AES CORP
For the period ended Mar 31, 2024. Filed May 2, 2024.
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A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Mar 31, 2024 · Filed May 2, 2024
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Capital Resources and Liquidity
Overview
As of March 31, 2024, the Company had unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $2 billion, of which $90 million was held at the Parent Company and qualified holding companies. The Company had $394 million in short-term investments, held primarily at subsidiaries, and restricted cash and debt service reserves of $561 million. The Company also had non-recourse and recourse aggregate principal amounts of debt outstanding of $23.9 billion and $5.3 billion, respectively. Of the $4 billion of our current non-recourse debt, $3.9 billion was presented as such because it is due in the next twelve months and $174 million relates to debt considered in default. None of the defaults are payment defaults but are instead technical defaults triggered by failure to comply with covenants or other requirements contained in the non-recourse debt documents. As of March 31, 2024, the Company also had $875 million outstanding related to supplier financing arrangements, which are classified as Supplier financing arrangements.
We expect current maturities of non-recourse debt, recourse debt, and amounts due under supplier financing arrangements to be repaid from net cash provided by operating activities of the subsidiary to which the liability relates, through opportunistic refinancing activity, or some combination thereof. We have $200 million in recourse debt which matures within the next twelve months, as well as amounts due under supplier financing arrangements, of which $725 million has a Parent Company guarantee. From time to time, we may elect to repurchase our outstanding debt through cash purchases, privately negotiated transactions, or otherwise when management believes that such securities are attractively priced. Such repurchases, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, and other factors. The amounts involved in any such repurchases may be material.
We rely mainly on long-term debt obligations to fund our construction activities. We have, to the extent available at acceptable terms, utilized non-recourse debt to fund a significant portion of the capital expenditures and investments required to construct and acquire our electric power plants, distribution companies, and related assets. Our non-recourse financing is designed to limit cross-default risk to the Parent Company or other subsidiaries and affiliates. Our non-recourse long-term debt is a combination of fixed and variable interest rate instruments. Debt is typically denominated in the currency that matches the currency of the revenue expected to be generated from the benefiting project, thereby reducing currency risk. In certain cases, the currency is matched through the use of derivative instruments. The majority of our non-recourse debt is funded by international commercial banks, with debt
52 | The AES Corporation | March 31, 2024 Form 10-Q
capacity supplemented by multilaterals and local regional banks.
Given our long-term debt obligations, the Company is subject to interest rate risk on debt balances that accrue interest at variable rates. When possible, the Company will borrow funds at fixed interest rates or hedge its variable rate debt to fix its interest costs on such obligations. In addition, the Company has historically tried to maintain at least 70% of its consolidated long-term obligations at fixed interest rates, including fixing the interest rate through the use of interest rate swaps. These efforts apply to the notional amount of the swaps compared to the amount of related underlying debt. Presently, the Parent Company’s only material unhedged exposure to variable interest rate debt relates to $200 million in senior unsecured term loans. Additionally, commercial paper issuances are short term in nature and subject the Parent Company to interest rate risk at the time of refinancing the paper. On a consolidated basis, of the Company’s $29.6 billion of total gross debt outstanding as of March 31, 2024, approximately $10.2 billion accrues interest at variable rates. Brazil holds $2.3 billion of our floating rate non-recourse exposure as variable rate instruments act as a natural hedge against inflation in Brazil. The Company actively hedges its current and expected variable rate exposure through a combination of currently effective and forward starting interest rate swaps. As of March 31, 2024, the total maximum outstanding amount of hedges protecting the company against variable rate exposure was $7.7 billion. These hedges generally provide economic protection through the entire expected life of the projects, regardless of the type of debt issued to finance construction or refinance the projects in the future.
