NextDecade Corp. - Quarter Report: 2022 March (Form 10-Q)

Organizational Structure

The following diagram depicts our abbreviated organizational structure as of March 31, 2022 with references to the names of certain entities discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Unless the context requires otherwise, references to “NextDecade,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to NextDecade Corporation (NASDAQ: NEXT) and its consolidated subsidiaries.

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

NextDecade Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

NextDecade Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

NextDecade Corporation

Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Equity and Convertible Preferred Stock

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

NextDecade Corporation.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

NextDecade Corporation

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(unaudited)

Note 1 — Background and Basis of Presentation

NextDecade Corporation engages in development activities related to the liquefaction and sale of liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) and the capture and storage of CO₂ emissions. We have focused our development activities on the Rio Grande LNG terminal facility at the Port of Brownsville in southern Texas (the “Terminal”), a carbon capture and storage project at the Terminal (the “Terminal CCS project”) and other carbon capture and storage projects (“CCS projects”) with third-party industrial source facilities.  

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. In our opinion, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring items, which are considered necessary for a fair presentation of the unaudited consolidated financial statements, have been included. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year.

Certain reclassifications have been made to conform prior period information to the current presentation.  The reclassifications did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Note 2 — Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets

Prepaid expenses and other current assets consisted of the following (in thousands):

Note 3 — Sale of Equity Interests in Rio Bravo

On March 2, 2020, NextDecade LLC closed the transactions (the “Closing”) contemplated by that certain Omnibus Agreement, dated February 13, 2020, with Spectra Energy Transmission II, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enbridge Inc. (“Buyer”), pursuant to which NextDecade LLC sold one hundred percent of the equity interests (the “Equity Interests”) in Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC (“Rio Bravo”) to Buyer for consideration of approximately $19.4 million. Buyer paid $15.0 million of the Purchase Price to NextDecade LLC at the Closing and the remainder will be paid within five business days after the date that Rio Grande has received, after a final positive investment decision, the initial funding of financing for the development, construction and operation of the Terminal. Rio Bravo is developing a proposed interstate natural gas pipeline (the “Pipeline”) to supply natural gas to the Terminal.  In connection with the Closing, Rio Grande LNG Gas Supply LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Rio Grande Gas Supply”), entered into (i) a Precedent Agreement for Firm Natural Gas Transportation Service for the Rio Bravo Pipeline (the “RBPL Precedent Agreement”) with Rio Bravo and (ii) a Precedent Agreement for Natural Gas Transportation Service (the “VCP Precedent Agreement”) with Valley Crossing Pipeline, LLC (“VCP”). VCP and, as of the Closing, Rio Bravo are wholly owned subsidiaries of Enbridge Inc. The Valley Crossing Pipeline is owned and operated by VCP.

Pursuant to the RBPL Precedent Agreement, Rio Bravo agreed to provide Rio Grande Gas Supply with firm natural gas transportation services on the Pipeline in a quantity sufficient to match the full operational capacity of each proposed liquefaction train of the Terminal. Rio Bravo’s obligation to construct, install, own, operate and maintain the Pipeline is conditioned on its receipt, no later than December 31, 2023, of notice that Rio Grande Gas Supply or its affiliate has issued a full notice to proceed to the engineering, procurement and construction contractor (the “EPC Contractor”) for the construction of the Terminal. Under the RBPL Precedent Agreement, in consideration for the provision of such firm transportation services, Rio Bravo will be remunerated on a dollar-per-dekatherm, take-or-pay basis, subject to certain adjustments, over a term of at least twenty years, all in compliance with the federal and state authorizations associated with the Pipeline.

Pursuant to the VCP Precedent Agreement, VCP agreed to provide Rio Grande Gas Supply with natural gas transportation services on the Valley Crossing Pipeline in a quantity sufficient to match the commissioning requirements of each proposed liquefaction train of the Terminal. VCP’s obligation to construct, install, own, operate and maintain the necessary interconnection to the Terminal and the Pipeline is conditioned on its receipt, no later than December 31, 2023, of notice that Rio Grande Gas Supply or its affiliate has issued a full notice to proceed to the EPC Contractor for the construction of the Terminal. VCP will be responsible, at its sole cost and expense, to construct, install, own, operate and maintain the tap, riser and valve facilities (the “VCP Transporter Facilities”), which shall connect to Rio Grande Gas Supply’s custody transfer meter and such other facilities as necessary in order for the Terminal to receive gas from the VCP Transporter Facilities (the “Rio Grande Gas Supply Facilities”). Rio Grande Gas Supply will be responsible, at its sole cost and expense, to construct, install, own, operate and maintain the Rio Grande Gas Supply Facilities. Under the VCP Precedent Agreement, in consideration for the provision of the commissioning transportation services, VCP will be remunerated on the same dollar-per-dekatherm, take-or-pay basis as set forth in the RBPL Precedent Agreement for the duration of such commissioning services, all in compliance with the federal and state authorizations associated with the Valley Crossing Pipeline.

