Enviva Partners, LP Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year of 2020 and Announces Commitment to “Net Zero”

BETHESDA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Enviva Partners, LP (NYSE: EVA) (“Enviva,” the “Partnership,” or “we”) today reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2020.

Highlights:

• The Partnership reported a net loss of $0.4 million, adjusted net income of $11.1 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $69.3 million for the fourth quarter, and net income of $17.1 million, adjusted net income of $46.0 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $190.3 million for the full year, of 2020
• For the fourth quarter of 2020, the Partnership declared a distribution of $0.78 per common unit, a 15.6% increase over the same quarter of 2019, bringing distributions for full-year 2020 to $3.00 per common unit, a 13.2% increase over 2019
• The Partnership provided full-year 2021 guidance for net income in the range of $42.3 million to $62.3 million and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $230.0 million to $250.0 million, and expects to distribute at least $3.17 per common unit for full-year 2021, before considering the benefit of any acquisitions or drop-down transactions
• Following successful completion of construction of the Mid-Atlantic Expansions, the Partnership announced $50.0 million in new expansion projects expected to generate $20.0 million of incremental run rate adjusted EBITDA
• In addition to new take-or-pay off-take agreements, the Partnership’s sponsor executed an MOU with a major trading house for up to 1 million MTPY of deliveries to combined heat and power plants, an emerging segment of the Japanese biomass energy market
• The Partnership and our sponsor announced a commitment and plan to become “net-zero” in our operations by 2030

“We are very proud of our accomplishments in 2020. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, we operated our plant and terminal assets stably and reliably, we made uninterrupted deliveries to our customers, we completed two transformative acquisitions, we met our increased guidance expectations for adjusted EBITDA, distributable cash flow, and full-year distributions, and we delivered a 30% total return to our unitholders, all while keeping our people safe and healthy,” said John Keppler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Enviva. “As we turn the page to 2021, our ability to generate stable cash flows that grow over time is poised to be more robust than ever, fueled both by organic growth as we look to replicate the highly accretive expansion projects in our existing portfolio and, against the backdrop of the forthcoming start-up of our sponsor’s fully-contracted Lucedale plant and Pascagoula terminal, coupled with existing and new long-term take-or-pay off-take energy supply contracts with large customers around the world, through additional drop-downs.”

Fourth-Quarter and Annual Financial Results

For the fourth quarter of 2020, we generated net revenue of $277.3 million, as compared to $200.5 million for the corresponding quarter of 2019. The $76.8 million increase in net revenue was primarily attributable to a $65.6 million increase in product sales on sale volumes that were 29.4 percent higher and an $11.2 million increase in other revenue. Included in other revenue for the fourth quarter of 2020 were $15.4 million in payments to the Partnership for adjusting deliveries under our take-or-pay off-take contracts, which otherwise would have been included in product sales.

For the fourth quarter of 2020, we generated gross margin of $26.6 million, as compared to $28.2 million for the corresponding quarter of 2019. Adjusted gross margin was $72.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2020, as compared to $55.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, an increase of $17.8 million, or 32.3 percent. Adjusted gross margin per metric ton was $54.02 for the fourth quarter of 2020, as compared to adjusted gross margin per metric ton of $52.83 for the fourth quarter of 2019. The increase in adjusted gross margin is primarily attributable to higher sales volumes and higher pricing due to customer contract mix, partially offset by a corresponding increase in cost of goods sold.

For the fourth quarter of 2020, net loss and adjusted net income were $0.4 million and $11.1 million, respectively. For the fourth quarter of 2019, net income and adjusted net income were $0.9 million and $17.2 million, respectively.

Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2020 was $69.3 million, as compared to $53.3 million for the corresponding quarter of 2019. The increase of $16.0 million, or 30.1 percent, was primarily due to the same factors that increased adjusted gross margin. Distributable cash flow, prior to any distributions attributable to incentive distribution rights paid to our general partner, was $54.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2020, an increase of $15.5 million, or 39.4 percent, as compared to the corresponding quarter of 2019.

For full-year 2020, we generated net revenue of $875.1 million, as compared to net revenue of $684.4 million for 2019. The $190.7 million increase in net revenue was primarily attributable to a $156.3 million increase in product sales revenue on sales volumes that were 21.5 percent higher and a $34.4 million increase in other revenue. Included in other revenue for full-year 2020 were $32.5 million in payments to the Partnership for adjusting deliveries under our take-or-pay off-take contracts, which otherwise would have been included in product sales.

