EDMONTON, Alberta, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capital Power Corporation (TSX:CPX) today released financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. Financial highlights Generated adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) of $142 million and net cash flows used in operating activities of $334 million Generated adjusted EBITDA of $279 million and a net income of $205 million Strategic highlights Successful commissioning began on Genesee repower unit 1 simple cycle and retired Genesee 1, a significant milestone towards our net-zero by 2045 goal. Provided updated cost on Genesee repower project as completion nears. Discontinuing pursuit of $2.4 billion Genesee carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. Completed acquisition of 100% interest in the La Paloma facility in California and 50% interest in the Harquahala facility in Arizona for $1.5 billion (US $1.1 billion) in the U.S. Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) market and enabling further development opportunities in the region. Partnership with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to advance new nuclear in Alberta with agreement to assess feasibility of small modular reactors (SMRs) for Alberta grid. Announced large-scale 15-year virtual power purchase agreement signed with Saputo Inc. "Capital Power continued to execute on its strategic focus in the first quarter," said Avik Dey, President and CEO of Capital Power. "We delivered affordable and reliable power across our diverse and strategically positioned fleet of flexible generation assets. We continued to build decarbonized power through our Genesee Repowering project where we reached a key milestone with our startup of simple cycle unit 1 during Q1 2024. Once we startup simple cycle unit 2, expected in mid-2024, we will be fully off coal, achieving a significant carbon reduction target. We advanced our pursuit of low-carbon solutions by partnering with OPG to evaluate the deployment of small modular reactors in Alberta. Lastly, we closed the acquisition of the La Paloma and Harquahala generation assets, demonstrating our balanced approach to growth by diversifying our footprint into strategic regions where we provide reliable and affordable power," stated Mr. Dey. "During the quarter, strong contributions from our recent acquisitions of Frederickson 1, Harquahala, and La Paloma partially offset the impact of lower contributions from our Alberta commercial portfolio on adjusted EBITDA results, underscoring the benefits of a diversified fleet," said Sandra Haskins, SVP Finance and CFO of Capital Power. "As indicated in our guidance presentation earlier this year, a decrease in contributions from the Alberta portfolio was expected throughout 2024 due to the lower power price environment and forecasted lower generation during the Genesee Repowering project commissioning process. The table below shows the incremental impacts in the quarter as prices settled below expectations, the first fire of simple cycle commissioning for Unit 1 was delayed, and a number of ill-timed forced outages were experienced on the existing, aging Genesee units. As we look out longer term, we are excited by how Capital Power is uniquely positioned to deliver growth and create shareholder value, driven by the macro trends that are increasing North American power demand. We look forward to sharing further insights into our strategic pathway to net zero at our 2024 Investor Day event on May 7 and 8 in Edmonton," stated Ms. Haskins. Alberta Commercial Facilities Q1 Impacts ($ millions)     Q1-23 Alberta commercial facilities adjusted EBITDA $ 235   Q1-24 guidance reduction (volume and price)   (50)   Lower captured gross margin (below guidance)   (14)   Genesee repowering project - Unit 1 delay   (17)   Other outage costs and impacts   (19)   Q1-24 Alberta commercial facilities adjusted EBITDA $ 135   Operational and Financial Highlights1 (unaudited, millions of dollars except per share and operational amounts) Three months ended March 31   2024     2023   Electricity generation (Gigawatt hours)   8,809       7,417   Generation facility availability   94 %     94 % Revenues and other income $ 1,119     $ 1,267   Adjusted EBITDA 2 $ 279     $ 401   Net income 3 $ 205     $ 285   Net income attributable to shareholders of the Company $ 205     $ 286   Basic earnings per share $ 1.58     $ 2.39   Diluted earnings per share $ 1.57     $ 2.38   Net cash flows from operating activities $ 334     $ 349   Adjusted funds from operations 2 $ 142     $ 210   Adjusted funds from operations per share 2 $ 1.15     $ 1.80   Purchase of property, plant and equipment and other assets, net $ 218     $ 86   Dividends per common share, declared $ 0.6150     $ 0.5800   The operational and financial highlights in this press release should be read in conjunction with the Management's Discussion and Analysis and the audited condensed interim financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2024. Earnings before net finance expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, impairments, foreign exchange gains or losses, finance expense and depreciation expense from joint venture interests, gains or losses on disposals and unrealized changes in fair value of commodity derivatives and emissions credits and other items that are not reflective of the long-term performance of the Company's underlying business (adjusted EBITDA) and adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) are used as non-GAAP financial measures by the Company. The Company also uses AFFO per share which is a non-GAAP ratio. These measures and ratios do not have standardized meanings under GAAP and are, therefore, unlikely to be comparable to similar measures used by other enterprises. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Ratios. Includes depreciation and amortization for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 of $122 million and $141 million, respectively. Forecasted depreciation and amortization for the remainder of 2024 is $116 million per quarter. Significant Events Large-scale virtual power purchase agreement with Saputo Inc. On March 27, 2024, the Company announced it had entered into a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Saputo Inc. The agreement pertains to the Company's Canadian-based wind facility Halkirk 2 currently under construction. Subject to final regulatory approvals and once operational, the portion of the wind facility contracted by Saputo will generate approximately 206,300 MWh of renewable electricity per year. Acquisition of CXA La Paloma LLC and New Harquahala Generating Company, LLC The La Paloma Acquisition and the Harquahala Acquisition closed on February 9, 2024 and February 16, 2024, respectively. On November 20, 2023, the Company announced that it had entered into two separate definitive agreements with