NACCO Industries (NC) 10-Q2021 Q2 Quarterly report

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act

Number of shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding at July 30, 2021: 1,566,643

See notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

See notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

See notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

See notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Company also has unallocated items not directly attributable to a reportable segment. Intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. See Note 8 to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of segment reporting.

The Company’s operating segments are further described below:

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company's operating coal mines were: Bisti Fuels Company, LLC (“Bisti”), The Coteau Properties Company (“Coteau”), Coyote Creek Mining Company, LLC (“Coyote Creek”), Demery Resources Company, LLC (“Demery”), The Falkirk Mining Company (“Falkirk”), Mississippi Lignite Mining Company (“MLMC”) and The Sabine Mining Company (“Sabine”).

Falkirk operates the Falkirk Mine in North Dakota. Falkirk is the sole supplier of lignite coal to the Coal Creek Station power plant pursuant to a contract under which Falkirk also supplies approximately 0.3 million tons of lignite coal per year to Spiritwood Station power plant. Coal Creek Station and Spiritwood Station are owned by Great River Energy (“GRE”). In May 2020, GRE announced its intent to sell or retire Coal Creek Station in the second half of 2022 and modify Spiritwood Station to be fueled by natural gas.

On June 30, 2021, GRE entered into an agreement to sell Coal Creek Station and the adjacent high-voltage direct current transmission line to Bismarck, North Dakota-based Rainbow Energy Center, LLC (“Rainbow Energy”) and its affiliates. The transaction between GRE and Rainbow Energy is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including regulatory approvals associated with the sale of Coal Creek Station and the related transmission assets and the posting of a performance bond related to final mine reclamation. If the conditions are satisfied, the transaction is expected to close before the end of 2021.

Upon completion of the sale of Coal Creek Station, the existing Coal Sales Agreement, the existing Mortgage and Security Agreement and the existing Option Agreement between GRE and Falkirk will be terminated. Falkirk and GRE have entered into a termination and release of claims agreement. Upon completion of the sale of Coal Creek Station, GRE will pay Falkirk $14.0 million in cash, as well as transfer ownership of an office building located in Bismarck, North Dakota, and convey membership units in Midwest AgEnergy to NACoal. NACCO currently holds a $5.0 million investment in Midwest AgEnergy, which operates two ethanol facilities in North Dakota.

If GRE's efforts to sell the power plant are successful, a new Coal Sales Agreement (“CSA”) between Falkirk and Rainbow Energy will become effective and Falkirk will begin supplying all coal requirements of Coal Creek Station concurrent with Rainbow Energy’s acquisition of the power plant. Falkirk will no longer make any coal deliveries to GRE’s Spiritwood Station. Falkirk will be paid a management fee and Rainbow Energy will be responsible for funding all mine operating costs and directly or indirectly providing all of the capital required to operate the mine. The CSA specifies that Falkirk will perform final mine reclamation, which will be funded in its entirety by Rainbow Energy. The initial production period is expected to run ten

years from the effective date of the CSA, but the CSA may be extended or terminated early under certain circumstances. If Rainbow Energy terminates the CSA and closes Coal Creek Station before 2027, Falkirk will be entitled to an additional payment from GRE under the terms of the termination and release of claims agreement. The additional payment amount ranges from $8 million if the closure occurs before 2024 to $2 million if the closure occurs in 2026. To support the transfer to new ownership, Falkirk has agreed to a reduction in the current per ton management fee from the effective date of the new CSA through May 31, 2024. After May 31, 2024, the per ton management fee increases to a higher base in line with current fee levels, and thereafter adjusts annually according to specific indices which track broad measures of U.S. inflation.

Bisti supplies the Four Corners Power Plant through its contract mining agreement with the Navajo Transitional Energy Company ("NTEC"). On June 17, 2021, the Company received notification that the contract mining agreement between Bisti and NTEC will be terminated effective September 30, 2021. As required under the agreement, it is anticipated NTEC will pay NACCO a termination fee of approximately $10 million. NTEC will assume control and responsibility for operation of the Navajo Mine upon termination of the contract mining agreement. All liabilities, including mine reclamation, are the responsibility of NTEC.

Sabine operates the Sabine Mine in Texas. All production from Sabine is delivered to Southwestern Electric Power Company's (“SWEPCO”) Henry W. Pirkey Plant (the “Pirkey Plant”). SWEPCO is an American Electric Power (“AEP”) company. In November 2020, AEP announced it intends to retire the Pirkey Plant in 2023. SWEPCO expects deliveries from Sabine to continue until the first quarter of 2023 at which time Sabine expects to begin final reclamation. Funding for mine reclamation is the responsibility of SWEPCO.

Coteau operates the Freedom Mine in North Dakota. All coal production from the Freedom Mine is delivered to Basin Electric Power Cooperative (“Basin Electric”). Basin Electric utilizes the coal at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant (the “Synfuels Plant”), Antelope Valley Station and Leland Olds Station. The Synfuels Plant is a coal gasification plant that manufactures synthetic natural gas and produces fertilizers, solvents, phenol, carbon dioxide, and other chemical products for sale. In November 2020, Basin Electric informed Coteau that it is considering changes that may result in modifications to its Synfuels Plant that could potentially reduce or eliminate coal requirements at the Synfuels Plant beginning in 2026. Basin Electric indicated that if it decides to proceed with any changes that could reduce or eliminate the use of coal, the feedstock change is not expected to occur before 2026. In June 2021, Basin Electric announced it was also evaluating the Synfuels Plant for possible sale.

