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5E Advanced Materials Inc

For the period ended Sep 30, 2024. Filed Nov 13, 2024.

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About this filing

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.

Sep 30, 2024 · Filed Nov 13, 2024

FEAM$1.91+1.1%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026

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Notes to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

  1. Basis of Financial Statement Presentation

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (herein after referred to as “financial statements”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and should be read in the context of the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on September 9, 2024. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position as of September 30, 2024, results of operations for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 and cash flows for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 have been included. Operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2024 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.

Effective April 1, 2024, we placed our Small-Scale Facility (the “SSF”) into full commercial operation, and accordingly all direct operating costs associated with the SSF, including raw materials, labor and maintenance, have been separately classified as Small-scale operating costs within our condensed consolidated statements of operations after such date. Prior to April 1, 2024, these direct costs have not been reclassified and remain as either Project expenses or General and administrative costs, as appropriate.

Basis of Consolidation

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements comprise the financial statements of 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, American Pacific Borates Pty Ltd. and 5E Boron Americas, LLC (formerly Fort Cady (California) Corporation, (“5EBA”)), (collectively, “we,” “our,” or the “Company”). The Company holds 100% of the rights through ownership in the 5E Boron Americas (Fort Cady) Complex (the “Project”) located in southern California, through its ownership of 5EBA. In preparing the condensed consolidated financial statements, all intercompany balances and transactions, income and expenses and profit and losses resulting from intra-company transactions have been eliminated.

Going Concern

Management evaluated whether there are conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date that these condensed consolidated financial statements are issued. When substantial doubt exists, management evaluates whether the mitigating effect of its plans sufficiently alleviates substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. The mitigating effect of management's plans, however, is only considered if both (1) it is probable that the plans will be effectively implemented within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued, and (2) it is probable that the plans, when implemented, will mitigate the relevant conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date that the condensed consolidated financial statements are issued. In performing this analysis, management concluded there continues to exist substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Although the August 2024 Equity Offering (as further described and defined in Note 10–Equity) provided net cash proceeds of approximately $3.0 million (inclusive of amounts payable and accrued for third-party expenses as of September 30, 2024), and our issuance of the September 2024 Notes (as further described and defined in Note 7–Debt) provided net cash proceeds of approximately $5.5 million (inclusive of amounts payable and accrued for third-party expenses as of September 30, 2024), each of which improved the Company’s cash position, and while the Company continues to operate under a business plan that includes reductions in certain spending, management anticipates the need for additional financing within the next twelve months to maintain a cash balance in excess of the $7.5 million minimum cash covenant which goes into effect December 31, 2024 (as discussed in Note 7–Debt). If the Company is not able to secure additional financing and the Company’s cash balance falls below $7.5 million after such date, an event of default under the amended and restated note purchase agreement, entered into on September 16, 2024 (as further described in Note 7–Debt) would occur if not cured after 30 days. An event of default would cause the Company’s senior secured Convertible Notes (as further described and defined in Note 7–Debt) balance outstanding to become immediately due and payable, for which the Company would not have the resources to repay without additional financing. The receipt of potential funding cannot be considered probable at this time because these plans are not entirely within management's control as of the date of these condensed consolidated financial statements. Therefore, there exists substantial doubt regarding the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Even if additional financing is successfully consummated, available liquidity may still not be sufficient to eliminate the aforementioned substantial doubt regarding the Company's ability to continue as a going concern.

These financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business and do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might result from the outcome of the uncertainties described above.

Financial Instruments

The Company's financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, the Convertible Notes (as further described and defined in Note 7–Debt), vehicle notes, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Management believes the Company is not exposed to significant interest, currency or credit risks arising from these financial instruments. The fair values of these instruments, due to their short-term nature, with the exception of the Convertible Notes and vehicle notes, approximate their carrying value. See Note 7–Debt for fair value information related to the Convertible Notes.

