NACCO Industries (NC) 10-Q2024 Q1 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 April 26, 2024: 1,565,685

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’s operating segments are further described below:

The Coal Mining segment operates surface coal mines under long-term contracts with power generation companies pursuant to a service-based business model. Coal is surface mined in North Dakota and Mississippi. Each mine is fully integrated with its customer's operations.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Coal Mining segment's operating coal mines were: The Coteau Properties Company (“Coteau”), Coyote Creek Mining Company, LLC (“Coyote Creek”), The Falkirk Mining Company (“Falkirk”) and Mississippi Lignite Mining Company (“MLMC”). Each of these mines supply lignite coal for power generation and delivers its coal production to an adjacent power plant or synfuels plant under a long-term supply contract. While MLMC’s coal supply contract contains a take or pay provision, the contract contains a force majeure provision that allows for the temporary suspension of the take or pay provision during the duration of certain specified events beyond the control of either party; all other coal supply contracts are requirements contracts. Certain coal supply contracts can be terminated early, which would result in a reduction to future earnings.

The MLMC contract is the only coal supply 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's Red Hills Power Plant 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, fluctuations in diesel fuel prices can result in significant fluctuations in earnings at MLMC. 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 April 1, 2032. TVA’s power portfolio includes coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, natural gas and renewables. The decision regarding which power plants to dispatch is determined by TVA. Reduction in dispatch of the Red Hills Power Plant will result in reduced earnings at MLMC.

On December 18, 2023, MLMC received notice from its customer related to an issue that began on December 15, 2023 as a result of an issue that impacted one of two boilers at the Red Hills Power Plant. This issue has resulted in a reduction in customer demand which will have a significant impact on the Company's 2024 results of operations. Repairs to the boiler are expected to be completed during the second half of 2024.

The Sabine Mining Company (“Sabine”) operates the Sabine Mine in Texas. All production from Sabine was delivered to Southwestern Electric Power Company's (“SWEPCO”) Henry W. Pirkey Plant (the “Pirkey Plant”). SWEPCO is an American Electric Power (“AEP”) company. As a result of the early retirement of the Pirkey Plant, Sabine ceased deliveries and final

reclamation began on April 1, 2023. Funding for mine reclamation is the responsibility of SWEPCO, and Sabine receives compensation for providing mine reclamation services. Sabine will provide mine reclamation services through September 30, 2026. On October 1, 2026, SWEPCO is scheduled to acquire all of the capital stock of Sabine and complete the remaining mine reclamation.

At Coteau, Coyote Creek and Falkirk, 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 providing all of the capital required to build and operate the mine. This contract structure eliminates exposure to spot coal market price fluctuations while providing 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 the Company. See Note 6 for further discussion of Coyote Creek's guarantees.

Coteau, Coyote Creek, Falkirk and Sabine each 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 Company regularly evaluates if there are reconsideration events which could change the Company's conclusion as to whether these entities meet the definition of a VIE and the determination of the primary beneficiary. 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 (benefit) provision 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 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.

The NAMining segment provides value-added contract mining and other services for producers of industrial minerals. The segment is a platform for the Company’s growth and diversification of mining activities outside of the thermal 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. As of March 31, 2024, NAMining operates in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Virginia and Nebraska. In addition, Sawtooth Mining, LLC ("Sawtooth") has exclusive responsibility for mining and mine closure services for the Thacker Pass lithium project in northern Nevada, including mine design, construction, operation and maintenance.

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.

The Minerals Management segment owns royalty interests, mineral interests, non-participating royalty interests and overriding royalty interests.

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 currently have any material investments under which it would be required to bear the cost of exploration, production or development.

The Company's acquisition criteria for building a blended portfolio of mineral and royalty interests includes (i) new wells anticipated to come online within one to two years of investment, (ii) areas with forecasted future development within five years after acquisition and (iii) existing producing wells further along the decline curve that will generate stable cash flow. In addition, acquisitions should extend the geographic footprint to diversify across multiple basins with a preliminary focus on the more oil-rich Permian basin and a secondary focus on other diversifying basins to increase regional exposure. While the current focus is on the acquisition of mineral and royalty interests, the Company would also consider investments in ORRIs, NPRIs or non-operating working interests under certain circumstances. The current acquisition strategy does not contemplate any near-term working interest investments in which the Company would act as the operator.

