AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED PERFORMANCE GUARANTY
Exhibit 10.6
EXECUTION VERSION
AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED PERFORMANCE GUARANTY
This AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED PERFORMANCE GUARANTY (this “Guaranty”), dated as of June 27, 2019 (the “Effective Date”), is made by SUNNOVA ENERGY CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation (the “Guarantor”) for the benefit of SUNNOVA LAP HOLDINGS, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“SSA SPV1”), SUNNOVA LAP I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“SSA SPV2”), SUNNOVA LAP II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“SSA SPV3” and, together with SSA SPV1 and SSA SPV2, each a “Borrower” and, collectively, the “Borrowers”), and CREDIT SUISSE AG, NEW YORK BRANCH (the “Administrative Agent”), as administrative agent under that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of even date herewith (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), by and among the Borrowers, as borrowers, Sunnova SSA Management, LLC, as manager (“Sunnova SSA Management” or in such capacity, the “Manager”) and as servicer (in such capacity, the “Servicer”), Sunnova Asset Portfolio 7 Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as seller (the “Seller” and together with the Guarantor, the Manager and the Servicer, each a “Sunnova Party”), the Administrative Agent, the financial institutions that become parties thereto as lenders (the “Lenders”), Xxxxx Fargo Bank, National Association, as paying agent and U.S. Bank National Association, as custodian. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings specified in the Credit Agreement.
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT:
WHEREAS, the Guarantor, the Borrowers and the Administrative Agent entered into that certain Limited Performance Guaranty dated as of November 8, 2018 (“Original Guaranty”) in order to induce the Borrowers, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent to enter into the Credit Agreement, pursuant to which the Guarantor agreed to guaranty (a) the performance and payment by Sunnova SSA Management of its obligations, as Manager, under that certain Management Agreement, dated as of November 8, 2018 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Management Agreement”), by and among the Borrowers, the Manager and the Administrative Agent, in its capacity as administrative agent under the Credit Agreement, (b) the performance and payment by Sunnova SSA Management of its obligations, as Servicer, under that certain Servicing Agreement, dated as of November 8, 2018 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Servicing Agreement”), by and among the Borrowers, the Servicer, Xxxxx Fargo Bank, National Association, as back-up servicer (in such capacity, the “Back-Up Servicer”) and the Administrative Agent, in its capacity as administrative agent under the Credit Agreement, (c) the performance and payment by the Seller of all refund obligations for breaches of representations and warranties in respect of the Solar Assets pursuant to that certain Sale and Contribution Agreement, dated as of November 8, 2018 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Sale and Contribution Agreement”), by and among the Seller and the Borrowers, and (d) that no Sunnova Party will commit or cause any Borrower to commit any Performance Violation (as such term is defined herein);
WHEREAS, SSA SPV2 and SSA SPV3 are wholly-owned subsidiaries of SSA SPV1, SSA SPV1 is wholly-owned subsidiary of the Seller, the Seller is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sunnova Intermediate Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Intermediate Holdings”), and Intermediate Holdings is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Guarantor, and, as such, the Guarantor will benefit by virtue of the financial accommodations extended to the Borrowers by the Lenders; and
WHEREAS, the parties hereto wish to amend and restate the Original Guaranty in its entirety.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements contained herein, the parties hereby agree as follows:
SECTION 1. Unconditional Undertaking. (a) Limited Performance Guaranty. The Guarantor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes and agrees with and for the benefit of the Borrowers and the Administrative Agent to:
(i) cause the Borrowers to enter into the hedge agreements required pursuant to Section 5.1(S) of the Credit Agreement (collectively, the “Hedging Obligations”),
(ii) cause the due and punctual performance and observance by Sunnova SSA Management and its successors and assigns of all terms, covenants, conditions, agreements, undertakings, indemnities, and other obligations to be performed or observed by Sunnova SSA Management under the Servicing Agreement in accordance with the respective terms thereof (collectively, the “Servicer Obligations”),
(iii) cause the due and punctual performance and observance by Sunnova SSA Management and its successors and assigns of all terms, covenants, conditions, agreements, undertakings, indemnities, and other obligations to be performed or observed by Sunnova SSA Management under the Management Agreement in accordance with the respective terms thereof (collectively, the “Manager Obligations”),
(iv) cause the due and punctual performance and observance by the Seller and its successor and assigns of all indemnities for Indemnified Amounts (as defined in the Sale and Contribution Agreement) and all refund obligations for breaches of representations and warranties in respect of Solar Assets pursuant to the Sale and Contribution Agreement (collectively, the “Seller Obligations”),
(v) indemnify and reimburse and hold the Administrative Agent and the Lenders harmless from any liability or actual out-of-pocket loss, damage, cost or expense (collectively, “Losses”) suffered or incurred by the Administrative Agent and any Lenders, including all reasonable and documented attorneys fees and costs of enforcing this Guaranty resulting proximately from or arising proximately in connection with any one or more of the following (the “Performance Liabilities” and together with the Hedging Obligations, the Servicer Obligations, the Manager Obligations and the Seller Obligations, the “Guarantied Obligations”):