Gross margin was $107.1 million for full-year 2020, as compared to $81.1 million for 2019, an increase of $26.1 million. Adjusted gross margin was $204.9 million for full-year 2020, as compared to $151.6 million for 2019, an increase of $53.2 million, or 35.1 percent. Adjusted gross margin per metric ton was $47.29 for full-year 2020, as compared to $42.54 for full-year 2019. Gross margin and adjusted gross margin increased primarily due to higher sales volumes and higher pricing due to customer contract mix, partially offset by a corresponding increase in cost of goods sold.

For full-year 2020, net income and adjusted net income were $17.1 million and $46.0 million, respectively. For full-year 2019, net loss and adjusted net income were $2.9 million and $39.0 million, respectively.

Adjusted EBITDA for full-year 2020 was $190.3 million, as compared to $141.3 million for full-year 2019. The increase of $49.0 million, or 34.7 percent, was primarily due to the same factors that increased adjusted gross margin. Distributable cash flow, prior to any distributions attributable to incentive distribution rights paid to our general partner, was $141.6 million for full-year 2020, an increase of $43.1 million, or 43.8 percent, as compared to full-year 2019.

As of December 31, 2020, the Partnership’s liquidity, which includes cash on hand and availability under our $350.0 million revolving credit facility, was $239.7 million.

The integration of the wood pellet production plants in Greenwood, South Carolina (the “Greenwood plant”) and Waycross, Georgia (the “Waycross plant”) into the Partnership is progressing as expected. The Partnership has received the necessary permits to expand the Greenwood plant’s production capacity to 600,000 metric tons per year (“MTPY”). Construction is ongoing and the expansion is on track for completion by the end of 2021. Performance at the Waycross plant has consistently met or exceeded our expectations prior to the acquisition.

The Partnership continues to report that, to date, our operating and financial results have not been materially impacted by the outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) and all of our customers have performed in accordance with their contracts with us. Although the full implications of COVID-19 are not yet known, we have contingency and business continuity plans in place that we believe would mitigate the impact of potential business disruptions if necessary.

Distribution

As announced on January 27, 2021, the board of directors of our general partner (the “Board”) declared a distribution of $0.78 per common unit for the fourth quarter of 2020, an increase of 15.6% over the same quarter of 2019. This distribution represents the twenty-second consecutive distribution increase since the Partnership’s initial public offering. The Partnership’s distributable cash flow, net of amounts attributable to incentive distribution rights paid to our general partner, of $46.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2020 covered the distribution for the quarter at 1.50 times. With its fourth-quarter distribution, the Partnership has declared aggregate distributions of $3.00 per common unit for full-year 2020, an increase of 13.2% over the aggregate distributions per common unit for 2019. The quarterly distribution will be paid on Friday, February 26, 2021, to unitholders of record as of the close of business on Monday, February 15, 2021.

Outlook and Guidance

The Partnership expects full-year 2021 net income to be in the range of $42.3 million to $62.3 million, adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $230.0 million to $250.0 million, and distributable cash flow to be in the range of $160.0 million to $180.0 million, prior to any distributions attributable to incentive distribution rights paid to our general partner. The Partnership expects to distribute at least $3.17 per common unit for full-year 2021, before considering the benefit of any acquisitions or drop-down transactions, and target a distribution coverage ratio of 1.20 times on a forward-looking annual basis.

The guidance amounts provided above do not include the impact of any additional acquisitions by the Partnership from our sponsor or third parties. The Partnership’s quarterly income and cash flow are subject to seasonality and the mix of customer shipments made, which vary from period to period. Similar to previous years, the Partnership expects net income, adjusted EBITDA, and distributable cash flow for the second half of 2021 to be significantly higher than for the first half of the year.

“The solid financial results we delivered for full-year 2020 set the stage for a strong 2021 during which we expect to continue our track record of organic growth and accretive drop-down transactions, which has enabled us to consistently and durably increase per-unit distributions since our initial public offering,” said Shai Even, Chief Financial Officer of Enviva. “We expect our fully contracted business model, combined with conservative financial policies, to put us in a position to stably and reliably grow the Partnership in size and scale.”

Market and Contracting Update

In one of the new administration’s first actions, President Joe Biden signed an executive order recommitting the United States to the Paris Agreement, the international accord designed to avert catastrophic global warming. This action caps a landmark twelve-month period during which the global community, including many of the regulators, policymakers, academics, and businesses in the jurisdictions where our existing and prospective customers are located, made unprecedented commitments and significant progress to phase out coal, cut greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions, and achieve “net-zero” by 2050 in order to limit the impact of climate change.

In December 2020, the European Union (the “EU”) took another decisive step towards legislating the 2050 “net-zero” target into the European Climate Law, when EU leaders from all 27 member states, including heavily coal-dependent countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic, agreed to raise the EU’s 2030 GHG emissions reduction target from 40 percent to 55 percent, as compared to 1990 levels. EU leaders also reached agreement on an economic recovery package that included over 110 billion euros of grants dedicated to climate and environmental purposes. The European Council, Parliament, and Commission have now entered into the “trilogue” in order to formally adopt this law.

The United Kingdom (the “UK”), which has been at the forefront of the renewable energy transition, recently raised its GHG emissions reduction commitment under the Paris Agreement to at least 68 percent by 2030, up from the previous target of 53 percent, as compared to 1990 levels. Furthermore, through a series of important energy policy publications, including the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Energy White Paper “Powering Our Net Zero Future,” and the Committee on Climate Change’s Sixth Carbon Budget, the UK government underlined its continued commitment to bioenergy as a source of heat and power and outlined its intention to support Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) as a key negative carbon emissions solution and explore bioenergy’s role in hydrogen production.

In Japan, following Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s “net-zero” pledge in October 2020, the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recently unveiled a “Green Growth Strategy Towards 2050 Carbon Neutrality.” The strategy sets the target for renewable energy sources to make up 50 percent to 60 percent of the nation’s power supply by 2050 and proposes tax incentives and other support to achieve this goal, including a 2 trillion yen ($19 billion) “Green Innovation Fund.”

The continued favorable climate change policy declarations, complemented by the recent execution of several new agreements by our sponsor, reinforce our conviction in the long-term growth profile of the Partnership.

In addition to the approximately 3.5 million MTPY of long-term off-take contracts with Japanese counterparties the Partnership and our sponsor previously announced, our sponsor recently executed several agreements with Japanese counterparties, including:

• A new contract with a major Japanese trading house regarding 20-year, take-or-pay off-take supply for a new biomass power plant. The contract is subject to certain conditions precedent, which our sponsor expects to be met during 2021. Sales related to this contract are expected to commence in 2024 with annual deliveries of 240,000 MTPY of wood pellets.

• An amendment to increase the volume from 400,000 MTPY to 420,000 MTPY under an existing 20-year, take-or-pay off-take contract with a major Japanese trading house to supply a new biomass power plant. Deliveries under this contract are expected to commence in 2024. This contract is subject to certain conditions precedent, which the sponsor expects to be met during the first half of 2021.

• A memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) with a major trading house in Japan outlining the terms under which we and our sponsor would supply up to 1 million MPTY to an emerging segment of the Japanese renewable energy market, combined heat and power plants that could be converted from fossil fuels to co-fired or dedicated biomass plants. These facilities are most often co-located with major manufacturing complexes in Japan. The decarbonization of the industrial sector is increasingly important for countries to meet net-zero targets.

As of February 1, 2021, the Partnership’s current production capacity is matched with a portfolio of firm, take-or-pay off-take contracts that has a total weighted-average remaining term of 12.8 years and a total product sales backlog of $14.6 billion. Assuming all volumes under the firm and contingent off-take contracts held by our sponsor were included, our total weighted-average remaining term and product sales backlog would increase to 14.0 years and $19.9 billion, respectively. The Partnership expects to have the opportunity to acquire off-take contracts from our sponsor.

Sustainability

Consistent with our mission to displace coal, grow more trees, and fight climate change, we and our sponsor recently announced our commitment to become “net-zero” in GHG emissions from our operations by 2030. Although the product we manufacture helps reduce the lifecycle GHG emissions of our customers, we believe we must also do our part within our operations to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In order to deliver “net-zero” emissions by 2030, we have committed to the following:

• We will reduce, eliminate, or offset all of our direct emissions. We will immediately begin to minimize the emissions from fossil fuels used directly in our operations—our Scope 1 emissions. As our efforts to minimize the use of fossil fuels, adopt lower-carbon processes, and improve the efficiency of our operations will take time and continue to mature, in the interim we will offset 100 percent of our residual emissions through investments in projects that result in real, additional, and third-party-verified net-carbon reductions. We will focus on forest offsets created in the U.S. Southeast as part of our relationships with Finite Carbon and others, building on our experience working directly with private landowners. We plan to work with key stakeholders and others who are investing in such high-quality offsets, prioritizing those created from forest management, afforestation, and reforestation projects.

• To reduce the emissions arising from our electricity purchases in our operations—our Scope 2 emissions—we pledge to source 100 percent renewable energy for our operations by no later than 2030, with a target of at least 50 percent by 2025.
  • Today, all of the fuel utilized in our drying operations is already provided by 100 percent renewable resources, but we still use electricity from the grid.
  • Our manufacturing operations are located in the U.S. Southeast, where electricity generation relies heavily on coal and natural gas and where market structures make renewable energy supply more difficult than in many other parts of the United States. We recognize that efforts are underway to transition the grid in our operating regions to lower-emissions sources and we intend to play a positive role in accelerating these trends. We will work with renewable energy suppliers to generate zero-carbon renewable energy for our operations.
  • We will seek to both maximize the use of on-site renewable energy generation at our facilities, as well as to develop new off-site renewable energy resources physically located in our operating regions where possible.

• We will seek to drive innovative improvements in our supply chain. To address emissions generated as part of our upstream and downstream supply chain—our Scope 3 emissions—we commit to proactively engage with our partners and other key stakeholders to adopt clean energy solutions.
  • Given the durability and consistency of our operations, particularly with respect to transportation logistics, we believe our business provides a unique opportunity to test innovative approaches for supply-chain decarbonization. We commit to work with our stakeholders to improve the environmental emissions intensity of trucking, rail, and shipping logistics, and we commit further to take steps to accelerate and advocate for the development of new solutions and to work with our stakeholders to bring these solutions to market.

• We will transparently track and report on our progress. We will annually report on all emissions: Scope 1 (direct emissions from our manufacturing), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from energy we purchase), and Scope 3 (indirect emissions in our value chain). We also commit to disclosing climate-relevant data and risks through CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) by the end of 2022.

We plan to accomplish these goals in partnership with our key stakeholders, including through direct engagement with our customers, who share our commitment to achieving immediate and measurable atmospheric GHG emissions reductions and in many cases are pursuing not only net-zero carbon emissions strategies, but also projects including innovations like BECCS, where we believe Enviva can help pioneer a carbon-negative solution.

“Enviva and the sustainable and renewable fuel we supply to our customers are part of an all-in solution to climate change,” said Keppler. “It’s essential that we act right now to do our part to mitigate rising temperatures. Our plan to achieve net-zero in our operations by 2030, with critical near-term milestones, is just the latest expression of our commitment to be a leader in the fight against climate change.”

Partnership Development Activities

The Partnership continues to commission certain assets and ramp production from the existing expansion projects (the “Mid-Atlantic Expansions”) at its wood pellet production plants in Northampton, North Carolina and Southampton, Virginia. The Partnership expects both plants to reach a nameplate production capacity of approximately 750,000 MTPY at each plant by the end of 2021.

Following the successful completion of construction at the Mid-Atlantic Expansions, the Partnership has commenced a series of projects (the “Multi-Plant Expansions”) at our wood pellet production plants in Sampson, North Carolina (the “Sampson plant”), Hamlet, North Carolina (the “Hamlet plant”), and Cottondale, Florida (the “Cottondale plant”), subject to receiving the necessary permits. The Partnership expects to invest approximately $50.0 million in connection with the Multi-Plant Expansions to de-bottleneck manufacturing processes, eliminate certain costs, and increase production capacity, while reducing GHG emissions at the same time. Upon completion and ramp-up, the Partnership expects the Multi-Plant Expansions to generate approximately $20.0 million in total incremental annual adjusted EBITDA. The Partnership expects to fund the Multi-Plant Expansions using our 50/50 equity/debt capital structure and to complete the Multi-Plant Expansions by the end of 2022.

Sponsor Development Activities

Our sponsor recently closed a $325.0 million senior secured green term loan facility (the “Holdings Green Term Loan”), using a portion of the proceeds to purchase its joint venture partner’s interest (the “JV Buyout”) in the sponsor’s development joint venture. With the benefit of the Holdings Green Term Loan, which we do not expect to affect the Partnership’s credit ratings, the associated JV Buyout, and the $300.0 million in undrawn equity capital raised during our sponsor’s previously announced recapitalization transaction in July 2020, our sponsor has materially reduced its cost of capital associated with the development and construction of renewable energy infrastructure assets, including:

• The construction of the fully contracted wood pellet production plant in Lucedale, Mississippi (the “Lucedale plant”) and the deep-water marine terminal in Pascagoula, Mississippi (the “Pascagoula terminal”).

• The development and construction of a fully contracted wood pellet production plant in Epes, Alabama, where our sponsor has completed the purchase of the project site and commenced certain pre-construction activities.

• The evaluation of additional sites for wood pellet production plants across the Southeastern United States, which would be exported through the Partnership’s existing terminals and the Pascagoula terminal, to serve the balance of the $5.3 billion in current long-term contracted demand at the sponsor, which is complemented by material contract volumes under negotiation with utilities and power generators in current and evolving markets around the globe.

Conference Call

We will host a conference call with executive management related to our fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 results and a more detailed market update at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Thursday, February 25, 2021. Information on how interested parties may listen to the conference call is available on the Investor Relations page of our website (www.envivabiomass.com). A replay of the conference call will be available on our website after the live call concludes.

Contacts

Investor:
Wushuang Ma
ir@envivapartners.com
+1 (240) 482-3856

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