At all operating coal mines other than MLMC, the Company is paid a management fee per ton of coal or heating unit (MMBtu) delivered. Each contract specifies the indices and mechanics by which fees change over time, generally in line with broad measures of U.S. inflation. The customers are responsible for funding all mine operating costs, including final mine reclamation, and directly or indirectly provide all of the capital required to build and operate the mine. This contract structure eliminates exposure to spot coal market price fluctuations while providing steady income and cash flow with minimal capital investment. Other than at Coyote Creek, debt financing provided by or supported by the customers is without recourse to NACCO and NACoal. See Note 6 for further discussion of Coyote Creek's guarantees.

All operating coal mines other than MLMC meet the definition of a variable interest entity (“VIE”). In each case, NACCO is not the primary beneficiary of the VIE as it does not exercise financial control; therefore, NACCO does not consolidate the results of these operations within its financial statements. Instead, these contracts are accounted for as equity method investments. The income before income taxes associated with these VIEs is reported as Earnings of unconsolidated operations on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and the Company’s investment is reported on the line Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The mines that meet the definition of a VIE are referred to collectively as the “Unconsolidated Subsidiaries.” For tax purposes, the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries are included within the NACCO consolidated U.S. tax return; therefore, the income tax expense line on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations includes income taxes related to these entities. See Note 6 for further information on the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries.

The MLMC contract is the only operating coal contract in which the Company is responsible for all operating costs, capital requirements and final mine reclamation; therefore, MLMC is consolidated within NACCO’s financial statements. MLMC sells coal to its customer at a contractually agreed-upon price which adjusts monthly, primarily based on changes in the level of established indices which reflect general U.S. inflation rates.

Caddo Creek Resources Company, LLC (“Caddo Creek”) ceased all mining and delivery of lignite and commenced mine reclamation in the fourth quarter of 2020. The financial results of Caddo Creek are consolidated within NACCO's financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Prior to entering into reclamation, Caddo Creek met the definition of a VIE; therefore, the financial results of Caddo Creek are reported as Earnings of unconsolidated operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. The reclamation at Caddo Creek is expected to be substantially complete by June 30, 2022.

The NAMining segment provides value-added contract mining and other services for producers of aggregates, lithium and other minerals. The segment is a primary platform for the Company’s growth and diversification of mining activities outside of the coal industry. NAMining provides contract mining services for independently owned mines and quarries, creating value for its customers by performing the mining aspects of its customers’ operations. This allows customers to focus on their areas of expertise: materials handling and processing, product sales and distribution. NAMining operates primarily at limestone quarries in Florida, but is focused on expanding outside of Florida, mining materials other than limestone and expanding the scope of mining operations provided to its customers. In the second quarter of 2021, NAMining entered into a one-year mining services contract with an existing customer for a sand and gravel quarry in Indiana. In addition, NAMining will serve as exclusive contract miner for the Thacker Pass lithium project in northern Nevada.

NAMining utilizes both fixed price and management fee contract structures. Certain of the entities within the NAMining segment are VIEs and are accounted for under the equity method as Unconsolidated Subsidiaries. See Note 6 for further discussion.

The Minerals Management segment derives income primarily by leasing its royalty and mineral interests to third-party exploration and production companies, and, to a lesser extent, other mining companies, granting them the rights to explore, develop, mine, produce, market and sell gas, oil, and coal in exchange for royalty payments based on the lessees' sales of those minerals. During 2021 and 2020, the Minerals Management segment acquired mineral interests, primarily in the Eagle Ford and Permian Basins in Texas and intends to make future acquisitions of mineral and royalty interests that meet the Company’s acquisition criteria as part of its growth strategy.

In the second quarter of 2021, the Minerals Management segment, through its Catapult Mineral Partners (“Catapult”) business, acquired a combination of mineral and overriding royalty interests in the Eagle Ford Basin, which includes approximately 14.1 thousand gross acres and 1.7 thousand net royalty acres, for $4.7 million. Under the terms of the transaction, Catapult will make additional payments for each additional well developed on the acquired assets at the end of 2021 and 2022 of up to a maximum of $0.6 million per year, or an additional $1.2 million of additional payments in total. Catapult also completed a small acquisition of royalty interests in the Delaware Basin in the second quarter of 2021 for a purchase price of $0.3 million.

The Company’s legacy royalty and mineral interests are located in Ohio (Utica and Marcellus shale natural gas), Louisiana (Haynesville shale and Cotton Valley formation natural gas), Texas (Cotton Valley and Austin Chalk formation natural gas), Mississippi (coal), Pennsylvania (coal, coalbed methane and Marcellus shale natural gas), Alabama (coal and coalbed methane and natural gas) and North Dakota (coal, oil and natural gas). The majority of the Company’s legacy reserves were acquired as part of its historical coal mining operations. Specialized employees in the Minerals Management segment also provide surface and mineral acquisition and lease maintenance services related to Company operations.

The balance sheet at December 31, 2020 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information or notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements.

Certain amounts in prior period Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation.

