EAM Jaishankar discusses deepening bilateral cooperation with South Korean counterpart
He expressed his best wishes to FM Cho Hyun for a successful tenure.
Sharing the details in a post on X, he said, 'Good to speak with @FMChoHyun of RoK this morning. Conveyed my best wishes for a successful tenure. Discussed deepening of our bilateral cooperation.'
https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1949717473168679371
Earlier, on July 21, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar congratulated Cho Hyun on his appointment as the new Foreign Minister of South Korea.
In a post on X, he expressed confidence in working together to further strengthen the ties between the two countries and toward achieving a Special Strategic Partnership between New Delhi and Seoul.
He wrote, 'Congratulate Amb Cho Hyun on his appointment as Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. Look forward to working together to further strengthen our Special Strategic Partnership.'
On July 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a delegation of special envoys from South Korea and highlighted the completion of 10 years of India-South Korea partnership. He emphasised that close collaboration between the two countries plays a crucial role in the Indo-Pacific region.
On the same day, the EAM also met a delegation of special envoys from the Republic of Korea (RoK), led by former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, which was visiting India and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties in key areas, including economy, technology, defence, maritime security, and people-to-people exchanges.
Jaishankar shared details of the meeting on his X account. He wrote, 'Delighted to meet RoK President Lee Jae Myung's delegation of Special Envoys to India led by former PM Kim Boo-kyum this morning in Delhi. Discussed economic, technology, defence and maritime cooperation. As well as expanding people-to-people exchanges.'
The meeting takes place amid renewed efforts from both sides to enhance cooperation across various sectors, including green hydrogen, shipbuilding, investment, semiconductors, and regional security, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.
The visit followed a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada last month. Both leaders expressed commitment to working together in trade, investment, green energy, and emerging technology sectors. (ANI)
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Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Toronto FC adds to its attack, acquiring Djordje Mihailovic as a designated player
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Globe and Mail
6 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Aemetis AMTX Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Date Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Financial Officer — Todd Waltz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer — Eric McAfee President and Chief Operating Officer — Andy Foster Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email pr@ Takeaways Revenue -- $52.2 million in revenue for Q2 2025, an increase of $9.3 million from the previous quarter, primarily due to biodiesel order fulfillment in India. California ethanol production -- 13.8 million gallons produced in Q2 2025, with adjusted production levels to focus on margin optimization during the period. Dairy renewable natural gas revenue -- $3.1 million in revenue was generated from 11 operating digesters in Q2 2025, with CARB approval for seven digesters at a blended negative 384 carbon intensity score, unlocking approximately 120% increases in LCFS credit revenue for those sites starting in Q2 2025. Interest expense -- Interest expense, excluding Series A preferred unit accretion, rose to $12.3 million in Q2 2025, reflecting the capital structure and ongoing investment phase. Net loss -- Net loss (GAAP) was $23.4 million in Q2 2025. India biodiesel segment -- Resumed deliveries in April after a six-month pause, shipping $11.9 million in biodiesel and co-products. Dairy RNG scale-up -- New multi-dairy digester coming online this month is expected to increase RNG production by 30%, with a targeted annual run rate of 1,000,000 MMBtu by 2026. LCFS credit price movement -- CARB amendments effective July 1, 2025, increased LCFS credit prices from approximately $42 to $60, with a maximum allowed price of $268 in 2025. Tax credits monetization -- $83 million in investment credits related to RNG facilities have been sold to date, generating approximately $70 million in cash from these sales; section 45Z production tax credits have been generated since Jan. 1, 2025 (calendar year basis), with sales anticipated this quarter. Ethanol plant capital project -- $30 million mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) system is under fabrication, expected to reduce natural gas use by 80% beginning in 2026 and provide an estimated $32 million in annual cash flow beginning in 2026, with $20 million in grants and tax credits awarded to help fund the system. India subsidiary IPO -- Process initiated, with a new CFO appointed in July and public filings expected in the fall; approximately 25% of proceeds from the planned India subsidiary IPO (targeted for early 2026) are expected to be transferred to the parent company for debt repayment or cash strengthening. Regulatory tailwinds -- Recent legislation and regulatory changes enhance demand outlook and margin potential for ethanol and renewable natural gas segments, including E15 expansion and LCFS amendments. Liquidity and financing -- Active refinancing process underway, with anticipated progress contingent on the ability to demonstrate cash inflows from 45Z production tax credit monetization. Summary Aemetis (NASDAQ:AMTX) did not recognize section 45C tax credit revenues from dairy renewable natural gas in Q2 2025, as the company records such revenue only upon sale, deferring meaningful financial impact to upcoming quarters. Seven dairy pathways achieved CARB approval for a high-negative carbon intensity score, enabling increased LCFS credit revenue for those sites, with four additional pathways under CARB review and expected to be approved under an expedited timeline. LCFS credit prices rose by