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(A) fraud or willful misconduct by (1) any Sunnova Party, (2) any Person expressly directed by any Sunnova Party to commit an act amounting to fraud or willful misconduct, or (3) any member of the senior management of any Sunnova Party acting in its capacity as such (any such person described in clauses (2) or (3), a “Sunnova Party Designee”) with respect to any Borrower or the Collateral;
(B) theft or misappropriation of funds of any Borrower by any Sunnova Party or any Sunnova Party Designee (including the acceptance of dividends, distributions or payments made to the Seller by any Borrower in contravention of the provisions of the Transaction Documents;
(C) any voluntary sale, encumbrance or disposition of any Collateral or any part thereof or interest therein, respectively, that is not expressly permitted by the Transaction Documents, in each case, to the extent that any such event occurs because of any action or inaction by any Sunnova Party (including in any such Person’s capacity as managing member of any Borrower) or any Sunnova Party Designee (regardless of whether such action or inaction is by such Person individually or in collusion with any other Persons);
(D) if, at any time when any Borrower is solvent and paying its debts when due, such Borrower is subject to an Insolvency Event (unless, in any such case, the Administrative Agent has provided its prior written consent thereto), to the extent that any such Insolvency Event occurs because of any action or inaction by any Sunnova Party or any Sunnova Party Designee (regardless of whether such action or inaction is by such Person individually or in collusion with any other persons or entities);
(E) any Sunnova Party or any Sunnova Party Designee consents to, initiates or institutes or makes any claim or proceeding that results in an entry of an order causing the “substantive consolidation” of any Borrower with any other Person in an insolvency proceeding (other than, in the case of any Borrower, another Borrower);
(F) any intentional act (excluding those acts expressly permitted under the terms of the Transaction Documents) by any Sunnova Party (including in any such Person’s capacity as managing member of any Borrower) or any Sunnova Party Designee which (x) by its terms expressly grants a security interest in any portion of the Collateral to another person or entity, (y) prevents the perfection of the Administrative Agent’s security interest in any portion of the Collateral, or (z) is taken for the purpose of, and results in, the security interest of the Administrative Agent becoming unperfected under the applicable provisions of the UCC or any other applicable law, or not being a first priority security interest under the UCC or any other applicable law (other than as the result of any non-consensual security interest arising by operation of law); and/or
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(G) any intentional act (excluding those acts expressly permitted under the terms of the Transaction Documents) by any Sunnova Party (including in any such Person’s capacity as managing member of any Borrower) or any Sunnova Party Designee which prevents or materially delays (beyond any typical delay normally associated with a servicing transfer) the transfer of servicing responsibilities to another person or entity in accordance with the Transaction Documents following the occurrence of a Servicer Termination Event (any of the foregoing events described in clauses (A) through (G), a “Performance Violation”), and
(vi) pay any and all expenses (including reasonable and documented counsel fees and expenses) incurred by the Borrowers, the Lenders or the Administrative Agent in enforcing their respective rights against any Sunnova Party under the applicable Transaction Document and this Guaranty, in each case arising out of the Guarantied Obligations.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, “Loss” shall not include any losses amounting to recourse for credit losses with respect to the Solar Assets, and “Hedging Obligations” are not intended to be, and shall not be construed as, a general credit guarantee of the Borrowers’ payment obligations under hedging agreements. In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein and for the avoidance of doubt, it is understood and agreed that the Performance Liabilities are limited to the Losses arising out of or in connection with any Performance Violation expressly set forth herein and is not intended to be, and shall not be construed as, a general credit guarantee of the Obligations of the Borrowers.
(b) In recognition of the direct and indirect benefits to be received by the Guarantor from the proceeds of the Advances advanced under the Credit Agreement and other financial accommodations made and to be made under the applicable Transaction Documents, the Guarantor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees that no Sunnova Party shall commit or cause any Borrower to commit any Performance Violation and if any Sunnova Party fails in any manner whatsoever to perform or observe any of the Guarantied Obligations applicable to it when the same shall be required to be performed or observed under the applicable Transaction Document, after giving effect to any applicable grace or cure period thereunder, the Guarantor will itself, within three (3) Business Days of the earlier of (i) the Guarantor’s knowledge of such failure or (ii) demand from the Administrative Agent, duly and punctually perform or observe, or cause to be duly and punctually performed or observed, such Guarantied Obligations, and it shall not be a condition to the accrual of the obligation of the Guarantor hereunder to perform or observe any Guarantied Obligation (or to cause the same to be performed or observed) that the applicable Borrowers or the Administrative Agent shall have first made any request of or demand upon or given any notice to the Guarantor, any Sunnova Party, or any of their successors or assigns, or have instituted any action or proceeding against the Guarantor, any Sunnova Party, or their successors or assigns in respect thereof.