During 2020, Caddo Creek entered into a fixed-price contract to perform mine reclamation. The management service to perform mine reclamation is the performance obligation accounted for as a series. Performance momentarily creates an asset that the customer simultaneously receives and consumes; therefore, control is transferred to the customer over time. Revenue from this contract is recognized over time utilizing the cost-to-cost method to measure the extent of progress toward completion of the performance obligation. The Company believes the cost-to-cost method is the most appropriate method to measure progress and that the rate at which costs are incurred to fulfill the contract best depicts the transfer of control to the customer. The extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of costs incurred to date compared to total estimated costs at completion, and revenue is recorded proportionally based on an estimated profit margin.

At NAMining, the management service to oversee the operation of the equipment and delivery of aggregates or other minerals is the performance obligation accounted for as a series. Performance momentarily creates an asset that the customer simultaneously receives and consumes; therefore, control is transferred to the customer over time. Consistent with the conclusion that the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided, an input-based measure of progress is appropriate. As each month of service is completed, revenue is recognized for the amount of actual costs incurred, plus the management fee or fixed fee and the general and administrative fee (as applicable). Fluctuations in revenue from period to period result from changes in customer demand primarily due to increases and decreases in activity levels on individual contracts and variances in reimbursable costs.

The Minerals Management segment enters into contracts which grant the right to explore, develop, produce and sell minerals controlled by the Company. These arrangements result in the transfer of mineral rights for a period of time; however, no rights to the actual land are granted other than access for purposes of exploration, development, production and sales. The mineral rights revert back to the Company at the expiration of the contract.

Under these contracts, granting exclusive right, title, and interest in and to minerals, if any, is the performance obligation. The performance obligation under these contracts represents a series of distinct goods or services whereby each day of access that is provided is distinct. The transaction price consists of a variable sales-based royalty and, in certain arrangements, a fixed component in the form of an up-front lease bonus payment. As the amount of consideration the Company will ultimately be entitled to is entirely susceptible to factors outside its control, the entire amount of variable consideration is constrained at contract inception. The Company believes that the pricing provisions of royalty contracts are customary in the industry. Up-front lease bonus payments represent the fixed portion of the transaction price and are recognized over the primary term of the contract, which is generally five years.

The Company’s contracts with its customers contain different types of variable consideration including, but not limited to, management fees that adjust based on volumes or MMBtu delivered, however, the terms of these variable payments relate specifically to the Company's efforts to satisfy one or more, but not all of, the performance obligations (or to a specific outcome from satisfying the performance obligations) in the contract. Therefore, the Company allocates each variable payment (and subsequent changes to that payment) entirely to the specific performance obligation to which it relates. Management fees, as well as general and administrative fees, are also adjusted based on changes in specified indices (e.g., CPI) to compensate for general inflation changes. Index adjustments, if applicable, are effective prospectively.

Recognition of revenue and recognition of profit related to the Caddo Creek contract requires the use of assumptions and estimates related to the total contract value, the total cost at completion, and the measurement of progress towards completion of the performance obligation. Due to the nature of the contract, developing the estimated total contract value and total cost at completion requires the use of significant judgment. The total contract value includes variable consideration. The Company includes variable consideration in the transaction price at the most likely amount to be earned, based upon the Company’s assessment of expected performance. The Company records these amounts only to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved.

The Company records royalty income in the month production is delivered to the purchaser. As a non-operator, the Company has limited visibility into when new wells start producing and production statements may not be received for 30 to 90 days or more after the date production is delivered. As a result, the Company is required to estimate the amount of production delivered to the purchaser of the product and the price that will be received for the sale of the product. The expected sales volumes and prices for these properties are estimated and recorded in "Accounts receivable" in the accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The difference between the Company’s estimates and the actual amounts received is recorded in the month that payment is received from the third-party lessee. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, royalty income recognized in the reporting periods related to performance obligations satisfied in prior reporting periods was immaterial.

In accordance with ASC 606-10-50, the Company disaggregates revenue from contracts with customers into major goods and service lines and timing of transfer of goods and services. The Company determined that disaggregating revenue into these categories achieves the disclosure objective of depicting how the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors. The Company’s business consists of the Coal Mining, NAMining and Minerals Management segments as well as Unallocated Items. See Note 8 to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of segment reporting.

The opening and closing balances of the Company’s current and long-term accounts receivable, contract assets and contract liabilities are as follows:

As described above, the Company enters into royalty contracts that grant exclusive right, title, and interest in and to minerals. The transaction price consists of a variable sales-based royalty and, in certain arrangements, a fixed component in the form of an up-front lease bonus payment. The timing of the payment of the fixed portion of the transaction price is upfront, however, the performance obligation is satisfied over the primary term of the contract, which is generally five years. Therefore, at the time any such up-front payment is received, a contract liability is recorded which represents deferred revenue. The difference between the opening and closing balance of this contract liability, which is shown above, primarily results from the difference between new lease bonus payments received and amortization of up-front lease bonus payments received in previous periods.

The amount of revenue recognized in both of the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 that was included in the opening contract liability was $0.3 million. The amount of revenue recognized in both of the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 that was included in the opening contract liability was $0.5 million. This revenue consists of up-front lease bonus payments received under royalty contracts that are recognized over the primary term of the royalty contracts, which are generally five years. The Company expects to recognize an additional $0.5 million in the remainder of 2021, $4.0 million in 2022, $0.3 million in 2023, and $0.1 million in 2024 related to the contract liability remaining at June 30, 2021. The difference between the opening and closing balances of the Company’s accounts receivable, contract assets and contract liabilities results from the timing difference between the Company’s performance and the customer’s payment.