nearly 50% after California Air Resources Board regulatory changes took effect on July 1, 2025, benefiting expected credit-generated cash flow. Section 45Z production tax credits have been generated since January 2025 but are not yet recognized in revenue for Q1 and Q2 2025 because of accounting policy, with recurring quarterly monetization expected moving forward. The company has entered a late stage in a significant refinancing process, where successful demonstration of tax credit cash flows will be vital for completion. Legislative progress regarding E15 ethanol in California and potential nationwide expansion is poised to support long-term ethanol demand and margin improvement for Aemetis. The India segment resumed biodiesel sales and advanced its IPO process, with an anticipated impact on both debt repayment and domestic project development. Chairman and CEO McAfee stated, "The current calculation should be about $82 per MMBtu" for section 45Z credits under future guidance, with annual increases indexed to inflation. This estimate refers to section 45Z production tax credits effective beginning in 2025. President and COO Foster confirmed full registration for both the ethanol plant and RNG production facilities, ensuring eligibility for monetizing federal tax credits. McAfee reported, "We are in the thick of it right now," regarding regulatory work on the GREET model and emphasized that industry pushes may accelerate 45Z monetization timetables if Department of Energy model updates occur as expected. Industry glossary LCFS: California Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a market-based program for reducing transportation fuel carbon intensity, administered by CARB. CARB: California Air Resources Board, the regulatory agency overseeing air quality and fuel programs in California. MMBtu: One million British Thermal Units, a standard volume measure for the energy content of fuels. D3 RIN: Renewable Identification Number for cellulosic biofuel, used for tracking compliance under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. Section 45Z: A federal transferable tax credit for qualifying low-emission transportation fuels, effective Jan. 1, 2025. GREET model: Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation model, used to calculate the carbon intensity of fuels for credit eligibility. MVR system: Mechanical vapor recompression, a large-scale energy efficiency upgrade for ethanol production facilities. SAFRD: Sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel; refers to segments or projects aiming to supply these biofuels. SEBI: Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Indian regulator for securities markets and public offerings. Full Conference Call Transcript Todd Waltz: Thank you, Matthew. Welcome, everyone. Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone that during this call, we'll be making forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the current expectations and beliefs and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors discussed in our earnings release issued today and in our most recent Form 10-Ks and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities Exchange Commission under the caption Risk Factors and management discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations, as well as in our other filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as required by law. Please refer to our earnings release and our SEC filing for a more detailed discussion of these risks and uncertainties. Full financial details can be found in our second quarter 2025 earnings release and Form 10-Q, available on the Aemetis website and EDGAR. I'll briefly highlight the key items. Revenues were $52.2 million, up by $9.3 million from the first quarter revenue primarily due to the fulfillment of biodiesel orders with oil companies in India. California ethanol saw a slightly lower production rate of 13.8 million gallons to maximize margins during the quarter. California Dairy Renewable Natural Gas recognized $3.1 million of revenue from 11 operating digesters during Q2, using the CARB-approved LCFS pathway for seven of the digesters. As we'll discuss later, section 45C tax credit revenue from the production of dairy renewable natural gas were not included in the second quarter since we recognize revenue when credits are sold. Operating loss improved by $4.9 million from the 2025 reflecting reduced SG&A. Interest expense, excluding the Series A preferred unit accretion, rose to $12.3 million in line with our capital structure and investment phase. We reported a net loss of $23.4 million, roughly flat versus Q2 last year after adjusting for the nonrecurring charge during the prior quarter of last year. Cash at year-end was $1.6 million following $3.6 million of investment in carbon intensity reduction and dairy renewable natural gas production expansion. As Eric will describe shortly, we expect multiple revenue streams from India, LCFS credits, and federal tax incentives to ramp up as the year progresses, positioning us for a stronger 2025. Further, we remain focused on improving our capital structure. With cash flow expected to increase in the second half of this year, we anticipate further progress on debt reduction and are actively pursuing low-cost financing and refinancing alternatives. Now Eric McAfee, our Chairman and CEO, will review our businesses. Eric McAfee: Thanks, Todd. I'll start with a business segment update followed by updates on future projects and supportive regulations. In our dairy RNG business, we are steadily scaling up gas production, with a new multi-dairy digester coming online this month that is expected to increase RNG production by 30%. As planned, we expect to reach 550,000 MMBtus of renewable natural gas production capacity this year and grow to a 1,000,000 MMBtu annual run rate by 2026. We are now operating or building digesters at 18 dairies, funded by equity and $50 million of USDA guaranteed financing, with twenty-year repayment terms and attractive interest rates. Seven of our dairy pathways were approved by CARB during the second quarter at a blended negative 384 carbon intensity score, unlocking about 120% more LCFS credit revenue for those dairies starting this quarter compared to digesters