If Rio Grande or its affiliate fails to issue a full notice to proceed to the EPC Contractor on or prior to December 31, 2023, Buyer has the right to sell the Equity Interests back to NextDecade LLC and NextDecade LLC has the right to repurchase the Equity Interests from Buyer, in each case at a price not to exceed $23 million. Accordingly, the proceeds from the sale of the Equity Interests and additional costs incurred by Buyer are presented as a non-current liability and the assets of Rio Bravo have not been de-recognized in the consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2022.

Note 4 — Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands):

Depreciation expense was $47 thousand and $48 thousand for the three months ended  March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Note 5 — Leases

Our leased assets primarily consist of office space. 

Operating lease right-of-use assets are as follows (in thousands):

Operating lease liabilities are as follows (in thousands):

Operating lease expense is as follows (in thousands):

Maturity of operating lease liabilities as of March 31, 2022 are as follows (in thousands, except lease term and discount rate):

Other information related to our operating leases is as follows (in thousands):

Note 6 — Other Non-Current Assets

Other non-current assets consisted of the following (in thousands):

Note 7 — Accrued Liabilities and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

Note 8 – Preferred Stock and Common Stock Warrants

Preferred Stock

As of December 31, 2021, the Company had outstanding 73,713 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), 70,433 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series B Preferred Stock”) and 42,490 shares of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series C Preferred Stock” and, together with the Series A Preferred Stock and the Series B Preferred Stock, the “Convertible Preferred Stock”).

In  March 2022, the Company sold an aggregate of 10,500 shares of Series C Preferred Stock (the “2022 Series C Preferred Stock”), together with associated warrants to purchase Company common stock (the “2022 Series C Warrants”) at $1,000 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $10.5 million and issued an additional 210 shares of Series C Preferred Stock in aggregate as origination fees to the purchasers of the Series C Preferred Stock.

Net proceeds from the sales of the 2022 Series C Preferred Stock were allocated on a fair value basis to the 2022 Series C Warrants and on a relative fair value basis to the 2022 Series C Preferred Stock.  The allocation of net cash proceeds is as follows (in thousands):

As of March 31, 2022, shares of Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock and Series C Preferred Stock were convertible into shares of Company common stock at a weighted average conversion price of approximately $6.39 per share, $6.43 per share and $3.43 per share, respectively.

The Company has the option to convert all, but not less than all, of the Convertible Preferred Stock into shares of Company common stock at the applicable conversion price on any date on which the volume weighted average trading price of shares of Company common stock for each trading day during any 60 of the prior 90 trading days is equal to or greater than 175% of the Series B Conversion Price, in each case subject to certain terms and conditions. Furthermore, the Company must convert all of the Convertible Preferred Stock into shares of Company common stock at the applicable conversion price on the earlier of (i) ten (10) business days following an FID Event, as defined in the certificates of designations of the Convertible Preferred Stock, and (ii) the respective dates that are the tenth (10th) anniversaries of the closings of the issuances of the Convertible Preferred Stock, as applicable.

The shares of Convertible Preferred Stock bear dividends at a rate of 12% per annum, which are cumulative and accrue daily from the respective dates of issuance on the $1,000 stated value. Such dividends are payable quarterly and may be paid in cash or in-kind. During the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company paid-in-kind $5.7 million and $3.9 million of dividends, respectively, to the holders of the Convertible Preferred Stock.  On April 12, 2022, the Company declared dividends to the holders of the Convertible Preferred Stock as of the close of business on March 15, 2022.  On April 15, 2022, the Company paid-in-kind $5.7 million of dividends to the holders of the Convertible Preferred Stock.