Concentrations of Risk

The Company maintains cash deposits at several major banks, which at times may exceed amounts covered by insurance provided by the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Management monitors the financial health of the banks and believes the Company is not exposed to any significant credit risk, and the Company has not experienced any such losses.

The Company’s operations are predominately focused on the Project, which results in the Company being dependent upon a single mining operation in a single geographic region in the western United States in California. The geographic concentration of the Company’s operations may disproportionately expose it to disruptions if the region experiences severe weather, transportation capacity constraints, constraints on the availability of required equipment, facilities, personnel or services, significant governmental regulation or natural disasters.

Risks and Uncertainties

The Company is subject to a number of risks that its management believes are similar to those of other companies of similar size and industry, including but not limited to, the success of its exploration activities, need for significant additional capital (or financing) to fund operating losses, competition from substitute products and services from larger companies, protection of proprietary technology, patent litigation, and dependence on key individuals. The Company currently generates no revenues from operations and will need to rely on raising additional capital or financing to sustain operations in the long-term. There can be no assurance that management will be successful in its efforts to raise additional capital on terms favorable to the Company, or at all, or in management's ability to adequately reduce expenses, if necessary, to maintain sufficient liquidity or capital resources. Refer to the Going Concern discussion above for additional details.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to prior years’ reported amounts in order to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications did not impact our previously reported net income (loss), stockholders’ equity or cash flows.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) that are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, management believes that the impact of recently issued standards did not or will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

In November 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280) (“ASU 2023-07”). ASU 2023-07 is intended to enhances reportable segment disclosure requirements, including significant segment expenses and interim disclosures. The guidance allows for disclosure of multiple measures of a segment’s profit or loss, and it requires that public entities with a single reportable segment provide all disclosures required by ASU 2023-07 and all existing disclosures required by the existing segment disclosure guidance. ASU 2023-07 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2023 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The amendments are to be applied retrospectively, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that ASU 2023-07 will have on the consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (“ASU 2023-09”). ASU 2023-09 is intended to improve income tax disclosures primarily through enhanced disclosure of income tax rate reconciliation items, and disaggregation of income (loss) from continuing operations, income tax expense (benefit) and income taxes paid, net disclosures by federal, state and foreign jurisdictions, among others. ASU 2023-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2024, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that ASU 2023-09 will have on the consolidated financial statements and its plan for adoption, including the adoption date and transition method.

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement–Reporting Comprehensive Income–Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (“ASU 2024-03”), which requires the disaggregation of certain expenses in the notes of the financials, to provide enhanced transparency into the expense captions presented on the face of the income statement. ASU 2024-03 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2027 and may be applied either prospectively or retrospectively. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that ASU 2024-03 will have on its related disclosures, including the adoption date and transition method.

  1. Mineral Rights and Properties, Net

Mineral rights and properties, net consisted of the following at the end of each period presented.

September 30,June 30,
20242024
(in thousands)
Mineral properties$6,733$6,733
Hydrology wells547547
Asset retirement cost, net of accumulated amortization of $49 and $44 as of September 30, 2024 and June 30, 2024, respectively(1)353336
Mineral rights and properties, net$7,633$7,616

(1)

Represents the carrying value of capitalized costs associated with asset retirement obligations, as discussed in Note 5–Asset Retirement Obligations.

  1. Construction in Progress

Construction in progress consisted of the following at the end of each period presented.

September 30,June 30,
20242024
(in thousands)
Engineering services$820$608
Capitalized interest29—
Total construction in progress$849$608
  1. Properties, Plant and Equipment, Net

Properties, plant and equipment, net consisted of the following at the end of each period presented.

DepreciationEstimated usefulSeptember 30,June 30,
Asset categorymethodlife (in years)20242024
(in thousands)
LandN/A—$1,533$1,533
Small-scale facility — PlantStraight-line3.7569,32669,619
Injection and recovery wellsStraight-line56,1346,134
BuildingsStraight-line7-15979979
VehiclesStraight-line3-5345345
Other plant and equipmentStraight-line5-10740729
79,05779,339
Less accumulated depreciation(10,434)(5,467)
Properties, plant and equipment, net$68,623$73,872

The Company recognized depreciation expense of$5.0 million and $47 thousand for thethree months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

  1. Asset Retirement Obligations

The change in the Company’s asset retirement obligations during the period presented and the balance of its accrued reclamation liabilities at the end of the period are set forth below.