with a negative 150 default pathway score. Four more pathways are currently under review with CARB, expected to be approved under the faster tier one pathway process that was adopted by CARB last month. Additionally, these dairy RNG facilities qualify for federal section 48 investment tax credits. To date, we have sold $83 million in investment credits related to our RNG facilities and received approximately $70 million in cash. We monetize the production of dairy RNG in multiple ways. Until this year, we have generated revenues primarily through the sale of the gas molecule, the sale of California low carbon fuel standard credits, and the sale of federal D3 renewable identification numbers. Since 01/01/2025, we've been generating transferable section 45Z production tax credits we are working to sell and generate additional income this quarter. On July 1, 2025, the California Air Resources Board amendments to the LCFS program that will apply for the next twenty years became effective, resulting in an increase in LCFS credit prices from about $42 to about $60 in the past month or so. The current cap on the price of LCFS credits is $268 for the year 2025. The LCFS program is expected to incur deficits this year that would reduce the inventory of available LCFS credits and be expected to continue to increase credit prices. Collectively, molecule revenues, LCFS credit sales, D3 RIN sales, and the sale of 45Z production tax credits are expected to generate strong positive cash flow from operations this year and expanding operating cash flow in 2026 as new production comes online. At our ethanol plant, our key vendors are fabricating equipment for the $30 million mechanical vapor recompression system. The MVR project is expected to reduce natural gas use by 80% and add an estimated $32 million in annual cash flow starting in 2026. We've been awarded $20 million in grants and tax credits to help fund the MDR system. Ethanol pricing has improved since earlier this year, and the recent EPA approval of summer E15 blending and lower corn prices have improved margins. We decreased production during the spring in order to optimize margins but recently increased ethanol production to support market demand and participate in the higher margin environment. California legislation to approve E15 year-round passed the assembly with a unanimous vote and now is advancing through the state senate for approval that is expected later this year. In India, we resumed biodiesel deliveries to government oil marketing companies in April, following a six-month pause on OMC purchasing, shipping $11.9 million of biodiesel and co-products in the second quarter. We are targeting an IPO of our India subsidiary in early 2026, and recently appointed a new chief financial officer at our India subsidiary to lead the process. We are also actively seeking to expand into ethanol production in India, which is strongly supported by government policies and pricing. Let's look at our future projects. For our sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel project, we have received the authority to construct air permits and conditional use permit for our 90 million gallon per year SAF renewable diesel facility at the Riverbank site in California. When operated solely for sustainable aviation fuel, capacity will be approximately 78 million gallons per year. We are in active discussions on financing structures and are awaiting further clarity on the 45Z production tax credit and biofuel mandates to support project financing. For our carbon capture project at the Riverbank site, we have completed initial site work and conductor installation for our geologic characterization well. The data we obtained from the next phase of drilling will support our class six CO2 sequestration permit application with EPA. Once permitted, the site is expected to sequester up to 1.4 million tons of CO2 annually. Let's review some regulatory events that support a strong growth outlook for Aemetis, Inc. and the biofuels and biogas industries. Aemetis, Inc. is positioned to benefit from a range of federal and state policies that directly enhance the value of its low carbon biofuel and biogas operations. The California low carbon fuel standard amendments adopted by CARB to establish a twenty-year framework for reducing transportation fuel emissions became effective on July 1. In response, LCFS credit prices rose by nearly 50% and are expected to continue to increase as credit supply tightens and credit demand increases. We expect further strengthening during 2025 and for the foreseeable future. The federal renewable fuel standard, the sale of renewable natural gas qualifies for D3 RINs, currently adding $19 per MMBtu in value at today's prices. Section 45Z production tax credits, effective 01/01/2025, the new federal section 45Z transferable tax credits support low emission ethanol and RNG production. Aemetis, Inc. is currently applying treasury guidance to calculate and market these credits for both our Keyes plant ethanol production and our RNG sales, with additional clarification expected later this year. In addition to any further clarification in 2025, the section 45Z credits will increase in 2026. Under the recent one big beautiful bill which removes indirect land use from the ethanol plant calculation and requires dairy-specific CI scores for renewable natural gas, we estimate this will double the 45Z credits in 2026 for each business. Even with no further changes to the current treasury guidance. Section 48 investment tax credits. Aemetis, Inc. received $19 million in cash proceeds in Q1 2025 from the sale of solar and biogas-related investment tax credits. Expect additional sales of both investment and production tax credits in Q3 2025, and in Q1 2026 for the balance of 2025 production tax credits. Plus additional sales of both PTCs and ITCs later in 2026. 