Common Stock Warrants

The Company has issued warrants exercisable to purchase Company common stock in connection with its issuances of Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock and Series C Preferred Stock (collectively, the “Common Stock Warrants”).  The Company revalues the Common Stock Warrants at each balance sheet date and recognized a loss of $6.3 million and $2.0 million during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.  The Common Stock Warrant liabilities are included in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

The assumptions used in the Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate the fair value of the Common Stock Warrants are as follows:

Note 9 — Net Loss Per Share

The following table (in thousands, except for loss per share) reconciles basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding for each of the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021:

Potentially dilutive securities not included in the diluted net loss per share computations because their effect would have been anti-dilutive were as follows (in thousands):

Note 10 — Share-based Compensation

We have granted shares of Company common stock, restricted Company common stock and restricted stock units to employees, consultants and non-employee directors under our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2017 Plan”).

Total share-based compensation consisted of the following (in thousands):

Note 11 — Income Taxes

Due to our cumulative loss position, we have established a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Due to our full valuation allowance, we have not recorded a provision for federal or state income taxes during either of the three months ended March 31, 2022 or 2021.

Note 12 — Commitments and Contingencies

Obligation under LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement

In March 2019, we entered into a 20-year sale and purchase agreement (the “SPA”) with Shell NA LNG LLC (“Shell”) for the supply of approximately two million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas from the Terminal. Pursuant to the SPA, Shell will purchase LNG on a free-on-board (“FOB”) basis starting from the date the first liquefaction train of the Terminal that is commercially operable, with approximately three-quarters of the purchased LNG volume indexed to Brent and the remaining volume indexed to domestic United States gas indices, including Henry Hub.

In the first quarter of 2020, pursuant to the terms of the SPA, the SPA became effective upon the conditions precedent in the SPA being satisfied or waived.  The SPA obligates Rio Grande to deliver the contracted volumes of LNG to Shell at the FOB delivery point, subject to the first liquefaction train at the Terminal being commercially operable.

Other Commitments

On March 6, 2019, Rio Grande entered into a lease agreement (the “Rio Grande Site Lease”) with the Brownsville Navigation District of Cameron County, Texas (“BND”) for the lease by Rio Grande of approximately 984 acres of land situated in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas for the purposes of constructing, operating, and maintaining (i) a liquefied natural gas facility and export terminal and (ii) gas treatment and gas pipeline facilities.  On April 20, 2022, Rio Grande and the BND amended the Rio Grande Site Lease (the “Rio Grande Site Lease Amendment”) to extend the effective date for commencing the Rio Grande Site Lease to May 6, 2023 (the “Effective Date”). 

In connection with the Rio Grande Site Lease, Rio Grande is committed to pay approximately $1.5 million per quarter to the BND through the earlier of the Effective Date and lease commencement.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, Rio Grande entered into an amended agreement for wetland mitigation measures.  In connection with the amended agreement, Rio Grande is committed to spend approximately $0.5 million during 2022.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time the Company may be subject to various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of business. As of  March 31, 2022, management is not aware of any claims or legal actions that, separately or in the aggregate, are likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows, although the Company cannot guarantee that a material adverse effect will not occur.

Note 13 — Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The following table provides a brief description of recent accounting standards that have been adopted by the Company during the reporting period:

Note 14 — Subsequent Events

On April 6, 2022, the Company entered into a common stock purchase agreement (the “Stock Purchase Agreement”) with HGC NEXT INV LLC (the “Purchaser”), pursuant to which the Company sold 4,618,226 shares of the Company’s common stock to Purchaser, at a purchase price of $6.496 per share for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $30.0 million.  The consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Stock Purchase Agreement occurred on April 7, 2022.

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through May 12, 2022, the date the financial statements were issued. Any material subsequent events that occurred during this time have been properly recognized and/or disclosed in these financial statements.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, strategy and plans, and our expectations for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “contemplate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “believe,” “may,” “might,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “can have,” “likely,” “continue,” “design” and other words and terms of similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives and financial needs.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Our future financial position and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements are subject to change and inherent risks and uncertainties, including those described in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should consider our forward-looking statements in light of a number of factors that may cause actual results to vary from our forward-looking statements including, but not limited to:

Should one or more of the foregoing risks or uncertainties materialize in a way that negatively impacts us, or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements, and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are made as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. In addition, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. 

Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements as well as others made in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K as well as other filings we have made and will make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and our public communications. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made by us in the context of these risks and uncertainties.

Overview

NextDecade Corporation engages in development activities related to the liquefaction and sale of LNG and the capture and storage of CO₂ emissions.  We have undertaken and continue to undertake various initiatives to evaluate, design and engineer the Terminal, including the Terminal CCS project, that we expect will result in demand for LNG supply at the Terminal, and other CCS projects that would be hosted at industrial source facilities.

Unless the context requires otherwise, references to “NextDecade,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to NextDecade Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Recent Developments

Rio Grande Development Activity

LNG Sale and Purchase Agreements and Heads of Agreement

In April 2022, we entered into a 20-year sale and purchase agreement (“SPA”) with ENN LNG (Singapore) Pte Ltd (“ENN LNG”) for the supply of 1.5 mtpa of LNG indexed to Henry Hub on a free-on-board basis from the Terminal (“ENN LNG SPA”).  The LNG supplied to ENN LNG will be from the first two trains at the Terminal.

In April 2022, we also entered into a 15-year SPA with ENGIE S.A. (“ENGIE”) for the supply of 1.75 mtpa of LNG indexed to Henry Hub on a free-on-board basis from the Terminal (“ENGIE SPA”).  The LNG supplied to ENGIE will be from the first two trains at the Terminal.

The ENN LNG SPA and the ENGIE SPA become effective upon the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent, which include a positive final investment decision in the Terminal.

In March 2022, we entered into a binding Heads of Agreement (“HOA”) with Guangdong Energy Group Natural Gas Co., Ltd. (“Guangdong Energy”) for the supply of up to 1.5 mtpa of LNG from the Terminal. The HOA provides that Guangdong Energy will purchase LNG indexed to Henry Hub starting from the commercial operation date of the first train of the Terminal. The HOA provides that we will complete the sale and purchase agreement with Guangdong Energy in the second quarter of 2022.

Rio Grande Site Lease

On March 6, 2019, Rio Grande entered into a lease agreement (the “Rio Grande Site Lease”) with the Brownsville Navigation District of Cameron County, Texas (the “BND”) for the lease by Rio Grande of approximately 984 acres of land situated in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas for the purposes of constructing, operating, and maintaining (i) a liquefied natural gas facility and export terminal and (ii) gas treatment and gas pipeline facilities.

On April 20, 2022, Rio Grande and the BND amended the Rio Grande Site Lease to extend the effective date for commencing the Rio Grande Site Lease to May 6, 2023.

Engineering, Procurement and Construction (“EPC”) Agreements

By amendments dated April 29, 2022, Rio Grande and Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Inc. amended each of the Trains 1 and 2 EPC Agreement and the Train 3 EPC Agreement to extend the respective contract validity to July 31, 2023.

Financing Activity

Private Placement of Company Common Stock

In April 2022, we sold 4,618,226 shares of Company common stock for gross proceeds of approximately $30 million to HGC NEXT INV LLC, as described in Note 14 - Subsequent Events in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Private Placement of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock

In March 2022, we sold an aggregate of 10,500 shares of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series C Preferred Stock”), at $1,000 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $10.5 million and issued an additional 210 shares of Series C Preferred Stock in aggregate as origination fees. Warrants representing the right to acquire an aggregate number of shares of our common stock equal to approximately 14.91 basis points (0.1491%) of all outstanding shares of Company common stock, measured on a fully diluted basis, on the applicable exercise date with a strike price of $0.01 per share were issued together with the issuances of the Series C Preferred Stock.

For further descriptions of the Series C Preferred Stock and related warrants, see Note 8 - Preferred Stock and Common Stock Warrants, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Near Term Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary cash needs have historically been funding development activities in support of the Terminal and our CCS projects, which include payments of initial direct costs of our Rio Grande site lease and expenses in support of engineering and design activities, regulatory approvals and compliance, commercial and marketing activities and corporate overhead. We spent approximately $37 million on such development activities during 2021, which we funded through our cash on hand and proceeds from the issuances of equity and equity-based securities. Our capital raising activities since January 1, 2022 have included the following:

In March 2022, we sold 10,500 shares of Series C Preferred Stock at $1,000 per share for a purchase price of $10.5 million and issued an additional 210 shares of Series C Preferred Stock as origination fees.

In April 2022, we sold 4,618,226 shares of Company common stock for approximately $30 million.