The Company also manages legacy royalty and mineral interests 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 balance sheet at December 31, 2023 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.

At contract inception, the Company assesses the goods and services promised in its contracts with customers and identifies a performance obligation for each promised good or service that is distinct. To identify the performance obligations, the Company considers all of the goods or services promised in the contract regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or are implied by customary business practices.

At MLMC, each MMBtu delivered during the production period is considered a separate performance obligation. Revenue is recognized at the point in time that control of each MMBtu of lignite transfers to the customer. Fluctuations in revenue from period to period generally result from changes in customer demand.

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. Revenue from part sales is recognized upon transfer of control of the parts to the customer.

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.

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. Each mitigation credit sale is considered a separate performance obligation. Revenue is recognized at the point in time that control of each mitigation credit transfers to the customer. Fluctuations in revenue from period to period generally result from changes in customer demand. Under the permittee-responsible stream and wetland mitigation model, the contracts are generally structured as a management fee agreement under which Mitigation Resources is reimbursed for all costs incurred in performing the required mitigation plus an agreed profit percentage or a fixed fee. The mitigation services provided is the performance obligation and is accounted for as a series. Performance momentarily creates an asset that the customer simultaneously receives and consumes; therefore, control is transferred to the customer as work is completed. 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. Fluctuations in revenue from period to period result from changes in customer demand primarily due to increases and decreases in activity levels of individual contracts and variances in reimbursable costs.

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.

Certain contracts include reimbursement from customers of actual costs incurred for the purchase of supplies, equipment and services in accordance with contractual terms. Such reimbursable revenue is variable and subject to uncertainty, as the amounts received and timing thereof is highly dependent on factors outside of the Company’s control. Accordingly, reimbursable revenue is fully constrained and not recognized until the uncertainty is resolved, which typically occurs when the related costs are incurred on behalf of a customer. The Company is considered a principal in such transactions and records the associated revenue at the gross amount billed to the customer with the related costs recorded as an expense within cost of sales.

At the Thacker Pass lithium project, in addition to management fee income, the customer will reimburse Sawtooth for up to $50 million of capital expenditures. Sawtooth will recognize revenue over the estimated useful life of the asset on a straight-line basis as the performance obligation is satisfied over time. Sawtooth recognized $1.5 million and $0.1 million in revenue for reimbursable costs during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. In accordance with the Thacker Pass mining agreement, the customer received a $3.5 million advance from Sawtooth, which is included in the long-term contract asset. The customer will pay a $4.7 million success fee to Sawtooth upon achieving commercial mining milestones or repay the $3.5 million advance if such commercial mining milestones are not met.

The Company records royalty income in the month production is delivered to the purchaser. As a mineral owner, 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 "Trade 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 months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, royalty income recognized in the reporting period 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 following table disaggregates revenue by major sources as of March 31:

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

The Company expects to recognize an additional $0.9 million in the remainder of 2024, $1.2 million in 2025, $0.1 million in 2026, less than $0.1 million in 2027 and $0.8 million in the years after 2027 related to the contract liability remaining at March 31, 2024. The difference between the opening and closing balances of the Company’s contract balances results from the timing difference between the Company’s performance and the customer’s payment.

The Company has no 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 2023 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 2023 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 2023 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 2023, Bellaire contributed $5.0 million to establish a mine water treatment trust (the "Mine Water Treatment Trust") 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 fair value of the Mine Water Treatment Trust was $11.9 million and $11.2 million at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, and is included in Other non-current assets in the accompanying Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company recognized a gain of $0.7 million and $0.6 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to the Mine Water Treatment Trust.

Prior to 2023, 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 fair value of this investment was $6.4 million and $6.0 million at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, and is included in Other non-current assets in the accompanying Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company recognized a gain of $0.4 million and $0.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to the investment in these equity securities.

The change in fair value of equity securities is reported on the line Gain on equity securities in the Other (income) expense section of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

There were no transfers into or out of Levels 1, 2 or 3 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.

