Eversource (ES) to Divest Wind Assets, Expects $1.6B Charges
Eversource Energy ES announced that it is in negotiations to sell its interests in three offshore wind projects. The company also declared that it is incurring impairment costs of up to $1.6 billion in light of the recent issues facing the sector.
Eversource is in advanced talks to sell its 50% ownership interest in Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind and South Fork Wind to an undisclosed bidder, who is a private infrastructure investor. Currently, ES holds the stakes via two separate joint ventures with Ørsted, the Danish energy company.
In addition, Eversource said that it has recently identified new issues, including supply-chain constraints and uncertainty surrounding the re-bid process in New York state, which are impacting the sale price.
An after-tax impairment charge of $800-$900 million is what the company intends to declare for each of them. Sunrise Wind would need to pay an additional $600-$700 million for the project after a request for increased charges was turned down by New York regulators.
ES’ Commitment to Renewable Energy
Eversource’s investment plans will help add more clean assets to its portfolio, which, in turn, will help achieve its carbon neutrality goal. The company has planned to make clean energy investments of $2 billion during 2023-2027 to strengthen its renewable portfolio.
Despite Eversource’s exit from the unregulated wind business, it is fully committed to the region’s clean energy transition, with its regulated companies building many of the facilities that will enable more than 9,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind generation to reach the homes and businesses of Southern New England.
Growth Prospects
A clear transition is evident in this industry, with more companies declaring zero-emission goals. Research and development over the years have resulted in a substantial decline in the cost of setting up utility-scale renewable power projects, aiding in reducing emissions.
Per the U.S. Energy Information Administration (“EIA”), the annual share of U.S. electricity generation from renewable energy sources will rise 24% in 2024 compared with 21% in 2022. Per EIA, solar and wind generation, in unison, will overtake electric power generation from coal for the first time ever in 2024, exceeding coal by nearly 90 billion kilowatt-hours.
Along with ES, some other electric power industry companies like Xcel Energy Inc. XEL, NextEra Energy, Inc. NEE and Dominion Energy, Inc. D are also adopting measures to meet clean-energy targets.
Xcel Energy is reducing coal usage and targets to lower emissions by at least 80% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. After completing six wind projects with 1,500 MW capacities in 2020, the company completed four wind farms, adding another 800 MW of clean energy generation capacity to its portfolio. Its total wind capacity is 11,000 MW, out of which 4,500 MW is from owned wind farms.
XEL’s long-term (three to five year) earnings growth rate is 6.02%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 EPS indicates a year-over-year increase of 6.9%.
NextEra Energy is aiming to reduce total carbon emissions by 67% within 2025 from the 2005 level. It continues to work on its strategy of making a long-term investment in clean-energy assets. The company expects to be able to add 33-42 gigawatts of new renewables in the 2023-2026 period to the generation portfolio via clean-energy investments.
NEE’s long-term earnings growth rate is 8.18%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 EPS indicates a year-over-year increase of 8.5%.
Dominion aims to cut emissions by 70-80% by 2035 from the level of 2005. Its long-term objective is to add 24 gigawatts of battery storage, solar, hydro, and wind (offshore as well as onshore) projects by 2036 and increase the renewable energy capacity by more than 15% per year, on average, over the next 15 years.
D’s long-term earnings growth rate is 4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 EPS indicates a year-over-year increase of 13.1%.
Price Performance
In the past three months, shares of ES have risen 6.2% compared with the industry’s 8.1% growth.
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Zacks Rank
Eversource currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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