Cleco Power

Risks

• Cleco Holdings is a holding company and its ability to meet its debt obligations is dependent on the cash generated by its subsidiaries.
• Cleco Power’s future electricity sales and corresponding base revenue and cash flows and Cleco Cajun’s future wholesale revenue and cash flows could be negatively affected by adverse macroeconomic conditions.
• Energy conservation, energy efficiency efforts, and other factors that reduce energy demand could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• Cleco’s operations and power generation could be harmed due to the impact of severe weather events, other natural disasters, or climate change, which could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• The operating results of Cleco are affected by weather conditions and may fluctuate on a seasonal basis.
• Failure to attract, retain, and develop an appropriately qualified workforce could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• The operational and information technology systems on which Cleco relies to conduct its business and serve customers could fail to function properly due to technological problems, cyberattacks, physical attacks on Cleco’s assets, acts of terrorism, severe weather, solar events, electromagnetic events, natural disasters, the age and condition of information technology assets, human error, or other reasons that could disrupt Cleco’s operations and cause Cleco to incur unanticipated losses and expense.
• Cleco faces risks related to COVID-19 and other pandemics, epidemics, or outbreaks, including economic, regulatory, legal, workforce, and cybersecurity risks, which could have a material adverse impact on the results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, or liquidity of the Registrants.
• Transmission constraints could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• Cleco’s generation facilities are susceptible to unplanned outages, significant maintenance requirements, and interruption of fuel deliveries.
• The construction of and capital improvements to power generation, transmission, and distribution facilities involve substantial risks. Should construction or capital improvement efforts be significantly more expensive than planned, the financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity of the Registrants could be materially affected.
• Changes in technology may have a material adverse effect on the value of Cleco Power and Cleco Cajun’s generating facilities.
• Cleco is subject to litigation related to the 2016 Merger.
• The success of Cleco Cajun depends, in part, on Cleco’s ability to manage the acquired business and realize anticipated benefits.
• Cleco Power’s ability to recover costs resulting from storm damage is subject to a prudency review and approval by the LPSC.
• Cleco operates in a highly regulated environment and adverse regulatory decisions or changes in applicable regulations could have a material adverse effect on the Registrants’ business or result in significant additional costs.
• The LPSC and FERC regulate the retail rates and wholesale transmission tariffs, respectively, that Cleco Power can charge its customers.
• Cleco Power’s retail electric rates and business practices are regulated by the LPSC and reviews may result in refunds to customers.
• The LPSC conducts fuel audits that could result in Cleco Power making substantial refunds of previously recorded revenue.
• The LPSC conducts audits of environmental costs that could result in Cleco Power making substantial refunds of previously recorded revenue.
• FERC conducts audits that could result in Cleco Power making refunds of previously recorded revenue.
• MISO market operations could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, generation revenues, energy supply costs, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• Cleco is subject to mandatory reliability and CIP standards. Fines and civil penalties are imposed on those who fail to comply with these standards.
• Cleco’s costs of compliance with environmental laws and regulations are significant. The costs of compliance with new environmental laws and regulations, as well as the incurrence of incremental environmental liabilities, could be significant to the Registrants.
• Cleco’s business practices are regulated by FERC, and the wholesale rates of both Cleco Power and Cleco Cajun are subject to FERC’s triennial market power analysis. Cleco Power and/or Cleco Cajun could lose the right to sell wholesale generation at market-based rates.
• Cleco may enter into fuel supply contracts, energy hedge transactions, and/or commercial transactions, including sales to wholesale customers. If risks related to these transactions are not managed effectively, they may have a material adverse effect on the liquidity, results of operations, or financial condition of the Registrants.
• Cleco Power and Cleco Cajun’s financial performance could be exposed to fluctuations in commodity prices and other factors, which could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• Cleco may be required to provide credit support to its counterparties, which could have a material adverse effect on the Registrants’ liquidity.
• Cleco is exposed to the risk that counterparties may not meet their performance obligations, which could have a material adverse effect on the operating and financial performance of the Registrants.
• Adverse capital market performance could result in reductions in the fair value of benefit plan assets and increase the Registrants’ liabilities related to such plans. Sustained declines in the fair value of the plan’s assets or sustained increases in plan liabilities could result in significant increases in funding requirements, which could adversely affect the Registrants’ liquidity and results of operations.
• A downgrade in Cleco Holdings’ or Cleco Power’s credit ratings could result in an increase in their respective borrowing costs, a reduced pool of potential investors and funding sources, and a restriction on Cleco Power making distributions to Cleco Holdings.
• Cleco Power LLC’s unsecured and unsubordinated obligations, including, without limitation, its senior notes, will be effectively subordinated to any secured debt of Cleco Power LLC and structurally subordinated to indebtedness and other liabilities and preferred equity of any of Cleco Power LLC’s subsidiaries.
• The Presidential administration has made and may continue to make substantial changes to environmental, fiscal, and tax policies that could have a material adverse effect on the Registrants’ business.
• Changes in taxation due to uncertain effects of the various tax reform legislation could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• Changes in taxation as well as the inherent difficulty in quantifying potential tax effects of business decisions could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• Cleco’s insurance coverage may not be sufficient and may become more costly to maintain.
• The outcome of legal proceedings cannot be predicted. An adverse finding could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows of the Registrants.
• Changes in the method of determining LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect interest expense related to outstanding debt.
• Disruptions in the capital and credit markets may adversely affect the Registrants’ cost of capital and ability to meet liquidity needs or access capital to operate and grow the business.
• Increased focus on and changing expectations regarding ESG programs may result in constraints on the Registrants’ access to capital and increased costs and expenses.