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SECTION 2. Obligations Absolute. The Guarantor agrees that the Guarantied Obligations not performed by any other Sunnova Party will be performed by the Guarantor strictly in accordance with the terms of the applicable Transaction Document and this Guaranty. The obligations of the Guarantor under this Guaranty are independent of the Obligations and a separate action or actions may be brought and prosecuted against the Guarantor to enforce this Guaranty, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, irrespective of whether any action is brought against any other Sunnova Party, as applicable, or whether any other Sunnova Party, as applicable, is joined in any such action or actions. The liability of the Guarantor under this Guaranty shall be absolute and unconditional irrespective of:
(a) any lack of validity or enforceability against any Sunnova Party of any applicable Transaction Document or any other agreement or instrument relating thereto;
(b) any change in the time, manner or place of performance of, or in any other term of, all or any of the Obligations, or any other amendment or waiver of or any consent to departure from any applicable Transaction Document;
(c) any taking, exchange, release or non-perfection of any collateral, or any taking, release, amendment or waiver of, or consent to departure from, any guaranty, for all or any of the Obligations;
(d) any manner of application of collateral, or proceeds thereof, to all or any of the Obligations (unless such application satisfies the Obligations in full (other than contingent liabilities for which no claim has been made or is known to Guarantor)), or any manner of sale or other disposition of any collateral or any other assets of Sunnova SSA Management or any of its Subsidiaries for all or any of the Obligations under the Credit Agreement;
(e) any change, restructuring, termination, or dissolution of the corporate structure or existence of any Sunnova Party or any of their Subsidiaries;
(f) any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense available to, or a discharge of, any Sunnova Party, as applicable, or a guarantor;
(g) any attempt or the absence of any attempt by, or on behalf of, the Administrative Agent or any of the Lenders, to collect, or to take any other action to enforce, all or any part of the Obligations;
(h) the election of any remedy by, or on behalf of, the Administrative Agent or any of the Lenders, in any proceeding of any Borrower instituted under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code (11 U.S.C. 101 et seq.) (the “Bankruptcy Code”), of the application of Section 1111(b)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code;
(i) any borrowing or grant of a security interest by any Borrower, as a debtor in possession, under Section 364 of the Bankruptcy Code;
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(j) the disallowance, under Section 502 of the Bankruptcy Code, of all or any portion of the claims of the Administrative Agent or any of the Lenders against any Borrower for repayment of all or any part of the Obligations, including any amount due hereunder;
(k) any invalidity, irregularity, avoidability, or unenforceability of all or any part of the Obligations or of any security therefor; or
(l) any actual or alleged fraud by any party (other than the Administrative Agent, the Back-Up Servicer, any Successor Servicer under the Servicing Agreement, any Successor Manager under the Management Agreement or any of the Lenders).
In addition, this Guaranty may be revived and reinstated as further provided in Section 10 hereof.
SECTION 3. Waiver. (a) The Guarantor hereby waives promptness, diligence, notice of acceptance, presentments, demands for performance, protests and notices, including notices of nonperformance, notices of protest, notices of dishonor, notices of acceptance of this Guaranty, and notices of the existence, creation, or incurring of new or additional Obligations or other financial accommodations, and any other notice (except as specifically provided for in any applicable Transaction Document) with respect to any of the Obligations and this Guaranty and any requirement that any Borrower or the Administrative Agent protect, secure, perfect or insure any security interest or lien or any property subject thereto or exhaust any right or take any action against any person or entity or any collateral. The Guarantor hereby waives notice of any Event of Default, Cash Trap Event, Early Amortization Event, Insolvency Event, Manager Termination Event, Sequential Interest Amortization Event or Servicer Termination Event under of the Credit Agreement or any applicable Transaction Document. The Guarantor assumes all responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of each Sunnova Party’s financial, business and legal condition and ongoing compliance with the applicable Transaction Documents, the nature, scope, and extent of the risks which the Guarantor assumes and incurs hereunder, and agrees that neither the Administrative Agent nor any Secured Party shall have any duty to advise the Guarantor of information known to them regarding such circumstances or risks.
(b) The Guarantor waives any right (except as shall be required by applicable statute and cannot be waived) to require the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party to (i) proceed against any other Person, (ii) proceed against or exhaust any security held from the Guarantor or any other Person, or (iii) protect, secure, perfect, or insure any security interest or Lien on any property subject thereto or exhaust any right to take any action against any other Person, or any collateral, or (iv) pursue any other remedy in any Secured Party’s power whatsoever. The Guarantor waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of any other Person, based on or arising out of the disability any other Person, or the validity, legality, or unenforceability of the Obligations or any part thereof from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Guarantor other than payment of the Guarantied Obligations in full (other than contingent liabilities for which no claim has been asserted or is known to Guarantor). The Administrative Agent may, in accordance with the applicable Transaction Document, foreclose upon any Collateral held by the Administrative Agent by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales or other dispositions or may exercise any other right or remedy the
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Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party may have against the Guarantor or any other Person, or any security, in each case, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of the Guarantor hereunder except to the extent all Guarantied Obligations (other than contingent liabilities for which no claim has been asserted or is known to Guarantor) have been paid.
(c) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Guarantor hereby waives:
(A) any right to assert against any Secured Party, any defense (legal or equitable), set-off, counterclaim, or claim which the Guarantor may now or at any time hereafter have against any Sunnova Party or any other party liable to any Secured Party arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of this Guaranty or the Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby;
(B) any defense, set-off, counterclaim, or claim, of any kind or nature, arising directly or indirectly from the present or future lack of perfection, sufficiency, validity, or enforceability of the Obligations or the Transaction Documents or any security therefor;
(C) any right or defense arising by reason of any claim or defense based upon an election of remedies by any Secured Party including any defense based upon an impairment or elimination of the Guarantor’s rights of subrogation, reimbursement, contribution, or indemnity of the Guarantor against any other Sunnova Party or other guarantors or sureties; and
(D) the benefit of any statute of limitations affecting the Guarantor’s liability hereunder or the enforcement thereof, and any act which shall defer or delay the operation of any statute of limitations applicable to the Obligations or Guarantied Obligations shall similarly operate to defer or delay the operation of such statute of limitations applicable to the Guarantor’s liability hereunder.