The Company has 0 contract assets recognized from the costs to obtain or fulfill a contract with a customer.

Inventories are summarized as follows:

The timing and amount of any repurchases under the 2019 Stock Repurchase Program are determined at the discretion of the Company's management based on a number of factors, including the availability of capital, other capital allocation alternatives, market conditions for the Company's Class A Common Stock and other legal and contractual restrictions. The 2019 Stock Repurchase Program does not require the Company to acquire any specific number of shares and may be modified, suspended, extended or terminated by the Company without prior notice and may be executed through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. All or part of the repurchases under the 2019 Stock Repurchase Program may be implemented under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, which would allow repurchases under pre-set terms at times when the Company might otherwise be restricted from doing so under applicable securities laws.

Bellaire Corporation (“Bellaire”) is a non-operating subsidiary of the Company with legacy liabilities relating to closed mining operations, primarily former Eastern U.S. underground coal mining operations. Prior to 2019, Bellaire established a $5.0 million mine water treatment trust (the "Mine Water Treatment Trust") to provide a financial assurance mechanism to assure the long-term treatment of post-mining discharge. Bellaire's Mine Water Treatment Trust invests in equity securities that are reported at fair value based upon quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets; therefore, they are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy. The Company recognized a gain of $0.7 million and $1.0 million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively, and a gain of $1.1 million and a loss of $0.1 million in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, related to the Mine Water Treatment Trust.

During the second quarter of 2020, the Company invested $2.0 million in equity securities of a public company with a diversified portfolio of royalty producing mineral interests. The investment is reported at fair value based upon quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets; therefore, it is classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy. The Company recognized a gain of $0.6 million and $1.1 million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively, and a gain of $0.4 million in both the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 related to the investment in these equity securities.

The gains and losses related to equity securities are reported on the line (Gain) loss on equity securities in the Other (income) expense section of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Each of the Company's wholly owned Unconsolidated Subsidiaries, within the Coal Mining and NAMining segments, meet the definition of a VIE. The Unconsolidated Subsidiaries are capitalized primarily with debt financing provided by or supported by their respective customers, and generally without recourse to NACCO and NACoal. Although NACoal owns 100% of the equity and manages the daily operations of the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries, the Company has determined that the equity capital provided by NACoal is not sufficient to adequately finance the ongoing activities or absorb any expected losses without additional support from the customers. The customers have a controlling financial interest and have the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the entities. As a result, the Company is not the primary beneficiary and therefore does not consolidate these entities' financial positions or results of operations. See Note 1 for a discussion of these entities.

The Investment in the unconsolidated subsidiaries and related tax positions totaled $20.9 million and $29.0 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The Company's maximum risk of loss relating to these entities is limited to its invested capital, which was $5.5 million and $6.5 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. Earnings of unconsolidated operations were $13.5 million and $28.9 million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively, and $13.8 million and $29.8 million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively.

NACoal is a party to certain guarantees related to Coyote Creek. Under certain circumstances of default or termination of Coyote Creek’s Lignite Sales Agreement (“LSA”), NACoal would be obligated for payment of a "make-whole" amount to Coyote Creek’s third-party lenders. The “make-whole” amount is based on the excess, if any, of the discounted value of the remaining scheduled debt payments over the principal amount. In addition, in the event Coyote Creek’s LSA is terminated on or after January 1, 2024 by Coyote Creek’s customers, NACoal is obligated to purchase Coyote Creek’s dragline and rolling stock for the then net book value of those assets. To date, no payments have been required from NACoal since the inception of these guarantees. The Company believes that the likelihood NACoal would be required to perform under the guarantees is remote, and no amounts related to these guarantees have been recorded.

Various legal and regulatory proceedings and claims have been or may be asserted against NACCO and certain subsidiaries relating to the conduct of their businesses. These proceedings and claims are incidental to the ordinary course of business of the Company. Management believes that it has meritorious defenses and will vigorously defend the Company in these actions. Any costs that management estimates will be paid as a result of these claims are accrued when the liability is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated.  If a range of amounts can be reasonably estimated and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, then the minimum of the range is accrued. The Company does not accrue liabilities when the likelihood that the liability has been incurred is probable but the amount cannot be reasonably estimated or when the liability is believed to be only reasonably possible or remote. For contingencies where an unfavorable outcome is probable or reasonably possible and which are material, the Company discloses the nature of the contingency and, in some circumstances, an estimate of the possible loss. 

These matters are subject to inherent uncertainties, and unfavorable rulings could occur. If an unfavorable ruling were to occur, there exists the possibility of an adverse impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the period in which the ruling occurs, or in future periods.

The Company’s operating segments are: (i) Coal Mining, (ii) NAMining and (iii) Minerals Management. The Company determines its reportable segments by first identifying its operating segments, and then by assessing whether any components of these segments constitute a business for which discrete financial information is available and where segment management regularly reviews the operating results of that component. The Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker utilizes operating profit to evaluate segment performance and allocate resources.