We expect to spend approximately $3 million per month on similar development activities during the remainder of 2022 and until a positive FID is made on the Terminal or a CCS project.  Because our businesses and assets are in development, we have not historically generated cash flow from operations, nor do we expect to do so during 2022. We intend to fund the remaining portion of 2022 development activities through the sale of additional equity or equity-based securities in us or our subsidiaries. There can be no assurance that we will succeed in selling equity or equity-based securities or, if successful, that the capital we raise will not be expensive or dilutive to stockholders.

Long Term Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Terminal will not begin to operate and generate significant cash flows unless and until the Terminal is operational, which is expected to be at least four years away, and the construction of the Terminal will require a significant amount of capital expenditure. CCS projects will similarly take an extended period of time to develop, construct and become operational and will require significant capital deployment. We currently expect that the long-term capital requirements for the Terminal and any CCS projects will be financed predominately through project financing and proceeds from future debt, equity-based, and equity offerings by us. Construction of the Terminal and CCS projects would not begin until such financing has been obtained. As a result, our business success will depend, to a significant extent, upon our ability to obtain the funding necessary to construct the Terminal and any CCS projects, to bring them into operation on a commercially viable basis and to finance our staffing, operating and expansion costs during that process. There can be no assurance that we will succeed in securing additional debt and/or equity financing in the future to complete the Terminal or any CCS projects or, if successful, that the capital we raise will not be expensive or dilutive to stockholders. Additionally, if these types of financing are not available, we will be required to seek alternative sources of financing, which may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

Sources and Uses of Cash

The following table summarizes the sources and uses of our cash for the periods presented (in thousands):

Operating Cash Flows

Operating cash outflows during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 were $10.2 million and $3.8 million, respectively.  The increase in operating cash outflows during the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021 was due to reduced employee costs and lease costs among other actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2021.

Investing Cash Flows

Investing cash outflows during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 were $3.0 million and $3.9 million, respectively. Investing cash outflows primarily consist of cash used in the development of the Terminal and CCS project. The decrease in investing cash outflows during the  three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 was primarily due to lower spend with our engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

Financing Cash Flows

Financing cash inflows during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 were $10.0 million and $24.4 million, respectively, in each case primarily representing proceeds from the sale of Series C Preferred Stock.

Contractual Obligations

There have been no material changes to our contractual obligations from those disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

Results of Operations

The following table summarizes costs, expenses and other income for the periods indicated (in thousands):

Our consolidated net loss was $17.2 million, or $0.14 per common share (basic and diluted), for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to a net loss of $7.5 million, or $0.06 per common share (basic and diluted), for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The  $9.6 million increase in net loss was primarily a result of an increase in the loss on common stock warrant liabilities, an increase in general and administrative expenses and development expenses and an increase in preferred stock dividends.

General and administrative expense during the three months ended March 31, 2022 increased approximately $2.0 million compared to the same period in 2021 primarily due to an increase in share-based compensation expense of $1.4 million and increases in salaries and wages, professional fees, travel expenses, and IT and communications. The increase in salaries and wages, professional fees, travel expense, and IT and communications is primarily due to fewer pandemic restictions in 2022 and an increase in the number of employees during the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the same period of the prior year.

Development expense during the three months ended March 31, 2022 increased $1.5 million compared to the same period in 2021 due to NEXT Carbon Solutions' preliminary FEED assessments performed on third-party industrial facilities.  Similar preliminary FEED assessments were not performed during the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Loss on common stock warrant liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 is primarily due to an increase in the share price of Company common stock.

Preferred stock dividends for the three months ended March 31, 2022 of $5.8 million consisted of dividends paid-in kind with the issuance of 2,225 additional shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), 2,123 additional shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series B Preferred Stock”), and 1,387 additional shares of Series C Preferred Stock, compared to preferred stock dividends of $3.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 that consisted of dividends paid-in kind with the issuance of 1,978 and 1,884 additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock, respectively.

Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. There have been no significant changes to our critical accounting estimates from those disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not applicable.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

We maintain a set of disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports filed by us under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. As of the end of the period covered by this report, we evaluated, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

During the most recent fiscal quarter, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.   Legal Proceedings

None.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There were no changes to the risk factors previously disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

Item 2.   Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer

The following table summarizes stock repurchases for the three months ended March 31, 2022:

Item 3.   Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4.   Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Item 5.   Other Information

None.

Item 6. Exhibits 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.