(d) The Guarantor hereby agrees to subordinate any rights that it may now or hereafter acquire against any other Sunnova Party that arise from the existence, performance or enforcement of the Guarantor’s obligations under this Guaranty, including any right of reimbursement, exoneration, contribution or indemnification and any right to participate in any claim or remedy of the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party against the Guarantor, any other Sunnova Party or any Collateral, whether or not such claim, remedy or right arises in equity or under contract, statute or common law, including the right to take or receive from the Guarantor, directly or indirectly, in cash or other property or by set-off or in any other manner, payment or security solely on account of such claim, remedy or right, to the payment of all of the Guarantied Obligations (other than contingent liabilities for which no claim has been made or is known to Guarantor) in full.
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(e) Guarantor represents, warrants, and agrees that each of the waivers set forth above is made with full knowledge of its significance and consequences and that if any of such waivers are determined to be contrary to any applicable law or public policy, such waivers shall be effective to the maximum extent permitted by law.
SECTION 4. Subrogation. The Guarantor will not exercise any rights that it may acquire by way of subrogation under this Guaranty, by any performance hereunder or otherwise until all of the Guarantied Obligations (other than contingent liabilities for which no claim has been made or is known to Guarantor) have been performed in full. If any amount shall be paid to the Guarantor on account of such subrogation rights at any time prior to the performance in full of the Guarantied Obligations, such amount shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Borrowers or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, and shall forthwith be paid to the Borrowers or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, to be credited and applied to the Obligations, whether matured or unmatured, in accordance with the terms of the applicable Transaction Document, or to be held by the Borrowers or the Administrative Agent as the case may be, as collateral security for any Guarantied Obligations thereafter existing. If all the Guarantied Obligations under this Guaranty shall be performed in full, the Borrowers or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, will, at the Guarantor’s request, execute and deliver to the Guarantor appropriate documents, without recourse and without representation or warranty, necessary to evidence the transfer by subrogation to the Guarantor, as applicable, of any interest in the Guarantied Obligations resulting from such payment by the Guarantor.
SECTION 5. Representations and Warranties and Covenants. Effective on, and as of, the Effective Date, unless otherwise specifically set forth in the applicable representation or warranty, the Guarantor hereby represents, warrants and covenants that:
(a) Existence. The Guarantor (i) is, and at all times during the term of this Guaranty will be, an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, (ii) has, and at all times during the term of this Guaranty will have, all requisite corporate or other power, and all governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals necessary to own its assets and carry on its business as now being or as proposed to be conducted, except where the lack of such licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals would not be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Guarantor to perform its obligations under this Guaranty or the business, operations, financial condition, or assets of the Guarantor, and (iii) is qualified to do business and is in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which the nature of the business conducted by it makes such qualification necessary, except where failure so to qualify would not be reasonably likely (either individually or in the aggregate) to have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Guarantor to perform its obligations under this Guaranty or the business, operations, financial condition, or assets of the Guarantor.
(b) Financial Condition. The Guarantor has heretofore furnished to the Borrowers and the Administrative Agent, a copy of:
(i) the consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor and its consolidated subsidiaries as of December 31, 2018, and the related consolidated statements of operations and of cash flows for the Guarantor and its consolidated subsidiaries for such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous year, with the opinion thereon by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; and
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(ii) the unaudited consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor and its consolidated subsidiaries as of March 31, 2019 and the related unaudited interim consolidated statements of operations and cash flows for the six months ended March 31, 2019 for the Guarantor and its consolidated subsidiaries, subject to year-end adjustments and the absence of footnotes.
All such financial statements are complete and correct and fairly present, in all material respects, the consolidated financial condition of the Guarantor and its subsidiaries and the consolidated results of their operations as at such dates and for such fiscal periods, all in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis. Since December 31, 2018, through the date of this Guaranty, there has been no material adverse change in the consolidated business, operations or financial condition of the Guarantor and its consolidated subsidiaries, as applicable, taken as a whole from that set forth in said financial statements.
(c) Litigation. Other than the actions, suits, arbitrations or litigation disclosed in the Guarantor’s quarterly or annual financial statements, there are no actions, suits, arbitrations, investigations (including, without limitation, any of the foregoing which are pending or threatened in writing) or other legal or arbitrable proceedings affecting the Guarantor or any of its Affiliates or affecting any of the property of any of them before any Governmental Authority (i) that questions or challenges the validity or enforceability of this Guaranty or any action to be taken in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) which, individually or in the aggregate, if adversely determined, would reasonably be likely to have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Guarantor to perform its obligations under this Guaranty or the business, operations, financial condition, or assets of the Guarantor.
(d) No Breach. Neither (i) the execution and delivery of this Guaranty nor (ii) the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated in compliance with the terms and provisions hereof will conflict with or result in a breach of the charter, by-laws, limited liability company agreement, or operating agreement of the Guarantor, or any applicable law, rule or regulation, or any order, writ, injunction or decree of any Governmental Authority, or other material agreement or instrument to which the Guarantor is a party or by which any of its property is bound or to which it is subject, or constitute a default under any such material agreement or instrument or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any property of the Guarantor or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to the terms of any such agreement or instrument.