In addition to utilizing non-recourse debt at a subsidiary level when available, the Parent Company provides a portion, or in certain instances all, of the remaining long-term financing or credit required to fund development, construction, or acquisition of a particular project. These investments have generally taken the form of equity investments or intercompany loans, which are subordinated to the project’s non-recourse loans. We generally obtain the funds for these investments from our cash flows from operations, proceeds from the sales of assets and/or the proceeds from our issuances of debt, common stock and other securities. Similarly, in certain of our businesses, the Parent Company may provide financial guarantees or other credit support for the benefit of counterparties who have entered into contracts for the purchase or sale of electricity, equipment, or other services with our subsidiaries or lenders. In such circumstances, if a business defaults on its payment or supply obligation, the Parent Company will be responsible for the business’ obligations up to the amount provided for in the relevant guarantee or other credit support. As of March 31, 2024, the Parent Company had provided outstanding financial and performance-related guarantees or other credit support commitments to or for the benefit of our businesses, which were limited by the terms of the agreements, of approximately $3.6 billion in aggregate (excluding those collateralized by letters of credit and other obligations discussed below).
Some counterparties may be unwilling to accept our general unsecured commitments to provide credit support. Accordingly, with respect to both new and existing commitments, the Parent Company may be required to provide some other form of assurance, such as a letter of credit, to backstop or replace our credit support. The Parent Company may not be able to provide adequate assurances to such counterparties. To the extent we are required and able to provide letters of credit or other collateral to such counterparties, this will reduce the amount of credit available to us to meet our other liquidity needs. As of March 31, 2024, we had $234 million in letters of credit under bilateral agreements, $210 million in letters of credit outstanding provided under our unsecured credit facilities, and $29 million in letters of credit outstanding provided under our revolving credit facility. These letters of credit operate to guarantee performance relating to certain project development and construction activities and business operations. During the quarter ended March 31, 2024, the Company paid letter of credit fees ranging from 1% to 3% per annum on the outstanding amounts.
Additionally, in connection with certain project financings, some of the Company's subsidiaries have expressly undertaken limited obligations and commitments. These contingent contractual obligations are issued at the subsidiary level and are non-recourse to the Parent Company. As of March 31, 2024, the maximum undiscounted potential exposure to guarantees issued by our subsidiaries was $2.6 billion, including $1.6 billion of customary payment guarantees under EPC contracts and other agreements, and $995 million of tax equity financing related guarantees. In addition, as of March 31, 2024, our subsidiaries had $643 million of letters of credit outstanding.
We expect to continue to seek, where possible, non-recourse debt financing in connection with the assets or businesses that we or our affiliates may develop, construct, or acquire. However, depending on local and global market conditions and the unique characteristics of individual businesses, non-recourse debt may not be available on economically attractive terms or at all. If we decide not to provide any additional funding or credit support to a subsidiary project that is under construction or has near-term debt payment obligations and that subsidiary is unable to obtain additional non-recourse debt, such subsidiary may become insolvent, and we may lose our investment in that subsidiary. Additionally, if any of our subsidiaries lose a significant customer, the subsidiary may need to withdraw from a project or restructure the non-recourse debt financing. If we or the subsidiary choose not to
53 | The AES Corporation | March 31, 2024 Form 10-Q
proceed with a project or are unable to successfully complete a restructuring of the non-recourse debt, we may lose our investment in that subsidiary.
Many of our subsidiaries depend on timely and continued access to capital markets to manage their liquidity needs. The inability to raise capital on favorable terms, to refinance existing indebtedness, or to fund operations and other commitments during times of political or economic uncertainty may have material adverse effects on the financial condition and results of operations of those subsidiaries. In addition, changes in the timing of tariff increases or delays in the regulatory determinations under the relevant concessions could affect the cash flows and results of operations of our businesses.
Long-Term Receivables
As of March 31, 2024, the Company had approximately $92 million of gross accounts receivable classified as Other noncurrent assets. These noncurrent receivables mostly consist of accounts receivable in the U.S. and Chile that, pursuant to amended agreements or government resolutions, have collection periods that extend beyond March 31, 2025, or one year from the latest balance sheet date. Noncurrent receivables in the U.S. pertain to the sale of the Redondo Beach land. Noncurrent receivables in Chile pertain primarily to revenues recognized on regulated energy contracts that were impacted by the Stabilization Funds created by the Chilean government. See Note 5—Financing Receivables in Item 1.—Financial Statements of this Form 10-Q for further information.
