacramento Sewer District
Product revenues for the year ended October 31 2023 relate to the December 2021 Settlement Agreement the Settlement Agreement with POSCO Energy Co Ltd POSCO Energy and its subsidiary Korea Fuel Cell Co Ltd KFC which included an option to purchase an additional 14 modules in addition to the 20 modules that were purchased by KFC during fiscal year 2022 This option included a material right related to an extended warranty obligation for the modules The option was not exercised by KFC as of the expiration date of December 31 2022 and as a result during the year ended October 31 2023 the Company recognized 9 1 million of product revenues which represents the consideration allocated to the material right if the option had been exercised Product revenues for the fiscal year ended October 31 2023 also included 10 5 million of revenue that was recognized in October 2023 when certain of the modules previously sold by the Company to KFC were installed by KFC at the power plants operated by Noeul Green Energy Co Ltd Noeul Green Energy the Company entered into a new long term service agreement to service these power plants including the modules installed by KFC and the existing service agreement between KFC and Noeul Green Energy was simultaneously terminated Recognition of this revenue was previously constrained due to an obligation of the Company to KFC related to modules previously sold by the Company to KFC This obligation was relieved in conjunction with the execution of the new long term service agreement with Noeul Green Energy
Product revenues for the year ended October 31 2024 generated a gross loss of 13 9 million compared to a gross profit of 6 7 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The gross loss for the year ended October 31 2024 was primarily due to the manufacturing variances discussed above The gross profit for the year ended October 31 2023 is a direct result of the product revenues recognized related to the expiration without exercise of KFC s module purchase option the release of previously constrained product revenue and the fact that there were no corresponding costs associated with the recognition of these revenues
For the year ended October 31 2024 we operated at an annualized production rate of approximately 27 7 MW which is a decrease from the annualized production rate of 32 7 MW for the year ended October 31 2023 The reduction in the annualized production rate for fiscal year 2024 is primarily due to moderating our production levels in our Torrington facility as a result of market demand timing
Revenues for the year ended October 31 2024 from service agreements decreased 39 1 million to 10 0 million from 49 1 million for the year ended October 31 2023 primarily because fewer module exchanges were performed during the year ended October 31 2024 During the year ended October 31 2024 there were 2 new module exchanges one new module exchange at the plant at Hartford Hospital and one new module exchange at the plant at Bam Berlin During the year ended October 31 2023 there were 15 new module exchanges one new module exchange at the plant at Trinity College two new module exchanges at the plant in Woodbridge CT which originally achieved commercial operations in fiscal year 2017 and 12 new module exchanges at the plants owned by Korea Southern Power Company in South Korea which achieved commercial operations in fiscal year 2018 The year ended October 31 2023 also included a reduction in service agreements revenues specifically a 2 1 million reduction in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023 as a result of higher future cost estimates related to future module exchanges compared to our prior estimates Because we recognize revenue on service contracts over time using a cost input method in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606 ASC 606 we evaluate the cost estimates associated with each service contract periodically and adjust revenue accordingly In fiscal year 2023 we reviewed our cost estimates relating to our service contracts and identified higher estimated costs than those that were previously estimated These higher estimated costs in fiscal year 2023 were due to the expectation that supply chain costs would remain high relative to prior years and that our production volumes would remain low resulting in an increase in expected module costs
For the year ended October 31 2024 accrued performance penalties under our service agreements totaled approximately 1 5 million compared to approximately 1 2 million for the year ended October 31 2023 Accrued performance guarantees represent variable consideration for service contracts and accordingly are recorded as an offset to service agreements revenues
Cost of service agreements revenues decreased 33 9 million to 11 1 million for the year ended October 31 2024 from 45 0 million for the year ended October 31 2023 Cost of service agreements revenues were lower for the year ended October 31 2024 than for the year ended October 31 2023 primarily due to the fact that 15 new module exchanges occurred during the year ended October 31 2023 while there were fewer module exchanges during the year ended October 31 2024 and also as a result of a net decrease relating to recognition of service agreement loss accrual during fiscal year 2024 of approximately 0 5 million We record loss accruals for service agreements when the estimated cost of future
module exchanges and maintenance and monitoring activities exceeds the remaining unrecognized consideration Estimates for future costs on service agreements are determined by a number of factors including the estimated remaining life of the module s used replacement modules available and future operating plans for the power platform
We work to continuously improve and mature our products and implement lessons learned into our product designs and manufacturing process subsequent to introduction We examine data related to module field performance identify improvement opportunities and invest in improvement initiatives with respect to our core molten carbonate technology We have identified improvement opportunities ranging from improved thermal management by reducing internal temperature to improving the performance of our electrical balance of plant and implemented design changes to our commercial platforms which are expected to improve overall product performance As it relates to our fuel cell modules these improvements center around delivering more uniform temperature distribution within the cell stack within the modules with the intent of improving output over the life of the modules to achieve the product s expected design life
Overall gross loss from service agreements revenues was 1 1 million for the year ended October 31 2024 which decreased from a gross profit of 4 1 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The overall gross margin was 11 3 for the year ended October 31 2024 compared to a gross margin of 8 4 in the comparable prior year period Gross margin was lower during the year ended October 31 2024 primarily due to the fact that only 2 new module exchanges were completed during the year compared to the 15 new module exchanges completed during the year ended October 31 2023 under service agreements with higher margins
Revenues from generation for the year ended October 31 2024 totaled 50 0 million which represents an increase of 12 5 million from revenue recognized of 37 5 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The increase reflects revenues of 2 6 million generated by the Toyota project which became operational during the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 and revenue of 15 6 million generated by the Derby Projects as defined below both of which became operational in December 2023 partially offset by lower revenue from other plants due to lower output resulting from routine maintenance activities Generation revenues for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 reflect revenue from electricity generated under our power purchase agreements PPAs the sale of renewable energy credits and additionally for the year ended October 31 2024 the sale of hydrogen from the Toyota project
Cost of generation revenues totaled 79 9 million for the year ended October 31 2024 compared to 62 9 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The overall increase in cost of generation revenues is primarily related to the increased size of the installed fleet with the Toyota project and Derby Projects achieving commercial operations in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 as well as maintenance activities performed at the Tulare BioMAT and Groton projects during the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 Both periods include expensed construction and gas costs related to the Toyota project which were 3 6 million for the year ended October 31 2024 compared to 22 9 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The decrease in expensed construction and gas costs for the Toyota project is due to the plant becoming operational in fiscal year 2024 In the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 the Company net settled certain natural gas purchases under previous normal purchase normal sale contract designations which resulted in a change to mark to market
Cost of generation revenues included depreciation and amortization of approximately 28 2 million and 20 3 million for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 respectively Cost of generation revenues for the year ended October 31 2024 also includes an impairment charge of 1 3 million relating to project assets under construction relating to the PPAs for Trinity College and for UConn as defined elsewhere herein The units to be installed at Trinity College and UConn are first article units of our SOFC product In reviewing our project cost estimates for these PPAs during the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 it was determined that the expected project costs for these contracts would exceed the expected cash flows and therefore an impairment charge was required The impairment charge of 1 3 million represents the unrecoverable costs incurred through October 31 2024 for the Trinity College and UConn projects Cost of generation revenues for the year ended October 31 2023 includes an impairment charge of 2 4 million relating to a project asset for which a PPA was ultimately not awarded
We currently have four projects with fuel sourcing risk for which there is no pass through mechanism The Toyota project requires procurement of renewable natural gas RNG and our Derby CT 14 0 MW project our Derby CT 2 8 MW project and our 7 4 MW Yaphank Project as defined below require natural gas A two year through May of 2025 fuel supply contract has been executed for the Toyota project Six year through October 2029 fuel supply contracts have been executed for the 14 0 MW and 2 8 MW projects in Derby CT We are currently in the midst of a seven year fuel supply contract through September 2028 for our 7 4 MW Yaphank Project The Company will look to extend the duration of these contracts should market and credit conditions allow If the Company is unable to secure fuel on favorable economic terms it may result in impairment charges to the Derby and Yaphank project assets and further charges for the Toyota project asset
The overall gross loss from generation revenues was 29 9 million for the year ended October 31 2024 which represents an increase in gross loss of 4 5 million from a gross loss of 25 4 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The increase in gross loss from generation revenues is primarily related to the mark to market loss of 6 9 million recorded for the year ended October 31 2024 compared to a mark to market net gain of 4 1 million for the year ended October 31 2023 offset by a decrease in construction and gas costs being expensed related to the Toyota project and higher margins of the operating fleet for the year ended October 31 2024
Advanced Technologies contract revenues increased to 26 5 million for the year ended October 31 2024 compared to 17 2 million for the year ended October 31 2023 Advanced Technologies contract revenues recognized under the Joint Development Agreement between the Company and ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company f k a ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company EMTEC which was originally effective as of October 31 2019 as amended the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement were approximately 8 8 million during the year ended October 31 2024 which was a decrease of 1 7 million compared to the year ended October 31 2023 Revenues arising from the purchase order received from Esso Nederland B V Esso an affiliate of EMTEC and Exxon Mobil Corporation related to the Rotterdam project were approximately 10 7 million during the year ended October 31 2024 which was an increase of 8 7 million compared to the year ended October 31 2023 Advanced Technologies contract revenues recognized under government and other contracts were approximately 7 1 million for the year ended October 31 2024 which were 2 3 million higher compared to the year ended October 31 2023
Cost of Advanced Technologies contract revenues increased 4 3 million to 17 5 million for the year ended October 31 2024 compared to 13 2 million for the year ended October 31 2023 This increase is primarily a result of the higher level of activity and the scope of work performed under the purchase order received from Esso described above as well as the higher level of activity performed under the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement during the year ended October 31 2024 compared to the year ended October 31 2023
Advanced Technologies contracts for the year ended October 31 2024 generated a gross profit of 9 0 million compared to a gross profit of 4 0 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The increased gross profit was primarily due to the higher revenues recognized under government and other contracts during the year ended October 31 2024 compared to the year ended October 31 2023
Research and development expenses decreased to 55 4 million for the year ended October 31 2024 compared to 61 0 million for the year ended October 31 2023 The decrease is primarily due to a shift in engineering resource allocation toward supporting the increase in the Advanced Technologies activities described above partially offset by an increase in spending including spending for labor including increased headcount and materials on the Company s ongoing commercial development efforts related to our solid oxide power generation and electrolysis platforms and carbon separation and carbon recovery solutions
Restructuring expense of 2 6 million for the year ended October 31 2024 was a result of the Company s workforce reductions during the period which represented approximately 4 of the Company s global workforce and were intended to reduce costs and align production levels with current levels of demand in a manner that is consistent with the Company s
long term strategic plan The workforce was reduced at the North American production facility in Torrington Connecticut as well as at corporate offices in Danbury Connecticut and at remote locations For more information about the restructuring plan and the related workforce reductions that occurred in September and November 2024 please see Part II Item 8 Note 4 Restructuring and Note 22 Subsequent Events
Loss from operations for the year ended October 31 2024 was 158 5 million compared to 136 1 million for the year ended October 31 2023 This increase was primarily driven by the higher gross loss in the year ended October 31 2024 of 35 9 million compared to the gross loss of 10 5 million in the year ended October 31 2023 The increase in gross loss is a result of higher gross loss from product revenues service agreement revenues and generation revenues partially offset by higher gross profit from Advanced Technologies contracts The gross loss is also offset by lower operating expenses in the year ended October 31 2024 compared to the year ended October 31 2023 primarily related to lower research and development expenses offset by the restructuring expense recorded
Interest expense for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 was 9 7 million and 7 2 million respectively Interest expense for both periods includes interest on the OpCo Financing Facility as defined elsewhere herein which was entered into in May 2023 and interest on the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility in each case as defined elsewhere herein which were entered into in August 2023 Interest expense for the year ended October 31 2024 also includes interest on the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility in each case as defined elsewhere herein which were entered into in April 2024 Interest expense for the year ended October 31 2023 also included interest associated with finance obligations for failed sale leaseback transactions and interest on the loans associated with the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project which were extinguished in May 2023
Interest income was 13 7 million and 15 8 million for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 respectively Interest income for the year ended October 31 2024 represents 8 1 million of interest earned on money market investments and 5 6 million of interest earned on U S Treasury Securities Interest income for the year ended October 31 2023 represents 12 0 million of interest earned on money market investments and 3 8 million of interest earned on U S Treasury Securities The decrease in interest income during the year ended October 31 2024 was primarily driven by lower interest earned on money market investments relating to less unrestricted cash invested during the year ended October 31 2024 as compared to the year ended October 31 2023
The gain on extinguishment of finance obligations and debt net was 15 3 million for the year ended October 31 2023 and represents the gain on the payoff of the PNC Energy Capital LLC PNC finance obligations which occurred in May 2023 offset by the write off of debt issuance costs upon the repayment of the loans associated with the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project and the extinguishment of the PNC sale leaseback transactions There was no gain on extinguishment of finance obligations and debt net for the year ended October 31 2024
Other expense income net was 2 3 million and 4 7 million for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 respectively Other expense net for the year ended October 31 2024 primarily relates to a loss on the OpCo Financing Facility interest rate swap derivative of 3 1 million offset by a gain of 1 0 million relating to refundable research and development tax credits Other income net for the year ended October 31 2023 reflects a gain on the OpCo Financing Facility derivative contract of 3 3 million and 1 9 million of refundable research and development tax credits
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests is the result of allocating profits and losses to noncontrolling interests under the hypothetical liquidation at book value HLBV method HLBV is a balance sheet oriented approach for applying the equity method of accounting when there is a complex structure such as the flip structure of our tax equity financings with Franklin Park 2023 FCE Tax Equity Fund LLC Franklin Park East West Bancorp Inc East West Bank and Renewable Energy Investors LLC REI
For the year ended October 31 2024 net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest totaled 28 3 million for the Derby Projects tax equity financing transaction with Franklin Park The loss is primarily driven by the Investment Tax Credit ITC attributable to the noncontrolling interest for the 2023 tax year The ITC reduces the noncontrolling interest s claim on hypothetical liquidation proceeds in the HLBV waterfall and is nonrecurring The loss is also a result of accelerated depreciation allocated to the noncontrolling interest under the HLBV method The above noted items resulted in a reduction in liquidation proceeds which drove the loss in the year ended October 31 2024 There was no comparable net loss for the year ended October 31 2023 as the Derby Projects began operations in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024
Net loss attributable to common stockholders represents the net loss for the period less the preferred stock dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock For the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 net loss attributable to common stockholders was 129 2 million and 110 8 million respectively and loss per common share was 7 83 and 7 92 respectively The increase in the net loss attributable to common stockholders for the year ended October 31 2024 is primarily due to the lack of gain on extinguishment of finance obligations and debt net during the year ended October 31 2024 compared to the gain in the year ended October 31 2023 and the increase in loss from operations during the year ended October 31 2024 partially offset by the increased net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests for the year ended October 31 2024 compared to the year ended October 31 2023 The net loss per common share for the year ended October 31 2024 benefited from the higher number of weighted average shares outstanding due to share issuances since October 31 2023
Our principal sources of cash have been proceeds from the sale of our products and projects electricity generation revenues research and development and service agreements with third parties sales of our common stock through public equity offerings and proceeds from debt project financing and tax monetization transactions We have utilized this cash to accelerate the commercialization of our solid oxide platforms develop new capabilities to separate and capture carbon develop and construct project assets invest in capital improvements and expansion of our operations perform research and development pay down existing outstanding indebtedness and meet our other cash and liquidity needs
As of October 31 2024 unrestricted cash and cash equivalents totaled 148 1 million compared to 250 0 million as of October 31 2023 During the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 the Company invested in United States U S Treasury Securities The amortized cost of the U S Treasury Securities outstanding totaled 109 1 million as of October 31 2024 compared to 103 8 million as of October 31 2023 and is classified as Investments short term on the
On April 10 2024 the Company entered into Amendment No 1 the Amendment to the Open Market Sale Agreement dated July 12 2022 the 2022 Sales Agreement with Jefferies LLC B Riley Securities Inc Barclays Capital Inc BMO Capital Markets Corp BofA Securities Inc Canaccord Genuity LLC Citigroup Global Markets Inc J P Morgan Securities LLC and Loop Capital Markets LLC each an Agent and together the Agents the 2022 Sales Agreement as amended by the Amendment the Amended Sales Agreement with respect to an at the market offering program under which the Company may from time to time offer and sell shares of its common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to 300 0 million exclusive of any amounts previously sold under the 2022 Sales Agreement prior to its amendment Between April 10 2024 the date of the Amended Sales Agreement and October 31 2024 approximately 5 3 million shares of the Company s common stock were sold under the Amended Sales Agreement at an average sale price of 17 93 per share resulting in gross proceeds of approximately 95 1 million before deducting sales commissions and fees and net proceeds to the Company of approximately 92 6 million after deducting sales commissions totaling approximately 1 9 million and fees totaling approximately 0 6 million In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 approximately 1 9 million shares of the Company s common stock were sold under the Amended Sales Agreement at an average sale price of 11 23 per share resulting in gross proceeds of approximately 21 5 million before deducting sales commissions and fees and net proceeds to the Company of approximately 20 8 million after deducting sales commissions totaling approximately 0 4 million and fees totaling approximately 0 2 million As of October 31 2024 approximately 204 9 million of shares remained available for sale under the Amended Sales Agreement On December 27 2024 the Company entered into Amendment No 2 to the Amended Sales Agreement which removes certain representations and warranties relating to the Company s status as a well known seasoned issuer See Note 13 Stockholders Equity and Warrant Liabilities to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the 2022 Sales Agreement and the Amended Sales Agreement
During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 the Company closed on a project debt financing transaction with the Export Import Bank of the United States EXIM to support the Company s obligations under the LTSA with GGE pursuant to which the Company is to supply GGE with forty two 1 4 MW upgraded carbonate fuel cell modules to replace existing units at GGE s Hwaseong Baran Industrial Complex In conjunction with this financing the Company entered into a promissory note and related security agreements securing the loan with equipment liens resulting in net proceeds of approximately 9 2 million See Note 12 Debt for additional information regarding the EXIM financing facility
During the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 the Company through one of its indirect subsidiaries entered into three related term loan facilities which are referred to herein as the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility resulting in net proceeds of 12 8 million See Note 12 Debt for additional information regarding the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility
During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023 the Company closed on a tax equity financing transaction with Franklin Park a subsidiary of Franklin Park Infrastructure LLC for two fuel cell power plant installations the 14 0 MW Derby Fuel Cell Project and the 2 8 MW SCEF Fuel Cell Project both located in Derby Connecticut collectively the Derby Projects Franklin Park s tax equity commitment with respect to the Derby Projects totaled 30 2 million Of this amount approximately 9 1 million was received on October 31 2023 and the remaining approximately 21 1 million was received during the year ended October 31 2024 In connection with the initial closing of this tax equity financing transaction in fiscal year 2023 the Company paid closing costs of approximately 1 8 million which included appraisal fees title insurance expenses and legal and consulting fees
During the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 the Company completed its technical improvement plan to bring the Groton Project defined elsewhere herein to its rated capacity and the Groton Project reached its design rated output of 7 4 MW The Company achieved all conditions precedent required for the first annual funding from East West Bank under the tax equity financing transaction between the Company and East West Bank and as a result the Company received a 4 0 million contribution during the year ended October 31 2024 which is recorded as noncontrolling interest on the Consolidated Balance Sheets
To date we have not achieved profitable operations or sustained positive cash flow from operations The Company s future liquidity for fiscal year 2025 and in the long term will depend on its ability to i timely complete current projects in process within budget ii increase cash flows from its generation operating portfolio including by meeting conditions required to timely commence operation of new projects operating its generation operating portfolio in compliance with minimum performance guarantees and operating its generation operating portfolio in accordance with revenue expectations iii obtain financing for project construction and manufacturing expansion iv obtain permanent financing for its projects once constructed v increase order and contract volumes which would lead to additional product sales service agreements and generation revenues vi obtain funding for and receive payment for research and development under current and future Advanced Technologies contracts vii successfully commercialize its solid oxide hydrogen and carbon capture platforms viii implement capacity expansion for solid oxide product manufacturing ix implement the product cost reductions necessary to achieve profitable operations x manage working capital and the Company s unrestricted cash balance and xi access the capital markets to raise funds through the sale of debt and equity securities convertible notes and other equity linked instruments
We are continually assessing different means by which to accelerate the Company s growth enter new markets commercialize new products and enable capacity expansion Therefore from time to time the Company may consider and enter into agreements for one or more of the following negotiated financial transactions minority investments collaborative ventures technology sharing transfer or other technology license arrangements joint ventures partnerships acquisitions or other business transactions for the purpose s of geographic or manufacturing expansion and or new product or technology development and commercialization including hydrogen production through our carbonate and solid oxide platforms and storage and carbon capture sequestration and utilization technologies
Our business model requires substantial outside financing arrangements and satisfaction of the conditions of such arrangements to construct and deploy our projects to facilitate the growth of our business The Company has invested capital raised from sales of its common stock to build out its project portfolio The Company has also utilized and expects to continue to utilize a combination of long term debt and tax equity financing e g sale leaseback transactions partnership flip transactions and the monetization and or transfer of eligible investment and production tax credits to finance its project asset portfolio as these projects commence commercial operations particularly in light of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022 The Company may also seek to undertake private placements of debt securities to finance its project asset portfolio The Company is also pursuing financing to support its commercial efforts which include deployment of modules to the repowering opportunities in the Korean market including the GGE project as defined elsewhere herein The proceeds of any such financing if obtained may allow the Company to reinvest capital back into the business and to fund other projects We also expect to seek additional financing in both the debt and equity markets in the future If financing is not available to us on acceptable terms if and when needed or on terms acceptable to us or our lenders if we do not satisfy the conditions of our financing arrangements if we spend more than the financing approved for projects if project costs exceed an amount that the Company can finance or if we do not generate sufficient revenues or obtain capital sufficient for our corporate needs we may be required to further reduce or slow planned spending further reduce staffing sell assets seek alternative financing and take other measures any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operations