(e) No Defaults or Violations. The Guarantor is not in default under any material agreement, contract or instrument, as applicable, to which the Guarantor is a party or by which it is or its properties are bound, or subject to or in violation of any statute or of any order or regulation of any court, administrative agency, arbitrator or governmental body
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that would have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Guarantor to perform its obligations under this Guaranty or the business, operations, financial condition, or assets of the Guarantor; and no event has occurred which with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute such a default with respect to any such agreement, contract, instrument or indenture, or such a violation of any statute or of any order or regulation of any court, administrative agency, arbitrator or governmental body.
(f) Action. The Guarantor has all necessary corporate or other power, authority and legal right to execute, deliver and perform its obligations hereunder; the execution, delivery and performance by the Guarantor of this Guaranty has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other action on its part and this Guaranty has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the Guarantor and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Guarantor, enforceable against the Guarantor in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights and by general principles of equity.
(g) Licenses. The Guarantor holds, and at all times during the term of this Guaranty will hold, all material licenses, certificates, franchises and permits from all governmental authorities necessary for the conduct of its business and has received no notice of proceedings relating to the revocation of any such license, certificate, franchise or permit which individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would materially and adversely affect its ability to perform its obligations under this Guaranty or any other documents or transactions contemplated hereunder.
(h) Approvals. No authorizations, approvals or consents of, and no filings or registrations with, any Governmental Authority or any securities exchange are necessary for the execution, delivery or performance by the Guarantor hereunder or for the legality, validity or enforceability hereof.
(i) Conditions Precedent. There are no conditions precedent to the effectiveness of this Guaranty that have not been satisfied or waived.
(j) Ownership. Effective on the Effective Date, (i) the Guarantor is the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity interest in Intermediate Holdings, (ii) Intermediate Holdings is the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity interest in the Seller, (iii) the Guarantor is the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity interest in Sunnova SSA Management, (iv) the Seller is the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity interest in SSA SPV1 and (v) SSA SPV1 is the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity interest in SSA SPV2 and SSA SPV3.
(k) Taxes. The Guarantor and its subsidiaries have filed all U.S. federal income tax returns and all other material tax returns that are required to be filed by them and have paid, or have made provision for the payment of, all taxes due pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by any of them, except for any such taxes as are being appropriately contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and with respect to which adequate reserves have been provided. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Guarantor and its subsidiaries in respect of taxes and other governmental charges are, in the opinion of the Guarantor, adequate.
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(l) Foreign Taxes. Neither the Guarantor nor any Sunnova Party is aware of any Host Customer under a Solar Service Agreement who has withheld any portion of its payment due under such Solar Service Agreement because of the requirements of a foreign taxing authority, and no foreign taxing authority has contacted the Guarantor or any Sunnova Party concerning a withholding or other tax liability.
(m) Investment Company Act. The Guarantor is not an “investment company” or a company “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the 1940 Act.
(n) True and Complete Disclosure. The information, reports, financial statements, exhibits and schedules furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Guarantor to the Borrowers and the Administrative Agent in connection with the negotiation, preparation or delivery of this Guaranty or included herein or therein or delivered pursuant hereto or thereto, when taken as a whole, do not contain any untrue statement of material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements herein or therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. All written information furnished after the date hereof by or on behalf of the Guarantor to the Borrowers and the Administrative Agent in connection with this Guaranty and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby will be true, complete and accurate in every material respect, or (in the case of projections) based on reasonable estimates, on the date as of which such information is stated or certified.
(o) ERISA. As of the Effective Date and at all times during the term of this Guaranty, (i) each “employee pension benefit plan,” as such term is defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA, that is sponsored, maintained, or contributed to by the Guarantor or its subsidiaries, other than any such plan that is a “multiemployer plan,” as such term is defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA, (a “Sunnova Pension Plan”) and, to the knowledge of the Guarantor, each “employee welfare benefit plan,” as such term is defined in Section 3(1) of ERISA, that is sponsored, maintained or contributed to by the Guarantor or its subsidiaries, is and will be in compliance in all material respects with, and has been and will be administered in all material respects in compliance with, the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and any other Federal or state law; (ii) with respect to any Sunnova Pension Plan that is subject to Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no “accumulated funding deficiency” (as such term is defined in Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code), whether or not waived, exists with respect to any plan year beginning prior to January 1, 2008, and with respect to any plan year beginning after December 31, 2007, no unpaid “minimum required contribution” (as defined in Section 430 of the Code or Section 303 of ERISA), whether or not waived, exists and, to the knowledge of the Guarantor, no event has occurred or circumstance exists that may result in an unpaid minimum required contribution as of the last day of the current plan year of any such plan; and (iii) the Guarantor and each of its Commonly Controlled Affiliates (as defined below) has made and will make substantially all
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contributions required under each “multiemployer plan,” as such term is defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA, to which the Guarantor or any of its Commonly Controlled Affiliates is obligated to contribute (a “Sunnova Multiemployer Plan”) and any required contribution that has not been paid would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect. As of the Effective Date, neither the Guarantor nor any of its Commonly Controlled Affiliates has been notified by the sponsor of a Sunnova Multiemployer Plan that such Sunnova Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization or has been terminated, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA, except where such reorganization or termination would not have a material adverse effect. After the Effective Date and at all times during the term of this Guaranty, the aggregate outstanding liability of the Guarantor and its Commonly Controlled Affiliates for any partial or complete withdrawal from any Sunnova Multiemployer Plan collectively does not exceed $10 million, and, to the knowledge of the Guarantor, no event has occurred or circumstance exists that presents a risk that the aggregate outstanding liability of the Guarantor and its Commonly Controlled Affiliates for any partial or complete withdrawal from any Sunnova Multiemployer Plan could collectively exceed $10 million at any time during the term of this Guaranty. For purposes of this Section 6(o), “Commonly Controlled Affiliates” means those direct or indirect affiliates of the Guarantor that would be considered a single employer with the Guarantor under Section 414(b), (c), (m), or (o) of the Code.