15 ethanol blend expansion. The US EPA has approved temporary summer use of E15% ethanol in 49 states. And new legislation is advancing to allow year-round use, including in California. E15 approval in all 50 states would expand the potential US ethanol market by more than 5 billion gallons per year from the current 14 billion gallons per year while lowering fuel prices for consumers. In California, E15 should decrease fuel prices at the pump by $2.7 billion per year, according to a recent UC Berkeley study, while increasing the ethanol market by an estimated 600 million gallons per year. In California, Governor Newsom has directed CARB to expedite the process for allowing the sale of E15 gasoline in-state, and as previously mentioned, the state house unanimously approved legislation that would allow for E15. California is currently the only US state that does not allow the sale of gasoline with higher than a 10% ethanol blend. These aligned policy developments in the US are expected to significantly strengthen Aemetis, Inc.'s revenue cash flow, and project economics across its RNG, ethanol, carbon capture, and SAFRD businesses. Our India business is expected to grow with support from the India government for the benefits of biodiesel ethanol, and other biofuels to farmers, consumers, and the environment. With aligned regulatory support and milestone execution underway, Aemetis, Inc. is positioned for growth and improved cash flow through year-end and throughout 2026. Now let's take some questions from our call participants. Operator: Thank you, Mr. McAfee. We will now be conducting a question and answer session. If you'd like to ask a question, please press 1 on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press 2 if you'd like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing star keys. One moment while we poll for questions. Your first question is coming from Matthew Blair from TPH. Your line is live. Matthew Blair: Thank you, and good morning, Eric. Congrats on getting the CARB approval for the seven dairies at the end of the second quarter. I think you mentioned that did not flow into your financial results. Could you talk about at current LCFS prices around 60 what kind of EBITDA impact that might have for Aemetis, Inc.? And are you currently waiting for any other LCFS pathway approvals? Thank you. Eric McAfee: Sure. Thanks, Matt. We have seven dairies already effective. We have four more pending right now. And then have additional ones that we'll be filing in the fourth quarter that are currently in the ninety-day testing period. So we would be expected to exit the year with a total of seven plus another five minimum. So at least 12 dairies, either granted or soon to be granted. The new process, by the way, tier one is significantly shorter than the two-year process we went with tier two. So the financial impact, I think I'm gonna get back to you on that one because it's highly correlated with the price of the credits. So when we were 42, it was one-third less revenue than it is at 60. I think we cited that roughly $19 per MMBtu if I recall correctly. But let's get back to you with a memo on this. The formula is well known. But the price is moving quickly. So we're trying to give investors a range of values per MMBT for the LCFS. So we'll also endeavor to see if we can include that in some press releases so people can see the impact as those prices change. Matthew Blair: Sounds good. And then, can I get your view on the D3 RINs supply-demand outlook? You know, this year, I think we're tracking for around, like, 1.6 billion D3 RINs generated. You know, you're looking at the RVO for 2025 around 1.1? For '26 and '27, I think the proposal's around, like, 1.3, 1.4. Do you have any hope that the EPA may revise up those initial 2026 and 2027 D3 RVOs? Eric McAfee: As you know, we're in a comment period that ends tomorrow. And there is a universal opinion in biofuels that the D3 RIN is being understated. There was a mistake by the EPA and it was filed in the federal register, so it was printed for everybody to read. That through no fault of their own, the oil industry was being forced to buy D3 RINs. As everybody knows, that's exactly opposite of what the renewable fuel standard was written to do. As George Bush, the president who signed the renewable fuel standard said, you left it up to the oil companies, we would all just be buying oil from The Middle East. So the point of the entire renewable fuel standard is to cause the adoption and to be focused on the availability of production not on the amount of consumption. So, those comments which you can read as public filings, you'll see ours as well, are focusing on what the actual renewable fuel regulation requires. Andy, you wanna make a comment on that? Andy Foster: No. I think that's you hit it exactly right, Eric. I think it's maybe not quite a mistake by some forces within the industry to skew in that direction, but the law is the law. And we're gonna emphasize that in our comments as well as many other biofuel producers around the country. Matthew Blair: Great. Thanks for your comments. Operator: Thank you. Your next question is coming from Derrick Whitfield from Texas Capital. Your line is live. Derrick Whitfield: Good morning, Eric and team, and thanks for taking my questions as well. Eric McAfee: Morning, Derrick. Derrick Whitfield: Eric, could you update us on the progress of 45Z due to the timing of final rules from treasury and the GREIT model that will be used for the provisional emission rate calculations? Eric McAfee: We are in the thick of it right now. And there is an update to the GREET model that has been presented to the DOE. And if accepted and adopted, it could matter be a matter of a few weeks at most, maybe even a one-week span, that they could update the GREET model. They've already updated it twice this year after the initial filing in January. So this would be a third update. That update would allow us to then generate 45Z credits in the month of August and sell them in August or September. So the quick and easy way forward for industry is for the Department of Energy to simply add a few cells. I think it's six or seven cells to the foreground of the GREET model. The 45Z final rules, which in your there's proposed guidance and then final guidance. We currently have guidance. It's a January 2025 guidance. It's called intention to propose guidance, but it says on its face, this guidance can be used for transactions. So we do have guidance frankly, that guidance is sufficient for us to transact 45Zs if the GREET model is updated and we're happy with the calculations. The reason why industry has to do this effort