Three months ended
(in thousands)
Asset retirement obligation — beginning of period$795
Obligation incurred during the period23
Revisions to previous estimates—
Accretion19
Asset retirement obligation — end of period$837
  1. Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities consisted of the following at the end of each period presented.

September 30,June 30,
20242024
(in thousands)
Accounts payable - trade(1)$1,481$854
Accrued expenses1,258603
Accrued capital expenditures2,9443,309
Accrued payroll7022,263
Accrued interest9632,496
Current portion of debt4242
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities$7,390$9,567

(1)

Includes$129 thousand and$235 thousand related to capital expenditures as of September 30, 2024 and June 30, 2024, respectively.

  1. Debt

Long Term Debt

Long-term debt consisted of the following at the end of each period presented.

September 30,June 30,
20242024
(in thousands)
August 2022 Notes$68,955$65,671
June 2024 Notes6,1086,000
September 2024 Notes6,000—
Vehicle notes payable98108
Total debt81,16171,779
Current portion of debt4242
Long-term debt81,11971,737
Unamortized convertible note discount(5,525)(4,035)
Unamortized debt issuance costs(3,163)(2,871)
Long-term debt, net$72,431$64,831

As further discussed below, on September 16, 2024, the Company issued an additional $6.0 million aggregate principal amount of September 2024 Notes. Additionally, on August 15, 2024, the Company elected to issue additional notes as payment for $3.4 million of interest accrued during the period from February 16, 2024 through August 15, 2024.

Interest expense consisted of the following for each period presented.

Three months ended September 30,
20242023
(in thousands)
Convertible Notes interest$1,859$940
Vehicle notes payable interest11
Amortization of debt issuance costs and discount — Convertible Notes3241,452
Other interest—18
Gross interest expense2,1842,411
Less: amount capitalized to construction in progress29624
Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized$2,155$1,787
Effective interest rate — Convertible Notes (1)12.7%23.2%

(1)

The effective interest rate represents a weighted-average interest rate applicable for the respective period. Interest expense utilized in the calculation is based upon the gross interest expense in the table above, and the principal balance utilized in the calculation is based on the ending net long-term debt applicable to each interest period inclusive of unamortized debt issuance costs and discount, changes in the principal balance resulting from the issuance of new Convertible Notes, interest paid-in-kind and any adjustments resulting from the Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement.

Convertible Notes

On August 11, 2022, the Company executed a $60 million private placement of senior secured convertible notes (the “August 2022 Notes”) with Bluescape Special Situations IV (“Bluescape”). On January 18, 2024, the Company entered into an amended and restated note purchase agreement (the “January 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement”) which modified certain terms of the August 2022 Notes, including to extend the maturity date of the August 2022 Notes to August 15, 2028.

On May 28, 2024, the Company entered into a second amendment (“Amendment No. 2”) to the January 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement and agreed, among other things, to (i) issue and sell new senior secured convertible notes in substantially the same form and under the same terms as the August 2022 Notes, as amended, in an aggregate principal amount of $6.0 million (the “June 2024 Notes”) to Bluescape and Ascend Global Investment Fund SPC for and on behalf of Strategic SP (“Ascend”), and (ii) amend and restate the January 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement in the form attached as Annex A to Amendment No. 2 (the “May 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement”).

