Plug Power Marches Toward Billion-Dollar Revenue Goal with First Ever Convertible Green Bond Offering
Tags: green bond
Last fall, Plug Power announced an ambitious five-year plan that aims to see the company achieve $1 billion in annual revenue by the year 2024. Now, Plug Power has taken a major step towards reaching that goal with the issuance of its first convertible green bond offering, which was originally announced in May of this year.
Net proceeds from the capital raise are being used to fund, among other things, strategic initiatives in support of Plug Power’s green hydrogen strategy—including the recently announced targeted acquisition of companies doing industry-leading work in hydrogen generation, liquefaction, and distribution. The recent move is a significant first not only for Plug Power, but also for the U.S. hydrogen fuel cell industry as a whole, with the new issuance representing the country’s first ever convertible green bond offering. in this segment
Like any other convertible bond, a convertible green bond is a fixed-income corporate debt security that not only yields interest payments, but which can also be converted by the bondholder into common stock or equity shares. Green bonds are set apart, however, by the fact that they are specifically earmarked to support environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) initiatives intended to materially benefit the climate or environment.
Plug Power’s new offering sends an important signal to investors both by reaffirming the company’s commitment to green energy and sustainability more broadly, while also underscoring the company’s efforts to work with investors who reflect the company’s core values and principles. Green bond issuers must go above and beyond to meet heightened requirements for reporting, auditing, and proceed allocation to ensure that investor funds are used responsibly.
Despite their more stringent requirements, green bonds also offer a number of strategic advantages for issuing entities who are able to manage them responsibly. ESG investors now represent a significant and growing proportion of all new investors on the market, a fact that caused sustainable funds to smash records in 2019. Analysts now predict that ESG investing will continue to surge in the months and years ahead. With its convertible green bond offering, Plug Power aims to meet this new and exciting paradigm in sustainable investing head on.
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