New Fortress Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:NFE) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

There are a handful of other very significant markets we have spent a lot of time on, and we are confident that those will turn into terminals in due course as well. But there is €“ the medium-term or long-term basis, there is just no lack of supply. I mean I think that when you look at the business in the aggregate, I think number one, the question is, is the macro view of the world the right one, we feel very strong. The answer is yes, a resounding yes. There is a shortage of gas and power. I use the same example all the time. People in Jamaica used 10% as much electricity per capita as we do. People in Kenya use 10% as much electricity per capita as Jamaicans do. So, there is a vast need for affordable power. That actually is something we feel more strongly about every day.

Number two, I think the question about the businesses are really good at this, right. So, it’s something that we feel like we have demonstrated a pretty good capacity to do things. We are not perfect. We are learning every day. We have got a great group of people. But I think that we now have very, very good proof of concept at every level that except for the FLNG, which you are now a days away from having proof of concept with. So, we feel like that’s pretty good. And then the third thing is just the quality and consistency of earnings because I think that companies are rewarded for being without surprises to shareholders and living with their mission and delivering what they said they are going to do. And as I said at the outset of this, not only do we feel great about the actual volume of earnings kind of doubling from last year to the year before and then doubling again this year, that’s a pretty good path, right.

So, we are a $2 billion in EBITDA. That translates $1.3 billion in earnings, right. So, very, very significant earnings and we consider what the value of the company is right now. And I think that the sole missing piece of it, and only time will heal this or address this, is just show that you are actually consistent in what you said you are going to do. And the more diversity we have with terminals, more diversity we have with customers, the more we control our own upstream inputs of this, which is what the FLNG does, then the higher the quality of the earnings are. And we achieved this €“ the magical combination of both high-quality earnings and significant growth opportunities. That’s the goal that we have as a company. So, sorry for the long answer to your short question, but that’s how I think about it.

Operator: We will take our next question from Martin Malloy with Johnson Rice. Your line is open. Please go ahead.

Martin Malloy: Good morning. I have got kind of a macro question here. With the FLNG assets coming online, would it ever make sense for NFE to potentially invest in upstream gas assets or conversely maybe an upstream gas producer taking equity interest in the FLNG assets to take advantage of the increase in optionality for those molecules?

Wes Edens: It’s a great question. It’s something we kick around all the time. I think that it would be the ultimate in the integration from kind of cradle to grave of gas out of the ground to power and onto a system. The U.S. gas, in my opinion, is especially adjusted for the stability of the jurisdiction and the rule of law, is the cheapest gas on earth. And so simply connecting U.S. domestic gas to international markets is a fantastic idea. And that’s essentially what we are trying to do with this first one where we are basically buying gas out of Texas, maybe the pipeline gas and then taking it into there. I think the gas assets in the U.S. are very undervalued. And so I am not an expert at this. We have spent a lot of time looking at it.