On September 16, 2024, the Company entered into a third amendment (“Amendment No. 3”) to the January 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement and agreed, among other things, to (i) issue and sell new senior secured convertible notes in substantially the same form and under the same terms as the June 2024 Notes, in an aggregate principal amount of $6.0 million (the “September 2024 Notes” and, together with the August 2022 Notes and the June 2024 Notes, the “Convertible Notes”) to Bluescape and Ascend, and (ii) amend and restate the January 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement in the form attached as Annex A to Amendment No. 3 (the “September 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement”and collectively with the January 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement and the May 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement, the “Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement”). As part of the January 2024, May 2024 and September 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreements, the Company incurred approximately $2.6 million, $541 thousand and $454 thousand of debt issuance costs.

At the Company’s election, the Convertible Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 4.50% if paid in cash, and 10.00% if paid through the issuance of additional notes. Interest is paid semi-annually on February 15 and August 15 of each year. The Convertible Notes contain a financial covenant requiring the Company to maintain a cash balance of at least $7.5 million after December 31, 2024.

The Convertible Notes are secured by substantially all of the Company’s assets.

Convertible Notes - Conversion Terms

The Convertible Notes, including accrued interest paid-in-kind, may be converted into shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 (the “Common Stock”) at any time before the Convertible Notes mature. The August 2022 Notes are convertible into the Company’s Common Stock based upon a conversion rate of 650.4065 shares of Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes (the “Conversion Rate), representing a conversion price of approximately $1.5375 per share. The June 2024 Notes are convertible into the Company’s Common Stock based upon a Conversion Rate of 692.7990, representing a conversion price of approximately $1.4434 per share. The September 2024 Notes are convertible into the Company’s Common Stock based upon a Conversion Rate of 1,066.6667 shares of Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount of September 2024 Notes, representing a conversion price of approximately $0.9375 per share. In addition, the Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement provides for certain adjustments to the Conversion Rate to increase the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Notes (the “Additional Shares”) in the event of certain change of control transactions or other events specified in the Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement (a “Make-Whole Fundamental Change”). Accordingly, the Conversion Rate will increase by up to 325.2033,346.3996 and 444.4445 Additional Shares per $1,000 principal amount of August 2022 Notes, June 2024 Notes and September 2024 Notes, respectively, based on the timing of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change and the trading price of the Common Stock at such time or the cash received by holders of the Common Stock in connection with such Make-Whole Fundamental Change.

The Conversion Rate applicable to the June 2024 Notes and September 2024 Notes is subject to adjustment if, after the issuance date of the respective Convertible Notes and on or prior to December 31, 2024, the Company sells Common Stock or any other equity-linked securities in one or more transactions at an effective price per share that is less than the respective conversion price then in effect, subject to certain exemptions (a “Degressive Issuance”). In the event of a Degressive Issuance, the Conversion Rate applicable to the June 2024 Notes and September 2024 Notes will be adjusted based on the weighted average issuance price of the securities sold in such Degressive Issuance, as set forth in the Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement, the Company will not be permitted to effect any Degressive Issuance that would result in an adjustment to the Conversion Rate that requires the approval of the Company’s stockholders pursuant to the listing standards of The Nasdaq Global Select Market, unless the Company has obtained such stockholder approval before such Degressive Issuance.

As part of the August 2024 Equity Offering (as further described and defined in Note 10–Equity), the Degressive Issuance provision applicable to the June 2024 Notes resulted in an adjustment to the Conversion Rate applicable only to the June 2024 Notes from

650.4065 to 692.7990, and a corresponding increase in the Conversion Rate in the event of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change from 325.2033 to 346.3996.

The September 2024 Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement also requires the Company to maintain the effectiveness of registration statements filed with the SEC relating to shares of the Company’s Common Stock which may be received by the holders of the Convertible Notes if such Convertible Notes are converted into Common Stock. If the Company fails to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statements through the period in which the Convertible Notes may be converted, the interest rate applicable to the Convertible Notes may be increased by 0.5% per annum for each 90-day period where such registration statements are not effective, up to a maximum of 2.0% per annum.