To grow our generation operating portfolio the Company expects to continue to invest in developing and building turn key fuel cell projects which will be owned by the Company and classified as project assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets This strategy requires liquidity and the Company expects to continue to have increasing liquidity requirements as project sizes increase and more projects are added to backlog We may commence building project assets upon the award of a project or execution of a multi year PPA with an end user that has a strong credit profile Project development and construction cycles which span the time between securing a PPA and commercial operation of the platform vary substantially and can take years As a result of these project cycles and strategic decisions to finance the construction of certain projects we may need to make significant up front investments of resources in advance of the receipt of any cash from the sale or long term financing of such projects To make these up front investments we may use our working capital seek to raise funds through the sale of equity or debt securities or seek other financing arrangements Delays in construction progress and completing current projects in process within budget or in completing financing or the sale of our projects may impact our liquidity in a material way
We believe retaining ownership of our generation operating portfolio generally contributes to higher long term cash flows to the Company than if these projects had been sold Our generation operating portfolio totaled 62 8 MW as of October 31 2024 We expect generation revenue to continue to grow as additional projects achieve commercial operation but this revenue amount may also fluctuate from year to year depending on platform output operational performance and management and site conditions The Company actively markets its products in order to grow this portfolio however the Company may also sell certain projects to investors from time to time As of October 31 2024 the Company had two projects representing an additional 1 3 MW in development which projects are expected to generate operating cash flows in future periods if completed We have worked with and are continuing to work with lenders and financial institutions to secure construction financing long term debt tax equity and sale leasebacks for our project asset portfolio but there can be no assurance that such financing can be attained or that if attained it will be retained and sufficient
As of October 31 2024 net debt outstanding related to project assets was 116 5 million Future required payments inclusive of principal and interest totaled 139 8 million as of October 31 2024 The outstanding finance obligations under our sale leaseback transactions which totaled 18 8 million as of October 31 2024 include an embedded gain of 10 5 million representing the current carrying value of finance obligations less future required payments which will be recognized at the end of the applicable lease terms should the Company repurchase the assets at the end of the term
During fiscal year 2022 we entered into a PPA with Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut for our 250 kW solid oxide fuel cell power generation system Power and heat produced from the platform will be used at Trinity s campus in Hartford Connecticut to lower energy cost and enhance energy reliability and security
In March 2024 we entered into a PPA with the University of Connecticut UConn in Storrs Connecticut for four 250 kW solid oxide fuel cell power generation systems totaling 1 MW Power from these solid oxide fuel cells will be used by UConn s new Innovation Partnership Building Any unused power will be exported to the grid under the fuel cell net metering tariffs
In November 2024 we announced a global restructuring of our operations in the U S Canada and Germany that aims to reduce operating costs realign resources toward advancing the Company s core technologies and protect the Company s competitive position amid slower than expected investments in clean energy This restructuring plan also includes the deferment and cancelation of certain previously planned capital and project expenditures As a result of the restructuring plan and the slowdown in the adoption of clean energy technology for the production of zero carbon hydrogen and other energy transition solutions we have deferred the spending required to complete the Trinity and UConn projects This decision allows us to make further enhancements to stack life as well as other platform improvements We do not currently have estimated completion dates for these projects The Company is currently in discussions with these customers regarding changes to the previously scheduled installation dates There can be no assurance that schedule changes can be mutually agreed upon with these customers which may result in termination of these projects For more information about our restructuring plan please see Part II Item 8 Note 4 Restructuring and Note 22 Subsequent Events
Overall backlog increased by approximately 13 1 to 1 16 billion as of October 31 2024 compared to 1 03 billion as of October 31 2023 primarily as a result of the LTSA with GGE with respect to the GGE Platform The GGE Platform is comprised of 21 SureSource 3000 molten carbonate fuel cells each a Plant Each Plant is comprised of two 1 4 MW carbonate fuel cell modules Pursuant to the LTSA with GGE GGE and the Company have agreed that i GGE will purchase from the Company 42 1 4 MW carbonate fuel cell modules to replace existing fuel cell modules at the GGE Platform ii the Company will provide certain balance of plant replacement components if and to the extent the parties reasonably determine existing components should be replaced and iii the Company will provide long term operations and maintenance services for the GGE Platform The total amount payable by GGE under the LTSA for the 42 replacement fuel cell modules balance of plant replacement components and service is 159 6 million with payments to be made over time as such replacement fuel cell modules are commissioned and the service obligations under the LTSA for such Plants commence This amount was recorded as backlog concurrent with the execution of the LTSA with GGE on May 28 2024 but such amount has been reduced by 19 9 million of revenue recognized as product and service revenues under the LTSA since May 28 2024
Backlog also increased due to the new Advanced Technologies contract backlog as a result of the purchase order received from Esso during the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 and additional Advanced Technologies contract backlog related to Amendment No 5 to the Joint Development Agreement between the Company and EMTEC entered into in April 2024 partially offset by revenue recognition under product generation service and Advanced Technologies agreements since October 31 2023
Backlog represents definitive agreements executed by the Company and our customers Projects for which we have an executed PPA are included in generation backlog which represents future revenue under long term PPAs The Company s ability to recognize revenue in the future under a PPA is subject to the Company s completion of construction of the project covered by such PPA Should the Company not complete the construction of the project covered by a PPA it will forgo future revenues with respect to the project and may incur penalties and or impairment charges related to the project Projects sold to customers and not retained by the Company are included in product sales and service agreements backlog and the related generation backlog is removed upon sale Together the service and generation portion of backlog had a weighted average term of approximately 16 years as of October 31 2024 with weighting based on the dollar amount of backlog and utility service contracts of up to 20 years in duration at inception
Carbonate Platform At this time the maximum annualized capacity module manufacturing final assembly testing and conditioning is 100 MW per year under the Torrington facility s current configuration when fully utilized The Torrington facility is sized to accommodate the eventual annualized production capacity of up to 200 MW per year with additional capital investment in machinery equipment tooling labor and inventory
The Company continues to invest in capability with the goal of reducing production bottlenecks and driving productivity including investments in automation laser welding and the construction of additional integrated conditioning capacity The Company also constructed a SureSource 1500 in Torrington during fiscal year 2022 which operates as a testing facility for qualifying new supplier components and performance testing and validation of continued platform innovations including carbon recovery During fiscal years 2023 and 2024 the Company made investments to add engineered carbon separation capability to the onsite SureSource 1500 This addition is expected to be completed in the first half of calendar year 2025 This product enhancement will allow potential customers to observe the operating plant and given the targeted market of food and beverage companies will allow for the sampling and testing of separated CO2 to verify quantity quality or purity requirements In addition the Company recently began manufacturing carbonate modules optimized for direct flue gas carbon capture at the Torrington facility
Solid Oxide Platforms The Company continues to invest in product development and manufacturing scale up for two solid oxide platforms power generation and electrolysis Both platforms are based on the Company s differentiated thin lightweight electrode supported cells which are configured into compact lightweight stacks The thin electrode structure minimizes electrolyte materials leading to very low use of rare earth minerals compared to other solid oxide technologies and the electrodes do not require the platinum group materials that lower temperature systems require The thin electrodes also have very low electrical resistance leading to high efficiency in both power generation and electrolysis applications We provide integrated products with the goal of offering complete customer solutions Our electrolysis platform includes integrated steam generation and hydrogen drying systems so it will be fed with water not steam and will provide dried hydrogen A steam supply can optionally be used to increase the electrical efficiency of the system from 90 to 100 based on higher heating value Our power generation platform can operate on natural gas biogas hydrogen or fuel blends and is capable of combined heat and power operation at up to 80 efficiency based on lower heating value
During the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 Versa Power Systems Ltd Versa Ltd a subsidiary of FuelCell Energy entered into lease expansions extensions and amending agreements which expanded the space leased by Versa Ltd in Calgary Alberta Canada to include an additional approximately 68 000 square feet for a total of approximately 100 000 square feet of space The Company took possession of part of the additional space on April 1 2023 and took possession of the rest of the additional space on June 1 2023 after certain leasehold improvements were made to support increased manufacturing In addition long lead process equipment has been ordered to facilitate the expansion of manufacturing capacity for the solid oxide platforms in Calgary Upon the completion of the Calgary capacity expansion we believe that the total annualized solid oxide electrolysis cell SOEC manufacturing capacity could potentially be increased to up to 80 MW per year However in November 2024 we announced a global restructuring of our operations in the U S Canada and Germany that aims to reduce operating costs realign resources toward
advancing the Company s core technologies and protect the Company s competitive position amid slower than expected investments in clean energy This restructuring plan also includes the deferment and cancelation of certain previously planned capital and project expenditures As a result of this restructuring plan we have deferred the capital spending required to complete the Calgary expansion and do not currently have an estimated completion date for this project For more information about our restructuring plan please see Part II Item 8 Note 4 Restructuring and Note 22 Subsequent Events
As the Company builds project assets and makes capital expenditures depreciation and amortization expenses are expected to increase For the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 depreciation and amortization totaled 36 2 million and 25 4 million respectively of these totals approximately 28 2 million and 20 3 million for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 respectively relate to depreciation of project assets in our generation operating portfolio and amortization of a generation intangible asset
million compared to 250 0 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents as of October 31 2023 As of October 31 2024 restricted cash and cash equivalents was 60 8 million of which 12 2 million was classified as current and 48 6 million was classified as non current compared to 49 6 million of restricted cash and cash equivalents as of October 31 2023 of which 5 2 million was classified as current and 44 5 million was classified as non current
Net cash used in operating activities during fiscal year 2024 was primarily a result of the net loss of 156 8 million increases in inventories of 29 2 million unbilled receivables of 23 0 million accounts receivable of 7 9 million and other assets of 5 4 million and a decrease in accounts payable of 1 0 million partially offset by increases in accrued liabilities of 4 7 million and accounts payable of 4 1 million and non cash adjustments of 63 0 million
Net cash used in operating activities during fiscal year 2023 was primarily a result of the net loss of 108 1 million increases in unbilled receivables of 21 9 million and other assets of 13 1 million and decreases in deferred revenue of 22 3 million and accrued liabilities of 4 5 million partially offset by decreases in inventories of 4 7 million and accounts receivable of 1 1 million an increase in accounts payable of 3 0 million and non cash adjustments of 22 0 million
Net cash used in operating activities during fiscal year 2022 was primarily a result of the net loss of 147 2 million increases in inventories of 28 1 million other assets of 2 1 million and unbilled receivables of 0 2 million and a decrease in deferred revenue of 11 3 million partially offset by decreases in accounts receivable of 9 2 million increases in accrued liabilities of 24 6 million and accounts payable of 6 3 million non cash adjustments of 35 0 million and cash adjustments of 1 6 million
Net cash used in investing activities during fiscal year 2024 included 835 7 million for the purchase of U S Treasury Securities 47 7 million of capital expenditures and 11 8 million of project asset expenditures partially offset by funds received from the maturity of U S Treasury Securities of 835 2 million
Net cash used in investing activities during fiscal year 2023 included 299 1 million for the purchase of U S Treasury Securities 53 0 million of project asset expenditures and 39 4 million of capital expenditures partially offset by funds received from the maturity of U S Treasury Securities of 199 1 million
Net cash provided by financing activities during fiscal year 2024 resulted from 23 1 million of proceeds from debt financings 92 6 million of net proceeds from sales of common stock and 25 1 million of contributions received from the sale of a noncontrolling interest offset by debt repayments of 11 7 million payments of debt issuance costs of 1 2 million payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards of 1 1 million payment of 3 2 million in preferred dividends to the holders of our Series B Preferred Stock and distribution to noncontrolling interests of 1 6 million
Net cash provided by financing activities during fiscal year 2023 resulted from 100 5 million of proceeds from debt financings 97 4 million of net proceeds from sales of common stock and 9 1 million of contributions received from the sale of a noncontrolling interest offset by debt repayments of 47 8 million payments of debt issuance costs of 3 5 million payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards of 0 9 million payment of 3 2 million in preferred dividends to the holders of our Series B Preferred Stock and distribution to noncontrolling interests of 0 6 million
Net cash provided by financing activities during fiscal year 2022 resulted from 183 6 million of net proceeds from sales of common stock and 11 9 million of net contributions received from the sale of a noncontrolling interest in the LIPA Yaphank Project partially offset by debt repayments of 9 5 million payment for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards of 1 9 million payment of 3 2 million of preferred dividends to the holders of our Series B Preferred Stock and distribution to noncontrolling interests of 0 3 million
In order to consistently produce positive cash flow from operations we need to increase order flow to support higher production levels leading to lower costs on a per unit basis We also continue to invest in new product and market development and as a result we are not generating positive cash flow from our operations Our operations are funded primarily through cash generated from product sales service contracts generation assets and Advanced Technologies contracts as well as sales of equity and equity linked securities issuances of corporate and project level debt and monetization of technology through licenses
A discussion of the key terms and conditions of the loans outstanding as of October 31 2024 is included in Note 12 Debt to the consolidated financial statements and is incorporated by reference herein The information included under the headings EXIM Financing OpCo Financing Facility Derby Back Leverage Financing Groton Back Leverage Financing State of Connecticut Loan and Finance obligations for sale leaseback agreements in Note 12 Debt to the consolidated financial statements is incorporated herein by reference
As of October 31 2024 we have pledged approximately 60 8 million of our cash and cash equivalents as performance security and for letters of credit for certain banking requirements and contracts As of October 31 2024 outstanding letters of credit totaled 14 2 million These expire on various dates through October 2029 Under the terms of certain contracts we will provide performance security for future contractual obligations The restricted cash balance as of October 31 2024 also included 2 9 million primarily to support obligations under the power purchase and service agreements related to Crestmark sale leaseback transactions 12 9 million relating to future obligations associated with the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility and 24 7 million relating to future obligations associated with the OpCo Financing Facility Refer to Note 12 Debt to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended October 31 2024 included in this Annual Report on Form 10 K for a more detailed discussion of the Company s restricted cash balance
Under the terms of our PPAs customers agree to purchase power or other value streams delivered such as hydrogen steam water and or carbon from the Company s fuel cell power platforms at negotiated rates Electricity rates are generally a function of the customers current and estimated future electricity pricing available from the grid We are responsible for all operating costs necessary to maintain monitor and repair our fuel cell power platforms Under certain agreements we are also responsible for procuring fuel generally natural gas or biogas to run our fuel cell power platforms In addition under certain agreements we are required to produce minimum amounts of power under our PPAs and we have the right to terminate PPAs by giving written notice to the customer subject to certain exit costs As of October 31 2024 our generation operating portfolio was 62 8 MW
We warranty our products for a specific period of time against manufacturing or performance defects Our standard U S warranty period is generally 15 months after shipment or 12 months after acceptance of the product In addition to the standard product warranty we have contracted with certain customers to provide services to ensure the power plants meet minimum operating levels for terms of up to 20 years Pricing for service contracts is based upon estimates of future costs which could be materially different from actual expenses Refer to Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates for additional details
We have contracted with various government agencies and certain companies from private industry to conduct research and development as either a prime contractor or sub contractor under multi year cost reimbursement and or cost share type contracts or cooperative agreements Cost share terms require that participating contractors share the total cost of the project based on an agreed upon ratio In many cases we are reimbursed only a portion of the costs incurred or to be incurred under the contract While government research and development contracts may extend for many years funding is often provided incrementally on a year by year basis if contract terms are met and Congress authorizes the funds As of
We have no off balance sheet debt or similar obligations which are not classified as debt We do not guarantee any third party debt See Note 20 Commitments and Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended October 31 2024 included in this Annual Report on Form 10 K for further information
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U S U S GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets liabilities revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities Estimates are used in accounting for among other things revenue recognition lease right of use assets and liabilities loss accruals on service agreements excess slow moving and obsolete inventories product warranty accruals loss accruals on service agreements share based compensation expense allowance for doubtful accounts depreciation and amortization impairment of goodwill and in process research and development intangible assets impairment of long lived assets including project assets valuation of derivatives and contingencies Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically and the effects of revisions are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period they are determined to be necessary Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates actual results in future periods may differ from those estimates
Our critical accounting policies are those that are both most important to our financial condition and results of operations and require the most difficult subjective or complex judgments on the part of management in their application often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain Our accounting policies are set forth below
Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination and is reviewed for impairment at least annually The intangible asset represents indefinite lived in process research and development for cumulative research and development efforts associated with the development of solid oxide fuel cell stationary power generation and is also reviewed at least annually for impairment
The Company completed its annual impairment analysis of goodwill and in process research and development assets as of July 31 2024 The Company performed a qualitative assessment for fiscal year 2024 and determined that it was more likely than not that there was no impairment of goodwill or the in process research and development assets
Long lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group which pertains to specific projects may not be recoverable If events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset group may not be recoverable we compare the carrying amount of an asset group to future undiscounted net cash flows excluding debt service costs expected to be generated by the asset group and its ultimate disposition If the sum of the undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds the fair value of the asset group During the years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 the Company recorded certain project asset impairment charges
goods or services reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods and services To achieve this core principle the Company applies the following five step approach 1 identify the contract with the customer 2 identify the performance obligations in the contract 3 determine the transaction price 4 allocate the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract and 5 recognize revenue when or as a performance obligation is satisfied
A contract is accounted for when there has been approval and commitment from both parties the rights of the parties are identified payment terms are identified the contract has commercial substance and collectability of consideration is probable Performance obligations under a contract are identified based on the goods or services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct and are distinct in the context of the contract In certain instances the Company has concluded distinct goods or services should be accounted for as a single performance obligation that is a series of distinct goods or services that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer To the extent a contract includes multiple promised goods or services the Company must apply judgment to determine whether the customer can benefit from the goods or services either on their own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer the goods or services are capable of being distinct and if the promise to transfer the goods or services to the customer is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract the goods or services are distinct in the context of the contract If these criteria are not met the promised goods or services are accounted for as a single performance obligation The transaction price is determined based on the consideration that the Company will be entitled to in exchange for transferring goods or services to the customer To the extent the transaction price includes variable consideration the Company estimates the amount of variable consideration that should be included in the transaction price generally utilizing the expected value method Determining the transaction price requires judgment If the contract contains a single performance obligation the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative standalone selling price basis Standalone selling price is determined by the price at which the performance obligation is sold separately If the standalone selling price is not observable through past transactions the Company estimates the standalone selling price by taking into account available information such as market conditions and internally approved pricing guidelines related to the performance obligations Performance obligations are satisfied either over time or at a point in time as discussed in further detail below In addition the Company s contracts with customers generally do not include significant financing components or non cash consideration The Company has elected practical expedients in the accounting guidance that allow for revenue to be recorded in the amount that the Company has a right to invoice if that amount corresponds directly with the value to the customer of the Company s performance to date and that allow the Company not to disclose related unsatisfied performance obligations The Company records any amounts that are billed to customers in excess of revenue recognized as deferred revenue and revenue recognized in excess of amounts billed to customers as unbilled receivables
Contracts for the sale of completed project assets include the sale of the project asset the assignment of the service agreement and the assignment of the PPA The relative stand alone selling price is estimated and is used as the basis for allocation of the contract consideration Revenue is recognized upon the satisfaction of the performance obligations which
Contracts for module sales represent the sale of a completed fuel cell module at a contracted selling price These contracts are on a per unit basis and revenue is recognized as each unit is completed and ready to ship and the performance obligation is satisfied Payment terms for module sales are generally based on milestones achieved through the manufacturing timeline of the module
Service agreements represent a single performance obligation whereby the Company performs all required maintenance and monitoring functions including replacement of modules to ensure the power platform s under the service agreement generate a minimum power output To the extent the power platform s under service agreements do not achieve the minimum power output certain service agreements include a performance guarantee penalty Performance guarantee penalties represent variable consideration which is estimated for each service agreement based on past experience using the expected value method The consideration for each service agreement is recognized over time using costs incurred to date relative to total estimated costs at completion to measure progress
Advanced Technologies contracts include the promise to perform research and development services and as such this represents one performance obligation Revenue from most government sponsored Advanced Technologies projects is recognized as direct costs are incurred plus allowable overhead less cost share requirements if any Revenue is only recognized to the extent the contracts are funded Revenue from previous fixed price Advanced Technologies projects is recognized using the cost to cost input method Revenue recognition for research performed under the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement as defined elsewhere herein also falls into the practical expedient category where revenue is recorded consistent with the amounts that are to be invoiced
For certain project assets where customers purchase electricity from the Company under PPAs the Company has determined that these agreements should be accounted for as operating leases pursuant to ASC 842 Leases Revenue is recognized when electricity has been delivered based on the amount of electricity delivered at rates specified under the contracts Generation revenue to the extent the related PPAs are within the scope of ASC 606 include a performance obligation to provide 100 of the electricity output generated by the associated project asset to the customer The promise to provide electricity over the term of the PPA represents a single performance obligation as it is a promise to transfer a series of distinct goods or services that are substantially the same and that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer Revenue is recognized over time as the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by the Company and the Company satisfies its performance obligation Revenue is recognized based on the output method as
The Company closed on a tax equity financing transaction on October 31 2023 with Franklin Park 2023 FCE Tax Equity Fund LLC Franklin Park a subsidiary of Franklin Park Infrastructure LLC for two fuel cell power plant installations the 14 0 MW Derby Fuel Cell Project and the 2 8 MW SCEF Fuel Cell Project both located in Derby Connecticut collectively the Derby Projects