(p) Rank of Obligations. Its obligations under this Guaranty do rank and will rank at least pari passu in priority of payment and in all other respects with all of its unsecured indebtedness.
(q) Financial Reporting. The Guarantor shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Borrowers and the Administrative Agent:
(i) Annual Reporting. Within one hundred eighty (180) days after the close of each fiscal year of the Guarantor, the unqualified audited financial statements for such fiscal year that shall include the consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor and its consolidated subsidiaries, as of the end of such fiscal year, the related consolidated statements of income, of stockholders’ equity and of cash flows for such fiscal year, in each case, setting forth comparative figures for the preceding fiscal year, and, beginning with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018, the assets and liabilities of the Borrowers as of the end of such fiscal year presented in a note or schedule to such financial statements of the Guarantor, and in each case prepared in accordance with GAAP and audited by a Nationally Recognized Accounting Firm selected by the Guarantor; and
(ii) Quarterly Reporting. Within sixty (60) days after the end of each fiscal quarter ending March 31, June 30 and September 30, the unaudited consolidated balance sheets and income statements for such fiscal quarter on a year-to-date basis for the Guarantor and its consolidated subsidiaries.
(r) Financial Covenants. As of the Effective Date and at all times during the term of this Guaranty, the following shall be true (collectively, the “Financial Covenants”):
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(i) | the Guarantor shall have and maintain as of the last day of each fiscal quarter ending after the Effective Date a Tangible Net Worth (as defined below) of at least the sum of (A) fifty percent (50%) of all positive quarterly net income (as determined in accordance with GAAP) earned for each fiscal quarter ending after the Closing Date as of such date plus (B) $185,000,000; |
(ii) | the Guarantor shall have and maintain as of the last day of each fiscal quarter ending after the Effective Date, Working Capital (as defined below) available to it in an amount at least equal to $20,000,000; provided, however, that from the date hereof through August 31, 2019, the Guarantor shall only be required to have and maintain, as of the last day of each fiscal quarter ending during such period, Working Capital available to it in an amount at least equal to $5,000,000; and |
(iii) | no distribution with respect to the equity of the Guarantor shall be funded with the proceeds (directly or indirectly) any Advances made under the Credit Agreement; |
provided that for purposes of determining compliance with the Financial Covenants in this Section 5(r), on or prior to the date that is fifteen (15) Business Days after the date on which it is determined that the Guarantor is not in compliance with any Financial Covenant (the “Equity Cure Period”), the Guarantor’s equity holders or any of their Affiliates shall have the right to make and fund an equity investment in the Guarantor in cash during such Equity Cure Period, and such cash, if so designated by the Guarantor, shall be included as unrestricted cash for purposes of calculating (A) “Tangible Net Worth” in clause (i) above, and (B) to the extent such amounts do not reduce undrawn capacity under equity or debt facilities included in the calculation, “Working Capital” in clause (ii) above (each such investment of cash, an “Equity Cure”); provided, further, that any actions taken by or with respect to the Guarantor during the Equity Cure Period in an effort to have the Guarantor comply with the Financial Covenants shall be promptly communicated to the Administrative Agent in writing and no more than (X) one (1) Equity Cure shall be permitted during each calendar year and (Y) two (2) Equity Cures shall be permitted during the term of Agreement, without advance notice to and consent of the Administrative Agent; provided, further, that so long as the Guarantor has delivered prior written notice to the Administrative Agent of its intention to exercise an Equity Cure, during the Equity Cure Period no Early Amortization Event shall be deemed to have occurred as a result of the breach of the Financial Covenants and neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall exercise any rights or remedies under or arising out of this Section 5(r) or any other Transaction Document on the basis of any failure to comply with those Financial Covenants as to which notice of intent to exercise an Equity Cure has been delivered; provided, further, that if the Guarantor’s non-compliance with the Financial Covenants is cured by a permitted Equity Cure made within the Equity Cure Period, no Early Amortization Event shall be deemed to have occurred.
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For purposes of this Section 5(r), the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
“Mezzanine Facility” shall mean (i) that certain Indenture dated as of April 24, 2017, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time (the “SEC Indenture”), between the Guarantor and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee and collateral trustee and (ii) any indebtedness incurred by the Guarantor under any mezzanine financing facility or private high yield notes issuance, the proceeds of which are used to refinance in full the obligations under the SEC Indenture and otherwise for working capital purposes; provided that the Guarantor shall deliver prior written notice of its intention to enter into such facility or issue such notes not later than ten (10) days prior to the closing of such facility or issuance of such notes.