Convertible Notes - Derivatives

The terms of the Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement permits a change to the Conversion Rates applicable to the June 2024 Notes and September 2024 Notes upon a Digressive Issuance by the Company on or before December 31, 2024. As a result, these conversion features were deemed to be embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation and separate accounting as stand-alone derivative instruments (the “June 2024 Convertible Note Derivative” and “September 2024 Convertible Note Derivative,” respectively, and together, the “Convertible Note Derivatives”). The June 2024 Notes were initially recorded at their face amount of $6 million less debt issuance costs of $541 thousand and the fair value of the June 2024 Convertible Note Derivative, which was determined to be $4.1 million. Similarly, the September 2024 Notes were initially recorded at their face amount of $6 million less debt issuance costs of $454 thousand and the fair value of the September 2024 Convertible Note Derivative, which was determined to be $1.6 million.

The provisions that result in separate accounting for the Convertible Note Derivatives will expire on December 31, 2024, and accordingly, the fair value of the Convertible Note Derivatives, if any, on such date will be transferred to additional paid-in capital. Refer to Note 8–Convertible Note Derivatives and the discussion immediately below for additional details regarding the fair values of the Convertible Note Derivatives.

Convertible Notes - Fair Value

Fair value and carrying value information for the Convertible Notes at each period end follows.

Unamortized Debt · Net Liability
Principal · Discount and · Carrying · Fair Value
Amount · Issuance Costs · Amount · Amount · Leveling
(in thousands)
August 2022 Notes, due Aug. 15, 2028$68,955$(2,197)$66,758$47,532Level 2
June 2024 Notes, due Aug. 15, 20286,108(4,414)1,6942,413(1)Level 2
September 2024 Notes, due Aug. 15, 20286,000(2,077)3,9233,615(1)Level 2
$81,063$(8,688)$72,375$53,560
August 2022 Notes, due Aug. 15, 2028$65,671$(2,336)$63,335$63,289Level 2
June 2024 Notes, due Aug. 15, 20286,000(4,570)1,4301,942(1)Level 2
$71,671$(6,906)$64,765$65,231

(1)

The reported fair value of the convertible note relates only to the debt component of such security and excludes the fair value associated with the related convertible note derivative that has been bifurcated and accounted for separately. Refer to Note 8–Convertible Note Derivatives for fair value information related to the Convertible Note Derivatives.

The valuation model for the Convertible Notes and related Convertible Note Derivatives require the input of subjective assumptions including expected share price volatility, risk-free interest rate and debt rate. Changes in the input assumptions as well as the Company's underlying share price can materially affect the fair value estimates. Changes in the reported fair value of the Convertible Notes between periods are not recognized in net income and therefore have no effect on reported net income (loss).

The significant assumptions used in the fair value model for the Convertible Notes and related Convertible Note Derivatives include the following, with changes in volatility, debt rate and stock price having the most significant impact on the related fair values.

Sep. 30, 2024 · (Sep. 2024 Notes) · Jun. 30, 2024
Risk-free interest rate3.6%3.4%4.5%
Volatility65.0%60.0%50.0%
Debt rate22.6% - 33.6%(1)23.7%28.7% - 36.7%(2)
Stock price per share$0.54$0.50$1.21

(1)

Debt rates of 25.5%,33.6% and 22.6% were utilized in the valuation of the August 2022 Notes, June 2024 Notes and September 2024 Notes, respectively.

(2)

Debt rates of 28.7% and 36.7% were utilized in the valuation of the August 2022 Notes and June 2024 Notes, respectively.

  1. Convertible Note Derivatives

The June 2024 Convertible Note Derivative and September 2024 Convertible Note Derivative, each which relate to the June 2024 Notes and September 2024 Notes, respectively, described above in Note 7–Debt, were valued upon initial recognition and at each reporting period at fair value using a with-and-without methodology utilizing a binomial lattice model (a model which utilizes Level 3 fair value inputs). Refer to Convertible Notes–Fair Value in Note 7–Debt for a table of certain inputs utilized in the valuation of the Convertible Notes and related Convertible Note Derivatives on certain dates. Changes in the fair value were recognized in Derivative gain (loss) in the statement of operations, but had no related impact on the Company’s cash position or cash flows. The provision that results in separate accounting for the June 2024 Convertible Note Derivative began June 11, 2024 in connection with the issuance of the June 2024 Notes, and on September 16, 2024 for the September 2024 Convertible Note Derivative in connection with the issuance of the September 2024 Notes. Each of these provisions will expire on December 31, 2024, and accordingly, the fair value of the June 2024 Convertible Note Derivative and September 2024 Convertible Note Derivative, if any, will be transferred to additional paid-in capital at that time.