Under this partnership flip structure a partnership in this case Derby Fuel Cell Holdco LLC the Derby Partnership was organized to acquire from FuelCell Energy Finance II LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company all outstanding equity interests in the Derby Projects We have determined we are the primary beneficiary in the Derby Partnership for accounting purposes as a Variable Interest Entity VIE under U S GAAP We have considered the provisions within the financing related agreements including the limited liability company agreement for the Derby Partnership which grant us power to manage and make decisions affecting the operations of the Derby Partnership We consider the rights granted to Franklin Park under the agreements to be more protective in nature than participatory Therefore we have determined under the power and benefits criterion of ASC Topic 810 Consolidations ASC 810 that we are the primary beneficiary of the Derby Partnership As the primary beneficiary we consolidate the financial position results of operations and cash flows of the Derby Partnership in our consolidated financial statements and all intercompany balances and transactions between us and the Derby Partnership are eliminated We recognized Franklin Park s share of the net assets of the Derby Partnership as nonredeemable noncontrolling interests in our Consolidated Balance Sheets The income or loss allocations reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss may create volatility in our reported results of operations including potentially changing net loss attributable to stockholders to net income attributable to stockholders or vice versa from quarter to quarter
In addition the Company closed on a tax equity financing transaction in August 2021 with East West Bank for the 7 4 MW fuel cell project located on the U S Navy Submarine Base in Groton CT the Groton Project which has been structured as a partnership flip A partnership the Groton Partnership was organized with East West Bank to acquire from FuelCell Energy Finance II LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company all of the outstanding equity interests in Groton Station Fuel Cell LLC the Groton Project Company East West Bank has a conditional withdrawal right which they can exercise and which would require the Company to pay 101 of the amount contributed by East West Bank to date In addition under this partnership flip structure the Company has an option to acquire all of the equity interests that East West Bank holds in the Groton Partnership starting approximately five and a half years after the Groton Project is operational If the Company exercises this option the exercise price to be paid by the Company will be the greater of 1 the fair market value of East West Bank s equity interest at the time the option is exercised 2 five percent of the 15 million tax equity commitment and 3 East West Bank s claim in liquidation determined using the hypothetical liquidation at book value method
The Groton Partnership is a VIE under U S GAAP The Company has determined that it is the primary beneficiary in the Groton Partnership for accounting purposes The Company has considered the provisions within the financing related agreements including the limited liability company agreement for the Groton Partnership which grant the Company power to manage and make decisions affecting the operations of the Groton Partnership The Company considers the rights granted to East West Bank under the agreements to be more protective in nature than participatory Therefore the Company has determined under the power and benefits criterion of ASC 810 that it is the primary beneficiary of the Groton Partnership As the primary beneficiary the Company consolidates in its consolidated financial statements the financial position results of operations and cash flows of the Groton Partnership and all intercompany balances and transactions between the Company and the Groton Partnership are eliminated in the consolidated financial statements The Company recognized East West Bank s share of the net assets of the Groton Partnership which was 3 0 million as of October 31 2022 as a redeemable noncontrolling interest in mezzanine equity on its Consolidated Balance Sheets and reclassified the amount to nonredeemable noncontrolling interest upon commencement of operations of the related project asset in December 2022 Upon commandment of operations the Company began to allocate profits and losses to the noncontrolling interest under the HLBV method
Finally the Company closed on a tax equity financing transaction in November 2021 with REI for the 7 4 MW fuel cell project the LIPA Yaphank Project in Yaphank Long Island REI s tax equity commitment totaled 12 4 million This transaction was structured as a partnership flip which is a structure commonly used by tax equity investors in the
financing of renewable energy projects Under this partnership flip structure a partnership in this case YTBFC Holdco LLC the Yaphank Partnership was organized to acquire from FuelCell Energy Finance II LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company all outstanding equity interests in Yaphank Fuel Cell Park LLC which in turn owns the LIPA Yaphank Project and is the party to the power purchase agreement and all project agreements REI holds Class A Units in the Yaphank Partnership and a subsidiary of the Company holds the Class B Units Under a partnership flip structure tax equity investors agree to receive a minimum target rate of return typically on an after tax basis Prior to receiving a contractual rate of return or a date specified in the contractual arrangements REI will receive substantially all of the non cash value attributable to the LIPA Yaphank Project which includes accelerated depreciation and Section 48 a investment tax credits however the Company will receive a majority of the cash distributions based on the operating income of the LIPA Yaphank Project which are paid quarterly After REI receives its contractual rate of return the Company will receive approximately 95 of the cash and tax allocations
The Yaphank Partnership is a VIE under U S GAAP The Company has considered the provisions within the financing related agreements including the limited liability company agreement for the Yaphank Partnership which grant us power to manage and make decisions affecting the operations of the Yaphank Partnership We consider the rights granted to REI under the agreements to be more protective in nature than participatory Therefore we have determined under the power and benefits criterion of ASC 810 that we are the primary beneficiary of the Yaphank Partnership As the primary beneficiary we consolidate the financial position results of operations and cash flows of the Yaphank Partnership in our consolidated financial statements and all intercompany balances and transactions between us and the Yaphank Partnership are eliminated The Company recognized REI s share of the net assets of the Yaphank Partnership as noncontrolling interests in its Consolidated Balance Sheets The income or loss allocations reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss may create volatility in our reported results of operations including potentially changing net loss attributable to stockholders to net income attributable to stockholders or vice versa from quarter to quarter The Company allocates profits and losses to REI s noncontrolling interest under the HLBV method
The Company through certain wholly owned subsidiaries has entered into sale leaseback transactions for commissioned project assets where we have entered into a PPA with a customer who is both the site host and end user of the power Due to the Company not meeting criteria to account for the transfer of the project assets as a sale since the leases include a repurchase right sale accounting is precluded Accordingly the Company uses the financing method to account for these transactions
Under the financing method of accounting for a sale leaseback the Company does not derecognize the project assets and does not recognize as revenue any of the sale proceeds received from the lessor that contractually constitutes payment to acquire the assets subject to these arrangements Instead the sale proceeds received are accounted for as finance obligations and leaseback payments made by the Company are allocated between interest expense and a reduction to the finance obligation Interest on the finance obligation is calculated using the Company s incremental borrowing rate at the inception of the arrangement on the outstanding finance obligation While we receive financing for the related project asset we have not recognized revenue on the sale leaseback transactions Instead revenue is recognized with respect to the related PPAs in accordance with the Company s accounting policies for recognizing generation revenues
Inventories consist principally of raw materials and work in process Cost is determined using the first in first out cost method Included in our inventory balance are used modules that are brought back into inventory upon installation of new modules When a new module is installed a determination is made as to whether the used module has remaining useful life or should be scrapped and materials recycled Modules that are deemed to have remaining useful life are put into inventory at an estimated value based on the expected remaining life of the module and its projected output In certain circumstances we will make advance payments to vendors for future inventory deliveries These advance payments are recorded as Other current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets Inventories are reviewed to determine net realizable value This review includes analyzing inventory levels of individual parts considering the current design of our products and production requirements as well as the expected inventory requirements for maintenance on installed power platforms
We have entered into service agreements with certain customers to provide monitoring maintenance and repair services for fuel cell power platforms Under the terms of these service agreements the power platform must meet a minimum operating output during the term If the minimum output falls below the contract requirement we may be subject to performance penalties or may be required to repair and or replace the customer s fuel cell module s
The Company records loss accruals for service agreements when the estimated cost of future module exchanges and maintenance and monitoring activities exceeds the remaining unrecognized contract value Estimates for future costs on service agreements are determined by a number of factors including the estimated remaining life of the module s used replacement modules available and future operating plans for the power platform Our estimates are performed on a contract by contract basis and include cost assumptions based on what we anticipate the service requirements will be to fulfill obligations for each contract As of October 31 2024 and 2023 our loss accruals on service agreements totaled 9 0 million and 9 5 million respectively
In November 2023 the Financial Accounting Standards Board FASB issued guidance to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses In addition the guidance enhances interim disclosure requirements clarifies circumstances in which an entity can disclose multiple segment measures of profit or loss provides new segment disclosure requirements for entities with a single reportable segment and contains other disclosure requirements The purpose of the guidance is to enable investors to better understand an entity s overall performance and assess potential future cash flows The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15 2023 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15 2024 Early adoption is permitted We are currently evaluating the impact that the new guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements
In December 2023 the FASB issued guidance to enhance income tax disclosures by providing information to better assess how an entity s operations related tax risks tax planning and operational opportunities affect its tax rate and prospects for future cash flows Additional disclosures will be required to the annual effective tax rate reconciliation including specific categories and further disaggregated reconciling items that meet the quantitative threshold Additionally disclosures will be required relating to income tax expense and payments made to federal state local and foreign jurisdictions This guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15 2024 We are currently evaluating the impact that the new guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements
In November 2024 the FASB issued new guidance which requires enhanced disclosure of specified categories of expenses included in certain expense captions presented on the face of the income statement This guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15 2026 and for interim periods beginning after December 15 2027 The Company is currently evaluating the new guidance to determine its adoption approach and the impact on the presentation and disclosures of its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss The Company anticipates its processes will be enhanced to address the disaggregation and disclosure requirements though it does not expect adoption to impact its overall results from operations
We have invested in U S Treasury Securities with maturities of less than three months We expect to hold these investments until maturity and accordingly these investments are carried at amortized cost and not subject to mark to market accounting As of October 31 2024 our U S Treasury Securities had a carrying value of 109 1 million which approximated fair value These U S Treasury Securities matured between November 5 2024 and November 29 2024 and had a weighted average yield to maturity of 4 78 as of October 31 2024
Cash is invested overnight with high credit quality financial institutions and therefore we are not exposed to market risk on our cash holdings from changing interest rates Based on our overall interest rate exposure as of October 31 2024 including all interest rate sensitive instruments a change in interest rates of 1 would not have a material impact on our results of operations
As of October 31 2024 approximately 1 of our total cash and cash equivalents were in currencies other than U S dollars primarily the Euro Canadian dollars and Korean Won and we have no plans of repatriation We make purchases from certain vendors and receive payment from certain customers in currencies other than U S dollars Although we have not experienced significant foreign exchange rate losses to date we may in the future especially to the extent that we do not engage in currency hedging activities The economic impact of currency exchange rate movements on our operating results is complex because such changes are often linked to variability in real growth inflation interest rates governmental actions and other factors These changes if material may cause us to adjust our financing and operating strategies
On May 16 2019 an interest rate swap agreement was entered into with Fifth Third Bank in connection with the May 2019 Credit Agreement with Liberty Bank as administrative agent and co lead arranger and Fifth Third Bank as co lead arranger and interest rate swap hedger the BFC Credit Agreement for the term of the loan The net interest rate across the BFC Credit Agreement and the swap transaction resulted in a fixed rate of 5 09 The interest rate swap was adjusted to fair value on a quarterly basis The estimated fair value was based on Level 2 inputs including primarily the forward LIBOR curve available to swap dealers The valuation methodology involved comparison of i the sum of the present value of all monthly variable rate payments based on a reset rate using the forward LIBOR curve and ii the sum of the present value of all monthly fixed rate payments on the notional amount which was equivalent to the outstanding principal amount of the loan On August 1 2022 the Company entered into an amendment to its interest rate swap agreement that replaced LIBOR with Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate SOFR effective as of June 2023 The fair value adjustment for the year ended October 31 2023 resulted in a 0 1 million loss This interest rate swap agreement was terminated during fiscal year 2023 in connection with the payoff of the senior and subordinated indebtedness of the Company to Liberty Bank Fifth Third Bank and Connecticut Green Bank related to the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project
On May 19 2023 in connection with the closing of the OpCo Financing Facility the Company entered into an ISDA 2002 Master Agreement and an ISDA Schedule to the 2002 Master Agreement with Investec Bank plc as a hedge provider and an ISDA 2002 Master Agreement and an ISDA Schedule to the 2002 Master Agreement with Bank of Montreal Chicago Branch as a hedge provider On May 22 2023 OpCo Borrower executed the related trade confirmations for these interest rate swap agreements with these hedge providers to protect against adverse price movements in the floating SOFR rate associated with 100 of the aggregate principal balance of the Term Loan outstanding Pursuant to the terms of such agreements OpCo Borrower will pay a fixed rate of interest of 3 716 The net interest rate across the Financing Agreement and the swap transaction is 6 366 in the first four years and 6 866 thereafter The obligations of OpCo Borrower to the hedge providers under the interest rate swap agreements are treated as obligations under the Financing Agreement and accordingly are secured on a pari passu basis by the same collateral securing the obligations of OpCo Borrower under the Financing Agreement The Company has not elected hedge accounting treatment and as a result the derivative will be remeasured to fair value quarterly with the resulting gains losses recorded to other income expense The fair value adjustments for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 resulted in a loss of 3 1 million and a gain of 3 3 million respectively
Certain of our PPAs for project assets in our generation operating portfolio and at times project assets under construction expose us to fluctuating fuel price risks as well as the risk of being unable to procure the required amounts of fuel and the lack of alternative available fuel sources We seek to mitigate our fuel risk using strategies including i fuel cost reimbursement mechanisms in our PPAs to allow for pass through of fuel costs full or partial where possible which we have done with our 14 9 MW operating project in Bridgeport CT ii procuring fuel under fixed price physical supply contracts with investment grade counterparties which we have done for twenty years for our Tulare BioMAT project the initial seven years of the twenty year PPA for our LIPA Yaphank Project through September of 2028 six years of the twenty year PPA for our 14 0 MW and 2 8 MW Derby Projects through October of 2029 and the initial two years of the twenty year hydrogen power purchase agreement for our Toyota project through May of 2025 and iii potentially entering into future financial hedges with investment grade counterparties to offset potential negative market fluctuations The Company does not take a fundamental view on natural gas or other commodity pricing and seeks commercially available means to reduce commodity exposure If the Company is unable to secure fuel on favorable economic terms it may result in impairment charges
We currently have four projects with fuel sourcing risk for which there is no pass through mechanism The Toyota project requires procurement of RNG and our Derby CT 14 0 MW project our Derby CT 2 8 MW project and our 7 4 MW project in Yaphank Long Island the Yaphank Project require natural gas A two year through May of 2025 fuel supply contract has been executed for the Toyota project Six year through October 2029 fuel supply contracts have been executed for the 14 0 MW and 2 8 MW Derby Projects We are currently in the midst of a seven year fuel supply contract through September 2028 for our 7 4 MW Yaphank Project The Company will look to extend the duration of these contracts should market and credit conditions allow If the Company is unable to secure fuel on favorable economic terms it may result in impairment charges to the Derby Project assets or the Yaphank Project assets and further charges for the Toyota project asset
Historically this risk has not been material to our financial statements as our operating projects prior to October 31 2024 either did not have fuel price risk exposure had fuel cost reimbursement mechanisms in our related PPAs to allow for pass through of fuel costs full or partial or had established long term fixed price fuel physical contracts To provide a meaningful assessment of the fuel price risk arising from price movements of natural gas the Company performed a sensitivity analysis to determine the impact a change in natural gas commodity pricing would have on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss assuming that all projects with fuel price risk were operating A 1 Metric Million British Thermal Unit MMBTu increase in market pricing compared to our underlying project models would result in a cost impact of approximately 26 000 to our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss on an annual basis We have also conducted a sensitivity analysis on the impact of RNG pricing and a 10 MMBTu increase in market pricing compared to our underlying project models would result in an impact of approximately 2 0 million to our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss on an annual basis
The Company net settled certain natural gas purchases under previous normal purchase normal sale contract designations during the fiscal year ended October 31 2023 for one contract and during the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 for other contracts and recorded a mark to market derivative net loss during the year ended October 31 2024 of 6 9 million and a mark to market derivative gain during the year ended October 31 2023 of 4 1 million as a result of the change to mark to market accounting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of FuelCell Energy Inc and subsidiaries the Company as of October 31 2024 and 2023 the related consolidated statements of operations comprehensive loss changes in equity and cash flows for each of the years in the three year period ended October 31 2024 and the related notes collectively the consolidated financial statements We also have audited the Company s internal control over financial reporting as of October 31 2024 based on criteria established in Internal Control Integrated Framework 2013 issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
In our opinion the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company as of October 31 2024 and 2023 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three year period ended October 31 2024 in conformity with U S generally accepted accounting principles Also in our opinion the Company maintained in all material respects effective internal control over financial reporting as of October 31 2024 based on criteria established in Internal Control Integrated Framework 2013 issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
The Company s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company s consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board United States PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U S federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement whether due to error or fraud and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects
Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements whether due to error or fraud and performing procedures that respond to those risks Such procedures included examining on a test basis evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting assessing the risk that a material weakness exists and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions
A company s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles A company s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that 1 pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company 2 provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company and 3 provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition use or disposition of the company s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements
Because of its inherent limitations internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements Also projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that 1 relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and 2 involved our especially challenging subjective or complex judgments The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements taken as a whole and we are not by communicating the critical audit matter below providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements the Company s service agreements represent a single performance obligation whereby the Company performs all required maintenance and monitoring functions including replacement of modules to ensure the power platforms under the service agreement generate a minimum power output The consideration for each service agreement is recognized over time using costs incurred relative to the total estimated costs at completion to measure progress The Company had service revenue of 10 0 million for the year ended October 31 2024
We identified the evaluation of total estimated costs at completion for certain service agreements as a critical audit matter Specifically evaluating the Company s total estimated costs at completion required complex auditor judgement to assess the estimated number of fuel cell modules to be replaced during the term of the agreements and their associated costs These areas involved the application of significant estimation by management and contained significant measurement uncertainty
The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal controls over the Company s process to develop total estimated costs at completion for service agreements This included a control related to the estimated number of fuel cell modules to be replaced during the term of the agreement and their associated costs For certain service agreements we evaluated the estimated number of fuel cell modules to be replaced and their associated costs by
Headquartered in Danbury Connecticut FuelCell Energy Inc together with its subsidiaries the Company FuelCell Energy we us or our is a global leader in delivering environmentally responsible distributed baseload energy platform solutions through our proprietary fuel cell technology Today we offer commercial technology that produces clean electricity heat clean hydrogen and water and is also capable of recovering and capturing carbon for utilization and or sequestration depending on product configuration and application We also continue to invest in product development and commercializing technologies that are expected to add new capabilities to our platforms abilities to deliver hydrogen and long duration hydrogen based energy storage through our solid oxide technologies as well as further enhance our existing platforms carbon capture solutions
FuelCell Energy is focused on advancing sustainable clean energy technologies that address some of the world s most critical challenges around energy access security resilience reliability affordability safety and environmental stewardship As a leading global manufacturer of proprietary fuel cell technology platforms FuelCell Energy is uniquely positioned to serve customers worldwide with sustainable products and solutions for industrial and commercial businesses utilities governments municipalities and communities
At 5 00 p m Eastern Time on November 8 2024 we effected a 1 for 30 reverse stock split reducing the number of our common shares outstanding on that date from 611 278 662 shares to approximately 20 375 932 shares The number of authorized shares of common stock remains unchanged at 1 000 000 000 shares and the number of authorized shares of preferred stock remains unchanged at 250 000 shares The number of shares of common stock issuable upon settlement of outstanding restricted stock unit performance stock unit and deferred stock unit awards were reduced proportionately in connection with the reverse stock split Additionally the conversion rate of our Series B Preferred Stock as defined elsewhere herein the exercise price of all outstanding options the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding options and the number of shares reserved for future issuance pursuant to our equity compensation plans and employee stock purchase plan were all adjusted proportionately in connection with the reverse stock split All share and per share amounts exercise prices conversion rates and conversion prices presented herein have been adjusted retroactively to reflect these changes
Our principal sources of cash have been proceeds from the sale of our products and projects electricity generation revenues research and development and service agreements with third parties sales of our common stock through public equity offerings and proceeds from debt project financing and tax monetization transactions We have utilized this cash to accelerate the commercialization of our solid oxide platforms develop new capabilities to separate and capture carbon develop and construct project assets invest in capital improvements and expansion of our operations perform research and development pay down existing outstanding indebtedness and meet our other cash and liquidity needs
As of October 31 2024 unrestricted cash and cash equivalents totaled 148 1 million compared to 250 0 million as of October 31 2023 During the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 the Company invested in United States U S Treasury Securities The amortized cost of the U S Treasury Securities outstanding totaled 109 1 million as of October 31 2024 compared to 103 8 million as of October 31 2023 and is classified as Investments short term on the Consolidated Balance Sheets The outstanding U S Treasury Securities as of October 31 2024 matured between November 5 2024 and November 29 2024
On October 31 2024 the Company closed on a project debt financing transaction with the Export Import Bank of the United States EXIM to support the Company s obligations under its long term service agreement with Gyeonggi Green Energy Co Ltd GGE pursuant to which the Company is to supply forty two 1 4 megawatt upgraded carbonate fuel cell modules to replace existing units at GGE s Hwaseong Baran Industrial Complex In conjunction with this financing the Company entered into a promissory note and related security agreements securing the loan with equipment liens resulting in net proceeds of approximately 9 2 million See Note 12 Debt for additional information regarding the transaction with EXIM
On April 25 2024 the Company through one of its indirect subsidiaries entered into three related term loan facilities which are referred to herein as the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility resulting in net proceeds of 12 8 million See Note 12 Debt for additional information regarding the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility
On April 10 2024 the Company entered into Amendment No 1 the Amendment to the Open Market Sale Agreement dated July 12 2022 the 2022 Sales Agreement with Jefferies LLC B Riley Securities Inc Barclays Capital Inc BMO Capital Markets Corp BofA Securities Inc Canaccord Genuity LLC Citigroup Global Markets Inc J P Morgan Securities LLC and Loop Capital Markets LLC each an Agent and together the Agents the 2022 Sales Agreement as amended by the Amendment the Amended Sales Agreement with respect to an at the market offering program under which the Company may from time to time offer and sell shares of its common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to 300 0 million exclusive of any amounts previously sold under the 2022 Sales Agreement prior to its amendment Between April 10 2024 the date of the Amended Sales Agreement and October 31 2024 approximately 5 3 million shares of the Company s common stock were sold under the Amended Sales Agreement resulting in gross proceeds of approximately 95 1 million On December 27 2024 the Company entered into Amendment No 2 to the Amended Sales Agreement which removes certain representations and warranties relating to the Company s status as a well known seasoned issuer See Note 13 Stockholders Equity and Warrant Liabilities for additional information regarding the 2022 Sales Agreement and the Amended Sales Agreement