is that they were in a hurry. They admit they were in a hurry, and so they took all of the methane emissions and divided by, from all the animals in The United States and divided by all the estimated animals and said, okay. If you're gonna make RNG this is your average number. And, whether your project is better or worse doesn't matter. Here's your number. And they acknowledge that's not correct. We are working to fix that. And the OBBB signed on July 4 helped clarify for the regulators, exactly how the 45Z is going to work starting 01/01/2026. Which helped clarify them, for them what 2025 should look like. So we're working to get that implemented. I would tell you that it's largely down to one or two people at this point in time, and our company has been very proactive in getting those formulas in front of DOE so we don't have to lay in terms of what kind of work needs to be done on the GREET model itself. Derrick Whitfield: And not to belabor the point, Eric, and we've had conversations on it because they could be a material number for you guys for your dairy business. But as you kinda think about where you stand on Aemetis, Inc.'s stand today as it relates to attending the registrations in tax ID numbers? And whether you would expect the credits to be retroactive for first-half sales. I'd love your perspective on that. And, again, we're still thinking about this as potentially sixty to eighty per MMBtu titan metric that we could see. Is that a reasonable range as well? Eric McAfee: The current calculation should be about $82 per MMBtu. And what we're missing is the DOE GREET model that allows the foreground cells to be input to site, to put in what state you're in, etcetera, you're an anaerobic digester, in order to put out the emissions rate that would generate that number. So, we expect that the DOE will put out a model for 2025. That is not their current process. Currently, they're focusing on January 2026. Industry in general is having to motivate them to see the value of putting out an amended model for 2025. But the values when we're done with it between a combination of the model plus the provisional emissions rate process, which is an opportunity for us to say we're not happy with the total numbers coming out of the model. Let's go ahead and get some project-specific information from them. Between the two of them, we should end up at roughly $82. That goes up, by the way, by the rate of inflation. So next year, it'll be actually larger in the year after that larger. But the current target is in the $82 per MMBtu range. Derrick Whitfield: And, Eric, just one part of that question I wanted to have you comment on too is just where you or Aemetis, Inc. stands in attaining the registrations and tax ID numbers. Eric McAfee: We're fully registered. Andy, do you have any comment on this? Andy Foster: Ethanol plant's fully registered. Our RNG production facility. I would disclose to people that you don't have to register each one of the digesters because they're not producers of renewable natural gas. They produce biogas. So it's just our RNG production facility that's required to be registered. So we're fully registered and have acknowledgments from IRS of that registration. Eric McAfee: That's great. That was done on a timely basis, so we don't have any issues there. Derrick Whitfield: Very good. Thanks, Eric. Eric McAfee: Thank you. Operator: Thank you. Your next question is coming from Amit Dayal from H. C. Wainwright. Your line is live. Amit Dayal: Thank you. Good afternoon, Eric. Just a question on, you know, the monetization strategy for your tax credits going forward. It's been a little lumpy in the past, but going forward, you know, with this regulatory backdrop, do you think we can see a little bit more consistent monetization going forward? Eric McAfee: Yes. The section 48 investment tax credits, as we, I think, commented probably a year ago, were expected to be lumpy as we do investments, and then we go through a several-quarter cycle of putting them all together and then selling them. And we are in the process of doing another section 48 tax credit sale, which we would hope to close this quarter. But 45Z is more akin to revenue. And so we've already done a transaction in which a single customer signed up to multiple closings of tax credit purchases. We would anticipate that's a format we're going to use for 45Z. With the expectation of the worst-case scenario of one sale every quarter. Probably the most optimistic scenario would be a sale every forty-five days. But certainly every quarter. So 45Z should become a recurring quarterly revenue item, somewhat, harkening back to what Derrick Whitfield just said, we've been generating 45Z since January. We have not reflected any of the revenue because our revenue recognition policy is that upon the sale and receipt of cash, then we recognize the revenue. So if you look at our Q1 and Q2 revenues, you're not actually seeing any 45Z revenues and, frankly, not seeing any LCFS revenues, in those quarters. Both those types of credits we recognize when they're sold. And so, our dairy pathway is approved in the second quarter are actually credits received literally in the last few days of the second quarter and then are sold in the third quarter. So the third quarter is going to be one of those quarters which we would expect would have some of the catch-up on the LCFS certainly catch up for the first half of the year on the 45Z if the Department of Energy files are amended, GREET model. And, so you'll see this one-time lumpiness on quite a lot of cash and a lot of profit showing up. And then it'll become more of a quarterly, correlated with production. Amit Dayal: Understood. Thank you for that. With respect to the India IPO, is the I'm just trying to see if there's an official process that has already begun or is this just preparation on your end you know, that you will soon sort of, you know, get into sort of a formal mode of going public for that business over there? Eric McAfee: We have our new CFO on-site. He joined us in July. So we're not even, I think, a month into having him on board. He was about July 15. Right. And so we're well into the process. There's not a public filing early in the process. The public filing comes after some review of