The components of changes to the fair value of the Convertible Note Derivatives for the periods presented are summarized below.

Derivative
(Asset)/Liability
(in thousands)
Convertible note derivatives (asset) liability — June 30, 2024$3,315
Additions, at fair value, September 16, 20241,643
Fair value adjustments (gain) loss, net(2,187)
Convertible note derivatives (asset) liability — September 30, 2024$2,771
  1. Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements

At September 30, 2024, cash equivalents as well as trade and other payables approximate their fair value due to their short-term nature. Our financial instruments also consist of environmental reclamation bonds which are invested in certificates of deposit and money market funds which are classified as Level 1, the Convertible Notes which are classified as Level 2, and the Convertible Note Derivatives which were classified as Level 3. The reconciliation of changes in the fair value of the Convertible Note Derivative can be found in Note 8–Convertible Note Derivatives.

  1. Equity

The Company is authorized to issue up to 360,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value, $0.01 per share. The Company hasno outstanding shares of preferred stock.

On August 27, 2024, the Company completed an offering (the “August 2024 Equity Offering”) of (i)5,333,333 shares (the “Shares”) of Common Stock, (ii) Series A warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of up to 5,333,333 shares of Common Stock (the “Series A Warrants”) and (iii) Series B warrants to purchase an aggregate of 5,333,333 shares of Common Stock (the “Series B Warrants”, and collectively with the Series A Warrants, the “Warrants”). The Shares and Warrants were offered and sold on a combined basis for consideration equating to $0.75 for one Share and two Warrants. The exercise price for each of the Warrants is $0.7981 per share. This transaction resulted in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $3.0 million after deducting the placement agent’s fees and other offering expenses (inclusive of amounts payable and accrued as of September 30, 2024). The aggregate net proceeds and issuance costs associated with the August 2024 Equity Offering were allocated to the Shares and Warrants based upon the relative fair value of such items on the offering date.

The Series A Warrants and the Series B Warrants are initially exercisable on February 27, 2025. The Series A Warrants will expire on February 27, 2030 and the Series B Warrants will expire on February 27, 2027. The Warrants contain standard adjustments to the exercise price including for stock splits, stock dividends, rights offerings and pro rata distributions. The Warrants also include certain rights upon the occurrence of a “fundamental transaction” (as described in the Warrants), including the right of the holder thereof to receive from the Company or a successor entity the same type or form of consideration (and in the same proportion) that is being offered and paid to the holders of Common Stock in such fundamental transaction in the amount of the Black Scholes value (as described in the Warrants) of the unexercised portion of the Warrant on the date of the consummation of such fundamental transaction. The Warrants include cashless exercise rights to the extent the resale of the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants is not registered under the Securities Act.

During the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company issued approximately 231 thousand and 50 thousand shares of its Common Stock upon the vesting of equity awards. The vesting did not result in any cash proceeds to the Company.

2024 Equity Distribution Agreement

On March 28, 2024, the Company entered into an equity distribution agreement (the “Equity Distribution Agreement”) with Canaccord Genuity LLC and D.A. Davidson & Co. (the “Agents”) pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell up to $15.0 million of shares of Common Stock from time to time through the Agents, acting as the Company’s sales agents, or directly to one or more of the Agents, acting as principal (the “ATM Program”).