As of March 31, 2024, the Company had approximately $1 billion of loans receivable primarily related to the Mong Duong facility in Vietnam, which was constructed under a build, operate, and transfer contract. This loan receivable represents contract consideration related to the construction of the facility, which was substantially completed in 2015, and will be collected over the 25-year term of the plant’s PPA. As of March 31, 2024, Mong Duong met the held-for-sale criteria and the loan receivable balance of $1 billion, net of CECL reserves of $25 million, was classified in held-for-sale assets. Of the loan receivable balance, $111 million was classified as Current held-for-sale assets, and $934 million was classified as Noncurrent held-for-sale assetson the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 14—Revenue in Item 1.—Financial Statements of this Form 10-Q for further information.
Cash Sources and Uses
The primary sources of cash for the Company in the three months ended March 31, 2024 were debt financings, cash flows from operating activities, and purchases under supplier financing arrangements. The primary uses of cash in the three months ended March 31, 2024 were capital expenditures, repayments of debt, and repayments of obligations under supplier financing arrangements.
The primary sources of cash for the Company in the three months ended March 31, 2023 were debt financings, cash flows from operating activities, purchases under supplier financing arrangements, and sales of short-term investments. The primary uses of cash in the three months ended March 31, 2023 were repayments of debt, capital expenditures, repayments of obligations under supplier financing arrangements, and purchases of short-term investments.
54 | The AES Corporation | March 31, 2024 Form 10-Q
A summary of cash-based activities is as follows (in millions):
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash Sources: | 2024 | 2023 |
| Issuance of non-recourse debt | $2,131 | $690 |
| Borrowings under the revolving credit facilities | 1,741 | 1,415 |
| Commercial paper borrowings (repayments), net | 719 | 350 |
| Purchases under supplier financing arrangements | 486 | 529 |
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 287 | 625 |
| Sale of short-term investments | 141 | 356 |
| Sales to noncontrolling interests | 125 | — |
| Proceeds from the sale of business interests, net of cash and restricted cash sold | 11 | 98 |
| Issuance of recourse debt | — | 500 |
| Other | 122 | 18 |
| Total Cash Sources | $5,763 | $4,581 |
| Cash Uses: | ||
| Capital expenditures | $(2,148) | $(1,551) |
| Repayments under the revolving credit facilities | (1,037) | (1,055) |
| Repayments of non-recourse debt | (915) | (660) |
| Repayments of obligations under supplier financing arrangements | (516) | (587) |
| Purchase of short-term investments | (144) | (418) |
| Dividends paid on AES common stock | (116) | (111) |
| Purchase of emissions allowances | (56) | (78) |
| Other | (266) | (131) |
| Total Cash Uses | $(5,198) | $(4,591) |
| Net increase (decrease) in Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash | $565 | $(10) |
Consolidated Cash Flows
The following table reflects the changes in operating, investing, and financing cash flows for the comparative three-month period (in millions):
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash flows provided by (used in): | 2024 | 2023 | $ Change |
| Operating activities | $287 | $625 | $(338) |
| Investing activities | (2,386) | (1,624) | (762) |
| Financing activities | 2,606 | 1,016 | 1,590 |
Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $338 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Operating Cash Flows
(1)The change in adjusted net income is defined as the variance innet income, net of the total adjustments to net incomeas shown on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows in Item 1—Financial Statementsof this Form 10-Q.
(2)The change in working capital is defined as the variance in total changes in operating assets and liabilities as shown on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows in Item 1—Financial Statementsof this Form 10-Q.
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Adjusted net income increased $277 million, primarily due to higher margins at our Energy Infrastructure and Utilities SBUs; partially offset by lower margins at our Renewables SBU, an increase in interest expense, and a decrease in interest income.
Working capital requirements increased $615 million, primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable resulting from lower collections and an increase in receivables under the Warrior Run PPA termination agreement; partially offset by a decrease in accounts payable due to lower inventory purchases at lower prices.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities increased $762 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Investing Cash Flows
Proceeds from sales of business interests decreased $87 million, primarily due to the selldown of sPower OpCo B in 2023.
Cash used for short-term investing activities decreased $59 million, primarily as a result of lower net short-term investment purchases at our Renewables SBU.