The Company has items not directly attributable to a reportable segment that are not included as part of the measurement of segment operating profit, which include primarily administrative costs related to public company reporting requirements at the parent company and the financial results of Mitigation Resources of North America (“Mitigation Resources”) and Bellaire. Mitigation Resources generates and sells stream and wetland mitigation credits (known as mitigation banking) and provides services to those engaged in permittee-responsible stream and wetland mitigation. Bellaire manages the Company’s long-term liabilities related to former Eastern U.S. underground mining activities.

The Company has items not directly attributable to a reportable segment that are not included as part of the measurement of segment operating profit, which include primarily administrative costs related to public company reporting requirements at the parent company and the financial results of Mitigation Resources and Bellaire Corporation ("Bellaire.") Bellaire manages the Company’s long-term liabilities related to former Eastern U.S. underground mining activities.

All financial statement line items below operating profit (other income, including interest expense and interest income, the provision for income taxes and net income) are presented and discussed within this Form 10-Q on a consolidated basis.

The Company’s operating segments are further described below:

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company's operating coal mines were: Bisti Fuels Company, LLC (“Bisti”), The Coteau Properties Company (“Coteau”), Coyote Creek Mining Company, LLC (“Coyote Creek”), Demery Resources Company, LLC (“Demery”), The Falkirk Mining Company (“Falkirk”), Mississippi Lignite Mining Company (“MLMC”) and The Sabine Mining Company (“Sabine”).

Falkirk operates the Falkirk Mine in North Dakota. Falkirk is the sole supplier of lignite coal to the Coal Creek Station power plant pursuant to a contract under which Falkirk also supplies approximately 0.3 million tons of lignite coal per year to Spiritwood Station power plant. Coal Creek Station and Spiritwood Station are owned by Great River Energy (“GRE”). In May 2020, GRE announced its intent to sell or retire Coal Creek Station in the second half of 2022 and modify Spiritwood Station to be fueled by natural gas.

On June 30, 2021, GRE entered into an agreement to sell Coal Creek Station and the adjacent high-voltage direct current transmission line to Bismarck, North Dakota-based Rainbow Energy Center, LLC (“Rainbow Energy”) and its affiliates. The transaction between GRE and Rainbow Energy is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including regulatory approvals associated with the sale of Coal Creek Station and the related transmission assets and the posting of a performance bond related to final mine reclamation. If the conditions are satisfied, the transaction is expected to close before the end of 2021.

Upon completion of the sale of Coal Creek Station, the existing Coal Sales Agreement, the existing Mortgage and Security Agreement and the existing Option Agreement between GRE and Falkirk will be terminated. Falkirk and GRE have entered into a termination and release of claims agreement. Upon completion of the sale of Coal Creek Station, GRE will pay Falkirk $14.0 million in cash, as well as transfer ownership of an office building located in Bismarck, North Dakota, and convey membership units in Midwest AgEnergy to NACoal. NACCO currently holds a $5.0 million investment in Midwest AgEnergy, which operates two ethanol facilities in North Dakota.

If GRE's efforts to sell the power plant are successful, a new Coal Sales Agreement (“CSA”) between Falkirk and Rainbow Energy will become effective and Falkirk will begin supplying all coal requirements of Coal Creek Station concurrent with Rainbow Energy’s acquisition of the power plant. Falkirk will no longer make any coal deliveries to GRE’s Spiritwood Station. Falkirk will be paid a management fee and Rainbow Energy will be responsible for funding all mine operating costs and directly or indirectly providing all of the capital required to operate the mine. The CSA specifies that Falkirk will perform final mine reclamation, which will be funded in its entirety by Rainbow Energy. The initial production period is expected to run ten years from the effective date of the CSA, but the CSA may be extended or terminated early under certain circumstances. If Rainbow Energy terminates the CSA and closes Coal Creek Station before 2027, Falkirk will be entitled to an additional payment from GRE under the terms of the termination and release of claims agreement. The additional payment amount ranges from $8 million if the closure occurs before 2024 to $2 million if the closure occurs in 2026. To support the transfer to new ownership, Falkirk has agreed to a reduction in the current per ton management fee from the effective date of the new CSA through May 31, 2024. After May 31, 2024, the per ton management fee increases to a higher base in line with current fee levels, and thereafter adjusts annually according to specific indices which track broad measures of U.S. inflation.

Bisti supplies the Four Corners Power Plant through its contract mining agreement with the Navajo Transitional Energy Company ("NTEC"). On June 17, 2021, the Company received notification that the contract mining agreement between Bisti and NTEC will be terminated effective September 30, 2021. As required under the agreement, it is anticipated NTEC will pay NACCO a termination fee of approximately $10 million. NTEC will assume control and responsibility for operation of the Navajo Mine upon termination of the contract mining agreement. All liabilities, including mine reclamation, are the responsibility of NTEC.

Sabine operates the Sabine Mine in Texas. All production from Sabine is delivered to Southwestern Electric Power Company's (“SWEPCO”) Henry W. Pirkey Plant (the “Pirkey Plant”). SWEPCO is an American Electric Power (“AEP”) company. In November 2020, AEP announced it intends to retire the Pirkey Plant in 2023. SWEPCO expects deliveries from Sabine to continue until the first quarter of 2023 at which time Sabine expects to begin final reclamation. Funding for mine reclamation is the responsibility of SWEPCO.