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 the Company. Although the Company owns 100% of the equity and manages the daily operations of the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries, the Company has determined that the equity capital provided by the Company 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 $13.8 million and $12.4 million at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The Company's maximum risk of loss relating to these entities is limited to its invested capital, which was $4.8 million and $5.0 million at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Earnings of unconsolidated operations were $13.3 million and $13.8 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

NACCO Natural Resources Corporation ("NACCO Natural Resources"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NACCO, 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”), NACCO Natural Resources 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 by Coyote Creek’s customers, NACCO Natural Resources 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 NACCO Natural Resources since the inception of these guarantees. The Company believes that the likelihood NACCO Natural Resources 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. These items primarily include administrative costs related to public company reporting requirements at the parent company and the financial results of 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.

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

*Operating expenses consist of Selling, general and administrative expenses, Amortization of intangible assets and (Gain) loss on sale of assets.

Asset information by segment is not discretely maintained for internal reporting or used in evaluating performance.

The Company has items not directly attributable to a reportable segment that are not included in the reported financial results of the operating segment. These items primarily include administrative costs related to public company reporting requirements, including management and board compensation, and the financial results of Bellaire Corporation ("Bellaire"), Mitigation Resources and other developing businesses. 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 (benefit) 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:

The Coal Mining segment operates surface coal mines under long-term contracts with power generation companies pursuant to a service-based business model. Coal is surface mined in North Dakota and Mississippi. Each mine is fully integrated with its customer's operations.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Coal Mining segment's operating coal mines were: The Coteau Properties Company (“Coteau”), Coyote Creek Mining Company, LLC (“Coyote Creek”), The Falkirk Mining Company (“Falkirk”) and Mississippi Lignite Mining Company (“MLMC”). Each of these mines supply lignite coal for power generation and delivers its coal production to an adjacent power plant or synfuels plant under a long-term supply contract. While MLMC’s coal supply contract contains a take or pay provision, the contract contains a force majeure provision that allows for the temporary suspension of the take or pay provision during the duration of certain specified events beyond the control of either party; all other coal supply contracts are requirements contracts. Certain coal supply contracts can be terminated early, which would result in a reduction to future earnings.

The MLMC contract is the only coal supply 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's Red Hills Power Plant 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, fluctuations in diesel fuel prices can result in significant fluctuations in earnings at MLMC. 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 April 1, 2032. TVA’s power portfolio includes coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, natural gas and renewables. The decision regarding which power plants to dispatch is determined by TVA. Reduction in dispatch of the Red Hills Power Plant will result in reduced earnings at MLMC.

On December 18, 2023, MLMC received notice from its customer related to an issue that began on December 15, 2023 as a result of an issue that impacted one of two boilers at the Red Hills Power Plant. This issue has resulted in a reduction in

customer demand which will have a significant impact on the Company's 2024 results of operations. Repairs to the boiler are expected to be completed during the second half of 2024.

The Sabine Mining Company (“Sabine”) operates the Sabine Mine in Texas. All production from Sabine was delivered to Southwestern Electric Power Company's (“SWEPCO”) Henry W. Pirkey Plant (the “Pirkey Plant”). SWEPCO is an American Electric Power (“AEP”) company. As a result of the early retirement of the Pirkey Plant, Sabine ceased deliveries and final reclamation began on April 1, 2023. Funding for mine reclamation is the responsibility of SWEPCO, and Sabine receives compensation for providing mine reclamation services. Sabine will provide mine reclamation services through September 30, 2026. On October 1, 2026, SWEPCO is scheduled to acquire all of the capital stock of Sabine and complete the remaining mine reclamation.

At Coteau, Coyote Creek and Falkirk, 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 providing all of the capital required to build and operate the mine. This contract structure eliminates exposure to spot coal market price fluctuations while providing 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 the Company. See Note 6 to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of Coyote Creek's guarantees.

Coteau, Coyote Creek, Falkirk and Sabine each 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 Company regularly evaluates if there are reconsideration events which could change the Company's conclusion as to whether these entities meet the definition of a VIE and the determination of the primary beneficiary. 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 provision (benefit) line on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations includes income taxes related to these entities. See Note 6 to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the Unconsolidated Subsidiaries.

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.

The NAMining segment provides value-added contract mining and other services for producers of industrial minerals. The segment is a platform for the Company’s growth and diversification of mining activities outside of the thermal 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. As of March 31, 2024, NAMining operates in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Virginia and Nebraska. In addition, Sawtooth Mining, LLC ("Sawtooth") has exclusive responsibility for mining and mine closure services for the Thacker Pass lithium project in northern Nevada, including mine design, construction, operation and maintenance .