documentation by the investment making firm and some other parties. So we would expect to see sometime this fall that there would be public filing documents that people would be able to read. I don't think we're gonna press release that but it will certainly become known. We'll mention it on our earnings calls, etcetera. But it'll be an administrative process with SEBI, which is the regulator in India. Amit Dayal: Understood. And then the use of proceeds, you know, if this through, you know, within the timeline, like, what are you thinking, Eric? Is it to pay down debt or any other strategic initiatives? Eric McAfee: We definitely have the ability to transfer money to the parent company. The exact amount will be determined largely at our market conditions. But we are in a scenario in which some amount of money would be transferred to the parent. I do expect that probably would be invested in debt repayment. But as Todd mentioned at the end of his conversation, we are working on a significant refinancing. So it's possible we won't actually have any obligations for current pay because we're-amortizing our senior debt in these refinancings over quite a long period of time, twenty and thirty years. So and if that were to be the case, it would just be, basically strengthening the cash position of the parent company and giving us a little more flexibility for developments in these projects. But I would not anticipate that we're talking about the majority of the funds. I would anticipate probably 25% of the IPO proceeds would be for the parent company, and the balance would be for development. The India assets I should mention because we did talk about it a bit. The ethanol industry and industry in India is very rapidly growing. It's increasing by another 50%. Over the next sixty months. And we're in the middle of what the India government is looking to implement to strengthen their agricultural sector while at the same time lowering costs at the pump and having actual environmental benefits. So the ethanol industry in India is just very strongly supported. They set the price of the ethanol. They set the price of the corn. It is a very attractive business. And so we are very actively involved with the development of two sites for ethanol production and a core part of our IPO in India is that we have a base biodiesel business that's expanding, but, frankly, we are aggressively moving into ethanol. Even the recent news about heavy tariffs on India is being interpreted by Bloomberg and others as a negotiating tool to bring India to the table. One of the open doors India has talked about is India does not allow genetically modified corn. And therefore, their yields are about 3.3 per acre, and American yields are in the 11 bushels per acre. So they're less than a third of the yield per acre. Which means that US corn is frankly less expensive. And so we'll see how these trade negotiations go. It's a very uncertain environment for a lot of parties. But one of the outcomes very possibly could be that India becomes a market for US corn, but restricted to ethanol use. Very big issue was they do not want the population there eating genetically modified corn, so restricting it just to ethanol use would be of great value to Aemetis, Inc. We would be uniquely positioned to have an excellent ethanol business supplied, frankly, by US corn, but then providing distillers grain and low-cost fuel and environmental benefits to the Indian economy. So we'll see how that plays out. But that was kind of an upside. The domestic environment for ethanol in India is very attractive. Amit Dayal: I really appreciate that additional color, Eric. Looks like you guys are positioned well on multiple fronts from this point. Thank you. That's all I have. Eric McAfee: Alright. Thank you, Amit. Operator: Thank you. Your next question is coming from Dave Storms from Stonegate. Your line is live. Dave Storms: Morning, and thank you for taking my questions. I just wanna could you remind us with your RNGs that are expected to get approval by the end of this year, are those approvals backwards looking? Will you be able to take advantage of those higher credits? Eric McAfee: No. We have seven that are already approved. These four that are pending would be expected to be approved next year and tack back to best case scenario is probably the fourth quarter this year. Yeah. Yeah. Probably the fourth quarter this year. So we might have some impact this year. The way they do it is sort of a six-month look back kind of a situation. So if we get approved by March, then it could be effective in the fourth quarter this year. So, currently, though, I would say we'd take it to conservative view, which is probably first quarter next year is the first time we'd see those four additional pathways have an impact. We hope to see an upside but I think that would be our projection right now. Dave Storms: Understood. Thank you. And then maybe just a little more commentary about around the refinancing. How far along in that process are you? Maybe if you're looking at any unique options that may be an anticipated timeline to getting that completed? Anything like that would be very helpful. Eric McAfee: We are very deep in a refinancing process with a counterparty. And I would say by August, we'll be through most of the due diligence and documentation work. The dependence we have on that refinancing, and I would say almost all refinancings, will be for us to prove out our 45Z production tax credit revenue. Not that it won't happen. It's federal law. It's the calculation for renewable natural gas and the calculation for ethanol plant. If the DOE model is done properly, then we're able to show the DOE model. We sell tax credits. We'll get frankly, tens of millions of dollars, from that in the first transaction. And we'll be showing that to our lender. And they would be able to plug it into their formulas. Currently, the formulas work okay. But with that number included in revenues, it actually becomes a very, very attractive five-year stream of after-tax cash flow to the company. So we need to prove that out. And I say prove it out as in everybody knows what the math is, but do we have the cash? Not yet. So let's get the cash in and then the conversation can lead to final