Coteau operates the Freedom Mine in North Dakota. All coal production from the Freedom Mine is delivered to Basin Electric Power Cooperative (“Basin Electric”). Basin Electric utilizes the coal at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant (the “Synfuels Plant”), Antelope Valley Station and Leland Olds Station. The Synfuels Plant is a coal gasification plant that manufactures synthetic natural gas and produces fertilizers, solvents, phenol, carbon dioxide, and other chemical products for sale. In November 2020, Basin Electric informed Coteau that it is considering changes that may result in modifications to its Synfuels Plant that could potentially reduce or eliminate coal requirements at the Synfuels Plant beginning in 2026. Basin Electric indicated that if it decides to proceed with any changes that could reduce or eliminate the use of coal, the feedstock change is not expected to occur before 2026. In June 2021, Basin Electric announced it was also evaluating the Synfuels Plant for possible sale.

Coteau, Coyote, Falkirk, MLMC and Sabine supply lignite coal for power generation. Bisti supplies sub-bituminous coal for power generation. Demery supplies lignite coal for the production of activated carbon. Each mine is the exclusive supplier of coal to its customers' facilities. Each of these mines deliver their coal production to adjacent or nearby power plants, synfuels plants or an activated carbon processing facility under long-term supply contracts. MLMC’s coal supply contract contains a take or pay provision; all other coal supply contracts are requirements contracts under which earnings can fluctuate. In addition, certain coal supply contracts can be terminated early, which would result in a reduction to future earnings.

At all operating coal mines other than MLMC, the Company is paid a management fee per ton of coal or heating unit (MMBtu) delivered. Each contract specifies the indices and mechanics by which fees change over time, generally in line with broad measures of U.S. inflation. The customers are responsible for funding all mine operating costs, including final mine reclamation, and directly or indirectly provide all of the capital required to build and operate the mine. This contract structure eliminates exposure to spot coal market price fluctuations while providing steady income and cash flow with minimal capital investment. Other than at Coyote Creek, debt financing provided by or supported by the customers is without recourse to NACCO and NACoal. See Note 6 for further discussion of Coyote Creek's guarantees.

All operating coal mines other than MLMC meet the definition of a variable interest entity (“VIE”). In each case, NACCO is not the primary beneficiary of the VIE as it does not exercise financial control; therefore, NACCO does not consolidate the results of these operations within its financial statements. Instead, these contracts are accounted for as equity method investments. The income before income taxes associated with these VIEs is reported as Earnings of unconsolidated operations on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and the Company’s investment is reported on the line Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The mines that meet the definition of a VIE are referred to collectively as the “Unconsolidated Subsidiaries.” For tax purposes, the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries are included within the NACCO consolidated U.S. tax return; therefore, the income tax expense line on the

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations includes income taxes related to these entities. See Note 6 for further information on the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries.

The MLMC contract is the only operating coal contract in which the Company is responsible for all operating costs, capital requirements and final mine reclamation; therefore, MLMC is consolidated within NACCO’s financial statements. MLMC sells coal to its customer at a contractually agreed-upon price which adjusts monthly, primarily based on changes in the level of established indices which reflect general U.S. inflation rates. Profitability at MLMC is affected by customer demand for coal and changes in the indices that determine sales price and actual costs incurred. As diesel fuel is heavily weighted among the indices used to determine the coal sales price, the persistence of low diesel fuel prices can negatively affect earnings at MLMC.

MLMC delivers coal to the Red Hills Power Plant in Ackerman, Mississippi. The Red Hills Power Plant supplies electricity to the Tennessee Valley Authority ("TVA") under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement. MLMC’s contract with its customer runs through 2032. TVA’s power portfolio includes coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, natural gas and renewables. The decision of which power plants to dispatch is determined by TVA.

The coal reserves at Coteau, Falkirk, Coyote, MLMC and Centennial Natural Resources ("Centennial") are owned or controlled by the Company. The coal reserves at all other mines are owned or controlled by the respective mine’s customer.

The Company performs contemporaneous reclamation activities at each mine in the normal course of operations. Under all of the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries’ contracts, the customer has the obligation to fund final mine reclamation activities. Under certain contracts, the Unconsolidated Subsidiary holds the mine permit and is therefore responsible for final mine reclamation activities. To the extent the Unconsolidated Subsidiary performs such final reclamation, it is compensated for providing those services in addition to receiving reimbursement from customers for costs incurred. Caddo Creek Resources Company, LLC (“Caddo Creek”) ceased all mining and delivery of lignite and commenced mine reclamation during 2020. The reclamation at Caddo Creek is expected to be substantially complete by June 30, 2022. The terms of the contract to perform mine reclamation contain a fixed-price component and therefore, Caddo Creek no longer meets the VIE criteria. As a result, Caddo Creek is consolidated within the Company's financial statements.

The NAMining segment provides value-added contract mining and other services for producers of aggregates, lithium and other minerals. The segment is a primary platform for the Company’s growth and diversification of mining activities outside of the coal industry. NAMining provides contract mining services for independently owned mines and quarries, creating value for its customers by performing the mining aspects of its customers’ operations. This allows customers to focus on their areas of expertise: materials handling and processing, product sales and distribution. NAMining operates primarily at limestone quarries in Florida, but is focused on expanding outside of Florida, mining materials other than limestone and expanding the scope of mining operations provided to its customers. In the second quarter of 2021, NAMining entered into a one-year mining services contract with an existing customer for a sand and gravel quarry in Indiana. In addition, NAMining will serve as exclusive contract miner for the Thacker Pass lithium project in northern Nevada.