Neither of the Agents is required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of shares of the Company’s Common Stock, but each has agreed, subject to the terms and conditions of the Equity Distribution Agreement, to use its commercially reasonable efforts, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, to sell the shares of Common Stock on the terms agreed upon by such Agent and the Company.

The Company did not sell any shares of Common Stock nor receive any proceeds under the Equity Distribution Agreement during the three months ended September 30, 2024. As a result of the August 2024 Equity Offering we are precluded from utilizing the ATM Program for one year following the closing of the offering, and as a result approximately $410 thousand of costs previously capitalized for the ATM Program were written-off to General and administrative expense during thethree months ended September 30, 2024.

  1. Share Based Compensation

Share based compensation expense is included in general and administrative expense and represents costs associated with restricted share unit (“RSU”), director restricted share unit (“DSU”) and performance share unit (“PSU”) activity and options. Share based compensation expense consisted of the following for the periods presented.

Three Months Ended September 30,
20242023
(in thousands)
Share based compensation expense — service based
Employee share option plan$100$96
2022 Equity Compensation Plan — Options21133
2022 Equity Compensation Plan — PSUs(9)48
2022 Equity Compensation Plan — RSU and DSUs1,238322
Total share based compensation expense$1,350$599

As of September 30, 2024, the Company had approximately $774 thousand of total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock-based compensation awards that is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.4 years.

Stock Options

Option grants are made under the 2022 Equity Compensation Plan and vest ratably over the vesting period which is generally three years or less. The significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value of stock option awards granted during thethree months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, using a Black-Scholes option valuation model are as follows.

Three months ended September 30,
20242023
Exercise price$1.27$7.73
Share price$0.51$2.46
Volatility99%99%
Expected term in years2.99.6
Risk-free interest rate3.4%4.3%
Dividend rateNilNil

The following table summarizes stock option activity for each of the periods presented.

Three months ended September 30,
20242023
Number of OptionsWeighted Average Exercise PriceNumber of OptionsWeighted Average Exercise Price
(In thousands, except per share data)
Outstanding at beginning of the period4,001$9.334,187$10.91
Granted3011.273007.73
Exercised————
Expired/forfeited(1,660)5.26(278)25.49
Outstanding at end of the period2,64210.974,2099.71
Vested at the end of the period2,00013.583,3569.83
Unvested at the end of the period642$2.85853$9.25

The weighted average remaining life of vested options at September 30, 2024 and 2023 was approximately 2.3 years and 1.2 years, respectively. As of September 30, 2024 and 2023, the maximum expiration date for vested options was approximately 8.6 and 2.0 years, respectively.

As of September 30, 2024, there was approximately $298 thousand of unrecognized compensation cost related to 642 thousand unvested stock options. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average remaining period of approximately 1.5 years. As of September 30, 2024 and 2023, the maximum expiration date for unvested options was approximately 2.8 and 9.6 years, respectively.

The following table summarizes the activity for unvested options for each of the periods presented.

Three months ended September 30,
20242023
Number of OptionsWeighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per shareNumber of OptionsWeighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per share
(In thousands, except per share data)
Unvested at beginning of the period341$1.79838$6.42
Granted3010.223002.08
Vested——(7)6.85
Expired/forfeited——(278)10.48
Unvested at end of the period642$1.05853$3.57

As of September 30, 2024 and 2023, all outstanding stock options and vested stock options hadno intrinsic value as the exercise prices of the respective options exceeded the Company's stock price on such dates. There wereno options exercised during thethree months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

Full Value Awards (Restricted Share Units, Director Share Units and Performance Share Units)

The following table summarizes RSU, DSU and PSU activity for each of the periods presented.