“Tangible Net Worth” shall mean the amount which, in accordance with GAAP, would be set forth under the caption “Total Assets” (or any like caption) on a consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor, less all assets that are considered to be intangible assets under GAAP (including customer lists, goodwill, internal use software, copyrights, trade names, trademarks, patents, franchises, licenses, unamortized deferred charges, unamortized debt discount and capitalized research and development costs of the Guarantor) less “Total Liabilities” in a consolidated balance sheet of the Guarantor as reported in each set of quarterly financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 5(q)(ii) above; provided that the amount calculated in Section 5(r)(i) above and the term “Total Liabilities” shall carve out from the calculation thereof an aggregate principal amount of up to $50,000,000 then outstanding under any Mezzanine Facility as reported in each set of quarterly financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 5(q)(ii) above.
“Working Capital” shall mean, as of any date, the cumulative amount of unrestricted cash and undrawn capacity under any equity or debt financing arrangement of the Guarantor or any Subsidiary of the Guarantor which is available (taking into account the ability of Guarantor or its applicable Subsidiary to satisfy any conditions to such availability as demonstrated to the reasonable satisfaction of the Administrative Agent) to pay for the Guarantor’s selling, asset origination and general and administrative expenses. For the avoidance of doubt, Working Capital shall include any undrawn capacity available (taking into account the ability of Guarantor or its applicable Subsidiary to satisfy any conditions to such availability as demonstrated to the reasonable satisfaction of the Administrative Agent) for the Guarantor’s general and administrative purposes under any other equity or debt financing arrangement of the Guarantor or any Subsidiary.
(s) Equity Cure Payment. Without duplication of any notice requirement set forth in Section 5(r), in the event that Parent or any Subsidiary thereof elects to make or cause an Affiliate to make an Equity Cure Payment, Parent shall notify the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent and the Servicer of such election on or prior to the date that is not later than three (3) Business Days prior to the Payment Date following the related Calculation Date.
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SECTION 6. Amendments to Guaranty. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Guaranty, and no consent to any departure by the Guarantor here from, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the Guarantor (only with respect to amendments), the Borrowers and the Administrative Agent, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given.
SECTION 7. Addresses for Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing (which shall include facsimile communication), shall be personally delivered, express couriered, electronically transmitted (in which case a hard copy shall also be sent by regular mail) or mailed by registered or certified mail, if to the Borrowers, at the address set forth under the Borrower Representative’s name on the signature page hereof, if to the Administrative Agent, at the address set forth under its name on the signature page hereof and, if to the Guarantor, at the address set forth under its name on the signature page hereof, or, as to any party, at such other address as shall be designated by such party in a written notice to each other party. Notices and communications by facsimile shall be effective when sent, and notices and communications sent by other means shall be effective when received.
SECTION 8. No Waiver; Remedies. No failure on the part of the Borrowers or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right. The remedies herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any remedies provided by law.
SECTION 9. Continuing Guaranty. This Guaranty is a continuing agreement and shall:
(a) remain in full force and effect until the performance in full of the Guarantied Obligations (other than contingent liabilities for which no claim has been asserted or is known to Guarantor s);
(b) be binding upon the Guarantor, its successors and assigns; and
(c) inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent and their successors and assigns.
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Section 9 to the contrary, it is specifically agreed and is a condition of and inducement to the Guarantor to enter into this Guaranty, that all Servicer Obligations and Manager Obligations, as applicable, and performances, liabilities and duties of the Guarantor with respect to Sunnova SSA Management as the Servicer and as Manager and the provisions of the Servicing Agreement and the Management Agreement applicable to Sunnova SSA Management as the Servicer and as the Manager, as applicable, shall cease, terminate and be of no further force or effect immediately upon (i) the termination or the resignation of Sunnova SSA Management as the Servicer or Sunnova SSA Management as the Manager, as applicable, and (ii) the appointment of the Back-Up Servicer, any Successor Servicer or any Successor Manager, as applicable.
SECTION 10. Revival and Reinstatement. If (i) the incurrence or payment of the Guarantied Obligations or the obligations of the Guarantor under this Guaranty by the Guarantor or the transfer by the Guarantor to the Administrative Agent of any property of the Guarantor should for any reason subsequently be declared to be void or voidable under any state or federal law relating to creditors’ rights, including provisions of the Bankruptcy Code relating to
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fraudulent conveyances, preferences, or other voidable or recoverable payments of money or transfers of property (collectively, a “Voidable Transfer”), and if any Secured Party is required to repay or restore, in whole or in part, any such Voidable Transfer, or elects to do so upon the reasonable advice of its counsel, then, as to any such Voidable Transfer, or the amount thereof that any Secured Party is required or elects to repay or restore, and as to all reasonable costs, expenses, and attorneys’ fees of the Secured Party related thereto, or (ii) any Guarantied Obligation that was a contingent liability becomes an actual liability (an “Actual Liability”), in each case the liability of the Guarantor automatically shall be revived, reinstated, and restored and shall exist as though, in the case of a Voidable Transfer, such Voidable Transfer had never been made and, in the case of an Actual Liability, as of the time such Actual Liability arose.