NAMining utilizes both fixed price and management fee contract structures. Certain of the entities within the NAMining segment are VIEs and are accounted for under the equity method as Unconsolidated Subsidiaries. See Note 6 for further discussion.

The Minerals Management segment derives income primarily by leasing its royalty and mineral interests to third-party exploration and production companies, and, to a lesser extent, other mining companies, granting them the rights to explore, develop, mine, produce, market and sell gas, oil, and coal in exchange for royalty payments based on the lessees' sales of those minerals. During 2021 and 2020, the Minerals Management segment acquired mineral interests, primarily in the Eagle Ford and Permian Basins in Texas and intends to make future acquisitions of mineral and royalty interests that meet the Company’s acquisition criteria as part of its growth strategy.

In the second quarter of 2021, the Minerals Management segment, through its Catapult Mineral Partners (“Catapult”) business, acquired a combination of mineral and overriding royalty interests in the Eagle Ford Basin, which includes approximately 14.1 thousand gross acres and 1.7 thousand net royalty acres, for $4.7 million. Under the terms of the transaction, Catapult will make additional payments for each additional well developed on the acquired assets at the end of 2021 and 2022 of up to a maximum of $0.6 million per year, or an additional $1.2 million of additional payments in total. Catapult also completed a small acquisition of royalty interests in the Delaware Basin in the second quarter of 2021 for a purchase price of $0.3 million.

The Company’s legacy royalty and mineral interests are located in Ohio (Utica and Marcellus shale natural gas), Louisiana (Haynesville shale and Cotton Valley formation natural gas), Texas (Cotton Valley and Austin Chalk formation natural gas), Mississippi (coal), Pennsylvania (coal, coalbed methane and Marcellus shale natural gas), Alabama (coal, coalbed methane and natural gas) and North Dakota (coal, oil and natural gas). The majority of the Company’s legacy reserves were acquired as part of its historical coal mining operations.

The Minerals Management segment owns royalty interests, mineral interests, nonparticipating royalty interests, and overriding royalty interests ("ORRI"). The Company may own more than one type of mineral and royalty interest in the same tract of land. For example, where the Company owns an ORRI in a lease on the same tract of land in which it owns a mineral interest, the ORRI in that tract will relate to the same gross acres as the mineral interest in that tract.

The Minerals Management segment will benefit from the continued development of its mineral properties without the need for investment of additional capital once mineral and royalty interests have been acquired. The Minerals Management segment does not have any investments under which it would be required to bear the cost of exploration, production or development.

As an owner of royalty and mineral interests, the Company’s access to information concerning activity and operations of its royalty and mineral interests is limited. The Company does not have information that would be available to a company with oil and natural gas operations because detailed information is not generally available to owners of royalty and mineral interests.

Refer to the discussion of the Company's Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates as disclosed on pages 39 through 41 in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Company's Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates have not materially changed since December 31, 2020.

The results of operations for NACCO were as follows for the three and six months ended June 30:

The components of the change in revenues and operating profit are discussed below in "Segment Results."

Interest income decreased by $0.3 million in the first six months of 2021 compared with the respective 2020 period primarily due to lower interest rates and a lower average invested cash balance.

The enactment of tax reform legislation could adversely impact the Company’s financial position and results of operations. Legislation or other changes in U.S. tax law could increase the Company’s tax liability and adversely affect its after-tax profitability. The Biden administration has proposed to increase the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 28% from 21% and eliminate certain U.S. federal income tax benefits currently available to coal mining and oil and gas exploration and development companies. Such proposed changes could have a significant impact on the Company’s effective income tax rate, cash tax expenses and deferred taxes in future periods.

The following tables detail NACCO's changes in cash flow for the six months ended June 30:

The change in net cash used for investing activities was primarily attributable to an increase in the acquisition of mineral interests within the Minerals Management segment.

The change in net cash used for financing activities was primarily due to repayments during the first six months of 2021 compared with borrowings during the first six months of 2020.

Financing arrangements are obtained and maintained at the NACoal level. NACCO has not guaranteed any borrowings of NACoal. The borrowing agreements at NACoal allow for the payment to NACCO of dividends and advances under certain circumstances. Dividends (to the extent permitted by NACoal's borrowing agreement) and management fees are the primary sources of cash for NACCO and enable the Company to pay dividends to stockholders.

The Company believes funds available from cash on hand, the NACoal Facility and operating cash flows will provide sufficient liquidity to meet its operating needs and commitments arising during the next twelve months and until the expiration of the NACoal Facility.

NACoal has an unsecured revolving line of credit of up to $150.0 million (the “NACoal Facility”) that expires in August 2022. Borrowings outstanding under the NACoal Facility were $19.0 million at June 30, 2021. At June 30, 2021, the excess availability under the NACoal Facility was $109.9 million, which reflects a reduction for outstanding letters of credit of $21.1 million.