During the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 the Company completed its technical improvement plan to bring the Groton Project defined elsewhere herein to its rated capacity and the Groton Project reached its design rated output of 7 4 MW The Company achieved all conditions precedent required for the first annual funding from East West Bancorp Inc East West Bank under the tax equity financing transaction between the Company and East West Bank and as a result the Company received a 4 0 million contribution during the year ended October 31 2024 which is recorded as noncontrolling interest on the Consolidated Balance Sheets
During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023 the Company closed on a tax equity financing transaction with Franklin Park 2023 FCE Tax Equity Fund LLC Franklin Park a subsidiary of Franklin Park Infrastructure LLC for two fuel cell power plant installations the 14 0 megawatt MW Derby Fuel Cell Project and the 2 8 MW SCEF Fuel Cell Project both located in Derby Connecticut collectively the Derby Projects Franklin Park s tax equity commitment with respect to the Derby Projects totaled 30 2 million Of this amount approximately 9 1 million was received on October 31 2023 and the remaining approximately 21 1 million was received during the year ended October 31 2024 In connection with the initial closing of this tax equity financing transaction in fiscal year 2023 the Company paid closing costs of approximately 1 8 million which included appraisal fees title insurance expenses and legal and consulting fees
We believe that our unrestricted cash and cash equivalents expected receipts from our contracted backlog funds received upon the maturity of U S Treasury Securities and release of short term restricted cash less expected disbursements over the next twelve months will be sufficient to allow the Company to meet its obligations for at least one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements
To date we have not achieved profitable operations or sustained positive cash flow from operations The Company s future liquidity for fiscal year 2025 and in the long term will depend on its ability to i timely complete current projects in process within budget ii increase cash flows from its generation operating portfolio including by meeting conditions required to timely commence operation of new projects operating its generation operating portfolio in compliance with minimum performance guarantees and operating its generation operating portfolio in accordance with revenue expectations iii obtain financing for project construction and manufacturing expansion iv obtain permanent financing for its projects once constructed v increase order and contract volumes which would lead to additional product sales service agreements and generation revenues vi obtain funding for and receive payment for research and development under current and future Advanced Technologies contracts vii successfully commercialize its solid oxide hydrogen and carbon capture platforms viii implement capacity expansion for solid oxide product manufacturing ix implement the product cost reductions necessary to achieve profitable operations x manage working capital and the Company s unrestricted cash balance and xi access the capital markets to raise funds through the sale of debt and equity securities convertible notes and other equity linked instruments
and enter into agreements for one or more of the following negotiated financial transactions minority investments collaborative ventures technology sharing transfer or other technology license arrangements joint ventures partnerships acquisitions or other business transactions for the purpose s of geographic or manufacturing expansion and or new product or technology development and commercialization including hydrogen production through our carbonate and solid oxide platforms and storage and carbon capture sequestration and utilization technologies
Our business model requires substantial outside financing arrangements and satisfaction of the conditions of such arrangements to construct and deploy our projects to facilitate the growth of our business The Company has invested capital raised from sales of its common stock to build out its project portfolio The Company has also utilized and expects to continue to utilize a combination of long term debt and tax equity financing e g sale leaseback transactions partnership flip transactions and the monetization and or transfer of eligible investment and production tax credits to finance its project asset portfolio as these projects commence commercial operations particularly in light of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022 The Company may also seek to undertake private placements of debt securities to finance its project asset portfolio The proceeds of any such financing if obtained may allow the Company to reinvest capital back into the business and to fund other projects We also expect to seek additional financing in both the debt and equity markets in the future If financing is not available to us on acceptable terms if and when needed or on terms acceptable to us or our lenders if we do not satisfy the conditions of our financing arrangements if we spend more than the financing approved for projects if project costs exceed an amount that the Company can finance or if we do not generate sufficient revenues or obtain capital sufficient for our corporate needs we may be required to further reduce or slow planned spending further reduce staffing sell assets seek alternative financing and take other measures any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operations
Inventories consist principally of raw materials and work in process Cost is determined using the first in first out cost method Included in our inventory balance are used modules that are brought back into inventory upon installation of new modules When a new module is installed a determination is made as to whether the used module has remaining useful life or should be scrapped and materials recycled Modules that are deemed to have remaining useful life are put into inventory at an estimated value based on the expected remaining life of the module and its projected output In certain circumstances we will make advance payments to vendors for future inventory deliveries These advance payments are recorded as Other current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets
The Company had no allowance for doubtful accounts or credit losses as of October 31 2024 and 2023 Uncollectible accounts receivable are charged against the allowance for doubtful accounts when all collection efforts have failed and it is deemed unlikely that the amount will be recovered The Company would record a specific reserve for individual accounts when the Company becomes aware of specific customer circumstances such as in the case of a bankruptcy filing or the deterioration in the customer s operating results or financial position
Project assets consist of capitalized costs for fuel cell projects in various stages of development including those projects with respect to which we have entered into power purchase agreements PPAs and those projects with respect to which we expect to secure long term contracts Such development costs are generally incurred prior to entering into a definitive sales or long term financing agreement for the project Project assets also include capitalized costs for fuel cell projects which are the subject of sale leaseback transactions with Crestmark Equipment Finance a division of MetaBank Crestmark Project asset costs include costs for developing and constructing a complete turn key fuel cell project Development costs can include legal consulting permitting interconnect and other similar costs To the extent we enter into a definitive sales agreement we expense project assets to cost of sales after the respective project asset is sold to a customer and all revenue recognition criteria have been met
Property plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation which is recorded based on the straight line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets Leasehold improvements are amortized on the straight line method over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the term of the lease When property plant or equipment is sold or otherwise disposed of the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in operations for the period
Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination and is reviewed for impairment at least annually The intangible asset represents indefinite lived in process research and development IPR D for cumulative research and development efforts associated with the development of solid oxide fuel cell stationary power generation and is also reviewed at least annually for impairment
The Company completed its annual impairment analysis of goodwill and IPR D as of July 31 2024 The goodwill and IPR D asset are both held by the Company s Versa Power Systems Inc Versa Inc reporting unit Goodwill and the IPR D asset are also reviewed for possible impairment whenever changes in conditions indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit or IPR D asset is more likely than not below its respective carrying value No impairment charges were recorded with respect to goodwill or the IPR D asset during the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022
Long lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable If events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset group may not be recoverable we compare the carrying amount of the asset group to the future undiscounted net cash flows excluding debt service costs expected to be generated by the asset group and its ultimate disposition If the sum of the undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds its fair value
The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers ASC 606 Under ASC 606 the amount of revenue recognized for any goods or services reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods and services To achieve this core principle the Company applies the following five step approach 1 identify the contract with the customer 2 identify the performance obligations in the contract 3 determine the transaction price 4 allocate the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract and 5 recognize revenue when or as a performance obligation is satisfied
probable Performance obligations under a contract are identified based on the goods or services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct and are distinct in the context of the contract In certain instances the Company has concluded distinct goods or services should be accounted for as a single performance obligation that is a series of distinct goods or services that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer To the extent a contract includes multiple promised goods or services the Company must apply judgment to determine whether the customer can benefit from the goods or services either on their own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer the goods or services are capable of being distinct and if the promise to transfer the goods or services to the customer is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract the goods or services are distinct in the context of the contract If these criteria are not met the promised goods or services are accounted for as a single performance obligation The transaction price is determined based on the consideration that the Company will be entitled to in exchange for transferring goods or services to the customer To the extent the transaction price includes variable consideration the Company estimates the amount of variable consideration that should be included in the transaction price generally utilizing the expected value method Determining the transaction price requires judgment If the contract contains a single performance obligation the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative standalone selling price basis Standalone selling price is determined by the price at which the performance obligation is sold separately If the standalone selling price is not observable through past transactions the Company estimates the standalone selling price by taking into account available information such as market conditions and internally approved pricing guidelines related to the performance obligations Performance obligations are satisfied either over time or at a point in time as discussed in further detail below In addition the Company s contracts with customers generally do not include significant financing components or non cash consideration The Company has elected practical expedients in the accounting guidance that allow for revenue to be recorded in the amount that the Company has a right to invoice if that amount corresponds directly with the value to the customer of the Company s performance to date and that allow the Company not to disclose related unsatisfied performance obligations The Company records any amounts that are billed to customers in excess of revenue recognized as deferred revenue and revenue recognized in excess of amounts billed to customers as unbilled receivables
Contracts for the sale of completed project assets include the sale of the project asset the assignment of the service agreement and the assignment of the PPA The relative stand alone selling price is estimated and is used as the basis for allocation of the contract consideration Revenue is recognized upon the satisfaction of the performance obligations which includes the transfer of control of the project asset to the customer which is when the contract is signed and the PPA is assigned to the customer See below for further discussion regarding revenue recognition for service agreements
Contracts for module sales represent the sale of a completed fuel cell module at a contracted selling price These contracts are on a per unit basis and revenue is recognized as each unit is completed and ready to ship and the performance obligation is satisfied Payment terms for module sales are generally based on milestones achieved through the manufacturing timeline of the module
Service agreements represent a single performance obligation whereby the Company performs all required maintenance and monitoring functions including replacement of modules to ensure the power platform s under the service agreement generate a minimum power output To the extent the power platform s under service agreements do not achieve the minimum power output certain service agreements include a performance guarantee penalty Performance guarantee penalties represent variable consideration which is estimated for each service agreement based on past experience using the expected value method The consideration for each service agreement is recognized over time using costs incurred to date relative to total estimated costs at completion to measure progress
Advanced Technologies contracts include the promise to perform research and development services and as such this represents one performance obligation Revenue from most government sponsored Advanced Technologies projects is recognized as direct costs are incurred plus allowable overhead less cost share requirements if any Revenue is only recognized to the extent the contracts are funded Revenue recognition for research performed under the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement as defined elsewhere herein falls into the practical expedient category where revenue is recorded consistent with the amounts the Company has the right to invoice
For certain project assets where customers purchase electricity from the Company under PPAs the Company has determined that these agreements should be accounted for as operating leases pursuant to ASC 842 Leases Revenue is recognized when electricity has been delivered based on the amount of electricity delivered at rates specified under the contracts Generation revenue to the extent the related PPAs are within the scope of ASC 606 include a performance obligation to provide 100 of the electricity output generated by the associated project asset to the customer The promise to provide electricity over the term of the PPA represents a single performance obligation as it is a promise to transfer a series of distinct goods or services that are substantially the same and that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer Revenue is recognized over time as the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by the Company and the Company satisfies its performance obligation Revenue is recognized based on the output method as there is a directly observable output to the customer electricity delivered to the customer and immediately consumed Payments are based on actual power output and the contractual rate for electricity generated
The Company has entered into tax equity financing transactions with certain participating companies for three partnerships as further described in Note 3 Tax Equity Financings and Investment Tax Credit Sale as of October 31 2024 These transactions are structured as partnership flips A partnership flip is a structure commonly used by tax equity investors
in financing renewable energy projects The Company has determined under the power and benefits criterion of ASC 810 Consolidations that the Company is the primary beneficiary in these three partnerships since the rights under the agreements for the tax equity transactions are more protective in nature than participatory and as such these partnerships will be accounted for as Variable Interest Entities VIE s under U S GAAP As the primary beneficiary the Company consolidates the financial position results of operations and cash flows in our consolidated financial statements and all intercompany balances and transactions between the Company and these partnerships are eliminated The Company has recognized the share of the net assets of these partnerships as noncontrolling interests in its Consolidated Balance Sheets The income or loss allocations reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss may create volatility in our reported results of operations including potentially changing net loss attributable to stockholders to net income attributable to stockholders or vice versa from quarter to quarter The Company allocates profits and losses to the participating companies noncontrolling interest under the HLBV method See Note 3 Tax Equity Financings and Investment Tax Credit Sale for additional information regarding the tax equity financing transactions
The Company through certain wholly owned subsidiaries has entered into sale leaseback transactions for commissioned project assets where we have entered into a PPA with a customer who is both the site host and end user of the power Due to the Company not meeting criteria to account for the transfer of the project assets as a sale since the leases include a repurchase right sale accounting is precluded Accordingly the Company uses the financing method to account for these transactions
Under the financing method of accounting for a sale leaseback the Company does not derecognize the project assets and does not recognize as revenue any of the sale proceeds received from the lessor that contractually constitutes payment to acquire the assets subject to these arrangements Instead the sale proceeds received are accounted for as finance obligations and leaseback payments made by the Company are allocated between interest expense and a reduction to the finance obligation Interest on the finance obligation is calculated using the Company s incremental borrowing rate at the inception of the arrangement on the outstanding finance obligation While we receive financing for the related project asset we have not recognized revenue on the sale leaseback transactions Instead revenue is recognized with respect to the related PPAs in accordance with the Company s accounting policies for recognizing generation revenue
Right of use ROU assets represent the Company s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the present value of the Company s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease over the lease term at the commencement date of the lease As most of the Company s leases do not provide an implicit rate the Company estimated the incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the date of adoption in determining the present value of lease payments and used the implicit rate when readily determinable The Company determined incremental borrowing rates through market sources for secured borrowings including relevant industry rates The Company s operating lease ROU assets also include any lease pre payments and exclude lease incentives Certain of the Company s leases include variable payments which may vary based upon changes in facts or circumstances after the start of the lease The Company excludes variable payments from lease ROU assets and lease liabilities to the extent not considered in substance fixed and instead expenses variable payments as incurred Variable lease expense and lease expense for short term contracts are not material components of lease expense The Company s leases generally have remaining lease terms of approximately 1 to 21 years some of which include options to extend the leases The exercise of lease renewal options is at the Company s sole discretion and the Company s lease ROU assets and liabilities reflect only the options the Company is reasonably certain that it will exercise We do not have leases with residual value guarantees or similar covenants
We warranty our products for a specific period of time against manufacturing or performance defects Our U S warranty is generally limited to a term of 15 months after shipment or 12 months after acceptance of our products We accrue for estimated future warranty costs based on historical experience We also provide for a specific accrual if there is a known issue requiring repair during the warranty period
The Company records loss accruals for service agreements when the estimated cost of future module exchanges and maintenance and monitoring activities exceeds the remaining unrecognized contract value Estimates for future costs on service agreements are determined by a number of factors including the estimated remaining life of the module s used replacement modules available and future operating plans for the power platform Our estimates are performed on a contract by contract basis and include cost assumptions based on what we anticipate the service requirements will be to fulfill obligations for each contract
Costs incurred for customer sponsored projects include manufacturing and engineering labor applicable overhead expenses materials to build and test prototype units and other costs associated with customer sponsored research and development contracts Costs incurred for customer sponsored projects are recorded as cost of Advanced Technologies contract revenues in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
We contract with a concentrated number of customers for the sale of our products for service agreements for power purchase agreements and for Advanced Technologies contracts For the years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 our top customers accounted for 65 70 and 74 respectively of our total annual consolidated revenue
We do not use derivatives for speculative or trading purposes The Company has an interest rate swap that is adjusted to fair value on a quarterly basis The estimated fair value is based on Level 2 inputs including primarily the floating Secured Overnight Financing Rate SOFR rate available to swap dealers The valuation methodology involves comparison of i the sum of the present value of all quarterly variable rate payments based on a reset rate using the floating SOFR curve
The Company has recorded certain natural gas purchase contracts at fair value which was the result of the net settling of certain natural gas purchases under contracts that were previously designated as normal purchase normal sale which resulted in a change to mark to market accounting The fair values are adjusted on a quarterly basis The estimated fair value is based on Level 2 inputs including future prices available to commodity brokers and risk free rates which are based on Federal reserve yields The valuation methodology involves utilizing the industry convention energy swap model
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U S GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets liabilities revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities Estimates are used in accounting for among other things revenue recognition lease right of use assets and liabilities excess slow moving and obsolete inventories product warranty accruals loss accruals on service agreements share based compensation expense allowance for doubtful accounts depreciation and amortization impairment of goodwill and in process research and development intangible assets impairment of long lived assets including project assets valuation of derivatives and contingencies Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically and the effects of revisions are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period they are determined to be necessary Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates actual results in future periods may differ from those estimates
In November 2023 the Financial Accounting Standards Board FASB issued guidance to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses In addition the guidance enhances interim disclosure requirements clarifies circumstances in which an entity can disclose multiple segment measures of profit or loss provides new segment disclosure requirements for entities with a single reportable segment and contains other disclosure requirements The purpose of the guidance is to enable investors to better understand an entity s overall performance and assess potential future cash flows The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15 2023 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15 2024 Early adoption is permitted We are currently evaluating the impact that the new guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements
In December 2023 the FASB issued guidance to enhance income tax disclosures by providing information to better assess how an entity s operations related tax risks tax planning and operational opportunities affect its tax rate and prospects for future cash flows Additional disclosures will be required to the annual effective tax rate reconciliation including specific categories and further disaggregated reconciling items that meet the quantitative threshold Additionally disclosures will be required relating to income tax expense and payments made to federal state local and foreign jurisdictions This guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15 2024 We are currently evaluating the impact that the new guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements
In November 2024 the FASB issued new guidance which requires enhanced disclosure of specified categories of expenses included in certain expense captions presented on the face of the income statement This guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15 2026 and for interim periods beginning after December 15 2027 The Company
is currently evaluating the new guidance to determine its adoption approach and the impact on the presentation and disclosures of its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss The Company anticipates its processes will be enhanced to address the disaggregation and disclosure requirements though it does not expect adoption to impact its overall results from operations
Contract assets as of October 31 2024 and 2023 were 65 1 million 28 3 million long term and 42 1 million 25 8 million long term respectively The contract assets relate to the Company s rights to consideration for work completed but not yet billed These amounts are included on a separate line item as Unbilled receivables and balances expected to be billed later than one year from the balance sheet date are included within Other assets on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets We bill customers for power platform and power platform component sales based on certain contractual milestones being reached We bill service agreements based on the contract price and billing terms of the contracts Generally our Advanced Technologies contracts are billed based on actual revenues recorded typically in the subsequent month Some Advanced Technologies contracts are billed based on contractual milestones or costs incurred The net change in contract assets represents amounts recognized as revenue offset by customer billings For the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 a total of 16 0 million and 12 9 million respectively was transferred to accounts receivable from contract assets recognized at the beginning of the period
Contract liabilities as of October 31 2024 and 2023 were 7 2 million and 3 1 million respectively The contract liabilities relate to the advance billings to customers for services that will be recognized over time and in some instances for deferred revenue relating to variable consideration for previously sold products The net change in contract liabilities represents customer billings offset by revenue recognized
As of October 31 2023 the Company had recorded 6 3 million 6 0 million long term as consideration payable to Toyota Motor North America Toyota which is included within Accrued liabilities and Long term debt and other liabilities on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets The Company received payment for the sale of an investment tax credit with respect to the Toyota project at the Port of Long Beach during the year ended October 31 2023 The net amount of 6 3 million is being recorded as a reduction to revenue during the period of measurement which is the 20 year term of the hydrogen production and power purchase agreement between Toyota and the Company Toyota HPPA that commenced in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 The balance as of October 31 2024 is 6 0 million 4 5 million long term
As a result of the settlement reached with POSCO Energy Co Ltd POSCO Energy the Company evaluated its various license agreements with POSCO Energy as well as all of the terms of the settlement agreement with POSCO Energy which was effective December 20 2021 the Settlement Agreement As part of this analysis the Company considered the accounting surrounding the execution of the Settlement Agreement reviewed all elements related to its license agreements with POSCO Energy and the Settlement Agreement and considered any potential contingencies in these license agreements and whether any proceeds were related to the litigation settlement
Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement the Company agreed that its license agreements with POSCO Energy were not terminated but instead were deemed to be amended such that POSCO Energy and its subsidiary Korea Fuel Cell Co Ltd KFC and with POSCO Energy collectively PE Group only have the right i to provide maintenance and repair services to PE Group s then existing customers on then existing molten carbonate power generation and thermal projects under long term service agreements then in force as well as long term service agreements that had expired and were pending renewal as of the settlement date collectively Existing LTSAs ii to supply replacement modules purchased from the Company only for their existing customers for existing molten carbonate power generation and thermal projects under Existing LTSAs and iii to own operate and maintain all facilities and factories solely for the purposes set forth in i and ii above collectively the Right to Service License and further agreed to sell modules with a service warranty pursuant to a module sales agreement to be negotiated by the parties after execution of the Settlement Agreement
As such the Company considers the execution of the Settlement Agreement to be a contract modification as it resulted in a change in both the scope and price of a contract with a customer Therefore the Company accounted for such modification under the contract modification guidance included within ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers Further the Company noted that none of the parties to the Settlement Agreement specifically acknowledged any payment of damages or reimbursement of any costs related to the matters settled under the Settlement Agreement which supports the conclusion that the overall settlement was a form of contract modification Additionally the transaction price allocated to the modified contract did not exceed the stand alone selling prices SSP of the performance obligations under the modified contract such that there was no indication of a premium that would indicate that a portion of the transaction price related to something other than the promised goods or services
The Company identified two performance obligations in the Settlement Agreement which included the sale of 20 modules and an option to purchase an additional 14 modules The Company assessed the SSP of the modules utilizing a cost plus margin approach to arrive at 3 0 million per module which was recognized upon transfer of control of such modules to KFC via title transfer consistent with the Company s established revenue recognition policies The Company is also providing a performance guarantee for up to seven years with each module to cover any annual output penalty that would need to be paid by PE Group to a customer The Company determined that this performance guarantee represented variable consideration and estimated a value of 0 65 million per module which resulted in accrual of 13 1 million as of October 31 2022 upon the sale of twenty modules during the year ended October 31 2022 A portion of this variable consideration was recognized as revenue when it was determined that there were no amounts due under the performance guarantee In its analysis at the time of execution of the Settlement Agreement the Company determined that it was probable that KFC would exercise its option to purchase an additional 14 modules with a performance guarantee beyond the firm order of 20 modules to which it was contractually committed KFC s right to purchase the additional 14 modules expired without being exercised on December 31 2022 and as a result 9 1 million was recognized as product revenue during the year ended October 31 2023
The Company signed a LTSA with Noeul Green Energy Co Ltd Noeul Green Energy in July 2023 Under this LTSA once the Company KFC POSCO International Company and Noeul Green Energy the LTSA Parties agreed to the technical transfer specifications under a Final Acceptance Test the FAT with respect to the transfer to Noeul Green Energy of 16 of the 20 modules previously sold by the Company to KFC pursuant to the Settlement Agreement the LTSA Parties signed a document that released KFC POSCO International Company from any obligations to service these modules and concurrently transferred that obligation to the Company The FAT is effective for 16 of the 20 modules sold to KFC pursuant to the Settlement Agreement which are now used by Noeul Green Energy Because the Company is no longer obligated to perform any service or other obligations under the Settlement Agreement with respect to the 16 modules now used by Noeul Green Energy the Company recognized a ratable portion of the previously accrued variable consideration of 13 1 million which resulted in recognition of 10 5 million of product revenue during the year ended October 31 2023
Effective as of October 31 2019 the Company entered into a Joint Development Agreement as amended the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement with ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company formerly known as ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company EMTEC pursuant to which the Company has engaged in exclusive research and development efforts with EMTEC to evaluate and develop new and or improved carbonate fuel cells to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from industrial and power sources in exchange for i payment by EMTEC of certain fees and costs including research costs of up to 45 0 million as well as certain milestone based payments and ii certain licenses
In Amendment No 1 to the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement Amendment No 1 which was executed on October 29 2021 and effective as of October 31 2021 the Company and EMTEC agreed among other things to extend the term of the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement to April 30 2022 Amendment No 1 allowed for the continuation of research intended to enable incorporation of design improvements to Company fuel cell design in order to support a decision to use the improvements in a potential future demonstration of the technology for capturing carbon at an ExxonMobil refinery located in Rotterdam Netherlands such demonstration the Rotterdam Project and provided additional time to achieve the first milestone under the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement
In a related letter agreement between the Company and EMTEC dated as of October 28 2021 and executed on October 29 2021 the 2021 Letter Agreement the Company agreed to invest with EMTEC in the Rotterdam Project should EMTEC move forward with the Rotterdam Project In the 2021 Letter Agreement the Company agreed that if i the Company achieved the first milestone under the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement which occurred in the first
quarter of fiscal year 2022 resulting in a 5 0 million payment to the Company which the Company received in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 and ii EMTEC and the Company executed a contractual agreement to proceed with the Rotterdam Project then at EMTEC s option the Company would either make an investment in the amount of 5 0 million in the Rotterdam Project or discount EMTEC s purchase of the Company s fuel cell module and detailed engineering design as agreed to by the parties required for the Rotterdam Project by said amount
On April 29 2022 the Company and EMTEC entered into Amendment No 2 Amendment No 2 to the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement which was effective as of April 30 2022 and which increased the maximum amount of research costs to be reimbursed by EMTEC from 45 0 million to 50 0 million and further extended the term to December 31 2022 In Amendment No 2 the Company and EMTEC also agreed to conduct a joint market study to a define application opportunities commercialization strategies and development requirements b identify partners for potential pilot demonstration projects and c assess fuel cell stack module manufacturing scale up and cost reduction
On December 19 2022 the Company and EMTEC entered into Amendment No 3 Amendment No 3 to the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement which was effective as of December 1 2022 In Amendment No 3 the Company and EMTEC agreed to further extend the term of the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement such that it would end on August 31 2023 and to further increase the maximum amount of research costs to be reimbursed by EMTEC from 50 0 million to 60 0 million Amendment No 3 i allowed for continuation of research intended to enable the parties to finalize data collection in support of the project gate decision for the Rotterdam Project ii allowed for the continuation of the development engineering and mechanical derisking of the Generation 2 Technology fuel cell module prototype and iii allowed for studying the manufacturing scale up and cost reduction of a commercial Generation 2 Technology fuel cell carbon capture facility
On August 25 2023 the Company and EMTEC entered into Amendment No 4 to the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement Amendment No 4 effective as of August 31 2023 In Amendment No 4 the Company and EMTEC agreed to further extend the term of the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement such that it would end on March 31 2024 and to further increase the maximum amount of research costs to be reimbursed by EMTEC from 60 0 million to 67 0 million Amendment No 4 allowed the parties the opportunity to continue i derisking of the Generation 2 Technology fuel cell module demonstration prototype and ii the joint marketing and sales efforts to inform development of a new business framework between the parties beyond the current joint development agreement structure
During the year ended October 31 2022 the Company achieved the first technical milestone under the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement and received payment of 5 0 million At the time the Company did not recognize revenue in connection with this milestone achievement as a result of its agreement with EMTEC to either make a 5 0 million investment in the Rotterdam Project or discount EMTEC s purchase of the Company s fuel cell module and detailed engineering design for the Rotterdam Project by 5 0 million should the Company enter into a contract with EMTEC to proceed with the Rotterdam Project
In May 2023 the Company entered into a second letter agreement with EMTEC pursuant to which the parties agreed that the conditions to the Company s agreement to invest in the Rotterdam Project were met in April 2023 and as a result the Company would recognize 2 5 million of the 5 0 million milestone payment received in fiscal year 2022 as revenue across future deliverables to EMTEC Of this 2 5 million the Company recognized revenue of 1 7 million and 0 3 million during the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 respectively The other 2 5 million of the 5 0 million milestone payment received under the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement in fiscal year 2022 was applied to discount EMTEC s purchase of the Company s fuel cell module and detailed engineering design for the Rotterdam Project
On January 31 2024 the Company received a purchase order valued at 11 6 million from Esso Nederland B V Esso an affiliate of Exxon Mobil Corporation and EMTEC for fuel cell modules as well as engineering procurement fabrication testing and delivery services required for the construction and implementation of the modular point source carbon capture pilot plant at the Rotterdam Project The Company expects that this pilot plant will be completed and commissioned early in calendar year 2026
On and effective as of March 31 2024 the Company and EMTEC entered into Amendment No 5 Amendment No 5 to the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement In Amendment No 5 the Company and EMTEC further extended the term of the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement such that it will end on December 31 2026 unless terminated earlier so that the Company and EMTEC may pursue continued work to allow for technical readiness of the Generation 2 Technology fuel cell module as well as additional continuous technology development In parallel with the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement the Company and EMTEC will pursue pioneer commercial deployments of the Generation 2 Technology with
third parties with the Company as the fuel cell module manufacturer for such deployments Amendment No 5 also removed the cap on the maximum amount of research costs to be reimbursed by EMTEC and instead includes an expected annual budget for the anticipated work through the remaining term of the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement of at least 10 0 million per year subject to approval by EMTEC
In addition Amendment No 5 provides the Company with the ability to pursue new carbon capture projects with third parties for the remaining duration of the term of the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement using Generation 1 Technology or Generation 2 Technology provided that the use of Generation 2 Technology must be limited to the use of Generation 2 physical fuel cell properties and design elements in Generation 1 Technology modules with any new sales of such activities authorized work and carbon capture projects when summed together having the capability of capturing no more than 250 000 tons of CO2 on a cumulative annual basis Under Amendment No 5 following expiration of the term of the Joint Development Agreement the Company will also have the opportunity to continue to service continuing obligations for such projects entered into during the term of the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement e g completion of contracted builds service and repair replacement of components etc To allow the Company to pursue such projects in Amendment No 5 EMTEC also granted to the Company a worldwide non exclusive royalty free irrevocable during the term of the EMTEC Joint Development Agreement non sub licensable license to EMTEC s Generation 1 Technology as well as to EMTEC s Generation 2 Technology physical fuel cell properties and design elements
On May 28 2024 the Company and Gyeonggi Green Energy Co Ltd GGE entered into a LTSA with respect to GGE s 58 8 MW fuel cell power platform in Hwaseong si Korea the GGE Platform The GGE Platform is comprised of 21 SureSource 3000 molten carbonate fuel cells each a Plant Each Plant is comprised of two 1 4 MW carbonate fuel cell modules Pursuant to the LTSA GGE and the Company have agreed that i GGE will purchase from the Company 42 1 4 MW carbonate fuel cell modules to replace existing fuel cell modules at the GGE Platform ii the Company will provide certain balance of plant replacement components if and to the extent the parties reasonably determine existing components should be replaced and iii the Company will provide long term operations and maintenance services for the GGE Platform The total amount payable by GGE under the LTSA for the 42 replacement fuel cell modules balance of plant replacement components and service is 159 6 million USD with payments to be made over time as such replacement fuel cell modules are commissioned and the service obligations under the LTSA for such Plants commence Of this 159 6 million the Company recognized revenue of 18 0 million under Product revenues and 1 9 million under Service revenues during the year ended October 31 2024
Pursuant to the LTSA the Company will provide various performance guarantees for each Plant related to power generation fuel consumption water consumption and heat production If a Plant fails to achieve such performance requirements the Company may be required to compensate GGE for such underperformance
The Company s service obligations under the LTSA will commence with respect to individual Plants as the Company replaces each Plant s existing fuel cell modules and commissions the replacement fuel cell modules The term of the LTSA with respect to each Plant will continue for seven years from the date of commissioning of the replacement fuel cell modules for such Plant
Remaining performance obligations are the aggregate amount of total contract transaction price that is unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied As of October 31 2024 the Company s total remaining performance obligations were 172 4 million for service agreements expected to be recognized as revenue over approximately three to fifteen years which is based on the remaining term of the service agreements 389 0 million for generation PPAs expected to be recognized as revenue over approximately nineteen to twenty years based on the PPA terms remaining 9 6 million for Advanced Technologies contracts expected to be recognized within approximately two years and 111 3 million for product purchase agreements expected to be recognized as revenue over approximately two years based on the replacement schedule under the applicable LTSA
The Company closed on a tax equity financing transaction on October 31 2023 with Franklin Park for two fuel cell power plant installations the 14 0 MW Derby Fuel Cell Project and the 2 8 MW SCEF Fuel Cell Project both located in Derby Connecticut collectively the Derby Projects Franklin Park s tax equity commitment totaled 30 2 million Of this amount approximately 9 1 million was received on October 31 2023 and the remaining approximately 21 1 million was received during the year ended October 31 2024 In connection with the initial closing of this tax equity financing transaction in fiscal year 2023 the Company paid closing costs of approximately 1 8 million which included appraisal fees title insurance expenses and legal and consulting fees
This transaction was structured as a partnership flip which is a structure commonly used by tax equity investors in the financing of renewable energy projects Under this partnership flip structure a partnership in this case Derby Fuel Cell Holdco LLC the Derby Partnership was organized to acquire from FuelCell Energy Finance II LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company all outstanding equity interests in the Derby Projects FuelCell Energy Finance II owns the Derby Projects and is the party to the power purchase agreements and all project agreements At the closing of the transaction the Derby Projects are owned by the Derby Partnership with Franklin Park holding the Class A Units and Fuel Cell Energy Derby Finance Holdco LLC holding the Class B Units
Under most partnership flip structures tax equity investors agree to receive a minimum target rate of return typically on an after tax basis Prior to receiving a contractual rate of return or a date specified in the contractual arrangements Franklin Park will receive substantially all of the non cash value attributable to the Derby Projects which includes accelerated depreciation and Section 48 a investment tax credits however the Company will receive a majority of the cash distributions based on the operating income of the Derby Projects which are to be paid quarterly After Franklin Park receives its contractual rate of return the Company will receive approximately 95 of the cash and tax allocations
Since the Derby Projects became operational during the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 the Company has begun to allocate profits and losses to noncontrolling interests under the HLBV method For the year ended October 31 2024 the net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests totaled 28 3 million During the year ended October 31 2024 the Company made priority return distributions to Franklin Park of 1 0 million There were no priority return distributions or amounts allocated to noncontrolling interest for the years ended October 31 2023 and 2022 for the Derby Partnership because the Derby Projects were not yet operational during those years
This transaction was structured as a partnership flip Under this partnership flip structure a partnership in this case Groton Station Fuel Cell Holdco LLC the Groton Partnership was organized to acquire from FuelCell Energy Finance II LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company all outstanding equity interests in Groton Station Fuel Cell LLC the Groton Project Company which in turn owns the Groton Project and is the party to the power purchase agreement and all project agreements At the closing of the transaction the Groton Partnership is owned by East West Bank holding Class A Units and Fuel Cell Energy Finance Holdco LLC a subsidiary of FuelCell Energy Finance LLC holding Class B Units The acquisition of the Groton Project Company by the Groton Partnership was funded in part by an initial draw from East West Bank and funds contributed downstream to the Groton Partnership by the Company The initial closing occurred on August 4 2021 upon the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent including the receipt of an appraisal and confirmation that the Groton Project would be eligible for the investment tax credit under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended In connection with the initial closing the Company drew down 3 0 million of which approximately 0 8 million was used to pay closing costs including appraisal fees title insurance expenses and legal and consulting fees Under the original terms of the Company s agreement with East West Bank the Company would have been eligible to draw the remaining amount of the commitment approximately 12 million once the Groton Project achieved commercial operations
On July 7 2022 the Company and East West Bank amended their tax equity financing agreement and extended the commercial operations deadline to September 30 2022 In addition in the July 7 2022 amendment to the tax equity financing agreement the terms of East West Bank s remaining investment commitment of 12 0 million were modified such that East West Bank will contribute 4 0 million on each of the first second and third anniversaries of the Groton Project achieving commercial operations rather than contributing the full 12 0 million when the Groton Project achieved
commercial operations Such contributions are subject to certain customer conditions precedent including a third party certification by an independent engineer that the plant is operating in conformance with the amended and restated power purchase agreement When such contributions are made by East West Bank the funds will be distributed upstream to the Company as a reimbursement of prior construction costs incurred by the Company In conjunction with this amendment the Company agreed to pay aggregate fees of 0 5 million which are inclusive of the fees from the previous extensions of the commercial operations deadline which were payable by the Company upon commencement of commercial operations of the plant
On October 4 2022 the Company and East West Bank further amended their tax equity financing agreement to extend the deadline by which commercial operations were to be achieved at the Groton Project from September 30 2022 to November 30 2022 In addition modifications to the Groton Project documents between Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative CMEEC and the Company as a result of the agreement between those parties to commence operations at less than 7 4 MW required the approval of East West Bank as part of East West Bank s rights under the agreement between East West Bank and the Company On December 16 2022 the Company and CMEEC agreed that for all purposes the commercial operations date has occurred and accordingly East West Bank no longer had a right to have its investment returned as a result of the Company s failure to achieve commercial operations in a timely fashion and this investment became a non redeemable noncontrolling interest as of December 16 2022 In addition on December 16 2022 the Company paid the aggregate fees of 0 5 million described above to East West Bank
On December 16 2022 the Company declared and per the terms of the Amended and Restated Power Purchase Agreement between the Company and CMEEC entered into on that date the Amended and Restated PPA CMEEC agreed that the Groton Project was commercially operational at 6 0 MW As of December 16 2022 the Groton Project is reported as a part of the Company s generation operating portfolio The Amended and Restated PPA allowed the Company to operate the plants at a reduced output of approximately 6 0 MW while a Technical Improvement Plan TIP was implemented with the goal of bringing the platform to its rated capacity of 7 4 MW by December 31 2023 In conjunction with entering into the Amended and Restated PPA the Navy also provided its authorization to proceed with commercial operations at 6 0 MW The Company paid CMEEC an amendment fee of 1 2 million and incurred performance guarantee fees under the Amended and Restated PPA as a result of operating at an output below 7 4 MW during implementation of the TIP
During the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 the Company completed the TIP to bring the Groton Project to its rated capacity and the Groton Project reached its design rated output of 7 4 MW The Company achieved all conditions precedent required for the first annual funding from East West Bank under the tax equity financing transaction between the Company and East West Bank and as a result the Company received a 4 0 million contribution during the year ended October 31 2024 which is recorded as noncontrolling interest on the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Under most partnership flip structures tax equity investors agree to receive a minimum target rate of return typically on an after tax basis Prior to receiving a contractual rate of return or a date specified in the contractual arrangements East West Bank will receive substantially all of the non cash value attributable to the Groton Project which includes accelerated depreciation and Section 48 a investment tax credits however the Company will receive a majority of the cash distributions based on the operating income of the Groton Project which are paid quarterly After East West Bank receives its contractual rate of return the Company will receive approximately 95 of the cash and tax allocations The Company through a separate wholly owned entity entered into a back leverage debt financing transaction during fiscal year 2023 and is using the cash distributions from the Groton Partnership to service the debt refer to Note 12 Debt for additional information During the year ended October 31 2024 the Company made priority return distributions to East West Bank of 0 1 million No priority return distributions were made during the years ended October 31 2023 and 2022
This transaction was structured as a partnership flip Under this partnership flip structure a partnership in this case YTBFC Holdco LLC the Yaphank Partnership was organized to acquire from FuelCell Energy Finance II LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company all outstanding equity interests in Yaphank Fuel Cell Park LLC which in turn owns the LIPA Yaphank Project and is the party to the power purchase agreement and all project agreements REI holds Class A Units in the Yaphank Partnership and a subsidiary of the Company holds the Class B Units The initial funding occurred on December 13 2021 upon the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent including the receipt of an appraisal and confirmation that the LIPA Yaphank Project would be eligible for the investment tax credit ITC under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended In connection with the initial closing the Company was able to draw down approximately 3 2 million of which approximately 0 4 million was used to pay closing costs including title insurance expenses and legal and consulting fees The Company drew down the remaining amount of the commitment approximately 9 2 million in December 2021 and January 2022 after the LIPA Yaphank Project achieved commercial operation These proceeds were partially offset by legal and advisory fees of approximately 0 4 million
The Company determined during the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 that there was an overpayment by REI of the Class A Member Capital Contribution of 0 5 million and as such the Company refunded this amount back to REI reducing the REI tax equity commitment to 11 9 million During the years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 the Company made priority return distributions to REI of 0 6 million 0 and 0 3 million respectively which was calculated at a 2 73 annual interest rate on invested tax equity capital
Under a partnership flip structure tax equity investors agree to receive a minimum target rate of return typically on an after tax basis Prior to receiving a contractual rate of return or a date specified in the contractual arrangements REI will receive substantially all of the non cash value attributable to the LIPA Yaphank Project which includes accelerated depreciation and Section 48 a investment tax credits however the Company will receive a majority of the cash distributions based on the operating income of the LIPA Yaphank Project which are paid quarterly After REI receives its contractual rate of return the Company will receive approximately 95 of the cash and tax allocations
Under this partnership flip structure after the fifth anniversary following achievement of commercial operations we have an option to acquire all of the equity interests that REI holds in the Yaphank Partnership starting after REI receives its contractual rate of return the anticipated flip date after the LIPA Yaphank Project is operational If we exercise this option we will be required to pay the greater of the following i the fair market value of REI s equity interest at the time the option is exercised or ii an amount equal to 10 3 of REI s capital contributions This option payment is to be grossed up for federal taxes if it exceeds the tax basis of the Yaphank Partnership Class A Units
On October 31 2023 REI purchased investment tax credits ITCs from Long Beach Trigen LLC LB Seller a subsidiary of the Company The Toyota project qualified for 8 4 million of ITCs The total amount of the purchase was 7 1 million or 0 85 per 1 00 of purchased ITCs The Company incurred transaction costs of 0 4 million for legal costs and advisory fees Toyota Motor North America Toyota has a contractual right under the Toyota HPPA to receive the benefit of the ITCs and as a result the Company recorded the value of the net amount due to Toyota as an accrued liability totaling 6 3 million which will be reduced over time based on the performance under the terms of the contract with Toyota see Note 10 Accrued Liabilities for further information The balance of this accrued liability is 6 0 million as of October 31 2024
On September 5 2024 the Company undertook a restructuring which included a reduction in force that represented approximately 4 of the Company s global workforce to reduce costs and align production levels with then current levels of demand in a manner that is consistent with the Company s long term strategic plan The workforce was reduced across our global operations including Calgary Canada and at our North American production facility in Torrington Connecticut at corporate offices in Danbury Connecticut and at other remote locations Restructuring expense relating to severance for eliminated positions of 2 6 million was recognized in the year ended October 31 2024 which has been presented under a separate caption in the Consolidated Statements of Operations As of October 31 2024 0 3 million of the restructuring
The Company s U S Treasury Securities outstanding as of October 31 2024 had maturity dates ranging from November 5 2024 to November 29 2024 We have classified our investments in U S Treasury Securities as held to maturity and recorded them at amortized cost The following table summarizes the amortized cost basis and fair value based on quoted market prices as of October 31 2024 in thousands
Raw materials consist mainly of various nickel powders and steels various other components used in producing cell stacks and purchased components for BOP Work in process inventory is comprised of material labor and overhead costs incurred to build fuel cell stacks and modules which are subcomponents of a power platform
installations generating power with respect to which the Company has a PPA with the end user of power and site host with a net aggregate value of 242 0 million and 167 5 million as of October 31 2024 and 2023 respectively Certain of these assets are the subject of sale leaseback arrangements with Crestmark The increase in operating project assets as of October 31 2024 compared to October 31 2023 is a result of the inclusion of the Toyota project and the Derby Projects all of which became operational during the year ended October 31 2024
Project assets as of October 31 2024 and 2023 also include installations with carrying values of 0 2 million and 90 6 million respectively which are being developed and constructed by the Company in connection with projects for which we have entered into PPAs or projects for which we expect to secure PPAs or otherwise recover the asset value and which have not yet been placed in service
The 250 kW Trinity College project and the 1 0 MW UConn project were included in Construction in progress as of October 31 2024 The units to be installed at Trinity College and UConn are first article units of our solid oxide fuel cell SOFC product In reviewing our project cost estimates for these PPAs during the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 it was determined that the expected project costs for these contracts would exceed the expected cash flows and therefore an impairment charge was required As a result the Company recorded an impairment charge of 1 3 million that represents the unrecoverable costs incurred through October 31 2024 for the Trinity College and UConn projects which have been expensed as generation cost of revenues
In addition the Company incurred additional non recoverable costs of 3 6 million associated with work at the Toyota site for the installation of ancillary equipment This is consistent with non recoverable costs at the Toyota project that were expensed as generation cost of revenues as discussed in the fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2022 discussions below
The Toyota project was included in Construction in progress as of October 31 2023 It was determined in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021 that a potential source of renewable natural gas RNG at favorable pricing was no longer sufficiently probable and that market pricing for RNG had significantly increased resulting in the determination that the project was expected to generate negative cash flows and that therefore the carrying value of the project asset was no longer recoverable Refer to Note 20 Commitments and Contingencies for more information regarding fuel risk exposure As this project was being constructed only inventory components that could be redeployed for alternative use were capitalized For the year ended October 31 2023 non recoverable costs incurred of 22 9 million have been expensed as generation cost of revenues
The Company recorded an impairment charge of approximately 1 0 million during the year ended October 31 2022 related to the cessation of operations at a conditioning facility in Danbury CT which was replaced by a new conditioning facility located at our Torrington CT manufacturing facility There were no impairments of property plant and equipment for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023
The Versa Inc acquisition intangible asset represents indefinite lived IPR D for cumulative research and development efforts associated with the development of solid oxide fuel cell stationary power generation The Company completed its annual impairment analysis of goodwill and IPR D assets as of July 31 2024 The Company performed a qualitative analysis for fiscal year 2024 and determined that there was no impairment of goodwill or the indefinite lived intangible asset Additionally there were no impairments of goodwill or the indefinite lived intangible asset during fiscal years 2023 and 2022
The Company enters into operating and finance lease agreements for the use of real estate vehicles information technology equipment and certain other equipment We determine if an arrangement contains a lease at inception which is the date on which the terms of the contract are agreed to and the agreement creates enforceable rights and obligations The impacts of accounting for operating leases are included in Operating lease right of use assets Operating lease liabilities and Long term operating lease liabilities in the Company s Consolidated Balance Sheets Finance leases are not considered significant to the Company s Consolidated Balance Sheets or Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
Operating lease expense for the year ended October 31 2024 was 1 4 million Operating lease expense for each of the years ended October 31 2023 and 2022 was 1 5 million As of October 31 2024 the weighted average remaining lease term in years was approximately 16 years and the weighted average discount rate was 6 9 Lease payments made during the years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 totaled 1 3 million 1 2 million and 1 4 million respectively
On October 31 2024 the Company closed on a project debt financing transaction with the Export Import Bank of the United States EXIM to support the Company s obligations under the LTSA with GGE pursuant to which the Company is to supply GGE with forty two 1 4 megawatt upgraded carbonate fuel cell modules to replace existing units at GGE s Hwaseong Baran Industrial Complex In conjunction with this financing the Company entered into a promissory note and related security agreements securing the loan with equipment liens resulting in gross proceeds of approximately 10 1 million Interest accrues at a fixed interest rate of 5 81 and the note is repayable in monthly installments consisting of interest and principal over 7 years from the date of the first debt payment which is due in January of 2025 After payment of customary fees and transaction costs net proceeds were approximately 9 2 million
The credit agreement between the Company and EXIM contains certain reporting requirements and other affirmative and negative covenants which are customary for transactions of this type In addition the Company is required to maintain throughout the term of the credit agreement a minimum cash balance of 100 0 million For the purposes of this credit agreement cash is defined as the sum of unrestricted cash plus all short term but no longer than three months marketable United States Treasury instruments as measured based on the maturity amount of each instrument
On April 25 2024 FuelCell Energy Derby Finance Holdco LLC Derby Holdco Borrower a wholly owned subsidiary of FuelCell Energy Finance LLC FCEF which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of FuelCell Energy Inc Parent entered into i a Credit Agreement the Derby Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement with by and among Liberty Bank in its capacities as a lender Liberty Lender administrative agent the Senior Administrative Agent and lead arranger and Connecticut Green Bank in its capacity as a lender Green Bank Lender and collectively with Liberty Lender the Derby Senior Back Leverage Lenders for a term loan facility in an amount not to exceed an aggregate of 9 5 million to be provided 68 by Liberty Lender and 32 by Green Bank Lender such facility the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility each such term loan a Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan and such term loans together the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loans and ii a Credit Agreement the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement with Connecticut Green Bank as administrative agent the Subordinated Administrative Agent and lender Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Lender for a term loan facility in an amount not to exceed 3 5 million such facility the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility and such term loan the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan The Derby Senior Back Leverage Lenders and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Lender are referred to collectively as the Derby Back Leverage Lenders
Derby Holdco Borrower s obligations under the Derby Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement are secured by a lien on all of Derby Holdco Borrower s assets consisting principally of its Class B Member Interests the Derby Class B Interests in Derby Fuel Cell Holdco LLC the Derby Tax Equity Holdco The Class A Membership Interests the Derby Class A Interests in the Derby Tax Equity Holdco are held by Franklin Park see Note 1 for further discussion of the tax equity financing transaction structure Derby Holdco Borrower is also the Managing Member of the Derby Tax Equity Holdco The Derby Tax Equity Holdco s primary asset is ownership of all of the outstanding equity interests in Derby Station Fuel Cell LLC and SCEF1 Fuel Cell LLC the Derby Project Companies The Derby Project Companies in turn are the owners of the fuel cell power plants located in Derby Connecticut which are referred to herein as the Derby Projects As additional context concerning the relationship among the parties with respect to the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility more fully described below on October 19 2018 the Derby Project Companies and Parent entered into an Amended and Restated Power Purchase Agreement the Derby Amended and Restated PPA with The Connecticut Light and Power Company d b a Eversource Energy CLPC pursuant to which the Derby Project Companies agreed to sell to CLPC and CLPC agreed to purchase from the Derby Project Companies all of the electricity output produced by the Derby Projects pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Derby Amended and Restated PPA
At the closing the Derby Closing of each of the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility which occurred simultaneously on April 25 2024 the Derby Closing Date the entire amount of each of the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility was drawn down in the aggregate amount of 13 0 million After payment of fees and transaction costs including fees to the Derby Back Leverage Lenders and legal costs of approximately 0 2 million in the aggregate the remaining proceeds of approximately 12 8 million were used as follows i approximately 0 9 million was used to fund debt service and module replacement reserve accounts DSCR Reserve Accounts for the Derby Senior Back Leverage Lenders in
amounts of approximately 0 6 million for Liberty Lender and approximately 0 3 million for Green Bank Lender ii approximately 0 4 million was used to fund a DSCR Reserve Account for the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Lender and iii the remaining amount of approximately 11 5 million was released to Parent from the Derby Back Leverage Lenders Additionally the Company incurred legal fees of approximately 0 2 million in relation to the financing that was not deducted from the debt proceeds
The Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan will accrue interest on the unpaid principal amount calculated from the date of such Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan until the maturity date at a rate per annum equal to 7 25 Quarterly principal amortization and interest payments are required to be made by Derby Holdco Borrower on the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan based on a seven year amortization period The Derby Senior Back Leverage Loans have a seven year term maturing on March 31 2031
The Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan will accrue interest on the unpaid principal amount calculated from the date of such Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan until the maturity date at a rate per annum equal to 8 Pursuant to the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility during the Derby Interest Only Period as defined below Derby Holdco Borrower is required to make quarterly payments of interest only until June 30 2031 Following the end of the Derby Interest Only Period principal and interest payments are required to be made quarterly in quarterly level payments mortgage style of principal and interest until the maturity date on March 31 2038
Each of the Derby Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement contains certain reporting requirements and other affirmative and negative covenants which are customary for transactions of this type Included in the covenants are covenants that i Derby Holdco Borrower maintain a Senior debt service coverage ratio which is computed taking into account debt service obligations on the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loans of not less than 1 25 1 00 based on the trailing 12 months and tested every quarter and a Total debt service coverage ratio which is computed taking into account debt service obligations on both the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loans and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan of not less than 1 10 1 00 based on the trailing 12 months and tested on a quarterly basis ii Derby Holdco Borrower may make distributions or dividends only if the foregoing debt to equity coverage ratios have been satisfied and Derby Holdco Borrower is not in default under any provisions of either the Derby Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement or the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement including having made all required deposits into reserve accounts iii Derby Holdco Borrower is required to exercise its right under the Derby Tax Equity Holdco limited liability company agreement to acquire the Derby Class A Interests from Franklin Park during the ninety day period beginning on the Flip Point which pursuant to the Derby Tax Equity Holdco limited liability company agreement is the date on which the holder of Derby Class A Interests has realized a certain return on investment and accordingly Derby Holdco Borrower as holder of the Derby Class B Interests has the right to purchase the Derby Class A Interests and iv the consent of the Senior Administrative Agent is required prior to Derby Holdco Borrower s taking certain material actions under the Derby Tax Equity Holdco limited liability company agreement Each of the Derby Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement and the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement also contains customary representations and warranties and customary events of default that cause or entitle the Derby Back Leverage Lenders to cause the outstanding loans to become immediately due and payable In addition to customary events of default for transactions of this kind the events of default include if a Change of Control occurs meaning Parent no longer directly or indirectly owns Derby Holdco Borrower a cross default meaning that a default under the Derby Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility shall be deemed a default under the Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility and vice versa or if CLPC should become insolvent is in bankruptcy or commits a specified number of payment defaults with regard to its payment obligations to the Derby Project Companies
The Derby Senior Back Leverage Loans may be prepaid at any time at the option of Derby Holdco Borrower provided that i each prepayment on or prior to the second anniversary of the Derby Closing Date shall require a prepayment fee of 3 of the principal amount being prepaid ii each prepayment after the second anniversary of the Derby Closing Date but on or prior to the fourth anniversary of the Derby Closing Date shall require a prepayment fee of 2 of the principal amount being prepaid and iii each prepayment after the fourth anniversary of the Derby Closing Date but on or prior to the seventh anniversary of the Derby Closing Date shall require a prepayment fee of 1 of the principal amount being prepaid The Derby Subordinated Back Leverage Loan may be prepaid at any time without premium or penalty
amended the Financing Agreement with by and among Investec Bank plc in its capacities as a lender Investec Lender administrative agent Administrative Agent and collateral agent Collateral Agent Investec Inc as coordinating lead arranger and sole bookrunner Bank of Montreal Chicago Branch in its capacity as a lender BMO Lender and as mandated lead arranger and each of Liberty Bank Amalgamated Bank and Connecticut Green Bank as lenders collectively with Investec Lender and BMO Lender the Lenders for a term loan facility in an amount not to exceed 80 5 million the Term Loan Facility and such term loan the Term Loan and a letter of credit facility in an amount not to exceed 6 5 million the LC Facility and together with the Term Loan Facility the OpCo Financing Facility
OpCo Borrower s obligations under the Financing Agreement are secured by Parent s interest in six operating fuel cell generation projects i the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project located in Bridgeport Connecticut ii the Central CT State University Project located in New Britain Connecticut iii the Pfizer Project located in Groton Connecticut iv the LIPA Yaphank Project located in Long Island New York v the Riverside Regional Water Quality Control Plant Project located in Riverside California and vi the Santa Rita Jail Project located in Alameda County California each a Project and collectively the Projects
Immediately prior to the closing on the OpCo Financing Facility which closing occurred on May 19 2023 Parent caused to be transferred to OpCo Borrower all of the outstanding equity interests in i Bridgeport Fuel Cell LLC the Bridgeport Project Company the entity that owns the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project ii New Britain Renewable Energy LLC the CCSU Project Company the entity that owns the Central CT State University Project iii Groton Fuel Cell 1 LLC the Pfizer Project Company the entity that owns the Pfizer Project iv Riverside Fuel Cell LLC the Riverside Project Company the entity that owns the Riverside Regional Water Quality Control Plant Project v SRJFC LLC the Santa Rita Project Company the entity that owns the Santa Rita Jail Project and vi Fuel Cell YT Holdco LLC the Class B Member the entity that owns Parent s Class B membership interest in YTBFC Holdco LLC the Yaphank Tax Equity Partnership the tax equity partnership with Renewable Energy Investors LLC the Class A Member as tax equity investor which Yaphank Tax Equity Partnership in turn owns Yaphank Fuel Cell Park LLC the Yaphank Project Company the entity that owns the LIPA Yaphank Project
At the time of closing on the OpCo Financing Facility i the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project was encumbered by senior and subordinated indebtedness to Liberty Bank Fifth Third Bank and Connecticut Green Bank in the aggregate amount of approximately 11 4 million and ii the Pfizer Project the Riverside Regional Water Quality Control Plant Project and the Santa Rita Jail Project were subject to sale and leaseback transactions and agreements with PNC Energy Capital LLC PNC in which the lease buyout amounts including sales taxes were approximately 15 7 million 3 7 million and 2 8 million respectively In connection with closing on the OpCo Financing Facility all of the foregoing indebtedness and lease buyout amounts were repaid and extinguished with proceeds of the Term Loan and funds of approximately 7 3 million that were released from restricted and unrestricted reserve accounts held at PNC at the time of closing resulting in the applicable project companies re acquiring ownership of the three leased projects from PNC the termination of the agreements with PNC related to the sale leaseback transactions and the termination of the senior and subordinated credit agreements with the related promissory notes issued to and the related pledge and security agreements with Liberty Bank Fifth Third Bank and Connecticut Green Bank related to the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project Further in connection with the closing on the OpCo Financing Facility and the termination of the senior and subordinated credit agreements with Liberty Bank Fifth Third Bank and Connecticut Green Bank related to the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project Fifth Third Bank and the Bridgeport Project Company agreed that the obligations arising out of the swap transactions contemplated by their related interest rate swap agreement were terminated and waived and the swap agreement was effectively terminated In addition in connection with closing on the OpCo Financing Facility proceeds of the Term Loan were used to repay a portion of Parent s long term indebtedness to Connecticut Green Bank in the amount of approximately 1 8 million
At the closing 80 5 million the entire amount of the Term Loan portion of the OpCo Financing Facility was drawn down After payment of fees and transaction costs including fees to the Lenders and legal costs of approximately 2 9 million in the aggregate the remaining proceeds of approximately 77 6 million were used as follows i approximately 15 0 million was used in addition to the approximately 7 3 million released from restricted and unrestricted reserve accounts held at PNC to pay the lease buyout amounts and sales taxes referred to above and to re acquire the three projects owned by PNC as referred to above ii approximately 11 4 million was used to extinguish the indebtedness to Liberty Bank Fifth Third Bank and Connecticut Green Bank relating to the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project iii approximately 1 8 million was used to repay a portion of Parent s long term indebtedness to Connecticut Green Bank iv 14 5 million was used to fund a capital expenditure reserve account required to be maintained pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement which is classified as restricted cash on the Company s Consolidated Balance Sheets and
v approximately 34 9 million was distributed to Parent for use as Parent determines in its sole discretion In addition in connection with the extinguishment of the Company s indebtedness to Liberty Bank and Fifth Third Bank referred to above approximately 11 2 million of restricted cash was released to the Company from Liberty Bank and Fifth Third Bank Taking into consideration the release of such funds the total net proceeds to the Company from these transactions were approximately 46 1 million
The Term Loan portion of the OpCo Financing Facility will accrue interest on the unpaid principal amount calculated from the date of such Term Loan until the maturity date thereof at a rate per annum during each Interest Period as defined in the Financing Agreement for such Term Loan equal to A with respect to SOFR Rate Loans i the Adjusted Daily Compounded SOFR for such Interest Period with respect to SOFR Rate Loans plus ii the Applicable Margin and B with respect to Base Rate Loans i the Base Rate from time to time in effect plus ii the Applicable Margin in each case as defined in the Financing Agreement The Applicable Margin for SOFR Rate Loans is 2 5 for the first four years of the term and thereafter 3 The Applicable Margin for Base Rate Loans is 1 5 for the first four years of the term and thereafter 2 At the closing in connection with the draw down of the entire amount of the Term Loan OpCo Borrower elected to make such draw down a SOFR Rate Loan with an initial Interest Period of three months After the initial Interest Period of three months OpCo Borrower may elect both the applicable Interest Period i e one month three months or six months and whether the Term Loan will be treated as a SOFR Rate Loan or a Base Rate Loan for such Interest Period Interest payments are required to be made quarterly
Quarterly principal amortization obligations are also required to be made based on 17 year principal amortization designed to be fully repaid in 2039 with quarterly amortization payments based on a 1 30x debt service coverage ratio sizing based on contracted cash flows before giving effect to module replacement expenses and module replacement drawdown releases The Term Loan has a seven year term maturing on May 19 2030
Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement OpCo Borrower is required to maintain a capital expenditures reserve to pay for expected module replacements The total reserve balance is required to reach 29 0 million 14 5 million of which was funded out of the closing advance of the Term Loan and the remainder of which is to be funded pursuant to an agreed upon funding schedule through cash flows generated by the Projects set forth in the Financing Agreement for the period of June 30 2023 through December 31 2029
Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement OpCo Borrower is required to maintain a debt service reserve of not less than six months of the scheduled principal and interest payments The letter of credit component of the OpCo Financing Facility is for the purpose of obtaining letters of credit to satisfy such obligation at the closing an Irrevocable Letter of Credit was issued by Investec Bank plc as the issuing bank in favor of the Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Lenders in the amount of 6 5 million to satisfy the debt service reserve funding obligation
Pursuant to the Financing Agreement within 30 days of the financial close of the Financing Agreement OpCo Borrower was required to enter into one or more hedge transactions with a Lender or an affiliate thereof pursuant to one or more interest rate agreements to hedge OpCo Borrower s interest rate exposure relating to the Term Loan from floating to fixed Such hedge transactions are required to be in effect at all times during the entire amortization period and have an aggregate notional amount subject to the hedge transactions at any time equal to at least 75 and no more than 105 of the aggregate principal balance of the Term Loan outstanding taking into account scheduled amortization of the Term Loan
Upon closing on May 19 2023 OpCo Borrower entered into an ISDA 2002 Master Agreement and an ISDA Schedule to the 2002 Master Agreement with Investec Bank plc as a hedge provider and an ISDA 2002 Master Agreement and an ISDA Schedule to the 2002 Master Agreement with Bank of Montreal Chicago Branch as a hedge provider On May 22 2023 OpCo Borrower executed the related trade confirmations for these interest rate swap agreements with these hedge providers to protect against adverse price movements in the floating SOFR rate associated with 100 of the aggregate principal balance of the Term Loan outstanding Pursuant to the terms of such agreements OpCo Borrower will pay a fixed rate of interest of 3 716 The net interest rate across the Financing Agreement and the swap transaction is 6 366 in the first four years and 6 866 thereafter The obligations of OpCo Borrower to the hedge providers under the interest rate swap agreements are treated as obligations under the Financing Agreement and accordingly are secured on a pari passu basis by the same collateral securing the obligations of OpCo Borrower under the Financing Agreement which collateral is described below The Company has not elected hedge accounting treatment and as a result the derivative will be remeasured to fair value quarterly with the resulting gains losses recorded to other income expense The fair value adjustments for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 resulted in a loss of 3 1 million and a gain of 3 3 million respectively
The Financing Agreement contains certain reporting requirements and other affirmative and negative covenants which are customary for transactions of this type Included in the covenants are covenants that i the Yaphank Project Company obtain ongoing three year extensions of its current gas agreement ii any annual operating expense budget that exceeds 115 of the Base Case Model as defined in the Financing Agreement for that year be approved by the Required Lenders i e Lenders constituting more than 50 of the amounts loaned iii OpCo Borrower maintain a debt service coverage ratio of not less than 1 20 1 00 based on the trailing 12 months and tested every six months and iv the Class B Member is required to exercise its option to purchase the Class A Member s interest in the Yaphank Tax Equity Partnership during the six month period following the Flip Point as set forth in the limited liability company agreement for the Yaphank Tax Equity Partnership The Financing Agreement also contains customary representations and warranties and customary events of default that cause or entitle the Lenders to cause the outstanding loans under the Financing Agreement to become immediately due and payable
The Term Loan may be prepaid at any time at the option of OpCo Borrower without premium or penalty other than any liquidation costs if such prepayment occurs other than at the end of an Interest Period In addition there are certain mandatory repayments required under the Financing Agreement including in connection with any sale or disposition of all of the Projects or of any of the LIPA Yaphank Project the Bridgeport Fuel Cell Project or the Pfizer Project If the Company disposes of any of the Riverside Regional Water Quality Control Plant Project the Santa Rita Jail Project or the Central CT State University Project OpCo Borrower is required to prepay an amount of the Term Loan based on the then stipulated value of the disposed Project
Simultaneously with OpCo Borrower entering into the Financing Agreement FCEF as pledgor OpCo Borrower and each of the Bridgeport Project Company the Pfizer Project Company the Riverside Project Company the Santa Rita Project Company the CCSU Project Company and the Class B Member each as a subsidiary grantor party and guarantor entered into an Omnibus Guarantee Pledge and Security Agreement the Security Agreement with Investec Bank plc as Collateral Agent pursuant to which as collateral for the Term Loan Facility the LC Facility and the hedge agreements i FCEF granted to Collateral Agent a security interest in all of FCEF s equity interest in OpCo Borrower ii OpCo Borrower granted to Collateral Agent a security interest in all of OpCo Borrower s assets consisting of its equity interests in the Bridgeport Project Company the Pfizer Project Company the Riverside Project Company the Santa Rita Project Company the CCSU Project Company and the Class B Member iii each of the Bridgeport Project Company the Pfizer Project Company the Riverside Project Company the Santa Rita Project Company and the CCSU Project Company granted to Collateral Agent a security interest in all of each such entity s assets consisting principally of the respective generation facilities and project agreements and iv the Class B Member granted to Collateral Agent a security interest in all of such Class B Member s assets consisting principally of its equity interest in the Yaphank Tax Equity Partnership Pursuant to the Security Agreement each of the subsidiary grantor parties jointly and severally guaranteed payment of all of the obligations secured by the Security Agreement
Simultaneously with the execution of the Financing Agreement OpCo Borrower Investec Bank plc as Collateral Agent and Administrative Agent and Liberty Bank as Depositary Agent entered into a Depositary Agreement the Depositary Agreement pursuant to which OpCo Borrower established certain accounts at Liberty Bank all of which were pledged to Collateral Agent as security for the Term Loan Facility the LC Facility and the hedge agreements including a Revenue Account a Debt Service Reserve Account a Redemption Account for prepayments a Capital Expenditure Reserve Account and a Distribution Reserve Account in each case as defined in the Depositary Agreement Pursuant to the terms of the Financing Agreement and the Depositary Agreement OpCo Borrower may make quarterly distributions to FCEF and Parent provided that i no Event of Default or Default in each case as defined in the Financing Agreement exists under the OpCo Financing Facility ii all reserve accounts have been funded iii no letter of credit loans or unpaid drawings are outstanding with regard to any drawn down letter of credit under the LC Facility iv OpCo Borrower has maintained a greater than 1 20 1 00 debt service coverage ratio for the immediate 12 month period and v no Cash Diversion Event i e certain events that would adversely impact distributions to the Class B Member in connection with the LIPA Yaphank Project as further defined in the Financing Agreement has occurred Beginning with the quarter ending June 2025 and continuing until the quarter ending March 2026 prior to making contributions to the Debt Service Reserve Account or the Capital Expenditure Reserve Account or having funds available for distribution out of operating cash flow OpCo Borrower is required to make a quarterly payment to the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Lenders in the amount of 675 000 per quarter to be applied to outstanding principal
On August 18 2023 FuelCell Energy Finance Holdco LLC Groton Holdco Borrower a wholly owned subsidiary of FCEF which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent entered into i a Credit Agreement the Groton Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement with by and among Liberty Bank in its capacities as a lender Liberty Lender administrative agent the Senior Administrative Agent and lead arranger and Amalgamated Bank in its capacity as a lender Amalgamated Lender and collectively with Liberty Lender the Groton Senior Back Leverage Lenders for a term loan facility in an amount not to exceed an aggregate of 12 0 million to be provided 50 by Liberty Lender and 50 by Amalgamated Lender such facility the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility each such term loan a Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan and such term loans together the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loans and ii a Credit Agreement the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement with Connecticut Green Bank as administrative agent the Subordinated Administrative Agent and lender Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Lender for a term loan facility in an amount not to exceed 8 0 million such facility the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility and such term loan the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan The Groton Senior Back Leverage Lenders and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Lender are referred to collectively as the Groton Back Leverage Lenders
Groton Holdco Borrower s obligations under the Groton Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement are secured by a lien on all of Groton Holdco Borrower s assets consisting principally of its Class B Member Interests the Class B Interests in Groton Station Fuel Cell Holdco LLC the Groton Tax Equity Holdco Class A Membership Interests the Class A Interests in the Groton Tax Equity Holdco are held by East West Bank Groton Holdco Borrower is also the Managing Member of the Groton Tax Equity Holdco The Groton Tax Equity Holdco s primary asset is ownership of all of the outstanding equity interests in Groton Station Fuel Cell LLC the Groton Project Company The Groton Project Company in turn is the owner of the fuel cell power plant at the U S Navy Submarine Base New London located in Groton Connecticut the Groton Project As additional context concerning the relationship among the parties with respect to the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility more fully described below on December 16 2022 the Groton Project Company and Parent entered into an Amended and Restated Power Purchase Agreement the Groton Amended and Restated PPA with Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative CMEEC pursuant to which the Groton Project Company agreed to sell to CMEEC and CMEEC agreed to purchase from the Groton Project Company all of the electricity output produced by the Groton Project pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Groton Amended and Restated PPA
At the closing the Groton Closing of each of the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility which occurred simultaneously on August 18 2023 the Groton Closing Date the entire amount of each of the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility was drawn down in the aggregate amount of 20 0 million After payment of fees and transaction costs including fees to the Groton Back Leverage Lenders and legal costs of approximately 0 4 million in the aggregate the remaining proceeds of approximately 19 6 million were used as follows i approximately 1 7 million was used to fund debt service reserve accounts DSCR Reserve Accounts for the Groton Senior Back Leverage Lenders in equal amounts of approximately 0 83 million for Liberty Lender and approximately 0 83 million for Amalgamated Lender ii approximately 6 5 million was used to fund operations and maintenance and module replacement reserve accounts for the Groton Senior Back Leverage Lenders in equal amounts of approximately 3 25 million for Liberty Lender and approximately 3 25 million for Amalgamated Lender iii approximately 0 3 million was used to fund a DSCR Reserve Account for the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Lender and iv the remaining amount of approximately 11 1 million was released to Parent from the Groton Back Leverage Lenders As discussed in additional detail below simultaneous with the Groton Closing a portion of the proceeds were used to a make Output Shortfall Payments which are cash payments required to be made by the Groton Project Company in the event that the Groton Project produces electricity in any year less than the minimum required amount for such year totaling approximately 1 3 million which were deposited into a payment reserve account and b pay approximately 3 0 million to Connecticut Green Bank which represented payment in full of all outstanding obligations under Parent s loan agreement with Connecticut Green Bank After taking into account such Output Shortfall Payments and such payment to Connecticut Green Bank approximately 6 8 million was classified as unrestricted cash on the Company s Consolidated Balance Sheet
The portion of the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan provided by Liberty Lender will accrue interest on the unpaid principal amount calculated from the date of such Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan until the maturity date at a rate per annum equal to 6 75 The portion of the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan provided by Amalgamated Lender will
accrue interest on the unpaid principal amount calculated from the date of such Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan until the maturity date thereof at 6 07 during all times at which a Carbon Offset Event is not continuing and 7 32 at all times at which a Carbon Offset Event has occurred and is continuing A Carbon Offset Event is deemed to occur if Groton Holdco Borrower Parent or any direct or indirect subsidiary thereof does not purchase carbon offsets from an Acceptable Carbon Offset Provider as defined below each fiscal year in an amount equal to the lesser of i the Annual Carbon Offset Requirement for such fiscal year which is derived based on a formula equal to the outstanding balance of the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan provided by Amalgamated Lender multiplied by the Groton Project s annual carbon emissions for such year and divided by the total project costs of the Groton Project and ii the Annual Carbon Offset Cap for such fiscal year which is 12 66 multiplied by the Annual Carbon Offset Requirement and divided by the Carbon Offset Price for such fiscal year The Carbon Offset Price means the price per metric ton of carbon dioxide of the carbon offsets available for purchase from an Acceptable Carbon Offset Provider An Acceptable Carbon Offset Provider is either Climate Vault or any other seller of carbon offsets acceptable to Amalgamated Lender
Quarterly principal amortization and interest payments are required to be made by Groton Holdco Borrower on the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loans based on a ten year amortization period The Groton Senior Back Leverage Loans have a seven year term maturing on August 18 2030 at which time all outstanding principal is due
The Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan will accrue interest at a rate per annum equal to 8 for the period of time prior to the Step Down Date and after the Step Down Date at the lesser of 8 or the interest rate on a 10 year U S Treasury Note plus 275 basis points subject to a minimum floor of 5 per annum The Step Down Date is the date on which both of the following events have occurred Groton Holdco Borrower has purchased East West Bank s Class A Interests in the Groton Tax Equity Holdco and the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loans have been repaid in full Interest is payable each quarter based on an agreed upon schedule
Pursuant to the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility during the Groton Interest Only Period as defined below Groton Holdco Borrower is required to make quarterly payments of principal in amounts equal to 50 of excess cash flow available to Groton Holdco Borrower For purposes of the foregoing excess cash flow is all excess cash flow of Groton Holdco Borrower after the payment of required principal and interest on the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loans required deposits in the various reserve accounts the payment of interest on the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan and payment of Groton Holdco Borrower s operating expenses Following the end of the Groton Interest Only Period principal and interest payments are required to be made quarterly in quarterly level payments mortgage style of principal and interest until the maturity date which is the first to occur of 20 years following the Groton Project s commercial operations date and termination of the Groton Amended and Restated PPA The maturity date of the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility is currently contemplated to be September 30 2038 The Groton Interest Only Period is the period beginning on the Groton Closing Date and ending the first to occur of i eighty four months after the Groton Closing Date or ii the date the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility has been fully repaid
Each of the Groton Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement contains certain reporting requirements and other affirmative and negative covenants which are customary for transactions of this type Included in the covenants are covenants that i Groton Holdco Borrower maintain a Senior debt service coverage ratio which is computed taking into account debt service obligations on the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loans of not less than 1 20 1 00 based on the trailing 12 months and tested every quarter and a Total debt service coverage ratio which is computed taking into account debt service obligations on both the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loans and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan of not less than 1 10 1 00 based on the trailing 12 months and tested on a quarterly basis ii Groton Holdco Borrower may make distributions or dividends only if the foregoing debt to equity coverage ratios have been satisfied and Groton Holdco Borrower is not in default under any provisions of either the Groton Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement or the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement including having made all required deposits into reserve accounts iii Groton Holdco Borrower is required to exercise its right under the Groton Tax Equity Holdco limited liability company agreement to acquire the Class A Interests from East West Bank during the ninety day period beginning on the Flip Point which pursuant to the Groton Tax Equity Holdco limited liability company agreement is the date on which the holder of Class A Interests has realized a certain return on investment and accordingly Groton Holdco Borrower as holder of the Class B Interests has the right to purchase the Class A Interests and iv the consent of the Senior Administrative Agent is required prior to Groton Holdco Borrower s taking certain material actions under the Groton Tax Equity Holdco limited liability company agreement Each of the Groton Senior Back Leverage Credit Agreement and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Credit Agreement also contains customary representations and warranties and customary events of default that cause or entitle the Groton Back Leverage Lenders to cause the outstanding loans to become immediately due and payable In
addition to customary events of default for transactions of this kind the events of default include if a Change of Control occurs meaning Parent no longer directly or indirectly owns Groton Holdco Borrower a cross default meaning that a default under the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility shall be deemed a default under the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility and vice versa or if CMEEC should become insolvent is in bankruptcy or commits a specified number of payment defaults with regard to its payment obligations to the Groton Project Company
The Groton Senior Back Leverage Loans may be prepaid at any time at the option of Groton Holdco Borrower provided that i each prepayment on or prior to the second anniversary of the Groton Closing Date shall require a prepayment fee of 3 of the principal amount being prepaid ii each prepayment after the second anniversary of the Groton Closing Date but on or prior to the fourth anniversary of the Groton Closing Date shall require a prepayment fee of 2 of the principal amount being prepaid and iii each prepayment after the fourth anniversary of the Groton Closing Date but on or prior to the seventh anniversary of the Groton Closing Date shall require a prepayment fee of 1 of the principal amount being prepaid The Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan may be prepaid at any time without premium or penalty
Several of the Company s project subsidiaries previously entered into sale leaseback agreements with PNC and Crestmark for commissioned projects where the Company had entered into a PPA with the site host end user of produced power The Company did not recognize as revenue any of the proceeds received from the lessor that contractually constitute payments to acquire the assets subject to these arrangements Instead the sale proceeds received were accounted for as finance obligations The outstanding finance obligation balance as of both October 31 2024 and 2023 was 18 8 million The outstanding finance obligation for the remaining leases as of October 31 2024 includes 10 5 million in excess of future required payments which represents imputed interest not including amounts for the potential repurchase price of the project assets which is based on fair value The sale leaseback arrangements with Crestmark include a purchase right for the greater of fair market value or 31 of the purchase price
In November 2015 the Company closed on a definitive Assistance Agreement with the State of Connecticut the Assistance Agreement and received a disbursement of 10 0 million which was used for the first phase of the expansion of the Company s Torrington Connecticut manufacturing facility In conjunction with this financing the Company entered into a 10 0 million promissory note and related security agreements securing the loan with equipment liens and a mortgage on its Danbury Connecticut location Interest accrues at a fixed interest rate of 2 0 and the loan is repayable over 15 years from the date of the first advance which occurred in November of 2015 Principal payments were deferred for four years from disbursement and began on December 1 2019 Under the Assistance Agreement the Company was eligible for up to 5 0 million in loan forgiveness if the Company created 165 full time positions and retained 538 full time positions for two consecutive years as amended from time to time the Employment Obligation as measured on October 28 2017 as amended from time to time the Target Date The Assistance Agreement was subsequently amended in April 2017 to extend the Target Date by two years to October 28 2019
In January 2019 the Company and the State of Connecticut entered into a Second Amendment to the Assistance Agreement the Second Amendment The Second Amendment extended the Target Date to October 31 2022 and amended the Employment Obligation to require the Company to continuously maintain a minimum of 538 full time positions for 24 consecutive months If the Company met the Employment Obligation as modified by the Second Amendment and created an additional 91 full time positions the Company would have received a credit in the amount of 2 0 million to be applied against the outstanding balance of the loan The Second Amendment deleted and canceled the provisions of the Assistance Agreement related to the second phase of the expansion project and the loans related thereto but the Company had not drawn any funds or received any disbursements under those provisions
In April 2023 the Company signed a Third Amendment to the Assistance Agreement the Third Amendment The Third Amendment was approved by the State of Connecticut Office of Attorney General on May 18 2023 and the State of Connecticut Office of Attorney General released and the Company received the countersigned Third Amendment on May 24 2023 at which time the Third Amendment became effective The Third Amendment further extended the Target Date to October 31 2024 and amended the Employment Obligation to require the Company to retain 538 full time positions in Connecticut on or before October 31 2024 and to maintain such positions for 24 consecutive months The 24 consecutive month period ending on or before the Target Date as extended by the Third Amendment that yields the highest annual average positions will be used to determine compliance with the amended Employment Obligation
provided that no portion of such 24 consecutive months may begin before the date of the Third Amendment The Third Amendment also requires the Company to furnish a job audit the Job Audit to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development the Commissioner no later than 90 days following the 24 month period described above
If as a result of the Job Audit the Commissioner determines that the Company has failed to meet the Employment Obligation as amended by the Third Amendment the Company will be required to immediately repay a penalty of 14 225 00 per each full time employment position below the amended Employment Obligation The amount repaid will be applied first to any outstanding fees penalties or interest due and then against the outstanding balance of the loan
If as a result of the Job Audit the Commissioner were to determine that the Company had met the amended Employment Obligation and had created an additional 91 full time employment positions for a total of 629 full time employees the Company would be eligible to receive a credit in the amount of 2 0 million which would be applied against the then outstanding principal balance of the loan Upon application of such credit the Commissioner would recalculate the monthly payments of principal and interest such that such monthly payments would amortize the then remaining principal balance over the remaining term of loan However based on the Company s headcount as of October 31 2024 it did not meet the amended Employment Obligation and will not receive this credit
A Job Audit will be performed within 90 days of the Target Date of October 31 2024 Because the Company did not meet the amended Employment Obligation an accelerated payment penalty will be assessed in an amount equal to 14 225 00 multiplied by the number of full time employment positions below the number of positions required by the amended Employment Obligation Such penalty will be immediately payable upon the determination by the Commissioner that the Company has failed to meet the amended Employment Obligation and will be applied first to accelerate the payment of any outstanding fees penalties or interest due and then to accelerate the payment of the outstanding principal balance of the loan The Company estimates that it had an average of 389 employees over the applicable 24 consecutive month period As a result 2 1 million of the loan has been reclassified to current which represents the expected accelerated payment penalty amount As of October 31 2024 the Company had not been formally assessed a penalty but since there are no fees penalties or interest due any accelerated payment penalty assessed will be applied to the outstanding principal balance of the loan and not result in any charges to the Statement of Operations
In April of 2020 as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic the State of Connecticut agreed to defer three months of principal and interest payments under the Assistance Agreement beginning with the May 2020 payment These deferred payments will be added at the end of the loan thus extending out the maturity date by three months
As of October 31 2024 deferred finance costs related primarily to sale leaseback transactions entered into with Crestmark which are being amortized over the 10 year terms of the lease agreements and payments under the EXIM Financing the Derby Back Leverage Financing the OpCo Financing Facility the Groton Senior Back Leverage Loan Facility and the Groton Subordinated Back Leverage Loan Facility which are being amortized using the effective interest rate method Any deferred finance costs remaining during fiscal year 2023 which related to the debt payoffs mentioned above were written off as a loss on extinguishment of finance obligations and debt
The Company obtained stockholder approval on October 10 2023 at a Special Meeting of Stockholders to increase the number of shares of common stock the Company is authorized to issue under the Company s Certificate of Incorporation as amended The Company s stockholders approved a 500 0 million increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock Accordingly on October 11 2023 the Company filed a Certificate of Amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company with the Delaware Secretary of State increasing the total number of authorized shares of common stock from 500 0 million to 1 0 billion shares
On July 12 2022 the Company entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement the 2022 Sales Agreement with Jefferies LLC B Riley Securities Inc Barclays Capital Inc BMO Capital Markets Corp BofA Securities Inc Canaccord Genuity LLC Citigroup Global Markets Inc J P Morgan Securities LLC and Loop Capital Markets LLC each an Agent and together the Agents with respect to an at the market offering program under which the Company may
from time to time offer and sell up to 3 2 million shares of the Company s common stock Pursuant to the 2022 Sales Agreement the Company was required to pay and did pay each Agent a commission equal to 2 0 of the gross proceeds from each sale of shares made by such Agent under the 2022 Sales Agreement
On April 10 2024 the Company and the Agents entered into Amendment No 1 the Amendment to the 2022 Sales Agreement the 2022 Sales Agreement as amended by the Amendment the Amended Sales Agreement with respect to an at the market offering program under which the Company may from time to time offer and sell shares of the Company s common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to 300 0 million exclusive of any amounts previously sold under the 2022 Sales Agreement prior to its amendment Pursuant to the Amended Sales Agreement the Company is required to pay and has paid each Agent a commission equal to 2 0 of the gross proceeds from each sale of shares made by such Agent under the Amended Sales Agreement
From the date of the Amended Sales Agreement through October 31 2024 approximately 5 3 million shares of the Company s common stock were sold under the Amended Sales Agreement at an average sale price of 17 93 per share resulting in gross proceeds of approximately 95 1 million before deducting sales commissions and fees and net proceeds to the Company of approximately 92 6 million after deducting sales commissions totaling approximately 1 9 million and fees totaling approximately 0 6 million
During the year ended October 31 2023 approximately 1 5 million shares were sold under the 2022 Sales Agreement at an average sale price of 67 49 per share resulting in gross proceeds of approximately 99 7 million before deducting sales commissions and fees and net proceeds to the Company of approximately 97 4 million after deducting sales commissions and fees totaling approximately 2 3 million
The Company has designated 105 875 shares of its authorized preferred stock as Series B Preferred Stock liquidation preference 1 000 00 per share As of October 31 2024 and 2023 there were 64 020 shares of Series B Preferred Stock issued and outstanding with a carrying value of 59 9 million The following is a summary of certain terms of the Series B Preferred Stock
Dividends The Series B Preferred Stock pays cumulative annual dividends of 50 00 per share which are payable quarterly in arrears on February 15 May 15 August 15 and November 15 Dividends accumulate and are cumulative from the date of original issuance Unpaid accumulated dividends do not bear interest
No dividends or other distributions may be paid or set apart for payment on the Company s common stock other than a dividend payable solely in shares of a like or junior ranking nor may any stock junior to or on parity with the Series B Preferred Stock be redeemed purchased or otherwise acquired for any consideration or any money paid to or made available for a sinking fund for such stock by the Company or on its behalf except by conversion into or exchange for shares of a like or junior ranking unless all accumulated and unpaid dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock have been paid or funds or shares of common stock have been set aside for payment of such accumulated and unpaid dividends
The dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock will be paid in cash unless a registered holder elects pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Series B Certificate of Designation to receive such dividends in shares of the Company s common stock Any such shares of common stock paid in lieu of cash dividends will be treated as restricted securities and will not be transferable by the recipient thereof except pursuant to an effective registration statement or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended the Securities Act Dividends of 3 2 million were paid in cash during each of the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 Cumulative declared and unpaid dividends as of October 31 2024 and 2023 were 0 8 million
Liquidation The holders of Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to receive in the event that the Company is liquidated dissolved or wound up whether voluntarily or involuntarily 1 000 00 per share plus all accumulated and unpaid dividends up to but excluding the date of such liquidation dissolution or winding up the Liquidation Preference Until the holders of Series B Preferred Stock receive the Liquidation Preference with respect to their shares of Series B Preferred Stock in full no payment will be made on any junior shares including shares of the Company s common stock After the Liquidation Preference is paid in full holders of the Series B Preferred Stock will not be entitled to receive any further distribution of the Company s assets For the avoidance of doubt neither the voluntary sale of all or substantially all of the Company s assets nor a merger involving the Company shall be deemed to be a voluntary or involuntary liquidation dissolution or winding up of the Company As of October 31 2024 and 2023 the issued and outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock had an aggregate Liquidation Preference of 64 0 million
Conversion Rights Each share of Series B Preferred Stock may be converted at any time at the option of the holder into 0 0197 shares of the Company s common stock which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of 50 760 00 per share plus cash in lieu of fractional shares The conversion rate is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as described in the Series B Certificate of Designation The conversion rate is not adjusted for accumulated and unpaid dividends If converted holders of Series B Preferred Stock do not receive a cash payment for all accumulated and unpaid dividends rather all accumulated and unpaid dividends are canceled
The Company may at its option cause shares of Series B Preferred Stock to be automatically converted into that number of shares of its common stock that are issuable at the then prevailing conversion rate The Company may exercise its conversion right only if the closing price of its common stock exceeds 150 of the then prevailing conversion price 50 760 00 per share as of October 31 2024 for 20 trading days during any consecutive 30 trading day period as described in the Series B Certificate of Designation
If the holders of Series B Preferred Stock elect to convert their shares in connection with certain fundamental changes as defined in the Series B Certificate of Designation and described below the Company will in certain circumstances increase the conversion rate by a number of additional shares of common stock upon conversion or in lieu thereof the Company may in certain circumstances elect to adjust the conversion rate and related conversion obligation so that shares of Series B Preferred Stock are converted into shares of the acquiring or surviving company in each case as described in the Series B Certificate of Designation
Redemption The Company does not have the option to redeem the Series B Preferred Stock However holders of the Series B Preferred Stock can require the Company to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a redemption price equal to the Liquidation Preference of the shares to be redeemed in the case of a fundamental change
Moreover the Company will not be required to redeem any Series B Preferred Stock upon the occurrence of a fundamental change if a third party makes an offer to purchase the Series B Preferred Stock in the manner at the price at the times and otherwise in compliance with the requirements set forth above and such third party purchases all shares of Series B Preferred Stock validly tendered and not withdrawn
The Company may at its option elect to pay the redemption price in cash in shares of the Company s common stock valued at a discount of 5 from the market price of shares of the Company s common stock or in any combination thereof Notwithstanding the foregoing the Company may only pay such redemption price in shares of the Company s common stock that are registered under the Securities Act and eligible for immediate sale in the public market by non affiliates of the Company
Voting Rights Holders of Series B Preferred Stock currently have no voting rights however holders may receive certain voting rights as described in the Series B Certificate of Designation if a dividends on any shares of Series B Preferred Stock or any other class or series of stock ranking on parity with the Series B Preferred Stock with respect to the payment of dividends shall be in arrears for dividend periods whether or not consecutive containing in the aggregate a number of days equivalent to six calendar quarters or b the Company fails to pay the redemption price plus accrued and unpaid dividends if any on the redemption date for shares of Series B Preferred Stock following a fundamental change In each such event the holders of Series B Preferred Stock voting separately as a class with all other classes or series of stock ranking on parity with the Series B Preferred Stock with respect to the payment of dividends and upon which like voting rights have been conferred and are exercisable will be entitled to elect two directors to the Company s board of directors in addition to those directors already serving on the Company s board of directors at such time the Series B Directors at the next annual meeting of the Company s stockholders or at a special meeting of the Company s stockholders called for such purpose whichever is earlier The right to elect the Series B Directors will continue for each subsequent annual meeting of the Company s stockholders until all dividends accumulated on the shares of Series B Preferred Stock have been fully paid or set aside for payment or the Company pays in full or sets aside for payment such redemption price plus accrued but unpaid dividends if any on the redemption date for the shares of Series B Preferred Stock following a fundamental change The term of office of any Series B Directors will terminate immediately upon the termination of the right of holders of Series B Preferred Stock to elect such Series B Directors as described in this paragraph Each holder of Series B Preferred Stock will have one vote for each share of Series B Preferred Stock held in the election of Series B Directors The Company previously failed to make timely payment of the accrued dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock with respect to the May 15 2019 and August 15 2019 dividend payment dates Such amounts were fully paid on or about November 15 2019
So long as any shares of Series B Preferred Stock remain outstanding the Company will not without the consent of the holders of at least two thirds of the shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding at the time voting separately as a class with all other series of preferred stock if any on parity with the Series B Preferred Stock upon which like voting rights have been conferred and are exercisable issue or increase the authorized amount of any class or series of shares ranking senior to the outstanding shares of the Series B Preferred Stock as to dividends or upon liquidation In addition the Company will not subject to certain conditions amend alter or repeal provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation as amended including the Series B Certificate of Designation whether by merger consolidation or otherwise so as to adversely amend alter or affect any power preference or special right of the outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock or the holders thereof without the affirmative vote of not less than two thirds of the issued and outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock The amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation in October 2023 did not trigger this provision
We are engaged in the development design production construction and servicing of high temperature fuel cells for clean electric power generation Critical to the success of our business is among other things our research and development efforts both through customer sponsored projects and Company sponsored projects The research and development activities are viewed as another product line that contributes to the development design production and sale of fuel cell products however it is not considered a separate operating segment The chief operating decision maker does not review and assess financial information at a discrete enough level to be able to assess performance of research and development activities as if they operated as a standalone business segment therefore the Company has identified one business segment fuel cell power plant production and research
At the Company s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on April 4 2024 the 2024 Annual Meeting the Company s stockholders approved the amendment and restatement of the FuelCell Energy Inc Third Amended and Restated 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan as so amended and restated the Fourth Amended and Restated Incentive Plan which had previously been approved by the Company s Board of Directors the Board subject to stockholder approval
Following the approval of the amendment and restatement and therefore the Fourth Amended and Restated Incentive Plan by the Company s stockholders at the 2024 Annual Meeting the Fourth Amended and Restated Incentive Plan provides the Company with the authority to issue a total of 1 444 444 shares of the Company s common stock The Fourth Amended and Restated Incentive Plan authorizes grants of stock options stock appreciation rights SARs restricted stock awards RSAs restricted stock units RSUs shares performance shares performance units incentive awards and dividend equivalent units to officers other employees directors consultants and advisors Up to 61 111 shares of the Company s common stock may be issued pursuant to the exercise of incentive stock options Stock options RSAs RSUs and SARs have restrictions as to transferability Stock option exercise prices are fixed by the Board but shall not be less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of the grant SARs may be granted in conjunction with stock options The Board or the administrator of the Fourth Amended and Restated Incentive Plan may terminate the Fourth Amended and Restated Incentive Plan at any time No award may be granted under the Fourth Amended and Restated Plan after the tenth anniversary of the approval of the Fourth Amended and Restated Plan by stockholders at the 2024 Annual Meeting
Of the 1 444 444 shares of the Company s common stock authorized to be issued under the Fourth Amended and Restated Incentive Plan as of October 31 2024 754 518 remained available for grant as of October 31 2024 Of the shares remaining available for grant the Company had reserved for potential future grant up to 146 397 performance stock units if maximum performance is achieved
At the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders the 2023 Annual Meeting the Company s stockholders approved the amendment and restatement of the FuelCell Energy Inc 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as so amended and restated the Amended and Restated ESPP which had previously been approved by the Board subject to stockholder approval
Following the approval of the amendment and restatement and therefore the Amended and Restated ESPP by the Company s stockholders at the 2023 Annual Meeting the Amended and Restated ESPP provided the Company with the authority to issue a total of 18 055 shares of the Company s common stock The Amended and Restated ESPP also increased the limit on the number of shares of the Company s common stock that any individual participant may purchase during an offering period to 33 shares
The Amended and Restated ESPP which is intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended allows the Company to provide eligible employees of the Company and of certain designated subsidiaries with the opportunity to voluntarily participate in the Amended and Restated ESPP enabling such participants to purchase shares of the Company s common stock at a discount to market price at the time of such purchase The Board may in its sole discretion terminate the Amended and Restated ESPP at any time If the Board does not earlier terminate the Amended and Restated ESPP the Amended and Restated ESPP will terminate on the date on which all shares of common stock available for issuance have been sold pursuant to purchase rights exercised under the Amended and Restated ESPP
Under the Amended and Restated ESPP eligible employees have the right to purchase shares of common stock at the lesser of i 85 of the last reported sale price of our common stock on the first business day of the offering period or ii 85 of the last reported sale price of the common stock on the last business day of the offering period in either case rounded up to avoid impermissible trading fractions Shares issued pursuant to the ESPP contain a legend restricting the transfer or sale of such common stock for a period of 0 5 year after the date of purchase
The Company s Board periodically approves Long Term Incentive Plans which include performance based awards tied to the Company s common stock price as well as time vesting awards None of the awards granted as part of Long Term Incentive Plans include any dividend equivalent or other stockholder rights To the extent the awards are earned they may be settled in shares or cash of an equivalent value at the Company s option These plans are further described below
On December 11 2023 the Compensation Committee of the Board now known as the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee the Compensation Committee approved the specific components of and the payout calibration for certain awards to be made under the Company s Long Term Incentive Plan which is a sub plan consisting of awards made under the Company s 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan as amended and restated the 2018 Incentive Plan for fiscal year 2024 The participants in the Plan for fiscal year 2024 are members of senior management The Plan consists of two award components for fiscal year 2024
On December 5 2022 the Board approved a Long Term Incentive Plan for fiscal year 2023 the FY 2023 LTI Plan as a sub plan consisting of awards made under the 2018 Incentive Plan The participants in the FY 2023 LTI Plan are members of senior management The FY 2023 LTI Plan consists of two award components
On December 10 2021 the Board approved a Long Term Incentive Plan for fiscal year 2022 the FY 2022 LTI Plan as a sub plan consisting of awards made under the 2018 Incentive Plan The participants in the FY 2022 LTI Plan are members of senior management The FY 2022 LTI Plan consists of two award components
On December 11 2023 218 292 RSUs were awarded to senior management under the FY 2023 LTI Plan which included 109 146 PSUs and 109 146 time based vesting RSUs The 109 146 PSUs granted during the three months ended January 31 2024 were contingent upon approval by the Company s stockholders of additional authorized shares under the 2018 Incentive Plan which approval was obtained at the 2024 Annual Meeting The PSUs and time based vesting RSUs are expensed over the three year service period
In addition to the awards granted to senior management during the year ended October 31 2024 the Board also granted a total of 204 737 time based vesting RSU awards to certain salaried employees to promote ownership of the Company s equity and retention The time based vesting RSUs granted during the year ended October 31 2024 vest at a rate of one third of the total number of RSUs granted on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant
PSUs are issued assuming participants achieve 100 target performance The Company also reserves additional shares assuming the maximum performance targets are met As of October 31 2024 the Company had reserved an additional 5 849 shares for potential issuance under the FY 2022 LTI Plan an additional 35 539 shares for potential issuance under the FY 2023 LTI Plan and an additional 105 009 shares for potential issuance under the Long Term Incentive Plan for awards made in fiscal year 2024
During the years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 we awarded 6 651 3 454 and 2 562 shares respectively of fully vested unrestricted common stock to the independent members of our Board as a component of Board compensation which resulted in recognizing 0 2 million of expense for each of the years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022
We offer a 401 k plan the 401 k Plan to all full time employees that provides for tax deferred salary deductions for eligible employees beginning the first month following an employee s hire date Employees may choose to make voluntary contributions of their annual compensation to the 401 k Plan limited to an annual maximum amount as set periodically by the U S Internal Revenue Service IRS Employee contributions are fully vested when made Under the 401 k Plan there is no option available to the employee to receive or purchase our common stock Matching contributions of 2 under the 401 k Plan aggregated 1 3 million 1 1 million and 0 5 million for the years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 respectively
We continually evaluate our deferred tax assets as to whether it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized In assessing the realizability of our deferred tax assets management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies Based on the projections for future taxable income over the periods in which the deferred tax assets are realizable management believes significant uncertainty exists surrounding the recoverability of the deferred tax assets As a result we recorded a valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets As of October 31 2024 we had 1 06 billion of federal net operating loss NOL carryforwards 549 0 million of which expire in the fiscal years 2025 through 2037 and 506 0 million of which do not expire Due to limitations on the Company s ability to utilize the federal NOL carryforwards the Company has only recognized 588 0 million for financial statement purposes As of October 31 2024 we also had 585 1 million of state NOL carryforwards that expire in the fiscal years 2025 through 2043 Additionally as of October 31 2024 we had 13 7 million of state tax credits available that will expire from tax years 2025 through 2043
During the 2020 tax year the Company experienced an ownership change as defined by Internal Revenue Code Section 382 As a result the utilization of federal and state NOLs generated prior to October of 2020 is subject to limitation and a reduction was made in fiscal year 2020 to the carrying balance of the federal and state NOLs to reflect the future limitation on utilization The Company has updated its analysis of potential ownership changes through October 31 2024 and concluded that no additional ownership changes have occurred subsequent to October 2020 In addition the acquisition of Versa Power Systems Ltd in fiscal year 2013 triggered a Section 382 ownership change at the level of Versa Power Systems Ltd which will limit the future usage of some of the federal and state NOLs that we acquired in that transaction Accordingly a valuation allowance has been recorded against the deferred tax asset associated with these attributes to reflect the future limitation on utilization
The Company s financial statements reflect expected future tax consequences of uncertain tax positions that the Company has taken or expects to take on a tax return including a decision whether to file or not file a return in a particular jurisdiction presuming the taxing authorities full knowledge of the position and all relevant facts
We file income tax returns in the U S and certain states primarily Connecticut California and New York as well as income tax returns required internationally for South Korea Germany Japan and Canada We are open to examination by the IRS and various states in which we file for fiscal year 2004 to the present
Basic loss per common share EPS are generally calculated as loss available to common stockholders divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding Diluted EPS is generally calculated as loss available to common stockholders divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the dilutive effect of common share equivalents
As of October 31 2024 and 2023 there was 60 8 million and 49 6 million respectively of restricted cash and cash equivalents pledged as performance security reserved for future debt service requirements and reserved for letters of credit for certain banking requirements and contracts The allocation of restricted cash is as follows in thousands
Under the provisions of its service agreements the Company provides services to maintain monitor and repair customer power plants to meet minimum operating levels Under the terms of such service agreements the particular power plant must meet a minimum operating output during defined periods of the term If minimum output falls below the contract requirement the Company may be subject to performance penalties and or may be required to repair or replace the customer s fuel cell module s
Under the terms of the Company s PPAs customers agree to purchase power from the Company s fuel cell power plants at negotiated rates Electricity rates are generally a function of the customers current and estimated future electricity pricing available from the grid As owner or lessee of the power plants the Company is responsible for all operating costs necessary to maintain monitor and repair the power plants Under certain agreements the Company is also responsible for procuring fuel generally natural gas or biogas to run the power plants In addition under the terms of some of the PPAs the Company may be subject to a performance penalty if the Company does not meet certain performance requirements
Certain of our PPAs for project assets in our generation operating portfolio expose us to fluctuating fuel price risks as well as the risk of being unable to procure the required amounts of fuel and the lack of alternative available fuel sources We seek to mitigate our fuel risk using strategies including i fuel cost reimbursement mechanisms in our PPAs to allow for pass through of fuel costs full or partial where possible which we have done with our 14 9 MW operating project in Bridgeport CT ii procuring fuel under fixed price physical supply contracts with investment grade counterparties which we have done for twenty years for our Tulare BioMAT project the initial seven years of the twenty year PPA for our LIPA Yaphank Project through September 2028 six years of the twenty year PPA for our 14 0 MW and 2 8 MW Derby Projects through October 2029 and the initial two years of the twenty year hydrogen power purchase agreement for our Toyota project through May of 2025 and iii potentially entering into future financial hedges with investment grade counterparties to offset potential negative market fluctuations If the Company is unable to secure fuel on favorable economic terms it may result in impairment charges to the Derby and Yaphank project assets and further charges for the Toyota project asset
The Company net settled certain natural gas purchases under previous normal purchase normal sale contract designations during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023 for one contract and the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 for other contracts which resulted in a change to mark to market accounting The Company recorded a mark to market net loss of 6 9 million and a mark to market net gain of 4 1 million associated with the natural gas contract derivatives for the years ended October 31 2024 and 2023 respectively The Company has recorded derivative assets within other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets which had an estimated fair value of 1 2 million and 4 1 million as of October 31 2024 and October 31 2023 respectively The Company has recorded derivative liabilities within long term debt and other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets which had an estimated fair value of 4 0 million and 0 as of October 31 2024 and October 31 2023 respectively The natural gas contract derivatives are classified as Level 2 financial assets liabilities since the values can be determined based on readily observable inputs for underlying natural gas forward prices
From time to time the Company is involved in legal proceedings including but not limited to regulatory proceedings claims mediations arbitrations and litigation arising out of the ordinary course of its business Legal Proceedings Although the Company cannot assure the outcome of such Legal Proceedings management presently believes that the result of such Legal Proceedings either individually or in the aggregate will not have a material adverse effect on the Company s consolidated financial statements and no material amounts have been accrued in the Company s consolidated financial statements with respect to these matters
On November 15 2024 the Company announced a global restructuring of its operations in the U S Canada and Germany that aims to reduce operating costs realign resources toward advancing the Company s core technologies and protect the Company s competitive position amid slower than expected investments in clean energy In connection with the restructuring plan the Company reduced its workforce by approximately 13 or 75 employees in November 2024
The actions under the restructuring plan are expected to be substantially completed by the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 In connection with the restructuring plan and workforce reduction the Company estimates it will incur aggregate restructuring related costs and charges of approximately 1 7 million to 2 0 million in cash costs related to severance payments and other employee termination benefits These charges are expected to be recorded in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025
During the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 on December 12 2024 the Company closed on the second annual funding related to the tax equity financing for the Groton Project The Company achieved all conditions precedent required for the second annual funding from East West Bank under the tax equity financing transaction between the Company and East West Bank and as a result the Company received a 4 0 million contribution which will be recorded as noncontrolling interest on the Consolidated Balance Sheets
The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures which are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the Company s periodic SEC reports is recorded processed summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC s rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to its principal executive officer and principal financial officer as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure
We carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report Based on that evaluation the Company s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the Company s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report
Management of FuelCell Energy Inc and its subsidiaries the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting The Company s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that
Under the supervision and with the participation of management including our principal executive and principal financial officers we evaluated the Company s internal control over financial reporting as of October 31 2024 based on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting established in the Internal Control Integrated Framework 2013 issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission COSO Based on this assessment we have concluded that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of October 31 2024 based on the specified criteria The Company s independent registered public accounting firm KPMG LLP has issued an audit report on the Company s internal control over financial reporting which appears in Part II Item 8 of this Form 10 K
The information required by this Item 10 with respect to our executive officers is included in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10 K under the heading Information about our Executive Officers The other information required by this Item 10 is incorporated by reference to the Company s 2025 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after fiscal year end
Our board of directors has adopted a Code of Ethics the Code which applies to the board of directors named executive officers and all employees The Code provides a statement of certain fundamental principles and key policies and procedures that govern the conduct of our business The Code covers all major areas of professional conduct including employment policies conflicts of interest intellectual property and the protection of confidential information as well as strict adherence to all laws and regulations applicable to the conduct of our business As required by the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 our Audit Finance and Risk Committee has procedures to receive retain investigate and resolve complaints received regarding our accounting internal accounting controls or auditing matters and to allow for the confidential and anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters The Code can be found in the Corporate Governance sub section of the section entitled Investors on our website at www fuelcellenergy com We intend to disclose any changes in or waivers from the Code by posting such information on the same website or by filing a Current Report on Form 8 K in each case to the extent such disclosure is required by rules of the SEC or Nasdaq
Letter agreement dated September 28 2015 between the Company and Technology Park Associates L L C exercising the extension option per the terms of the Lease Agreement dated March 8 2000 between the Company and Technology Park Associates L L C incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 60 to the Company s Annual Report on Form 10 K for the period ended October 31 2015
Amendment to Technology Transfer Distribution and Licensing Agreement dated as of February 7 2007 and the Stack Technology Transfer License Agreement dated as of October 27 2009 each by and between the Company and POSCO Energy Co Ltd incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 3 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K dated as of October 31 2012
Technology License and Access Agreement for Tulare BioMAT Fuel Cell Power Plant dated February 11 2020 by and among Crestmark Equipment Finance Central CA Fuel Cell 2 LLC and FuelCell Energy Inc incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 6 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed on February 13 2020
Amendment No 1 to Joint Development Agreement between FuelCell Energy Inc and ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company fully executed on October 29 2021 and effective as of October 31 2021 incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 1 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed on November 2 2021
Open Market Sale AgreementSM among FuelCell Energy Inc Jefferies LLC B Riley Securities Inc Barclays Capital Inc BMO Capital Markets Corp BofA Securities Inc Canaccord Genuity LLC Citigroup Global Markets Inc J P Morgan Securities LLC and Loop Capital Markets LLC dated July 12 2022 incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 1 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed on July 12 2022
Amendment No 3 to Joint Development Agreement between FuelCell Energy Inc and ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company fully executed on December 19 2022 and effective as of December 1 2022 incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 1 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed on December 19 2022
Lease Expansion Extension and Amending Agreement dated January 5 2023 between 52nd Street Business Centre LP by its General Partner 52nd Street Business Centre GP Inc and Versa Power Systems Ltd incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 8 to the Company s Quarterly Report on Form 10 Q filed on March 9 2023
Lease Expansion and Amending Agreement Short Term dated February 20 2023 between 52nd Street Business Centre LP by its General Partner 52nd Street Business Centre GP Inc and Versa Power Systems Ltd incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 9 to the Company s Quarterly Report on Form 10 Q filed on March 9 2023
Financing Agreement dated May 19 2023 among FuelCell Energy Opco Finance 1 LLC as Borrower the Lenders party thereto the LC Issuing Banks party thereto and Investec Bank plc as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 1 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed May 25 2023
Omnibus Guarantee Pledge and Security Agreement dated May 19 2023 made by FuelCell Energy Finance LLC as Pledgor FuelCell Energy Opco Finance 1 LLC as Borrower and Bridgeport Fuel Cell LLC Groton Fuel Cell 1 LLC Riverside Fuel Cell LLC SRJFC LLC FuelCell YT HoldCo LLC and New Britain Renewable Energy LLC as Subsidiary Guarantors in favor of Investec Bank
Depositary Agreement dated May 19 2023 by and among FuelCell Energy Opco Finance 1 LLC as Borrower Investec Bank plc as Collateral Agent and Administrative Agent and Liberty Bank as Depositary Agent incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 3 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed May 25 2023
Amendment No 1 to Financing Agreement dated as of August 11 2023 among FuelCell Energy Opco Finance 1 LLC as Borrower Investec Bank plc as Administrative Agent and Lender Liberty Bank as Lender Bank of Montreal as Lender Amalgamated Bank as Lender and Connecticut Green Bank as Lender incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 1 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed August 17 2023
Lease Amending Agreement dated September 25 2023 between 52nd Street Business Centre LP by its General Partner 52nd Street Business Centre GP Inc and Versa Power Systems Ltd incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 87 to the Company s Annual Report on Form 10 K for the period ended October 31 2023 filed on December 19 2023
Amendment No 1 to Credit Agreement dated as of October 23 2023 between Connecticut Green Bank as administrative agent and lender party and FuelCell Energy Finance HoldCo LLC incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 88 to the Company s Annual Report on Form 10 K for the period ended October 31 2023 filed on December 19 2023
Amendment No 2 to Financing Agreement dated as of January 2 2024 among FuelCell Energy Opco Finance 1 LLC as Borrower Investec Bank plc as Administrative Agent and Lender Liberty Bank as Lender Bank of Montreal as Lender Amalgamated Bank as Lender and Connecticut Green Bank as Lender incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 1 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed on January 4 2024
Amendment No 3 to Financing Agreement dated as of April 29 2024 between FuelCell Energy Opco Finance 1 LLC as Borrower Investec Bank plc as Administrative Agent and Lender Liberty Bank as Lender Bank of Montreal as Lender Amalgamated Bank as Lender and Connecticut Green Bank as Lender incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 1 to the Company s Quarterly Report on Form 10 Q filed on June 10 2024
Amendment No 1 to Open Market Sale Agreement among FuelCell Energy Inc Jefferies LLC B Riley Securities Inc Barclays Capital Inc BMO Capital Markets Corp BofA Securities Inc Canaccord Genuity LLC Citigroup Global Markets Inc J P Morgan Securities LLC and Loop Capital Markets LLC dated April 10 2024 incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10 1 to the Company s Current Report on Form 8 K filed on April 10 2024
Amendment No 2 to Open Market Sale Agreement among FuelCell Energy Inc Jefferies LLC B Riley Securities Inc Barclays Capital Inc BMO Capital Markets Corp BofA Securities Inc Canaccord Genuity LLC Citigroup Global Markets Inc J P Morgan Securities LLC and Loop Capital Markets LLC dated December 27 2024
Filed with this Annual Report on Form 10 K are the following documents formatted in iXBRL Inline Extensible Business Reporting Language i the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of October 31 2024 and 2023 ii the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the fiscal years ended October 31 2024
2023 and 2022 iii the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity for the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 iv the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the fiscal years ended October 31 2024 2023 and 2022 v Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and vi the information included in Part II Item 9B b

Company Name	FUELCELL ENERGY INC Vist SEC web-site
Category	ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIAL APPARATUS
Trading Symbol	FCEL