Capital expenditures increased $597 million, discussed further below.
Capital Expenditures
(1)Growth expenditures generally include expenditures related to development projects in construction, expenditures that increase capacity of a facility beyond the original design, and investments in general load growth or system modernization.
(2)Maintenance expenditures generally include expenditures that are necessary to maintain regular operations or net maximum capacity of a facility.
(3)Environmental expenditures generally include expenditures to comply with environmental laws and regulations, expenditures for safety programs and other expenditures to ensure a facility continues to operate in an environmentally responsible manner.
Growth expenditures increased $585 million, primarily driven by an increase in U.S. renewables projects.
Maintenance expenditures increased $13 million, primarily due to higher transmission and distribution project investments at our Utilities SBU.
Environmental expenditures decreased $1 million, with no material drivers.
56 | The AES Corporation | March 31, 2024 Form 10-Q
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities increased $1.6 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Financing Cash Flows
See Notes 8—Debtand 12—Equity in Item 1—Financial Statements of this Form 10-Q for more information regarding significant debt and equity transactions.
The $1.2 billion impact from non-recourse debt transactions is mainly due to the issuances of the 5.70% First Mortgage Bonds due April 2054 and the 5.75% senior secured notes due April 2034 at AES Indiana, and the issuance of the 6.30% senior unsecured notes due April 2029 at AES Andes.
The $369 million impact from commercial paper is due to higher net borrowings in the current period.
The $275 million impact from the Parent Company revolver is primarily due to higher net repayments in the prior period.
The $125 million impact from sales to noncontrolling interests is primarily due to proceeds received at AES Clean Energy from the sales of ownership in project companies to tax equity investors, and the sale of Mesamávida under the Chile Renovables renewables partnership with GIP.
The $500 million impact from recourse debt is primarily due to the issuance of a bridge loan, fully guaranteed by the Parent Company, at AES Clean Energy in March 2023.
Parent Company Liquidity
The following discussion is included as a useful measure of the liquidity available to The AES Corporation, or the Parent Company, given the non-recourse nature of most of our indebtedness. Parent Company Liquidity, as outlined below, is a non-GAAP measure and should not be construed as an alternative to Cash and cash equivalents, which is determined in accordance with GAAP. Parent Company Liquidity may differ from similarly titled measures used by other companies. The principal sources of liquidity at the Parent Company level are dividends and other distributions from our subsidiaries, including refinancing proceeds; proceeds from debt and equity financings at the Parent Company level, including availability under our revolving credit facility and commercial paper program; and proceeds from asset sales. The Parent Company credit facility and commercial paper program are generally used for short-term cash needs to bridge the timing of distributions from subsidiaries. Cash requirements at the Parent Company level are primarily to fund interest and principal repayments of debt, construction commitments, other equity commitments, acquisitions, taxes, Parent Company overhead and development costs, and dividends on common stock.
The Company defines Parent Company Liquidity as cash available to the Parent Company, including cash at qualified holding companies, plus available borrowings under our existing credit facility and commercial paper program. The cash held at qualified holding companies represents cash sent to subsidiaries of the Company domiciled outside of the U.S. Such subsidiaries have no contractual restrictions on their ability to send cash to the Parent Company. Parent Company Liquidity is reconciled to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, Cash and cash equivalents, at the periods indicated as follows (in millions):
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| March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Consolidated cash and cash equivalents | $1,994 | $1,426 |
| Less: Cash and cash equivalents at subsidiaries | (1,904) | (1,393) |
| Parent Company and qualified holding companies’ cash and cash equivalents | 90 | 33 |
| Commitments under the Parent Company credit facility | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Less: Letters of credit under the credit facility | (29) | (124) |
| Less: Borrowings under the credit facility | (110) | — |
| Less: Borrowings under the commercial paper program | (719) | — |
| Borrowings available under the Parent Company credit facility | 642 | 1,376 |
| Total Parent Company Liquidity | $732 | $1,409 |
The Parent Company paid dividends of $0.1725 per outstanding share to its common stockholders during the first quarter of 2024 for dividends declared in December 2023. While we intend to continue payment of dividends and believe we will have sufficient liquidity to do so, we can provide no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends, or if continued, the amount of such dividends.
