- Record Q1 Revenue and Profit -
- Added Over $400 Million in New Project Awards -
- Added 60 MWe to Energy Assets in Development -
- Added Over $100 Million in Long-term O&M Contracts -
- Reaffirms FY22 Guidance -
First Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights:
- Revenues of $474.0 million, up 88%
- Net income attributable to common shareholders of $17.4 million, up 56%
- GAAP EPS of $0.32, up 46%
- Non-GAAP EPS of $0.36, up 44%
- Adjusted EBITDA of $45.1 million, up 52%
Ameresco, Inc., a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced financial results for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2022. The Company also furnished supplemental information in conjunction with this press release in a Current Report on Form 8-K. The supplemental information, which includes Non-GAAP financial measures, has been posted to the “Investor Relations” section of the Company’s website at www.ameresco.com. Reconciliations of Non-GAAP measures to the appropriate GAAP measures are included herein.
“Excellent execution by all of our teams led to robust first quarter revenue and profits, keeping us on track to achieve another year of record results in 2022. Each of our lines of business posted significant year-over-year growth. Even with record project revenues, we continued to grow our total project backlog with significant new awards, ending the quarter at $3.1 billion. Our work on the three Southern California Edison (SCE) BESS projects were a significant contributor to first quarter revenue growth as we hit many key milestones ahead of our expectations.
Update on the SCE BESS projects
- The production of the majority of the battery components needed for the projects is complete
- Construction, mobilization and the delivery of other major equipment is proceeding at the SCE sites
- As we stated in our previous press release, we are expecting delays in the delivery of certain batteries due to the COVID-19 lockdowns in several regions around China and newly implemented Chinese transportation safety policies
- Under the SCE contract, Force Majeure events, including COVID-related delays, result in extensions of required completion deadlines without liquidated damages and the contract price may be increased to account for the impact of the Force Majeure event
- Ameresco is engaged in continuing discussions with SCE regarding the applicability and scope of any Force Majeure relief relating to these circumstances
- We expect up to 300 MW of capacity to be online in August 2022, with the remainder to be online this year
“We were excited to announce another transformative win during the first quarter with the City of Bristol, UK in support of their ambitious 2030 carbon neutrality goal. Just six months after winning the SCE projects, Ameresco was awarded our second largest project ever. Once contracted, this unique 20-year partnership is designed to encompass a full range of advanced technologies, and efficiency and renewable solutions involving Project work, O&M as well as Energy Assets. We anticipate that this project will serve as a blueprint for cities, campuses and corporations across the US and Europe as they develop their net zero initiatives. The comprehensive scope of this project once again highlights our core capabilities to compete and win increasingly large and complex projects.
“The Energy Asset group had several significant wins during the quarter and our O&M business continued to add contracts as well, building its contracted backlog to over $1.2 billion. These sources of recurring revenue together with our project backlog provide us with over $5 billion in revenue visibility,” commented George P. Sakellaris, President and Chief Executive Officer.
First Quarter Financial Results
Total revenue increased 88% with growth across all our lines of business. Project revenue increased 118% as aspects of the SCE and other projects progressed ahead of our expectations during the quarter. The growth in our operating energy asset base, increased performance of existing assets and strong RIN prices drove a 15.4% growth in Energy Asset revenue with O&M and Other revenue increasing 9.6% and 11.0%, respectively. Gross margin was 14.4%, in line with our expectations given the impact from the lower gross margin profile of the SCE design/build project. Revenue performance combined with the Company’s strong operating leverage helped drive net income to $17.4 million, a 56% increase, and Adjusted EBITDA to $45.1 million, a 52% increase. Energy asset line of business net income was negatively impacted by non-cash mark-to-market charges on our commodity gas swaps that totaled approximately $2.5 million.
Project Highlights
In the first quarter of 2022:
- We were awarded a 20-year project to reduce energy costs and decarbonize the City of Bristol by 2030 through a series of energy and infrastructure investment opportunities, designed to attract upwards of £1 billion of inward investment to be shared with us and our partner Vattenfall.
- We announced a contract through our partnership at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) Air Force Base in Hawaii for a $102 million energy conservation project and accompanying $95 million 25-year O&M service agreement increasing energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing the comfort of military families on Hickam Air Force Base.
- We were awarded the 10-MW Slemon Park Microgrid project in collaboration with PEI Energy Corporation incorporating a 10-MW solar facility with direct current-coupled energy storage.
Asset Highlights
In the first quarter of 2022:
- Ameresco brought 10 MWe assets into operation while adding 60 MWe (gross) to our Assets in Development, bringing our total Assets in Development to 464 MWe.
- Added a 50 MWe battery and medium RNG project into our Assets into Development.
Summary and Outlook
“Ameresco’s first quarter performance demonstrates our strong positioning in an expanding addressable market that is benefiting from long term industry trends. These trends, together with the breadth of our technological expertise and proven track record position Ameresco to benefit from the growing number of opportunities on the horizon,” Mr. Sakellaris noted.
“We are pleased to reaffirm our 2022 guidance for year-over-year revenue growth of 52%, Adjusted EBITDA growth of 34% and Non-GAAP EPS of 26% at the midpoints of our guidance ranges. During 2022, we anticipate placing between 60 and 80 MWe of energy assets in service, while investing approximately $225 million to $275 million of capital, the majority of which we expect to fund with non-recourse debt. In addition, we now expect Q2 revenue to be about 10-15% higher than Q1. Q2 gross margins are still expected to be approximately 14%. Q3 revenue is expected to be slightly greater than Q4. We expect Q3 and Q4 gross margins to be approximately 18%,” Mr. Sakellaris concluded.
The Company’s guidance excludes the impact of any non-controlling interest activity, one-time charges, asset impairment charges, restructuring activities, as well as any related tax impact.