The NACoal Facility has performance-based pricing, which sets interest rates based upon NACoal achieving various levels of debt to EBITDA ratios, as defined in the NACoal Facility. Borrowings bear interest at a floating rate plus a margin based on the level of debt to EBITDA ratio achieved. The applicable margins, effective June 30, 2021, for base rate and LIBOR loans were 1.00% and 2.00%, respectively. The NACoal Facility has a commitment fee which is based upon achieving various levels of debt to EBITDA ratios. The commitment fee was 0.35% on the unused commitment at June 30, 2021. The weighted average interest rate applicable to the NACoal Facility at June 30, 2021 was 2.10% including the floating rate margin.

The NACoal Facility contains restrictive covenants, which require, among other things, NACoal to maintain a maximum debt to EBITDA ratio of 3.00 to 1.00 and an interest coverage ratio of not less than 4.00 to 1.00. The NACoal Facility provides the ability to make loans, dividends and advances to NACCO, with some restrictions based on maintaining a maximum debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.00 to 1.00, or if greater than 2.00 to 1.00, a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of 1.10 to 1.00, in conjunction with maintaining unused availability thresholds of borrowing capacity, as defined in the NACoal Facility, of $15.0 million. At June 30, 2021, NACoal was in compliance with all financial covenants in the NACoal Facility.

The Company uses surety bonds to guarantee performance of its consolidated mine reclamation obligations. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company replaced $8.0 million of outstanding surety bonds with letters of credit. In addition, during the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company provided a $10.0 million letter of credit to its surety company to collateralize a portion of its remaining surety bonds. The Company expects to provide another $10.0 million letter of credit to its surety company before the end of 2021. The use of letters of credit reduces the amount available under the NACoal Facility.

Expenditures for property, plant and equipment and mineral interests were $16.1 million during the first six months of 2021. Planned expenditures for the remainder of 2021 are expected to be approximately $45 million, primarily consisting of $21 million in the Coal Mining segment, $19 million in the NAMining segment and $5 million in the Minerals Management segment.

In the Coal Mining segment, elevated levels of expected capital expenditures through 2021 are primarily related to spending at MLMC as it develops a new mine area. In the NAMining segment, expected capital expenditures in 2021 are primarily for the acquisition, relocation and refurbishment of draglines and the acquisition of other mining equipment to support the expansion of contract mining services beyond NAMining's historical dragline-oriented model. In the Minerals Management segment, expected expenditures in 2021 are primarily for the acquisition of mineral and royalty interests.

Expenditures are expected to be funded from internally generated funds and/or bank borrowings.

NACCO's consolidated capital structure is presented below:

Since December 31, 2020, there have been no significant changes in the total amount of NACCO's contractual obligations, contingent liabilities or commercial commitments, or the timing of cash flows in accordance with those obligations as reported on page 46 in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, except for the changes in the letters of credit as described under the Surety Bond section in this Form 10-Q. See Note 6 to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of certain guarantees related to Coyote Creek.

The results of operations for the Coal Mining segment were as follows for the three and six months ended June 30:

Revenues increased 6.9% in the second quarter of 2021 compared with the second quarter of 2020 primarily due to the recognition of reclamation revenue from Caddo Creek. During the fourth quarter of 2020, Caddo Creek entered into a contract with a subsidiary of Advanced Emissions Solutions to perform mine reclamation. As a result of these changes, Caddo Creek financial results are consolidated within the Coal Mining segment.

The following table identifies the components of change in operating profit for the second quarter of 2021 compared with the second quarter of 2020:

Operating profit increased $1.0 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared with the second quarter of 2020 primarily due to an increase in gross profit, partially offset by a decrease in earnings of unconsolidated operations. The improvement in gross profit was mainly due to a reduction in costs for outside services at Centennial Natural Resources and income associated with mine reclamation at Caddo Creek.

The decrease in earnings of unconsolidated operations was primarily due to the expected reduction in fees earned at the Liberty Mine as the scope of final reclamation activities declined, the termination of the Camino Real Fuels, LLC contract mining agreement effective July 1, 2020 and the cessation of coal deliveries at Caddo Creek. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in customer demand at Falkirk and Sabine.

Higher insurance expense was offset by a decrease in other selling, general and administrative expenses including employee-related costs resulting from lower headcount, primarily due to the 2020 voluntary separation program. A portion of the increase in insurance expense is passed through to the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries and included in Earnings of Unconsolidated Operations.

Revenues increased 10.1% in the first six months of 2021 compared with the first six months of 2020 primarily due to the recognition of reclamation revenue from Caddo Creek.

The following table identifies the components of change in operating profit for the first six months of 2021 compared with the first six months of 2020:

Operating profit increased $2.5 million in the first six months of 2021 compared with the first six months of 2020 primarily due to an increase in gross profit, partially offset by a decrease in earnings of unconsolidated operations. The improvement in gross

profit was mainly due to a reduction in the cost per ton and an overall increase in the profit per ton delivered at MLMC. In addition, a reduction in costs for outside services at Centennial Natural Resources and income associated with mine reclamation at Caddo Creek also contributed to the improvement in gross profit.

The decrease in earnings of unconsolidated operations was primarily due to the expected reduction in fees earned at the Liberty Mine as the scope of final reclamation activities declined, the termination of the Camino Real Fuels, LLC contract mining agreement effective July 1, 2020 and the cessation of coal deliveries at Caddo Creek. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in customer demand at Falkirk and Sabine.