SECTION 11. Release of Guarantor. In the event that (a) the Guarantor ceases to control (within the meaning of the Securities Act) Sunnova SSA Management and the Borrowers, (b) a Servicer Termination Event or a Manager Termination Event has not occurred, (c) the new controlling person has agreed to assume the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder, (d) the Guarantor shall have received the written consent of the Administrative Agent, and (e) the Guarantor and such new controlling person shall have executed documents and provided opinions of counsel reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, then the Guarantor shall be permitted to assign its obligations hereunder to such new controlling person, and upon such assignment, this Guaranty shall terminate with respect to the Guarantor and the Guarantor shall be released from its obligations hereunder without the necessity of any further action of the parties to this Guaranty
SECTION 12. GOVERNING LAW. THIS GUARANTY SHALL, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 5-1401 OF THE GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF THAT WOULD CALL FOR THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION.
SECTION 13. JURISDICTION. ANY LEGAL ACTION OR PROCEEDING WITH RESPECT TO THIS GUARANTY MAY BE BROUGHT IN THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (NEW YORK COUNTY) OR OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, AND BY EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF THIS GUARANTY, EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO CONSENTS, FOR ITSELF AND IN RESPECT OF ITS PROPERTY, TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THOSE COURTS. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY OBJECTION, INCLUDING ANY OBJECTION TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OR BASED ON THE GROUNDS OF FORUM NON CONVENIENS, OR ANY LEGAL PROCESS WITH RESPECT TO ITSELF OR ANY OF ITS PROPERTY, WHICH IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE BRINGING OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN SUCH JURISDICTION IN RESPECT OF THIS GUARANTY OR ANY DOCUMENT RELATED HERETO. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO WAIVES PERSONAL SERVICE OF ANY SUMMONS, COMPLAINT OR OTHER PROCESS, WHICH MAY BE MADE BY ANY OTHER MEANS PERMITTED BY NEW YORK LAW.
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SECTION 14. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. ALL PARTIES HEREUNDER HEREBY KNOWINGLY, VOLUNTARILY AND INTENTIONALLY WAIVE ANY RIGHTS THEY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION BASED HEREON, OR ARISING OUT OF, UNDER, OR IN CONNECTION WITH, THIS GUARANTY, OR ANY COURSE OF CONDUCT, COURSE OF DEALING, STATEMENTS (WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN) OR ACTIONS OF THE PARTIES IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR THEREWITH. ALL PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THEY HAVE RECEIVED FULL AND SIGNIFICANT CONSIDERATION FOR THIS PROVISION AND THAT THIS PROVISION IS A MATERIAL INDUCEMENT FOR ALL PARTIES TO ENTER INTO THIS GUARANTY.
SECTION 15. No Proceeding; Effects of Bankruptcy. The Guarantor hereby agrees that it will not, directly or indirectly, institute or cause to be instituted, or join any Person in instituting, against any Borrower, any bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, insolvency or liquidation proceedings, or other proceedings under any federal or state bankruptcy or similar law so long as there shall not have elapsed one year plus one day after payment in full of the Obligations (other than contingent liabilities for which no claim has been made or is known to Guarantor). To the extent permitted by law, this Guaranty shall survive the occurrence of any bankruptcy with respect to any Sunnova Party, any Borrower or any other Person. To the extent permitted by law, no automatic stay under the Bankruptcy Code or other federal, state or other applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization statutes to which any Sunnova Party or any Borrower is subject shall postpone the obligations of the Guarantor under this Guaranty.
SECTION 16. Counterparts. This Guaranty may be executed in counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute but one and the same agreement. Delivery of an executed counterpart of this Guaranty by facsimile or other electronic transmission (i.e., “pdf” or “tif”) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart hereof and deemed an original.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Guarantor has caused this Guaranty to be duly executed and delivered by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above written.
SUNNOVA ENERGY CORPORATION | ||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||
| ||||
Name: | Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President, Head of Finance and Treasurer | |||
Address: | 00 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx 000 Xxxxxxx, XX 00000 |
Signature Page to Amended and Restated Sunnova Island Limited Performance Guaranty
Acknowledged and Agreed: | ||||
SUNNOVA LAP HOLDINGS, LLC, as a Borrower | ||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||
| ||||
Name: | Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President, Head of Finance and Treasurer | |||
Address: | 00 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx 000 Xxxxxxx, XX 00000 |
SUNNOVA LAP I, LLC, as a Borrower | ||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||
| ||||
Name: | Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President, Head of Finance and Treasurer | |||
Address: | 00 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx 000 Xxxxxxx, XX 00000 |
SUNNOVA LAP II, LLC, as a Borrower | ||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||
| ||||
Name: | Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President, Head of Finance and Treasurer | |||
Address: | 00 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx 000 Xxxxxxx, XX 00000 |
Signature Page to Amended and Restated Sunnova Island Limited Performance Guaranty
CREDIT SUISSE AG, NEW YORK BRANCH, as Administrative Agent | ||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | |||
| ||||
Name: | Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Vice President |
By: | /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | |||
| ||||
Name: | Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Director | |||
Address: | 00 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx Xxx Xxxx,
XX 00000 Attention: Asset Finance |
Signature Page to Amended and Restated Sunnova Island Limited Performance Guaranty