Recourse Debt
Our total recourse debt was $5.3 billion and $4.5 billion as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. See Note 8—Debt in Item 1.—Financial Statementsof this Form 10-Q and Note 11—Debt in Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of our 2023 Form 10-K for additional detail.
We believe that our sources of liquidity will be adequate to meet our needs for the foreseeable future. This belief is based on a number of material assumptions, including, without limitation, assumptions about our ability to access the capital markets, the operating and financial performance of our subsidiaries, currency exchange rates, power market pool prices, and the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends. In addition, our subsidiaries’ ability to declare and pay cash dividends to us (at the Parent Company level) is subject to certain limitations contained in loans, governmental provisions and other agreements. We can provide no assurance that these sources will be available when needed or that the actual cash requirements will not be greater than anticipated. We have met our interim needs for shorter-term and working capital financing at the Parent Company level with our revolving credit facility and commercial paper program. See Item 1A.—Risk Factors—The AES Corporation’s ability to make payments on its outstanding indebtedness is dependent upon the receipt of funds from our subsidiaries of the Company’s 2023 Form 10-K for additional information.
Various debt instruments at the Parent Company level, including our revolving credit facility and commercial paper program, contain certain restrictive covenants. The covenants provide for, among other items, limitations on other indebtedness, liens, investments and guarantees; limitations on dividends, stock repurchases and other equity transactions; restrictions and limitations on mergers and acquisitions, sales of assets, leases, transactions with affiliates and off-balance sheet and derivative arrangements; maintenance of certain financial ratios; and financial and other reporting requirements. As of March 31, 2024, we were in compliance with these covenants at the Parent Company level.
Non-Recourse Debt
While the lenders under our non-recourse debt financings generally do not have direct recourse to the Parent Company, defaults thereunder can still have important consequences for our results of operations and liquidity, including, without limitation:
reducing our cash flows as the subsidiary will typically be prohibited from distributing cash to the Parent Company during the time period of any default;
triggering our obligation to make payments under any financial guarantee, letter of credit, or other credit support we have provided to or on behalf of such subsidiary;
causing us to record a loss in the event the lender forecloses on the assets; and
triggering defaults in our outstanding debt at the Parent Company.
For example, our revolving credit facility and outstanding debt securities at the Parent Company include events of default for certain bankruptcy-related events involving material subsidiaries. In addition, our revolving credit agreement at the Parent Company includes events of default related to payment defaults and accelerations of outstanding debt of material subsidiaries.
Some of our subsidiaries are currently in default with respect to all or a portion of their outstanding indebtedness. The total non-recourse debt classified as current in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets amounts to $4 billion. The portion of current debt related to such defaults was $174 million at March
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31, 2024, all of which was non-recourse debt related to three subsidiaries: AES Mexico Generation Holdings, AES Ilumina, and AES Jordan Solar. None of the defaults are payment defaults, but are instead technical defaults triggered by failure to comply with other covenants or other conditions contained in the non-recourse debt documents. See Note 8—Debt in Item 1.—Financial Statementsof this Form 10-Q for additional detail.
None of the subsidiaries that are currently in default are subsidiaries that met the applicable definition of materiality under the Parent Company’s debt agreements as of March 31, 2024, in order for such defaults to trigger an event of default or permit acceleration under the Parent Company’s indebtedness. However, as a result of additional dispositions of assets, other significant reductions in asset carrying values or other matters in the future that may impact our financial position and results of operations or the financial position of the individual subsidiary, it is possible that one or more of these subsidiaries could fall within the definition of a “material subsidiary” and thereby trigger an event of default and possible acceleration of the indebtedness under the Parent Company’s outstanding debt securities. A material subsidiary is defined in the Parent Company’s revolving credit agreement as any business that contributed 20% or more of the Parent Company’s total cash distributions from businesses for the four most recently ended fiscal quarters. As of March 31, 2024, none of the defaults listed above resulted in a cross-default under the recourse debt of the Parent Company. Furthermore, none of the non-recourse debt in default listed above is guaranteed by the Parent Company.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.