Certain of the entities within the NAMining segment are VIEs and are accounted for under the equity method as Unconsolidated Subsidiaries. See Note 6 to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements 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.

The Minerals Management segment owns royalty interests, mineral interests, non-participating royalty interests and overriding royalty interests.

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 currently have any material investments under which it would be required to bear the cost of exploration, production or development.

The Company's acquisition criteria for building a blended portfolio of mineral and royalty interests includes (i) new wells anticipated to come online within one to two years of investment, (ii) areas with forecasted future development within five years after acquisition and (iii) existing producing wells further along the decline curve that will generate stable cash flow. In addition, acquisitions should extend the geographic footprint to diversify across multiple basins with a preliminary focus on the more oil-rich Permian basin and a secondary focus on other diversifying basins to increase regional exposure. While the current focus is on the acquisition of mineral and royalty interests, the Company would also consider investments in ORRIs, NPRIs or non-operating working interests under certain circumstances. The current acquisition strategy does not contemplate any near-term working interest investments in which the Company would act as the operator.

The Company also manages legacy royalty and mineral interests 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.

On April 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a pre-publication version of the final rules for Greenhouse Gas (“GHG”) emissions and Mercury Air Toxics Standards (“MATS”). The final MATS and GHG rules will require compliance as early as 2027 and 2030, respectively. The Company is in the process of determining the implications of these rules. Previous efforts by the EPA were met with extensive litigation and the Company anticipates a similar response to the new GHG and MATS rules.

Preliminary review of the GHG rules indicate that the compliance deadline for coal-fired plants planning to install carbon capture and sequestration/storage technology has been extended to January 1, 2032. If a coal-fired plant intends to close prior to 2032, no controls will be required and if a plant plans to close between 2032 and 2039, they must begin co-firing with natural gas by January 1, 2030.

Preliminary review of the final MATS rules indicate that the EPA significantly reduced the fine particulate matter emission standard for all existing coal-fired electric generating units and will require continuous monitoring equipment to demonstrate compliance. Furthermore, the EPA elected to remove the lignite subcategory for mercury limits and will require lignite-fired electric generating units to meet the same standard as other types of coal.

Substantially all of the Coal Mining segment's profits are derived from long-term mining contracts. These new rules may raise the cost of fossil fuel generated energy, making coal-fired power plants less competitive, and/or result in early closure which could have an adverse impact on demand for coal and ultimately result in the early closure of the mines servicing these plants, including closure of the Company's coal mines. Any such closure of the Company's mines could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Refer to the discussion of the Company's Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates as disclosed on pages 52 through 53 in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company's Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates have not materially changed since December 31, 2023.

The results of operations for NACCO were as follows for the three months ended March 31:

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

Interest expense increased in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the respective 2023 period due to higher average borrowings as well as an increase in interest rates.

On December 1, 2022, the Company transferred its ownership interest in Midwest AgEnergy Group, LLC (“MAG”), a North Dakota-based ethanol business to HLCP Ethanol Holdco, LLC (“HLCP”). The Company received a payment of $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2023 in connection with a post-closing purchase price adjustment, which is included on the line "Other, net" within the accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The Company evaluates and updates its estimated annual effective income tax rate on a quarterly basis based on current and forecasted operating results and tax laws. Consequently, based upon the mix and timing of actual earnings compared to projections of earnings between entities that benefit from percentage depletion and those that do not, the effective tax rate may vary quarterly and may make quarterly comparisons not meaningful. The benefit of percentage depletion is not directly related to the amount of consolidated pre-tax income recorded in a period. Accordingly, in periods where income before tax is relatively small, the proportional effect of the benefit from percentage depletion on the effective tax rate may be significant. In addition, as a result of the forecasted loss before income tax as of March 31, 2023, the effect of the benefit from percentage depletion resulted in a negative forecasted effective tax rate. Each quarter, the Company updates its estimate of the annual effective tax rate and the cumulative impact of the change in the estimated annual tax rate is recorded, which can additionally make quarterly comparisons not meaningful.