CSG Investments, Inc., a subsidiary of Beal Financial Corporation, to acquire: 100% of the equity interests in CXA La Paloma, LLC (La Paloma), which owns the 1,062 MW La Paloma natural gas-fired generation facility in Kern County, California (the La Paloma Acquisition); and under a newly formed 50/50 partnership between Capital Power Investments, LLC and an affiliate of a fund managed by BlackRock's Diversified Infrastructure business (BlackRock), 100% of the equity interests in New Harquahala Generating Company, LLC (Harquahala), which owns the 1,092 MW Harquahala natural gas-fired generation facility in Maricopa County, Arizona (the Harquahala Acquisition and together with the La Paloma Acquisition, the Acquisitions). Under the newly established 50/50 partnership, Capital Power and BlackRock are each responsible for funding 50% of the cash consideration for the Harquahala Acquisition. Capital Power is responsible for the operations and maintenance and asset management for which it will receive an annual management fee. La Paloma and Harquahala are critical infrastructure assets, which support the reliability of California and Arizona's electricity grids and add further growth opportunities in the attractive WECC market while balancing the Company's geographical footprint across North America. La Paloma is contracted under various resource adequacy contracts through 2029 with multiple investment grade utilities and load serving entities. Harquahala is 100% contracted under a tolling agreement through 2031 with an investment grade utility. The Acquisitions are expected to generate average annual Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $265 million (US$197 million) for the 2024-2028 period and are estimated to be, on average, 8% accretive to AFFO per share over the same period. The purchase price of the Acquisitions attributable to Capital Power was $1.5 billion (US$1.1 billion), subject to working capital and other customary closing adjustments. The Acquisitions were partially funded by a $400 million subscription receipt offering and $850 million medium term notes offering. Updates to Genesee Repowering project On January 16, 2024, the Company updated our Genesee repowering timelines. Commissioning of simple cycle Unit 1 occurred in the first quarter of 2024 and Unit 2 is expected to be completed in third quarter of 2024. During the commissioning phase, unit dispatch will be driven by project needs rather than economic dispatch therefore output during commissioning of simple cycle will range between 0 and 411 MWs. Combined cycle for Unit 1 and Unit 2 is expected to be completed in Q4 2024 and output will range between 0 and 466 MWs during commissioning. Both units are expected to reach 566 MWs in the first half of 2025. Due to incremental costs related to outages required for tie in and ongoing productivity challenges, the project is expected to come in at the updated cost of $1.55 to $1.65 billion. Partnered with Ontario Power Generation to advance new nuclear in Alberta On January 15, 2024, the Company announced that it had entered into an agreement with OPG to jointly assess the development and deployment of grid-scale SMRs to provide clean, reliable nuclear energy for Alberta. Pursuant to the agreement, the two companies will examine the feasibility of developing SMRs in Alberta, including possible ownership and operating structures. SMRs are being pursued by jurisdictions in Canada and around the world to power the growing demand for clean electricity and energy security. Capital Power and OPG will complete the feasibility assessment within two years, while continuing to work on the next stages of SMR development. Subsequent Event Discontinuation of $2.4 billion Genesee CCS project Capital Power is discontinuing pursuit of the Genesee CCS project. Through our development of the project, we have confirmed that CCS is a technically viable technology and potential pathway to decarbonization for thermal generation facilities including Genesee. However, at this time, the project is not economically feasible and as a result we will be turning our time, attention, and resources to other opportunities to serve our customers with balanced energy solutions. Capital Power looks forward to exploring CCS at Genesee and certain assets in our North American fleet in the future as economics improve. Analyst conference call and webcast Capital Power will be hosting a conference call and live webcast with analysts on May 1, 2024 at 9:00 am (MT) to discuss the first quarter financial results. The webcast can be accessed at: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/sdxtbcnm/. Conference call details will be sent directly to analysts. An archive of the webcast will be available on the Company's website at www.capitalpower.com following the conclusion of the analyst conference call. Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Ratios Capital Power uses (i) earnings before net finance expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, impairments, foreign exchange gains or losses, finance expense and depreciation expense from our joint venture interests, gains or losses on disposals and unrealized changes in fair value of commodity derivatives and emission credits (adjusted EBITDA), and (ii) AFFO as financial performance measures. Capital Power also uses AFFO per share as a performance measure. This measure is a non-GAAP ratio determined by applying AFFO to the weighted average number of common shares used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share. These terms are not defined financial measures according to GAAP and do not have standardized meanings prescribed by GAAP and, therefore, are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures used by other enterprises. These measures should not be considered alternatives to net income, net income attributable to shareholders of Capital Power, net cash flows from operating activities or other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with GAAP. Rather, these measures are provided to complement GAAP measures in the analysis of our results of operations from management's perspective. Adjusted EBITDA Capital Power uses adjusted EBITDA to measure the operating performance of facilities and categories of facilities from period to period. Management believes that a measure of facility operating performance is more meaningful if results not related to facility operations are excluded from the adjusted EBITDA measure such as impairments, foreign exchange gains or losses, gains or losses on disposals and other transactions, unrealized changes in fair value of commodity derivatives and emission credits and other items that are not reflective of the long-term performance of the Company's underlying business. A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) is as follows: ($ millions) Three months ended   Mar 2024 Dec 2023