documentation and closing. Dave Storms: Understood. Thank you for the color, and good luck in Q3. Eric McAfee: Thank you, Dave. Operator: Thank you. And once again, everyone, if you have any questions or comments, please press star then 1 on your phone. Your next question is coming from Ed Woo from Ascendiant Capital. Your line is live. Ed Woo: Yeah. Congratulations on all your progress. Thanks for the update in terms of California and possibly, you know, allowing usage of E15 gasoline. If it gets passed how quickly do you think it'll get implemented, and how quickly will you see the increase in demand for ethanol? Eric McAfee: The implementation will not be immediate at every one of the stations in California. But because we're selling a commodity, it's that last gallon that really prices everything. So 600 million gallons of additional demand is actually enough to push the entire country from oversupply to a sort of a more balanced environment. And then with E15, and 49 other states, there's certainly the expectation that we're just gonna be short ethanol. We currently export almost 2 billion gallons of ethanol to foreign countries. And, if E15 becomes adopted in California this year, which is a better than 75% chance that's gonna happen. And if Congress picks it up and gets it approved this year, which is better than 50% chance, you're just gonna be short. It's going to end up getting the value it should be getting which is more on par with gasoline. And since we're replacing aromatics and aromatics, typically, 20¢ to 50¢ a gallon more expensive than gasoline. We're doing a 113 octane versus 84 octane, which is gasoline's base octane. We have a very valuable molecule that's been undervalued because of this 10% limitation. Too much supply, not enough demand, that is expected to move to the opposite, which would be excessive demand because of how valuable the molecule is. And that should generate additional value per gallon for us. I do think it's a gradual trend, though. It's probably an eighteen-month cycle before you're going to see significant need for additional construction of facilities. But that's certainly what's coming. If we add 5 billion gallons of demand to the US ethanol industry, that's far in excess of capacity industry. The entire industry production capacity today is about 17 billion gallons. And that's going to increase over 20 billion, in rather short order with E15. So it's just a question of when. Does it happen earlier or later, but sometime over the next by 2026, I think you're gonna see people proposing new facilities because of how profitable the industry is, and a need for more of the molecule. Andy, do you have any comments on that? Andy Foster: No. I think from an implementation perspective, it's really up to the blenders. How fast they want to go with this. In terms of putting out. There's no physical change that needs to take place. It's just a question of how fast they want to implement it. And I believe that the CEQA reform also allows for an expedited process on building additional storage facilities, which has been a big issue in California. California does not have enough fuel storage facilities. And so a lot of times, it's the trade-offs between things like ethanol and RD and, you know, sort of what's driving the demand for those things. But I believe that the CEQA reform that the governor just recently signed will help streamline the process of building some additional tankage in California, which is desperately needed. So that should help as well. Ed Woo: Thank you. Eric McAfee: Alright. Thank you, Ed. Operator: Thank you. That concludes our Q&A session. I'll now hand the conference back to Eric McAfee, Chairman and CEO, for closing remarks. Please go ahead. Eric McAfee: Thank you to Aemetis, Inc. stockholders, analysts, and others for joining us today. We look forward to talking with you about participating in the growth opportunities at Aemetis, Inc. Thank you for attending today's Aemetis, Inc. earnings conference call. Please visit the Investors section of the Aemetis, Inc. website where we'll post a written version and audio version of this Aemetis, Inc. earnings review and business update. Operator: Thank you. Everyone, this concludes today's event. You may disconnect at this time, and have a wonderful day. Thank you for your participation. Where to invest $1,000 right now When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,046%* — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 181% for the S&P 500. They just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now, available when you join Stock Advisor. *Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025 This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. 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Apple just got a big win in Trump's tariff war. It may have bigger concerns
Apple's iPhone 16 series are displayed for sale at an electronics store in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 17. (Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto/Getty Images via CNN Newsource) Apple CEO Tim Cook should be breathing a sigh of relief. The White House on Wednesday ratcheted tariffs on Indian imports up by an additional 25 per cent, raising the total levies on one of the United States' most crucial trading partners to 50 per cent when they kick in later this month. But smartphones are exempt from U.S. President Donald Trump's new levies on India, marking a crucial win for the tech giant as it approaches its most important time of the year: its annual September iPhone launch followed by the holiday season. Apple will also dodge incoming new tariffs on semiconductors, since it's committed to building iPhone components in the United States, Trump said Wednesday. That's not to say tariffs won't hurt; CEO Tim Cook said tariffs will likely cost the company U.S.$1.1 billion this quarter. But analysts say Apple has bigger concerns, such as its future product strategy and approach to artificial intelligence, a burgeoning field that the tech behemoth is perceived to be behind in. Under different circumstances, such high tariffs could have spelled trouble for Apple. The iPhone is Apple's most important product, making up the majority of its revenue. Most iPhones sold in America come from India. And the Americas, which includes the United States, is Apple's largest market. 