The following tables detail NACCO's changes in cash flow for the three months ended March 31:

The $16.0 million change in net cash (used for) provided by operating activities was primarily due to an unfavorable change in working capital, which was mainly the result of increases in Other current assets and Accounts receivable from affiliates during the first quarter of 2024 compared with significant decreases in the first quarter of 2023. The change in Other current assets was primarily due to changes in accrued royalties. The change in Accounts receivable from affiliates is primarily attributable to the amount and timing of payments from unconsolidated subsidiaries.

In addition, the Company entered into an Accounts Receivable Financing Program with a third party banking institution on March 14, 2024 for the sale of certain accounts receivables. Accounts receivable sold under the Accounts Receivable Financing Program for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 were $6.1 million. The net proceeds received were included in Net cash (used for) provided by operating activities in the Unaudited Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

The change in net cash provided by (used for) financing activities was primarily due to an increase in debt borrowings during the first three months of 2024 compared with the first three months of 2023, partially offset by share repurchases during the first quarter of 2024.

NACCO Natural Resources Corporation (“NACCO Natural Resources”), maintains a secured revolving line of credit of up to $150.0 million (the “Facility”) that expires in November 2025. Borrowings outstanding under the Facility were $17.0 million at

March 31, 2024. At March 31, 2024, the excess availability under the Facility was $100.4 million, which reflects a reduction for outstanding letters of credit of $32.6 million.

NACCO has not guaranteed any borrowings of NACCO Natural Resources. The Facility allows for the payment to NACCO of dividends and advances under certain circumstances. Dividends (to the extent permitted by the Facility) and management fees are the primary sources of cash for NACCO and enable the Company to pay dividends to stockholders and repurchase shares.

The Facility has performance-based pricing, which sets interest rates based upon NACCO Natural Resources achieving various levels of debt to EBITDA ratios, as defined in the 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 March 31, 2024, for base rate and SOFR loans were 1.23% and 2.23%, respectively. The Facility has a commitment fee which is based upon achieving various levels of debt to EBITDA ratios. The commitment fee was 0.34% on the unused commitment at March 31, 2024.

The Facility contains restrictive covenants, which require, among other things, NACCO Natural Resources to maintain a maximum net debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.75 to 1.00 and an interest coverage ratio of not less than 4.00 to 1.00. The 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 1.50 to 1.00, or if greater than 1.50 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 Facility, of $15.0 million. At March 31, 2024, NACCO Natural Resources was in compliance with all financial covenants in the Facility.

The obligations under the Facility are guaranteed by certain of NACCO Natural Resource's direct and indirect, existing and future domestic subsidiaries, and is secured by certain assets of NACCO Natural Resources and the guarantors, subject to customary exceptions and limitations.

The Company believes funds available from cash on hand, the 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 Facility in November 2025.

Expenditures for property, plant and equipment and mineral interests were $14.5 million during the first three months of 2024, primarily for the acquisition of land at Mitigation Resources and equipment at NAMining. Planned expenditures for the remainder of 2024 are expected to be approximately $11 million in the Coal Mining segment, $27 million in the NAMining segment, $20 million in the Minerals Management segment and $3 million in Unallocated Items.

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

NACCO's consolidated capital structure is presented below:

The increase in other net tangible assets at March 31, 2024 compared with December 31, 2023 was mainly the result of increases in Property, plant and equipment and Prepaid insurance during the first quarter of 2024.

Since December 31, 2023, 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 58 in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. 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 months ended March 31:

The following table identifies the components of change in Operating (loss) profit for the first quarter of 2024 compared with the first quarter of 2023:

Operating (loss) profit decreased $0.7 million in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the first quarter of 2023 primarily due to an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses and a decrease in the earnings of unconsolidated operations.

The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to higher employee-related costs.

The decrease in the earnings of unconsolidated operations was primarily due to a reduction in customer requirements at Coteau.

The reduction in revenues at MLMC was offset by a reduction in cost of goods sold, resulting in a comparable gross loss in both the first quarter of 2024 and 2023. Gross loss in the first quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2023 included a $2.5 million and $2.4 million inventory impairment charge, respectively, to write down MLMC's coal inventory to its net realizable value.

The results of operations for the NAMining segment were as follows for the three months ended March 31: