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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies  
Commitments and Contingencies

Note 19. Commitments and Contingencies

Service Agreements

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).

Power Purchase Agreements

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.

Project Fuel Exposure

Certain of our PPAs for project assets in our generation operating portfolio and 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 eighteen year PPA for our LIPA Yaphank Project, six years of the twenty year PPA for our 14.0 MW Derby project, and the initial two years of the twenty year hydrogen power purchase agreement for our Toyota project; and (iii) potentially entering into future financial hedges with investment grade counterparties to offset potential negative market fluctuations.

There are currently three projects with fuel sourcing risk, which are the Toyota project, which requires procurement of RNG, and our Derby, CT 14.0 MW and 2.8 MW projects, both of which require natural gas for which there is no pass-through mechanism. 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. 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 and further charges for the Toyota project asset.

The Company recorded a derivative gain during the year ended October 31, 2023 of $4.1 million as a result of net settling certain natural gas purchases under a previous normal purchase normal sale contract designation which resulted in a change to mark-to-market accounting. The Company has recorded the derivative asset within other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Other

As of October 31, 2023, the Company had unconditional purchase commitments aggregating $102.2 million, for materials, supplies and services in the normal course of business.

Legal Proceedings

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.