'In terms of the longer-term issues, more than a year out, I would say tariffs are probably 20 per cent of it,' said Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, who has covered Apple for decades. 'I think what's going on the regulatory environments (is) probably 25 per cent, and 55 is related to how they're going to capitalize on AI.' Tariffs are a hurdle but manageable Tariffs are a challenge for Apple, but one that analysts seem confident the company can manage. A combination of Apple's diversified supply chain – which it partially shifted to areas like India and Vietnam around five years ago to reduce reliance on China during COVID – along with its high margins and Cook's operations expertise put the company in a strong position. Supply chain resilience is 'supposed to allow you to adjust tactically to any major changes that comes unexpected,' said Runar Bjørhovde, a research analyst for market research firm Canalys. That held true even before Apple committed to investing an additional $100 billion in the United States to manufacture iPhone parts domestically on Wednesday. While moves like these don't directly impact tariff policy, they do likely help Apple curry favor with the administration, especially as Trump has pressed Apple to build its iPhones domestically. 'Look, he's not making this kind of an investment anywhere in the world, not even close,' Trump said. 'He's coming back. I mean, Apple is coming back to America.' Some analysts already expected that the iPhone would be exempt from the upcoming levies on India ahead of Wednesday's tariff announcement. But the back-and-forth tariff policies, which have changed multiple times throughout the year, make it challenging to predict what could happen in the future. 'Because (smartphones are) such an important category, the relationship that Apple has with both administrations, and specifically, even the U.S. administration, we do think that they will be able to maneuver against this threat,' said Nabila Popal, senior director with the International Data Corporation's data and analytics team. 'But it is important, of course. It does present a risk.' That said, analysts largely believe India and China are Apple's only two options for producing U.S.-bound iPhones at scale. And since iPhone models available in the United States don't precisely match those sold elsewhere, Apple can't just redirect iPhones intended for different markets. New iPhones sold in America, for example, don't have physical SIM card slots anymore, and they support millimeter wave 5G, the kind of connection that provides faster, low-latency speeds but usually only at a short distance. 'It's a massive tactical nightmare to deal with,' said Bjørhovde. 'Because you have to try and find a sweet spot and figure out what comes next.' Cook said iPhones will continue to be assembled outside of the United States for 'a while' during an event at the Oval Office announcing the new $100 billion investment on Wednesday. But he pointed to the company's strategy of instead producing iPhone components stateside. 'Well, if you look at the bulk of it, we're doing a lot of the semiconductors here, we're doing the glass here, we're doing the Face ID module here, and so there's a ton of it, and we're doing these for products sold elsewhere in the world,' Cook said. 'And so there's a lot of content in there from United States.' Apple's AI troubles The narrative that Apple is behind in AI has been looming over the company all year – and some analysts see it as a more challenging issue to overcome than tariffs. Apple delayed a high-profile upgrade to its Siri assistant that would have enabled it to provide more personalized answers and act across apps, bringing it up to speed with the agent-like capabilities that Google and OpenAI are pursuing with their digital helpers. And the company's rivals are still using that setback as ammunition to promote their own products over Apple's. Just this week, Google posted an ad for its upcoming Pixel 10 phone that said: 'If you buy a new phone because of a feature that's coming soon, but it's been coming soon for a full year, you could change your definition of soon.' Apple's initial batch of AI features also didn't launch in time for the iPhone 16's arrival last September. At the same time, many of Apple's peers are seeing booming returns from their AI investments. Nvidia (NVDA) and Microsoft (MSFT) both hit $4 trillion in market capitalization in July, a milestone Wall Street previously thought Apple (AAPL) might reach first. That's partially because of their fundamentally different products and business models. Apple is a consumer hardware company. In contrast, Microsoft, Meta (META) and Nvidia also provide the tools that businesses rely on to support AI-powered services and features, like cloud computing, chips and AI models. Still, Apple saw stellar earnings results for the June quarter, surpassing expectations for iPhone sales – including in China – and overall revenue. But during Apple's earnings call, analysts pressed Cook about his perspective on AI and what it means for the company's products. Those questions ranged from whether AI services might be eating into search engine usage, whether the forthcoming Siri upgrade could drive future new products and whether Apple would consider acquiring AI companies to further its product roadmap. 'Taking a step back, we see AI as one of the most profound technologies of our lifetime,' Cook said in his opening remarks during the earnings call. 'We are embedding it across our devices and platforms and across the company. We are also significantly growing our investments.' But Apple can't risk falling too far behind when it comes to the iPhone's AI capabilities. By doing so, it could create an opportunity for Samsung, Google and Qualcomm – the three of which dominate the Android phone space – to pull ahead, says Ted Mortonson, managing director and technology sector strategist at financial services company Baird. 'What's more important with investors is, after the iPhone 17, what do they really do?' he said. 'I mean, as far as generative AI and AI functionality, that that's the real focus on Apple right now.'