Serviced-Based Shares · Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per Share · Performance- Based Shares · Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per Unit · Total Shares
(In thousands, except per share data)
Non-vested shares/units outstanding at June 30, 2024367.8$2.5694.4$5.73462.2
Granted353.00.52455.3(1)0.51808.3
Vested(323.5)1.95——(323.5)
Forfeited——(22.9)2.46(22.9)
Non-vested shares/units outstanding at September 30, 2024397.3$1.25526.8$1.36924.1
Serviced-Based Shares · Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per Share · Performance- Based Shares · Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per Unit · Total Shares
(In thousands, except per share data)
Non-vested shares/units outstanding at June 30, 2023209.8$6.78139.1$7.20348.9
Granted186.62.46121.6(2)2.46308.2
Vested(77.1)6.31——(77.1)
Forfeited(4.5)14.49(4.5)14.49(9.0)
Non-vested shares/units outstanding at September 30, 2023314.8$4.23256.2$4.82571.0

(1)

During the three months ended September 30, 2024, approximately 455.3 thousand PSUs were granted, which based on the achievement of certain financial and operational targets, could vest within a range of 0% to 100%. The targets are 1) construction of the large-scale commercial facility commencing prior to September 1, 2026; 2) an approved final investment decision in the large-scale commercial facility at a modeled internal rate of return of 20%, 3) achievement of an enterprise value in excess of $200 million, and 4) achievement of an enterprise value in excess of $300 million. The determination of the percentage of shares that ultimately vest will be made at the three-year anniversary of the grant date based upon achievement of the performance targets over the period.

(2)

During the three months ended September 30, 2023, approximately 121.6 thousand PSUs were granted, which based on the achievement of certain financial and operational targets, could vest within a range of 0% to 100%. The targets are 1) construction of the large-scale commercial facility commencing prior to September 1, 2026; 2) the budget for the large-scale commercial facility remaining within a range of $342-418 million; and 3) an approved final investment decision in the large-scale commercial facility at a modeled internal rate of return of 20%. The determination of the percentage of shares that ultimately vest will be made at the three-year anniversary of the grant date based upon achievement of the performance targets over the period.

During the three months ended September 30, 2024, the vesting of approximately 32 thousand RSUs was accelerated, and approximately 23 thousand PSUs were forfeited in accordance with the terms of a severance agreement with an employee. This resulted in approximately $915 thousand of incremental share based compensation expense recognized during the quarter.

  1. Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share

Basic loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted loss per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if DSUs, RSUs, PSUs, stock options and convertible securities such as the Convertible Notes (excluding any Additional Shares since the probability of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change cannot be predicted) and Warrants were exercised or converted into common stock at the end of the respective period. Diluted loss per share equals basic loss per share for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 as the effect of including dilutive securities in the calculation would be anti-dilutive.

For thethree months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the following effects are excluded from the computation of dilutive loss per share as such effects would have an anti-dilutive effect.

Three Months Ended September 30,
20242023
(in thousands)
Interest expense on Convertible Notes$2,184$2,393
Derivative gain (loss) — Convertible Note Derivatives$2,187$—
Additional shares assuming conversion of Convertible Notes55,4803,611
Additional shares assuming exercise of Warrants10,667—
Stock options and unvested restricted stock units and performance share units3,5664,780
  1. Commitments and Contingencies

Purchase Obligations

As of September 30, 2024, the Company had purchase order commitments of approximately $4.3 million primarily for engineering services for our proposed commercial-scale facility, drilling services related to wellfield development, raw materials for the operation of our SSF and other services.

Litigation

On July 17, 2023, the Company filed a complaint (the “Complaint”) against a previous construction contractor in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Eastern Division, alleging, among other things, numerous breaches by the contractor of its contractual obligations to 5EBA under the Procurement and Construction Contract, effective April 26, 2022, by and between 5EBA and the contractor, relating to the construction of the SSF in California (the “Contract”). On August 10, 2023, the contractor filed an answer to the Complaint as well as a counterclaim for, among other things, alleged breaches by 5EBA of its contractual obligations to the contractor under the Contract and has requested relief in the approximate amount of $5.5 million. The Company plans on filing a response disputing the counterclaims asserted by the contractor and reaffirming the grounds for recovery raised in the Complaint. Discovery has begun and is ongoing. An estimate of reasonably possible losses, if any, cannot be made at this time.

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The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.